A Christmas
Stocking
It Brought an Unexpected
Message of Good Cheer
By LUCY K. WYNKOOP
Copyright. 1910, by Ameripan Press
Association.
-De? chiTen Is g'ittln' big enough to
understand about Christmas how; and
I reckon we better git some toys fo'
'em. Tommy Is five yea's old, and
PInkey Is neariy fou. De gen'leman
what Tisit de house las' month gib me
gome money fo' takin keer ob his
horse, and we kin spend it fo' a fust
class Christmas."
"And de lady what was wid him gib
me money fo washin some lace
clothes. We kin hab a fine Christmas
this yea. Missy Alice done tole me
she go in gib us a turkey."
i This conversation occurred between
Ben and his wife, Sue, a young couple
who were slaves on a plantation in
Virginia. The time was a week be
fore Christmas, and preparations were
being made both by the whites and by
the colored people to celebrate the
day. From that moment Ben and Sue
spent all the time they were allowed
for themselves planning to give their
children the first Christmas they had
ever known or at least could appreci
ate. The last Christmas little Tom
was 111, and his father and mother
were hourly expecting him to be taken
away from them by death. That he
had been spared to them and was now
in good health added zest to their
preparations to make the coming cele
bration the Christmas of their lives.
Ben secured a rocking horse for Tom
my and smuggled it into the cabin
when the children were asleep. Sue
bought a doll with a fine china head
for PInkey and made the clothes for
It herself. Besides the gift of the tur
key, a lady living on a neighboring
plantation gave them a whole mince
pie for their Christmas dinner. A few
little things might be expected from
the church.
Every night when Ben came home
from work Tommy would run out to
meet him, and the father would take
his child up in his arms and say:
"Christmas comin', honey."
"Wha's Kismas?" the boy would ask
with shining eyes, knowing that it was
something enjoyable, but ignorant of
Its nature.
"Christmas Is de day de blessed Lord
was bo'n. Fust yo' wake up in de
mawnin and holler "Merry Christmas,
pop! Merry Christmas, mom! Merry
Christmas, PInkey? and we all holler
'Merry Christmas! to you. Den we go
to de stockln's hangin' to de chimbley
and see what Santa Clause brung fo'
de chil'en. And we take 'em out and
gib yo' you's and Pinkey hers. Den
we hab a fine dinner ob turkey and
stuffin' In it and mince pie, and yo'
chil'en play wid yo' toys all day. Won't
dat be fine?"
And the boy would share his grati
fication by tightening his arms about
his father's neck and covering his face
with kisses. - ' w
The preparations went on and the
anticipations continued to rise till the
day before Christmas; Then Ben sur
prised Sue by coming to the cab in1 an
hour earlier than usual,-' and the-mo-,
ment she looked at him she knew that
something terrible had happened. His
face had taken on that sickly hue
which in the colored race corresponds
to pallor. In the whites. He came In
tnd threw himself face down on the
bed.
"Oh. Ben," cried his wife, "what Is
it?"
There was no reply.
"Tell me, Ben! Do tell me what's
de matter."
"Tommy's sold."
The mother dropped as If she had
been shot Ben had .been told the
news by his master and sent home to
break It to the wife and mother. Colo
nel Torrance, the planter, had for some
time intended to get rid of some of
the children he owned. He had no
Idea of doing so at this Christmas sea
son, but a trader had come along, had
made an offer of $300 for Tommy, and
his master had concluded to accept it.
The southern gentleman planter was
usually a kind man, whose slaves were
fond of him. But a slave was a chat
tel representing a certain sum of mon
ey, and a thrifty owner would natu
rally make the most of his capital.
Colonel Thomas was one of this class.
with his mother. It being his owner's
Intention to give him free papers as
soon as tie was of an age to take care1
of himself. But before that time came
around jrreat change had come over
the colored people of the south. It was
reserved for another to give Tommy
his freedom. Abraham Lincoln one
diy wrote his name, and all the slaves
were free.
The Roman Forum.
The Forum was originally a market
place and only by degrees became the
center" of Roman civic and political -life.
About B. C. 470 it became the
Torrehce prided himself upon his
strength of will to do whatever he con
sidered it to be his duty. He had had
such unpleasant episodes in his life be
fore and had never shrunk from carry
ing out his plans. Alice took the hand
of the father in one -of hers, the moth
er's hand in the other, pressed them,
and with the words, "God help you,'"
turned and left the cabin. -
It was, as Ben had said, a melan
choly Christmas eve. Little Tommy
was put to bed early, his mother lying
beside him. On the morrow he would
pass out of their lives. ' -
It was npjif midnicrht when -tlieri
nmo fl T,n Rtft.-ara iiii placeTof - assembly of the people in
j .... .t . -. . . .... .... t thair friVuvi nfl test eTJirtmiHv fldorn- "
openeu it. a uoj srooa in me opening, j "
but he- Iwas as black as-the hight anO ! witn temples and other great pub-
hp hnimvn"j iThp Komnn Dornm tnm
consequently "in visible. Ben heard a
:voice say: - ' - '
Missy ' Alice tole me to tote yo de
stockin fo to hang up on de chimbly.
She sais she done tole Santa Claus to
bring somepin nice fo Tommy."
Ben felt a stocking shoved Into his
hand, heard the departing footsteps,
closed the door, hung up the stocking
and returned to bed.
When it began to be light Tommy,
who did not know that anything had
occurred to Interfere with Christmas,
shouted: ' . - , ; - , ;
"Merry Christmas, pop! Merry
Christmas, mom! Merry Christmas,
PInkey !" : "
The only reply he received from his
parents was a sigh. They lay for a
while, dreading to get up. It was
Christmas day, but the day as well
that their little boy was to be taken
from them. -. Finally Ben, urged by the
children, arose and - uncovered Tom
my's rocking horse and Pinkey's doll.
He glanced at the stocking Miss Whar
ton had sent, but', seeing that it gave'
no more sign of contents than wheii
he had hung it up the night before?,
paid no further attention to it. But
Sue, with a woman's inclination for in
vestigation in such matters, took ir
down, put her hand into it-and pulled
He disliked to separate families, bat j out a 0f paper. This she opened.
under the system of slavery It at tiznes
became to his interest to do so. And
what was his Interest he considered
his duty to himself and bis family. .
Ben, hearing his wife fall, sprang up
and took her limp body in his arms
and laid it on the bed. Just as she
came to herself the children toddled
into the room and Tommy, seeing that
something . was the matter, began to
cry. This started his sister. The two
went to the mother, who, seeing her
boy, arose and with a moan took him
In her arms.
"Oh, what a Christmas eve!" wailed
the father.
There was a rap at the dcor.
"Don't come In heah!' cried the
mother fiercely. "To' shan't take ma
boy! IU kill him befo' I'll let him be
taken away from his motu2r!
and on it ia I-.rge printed letters thai
sheand Bej could read was written:
Merry Christmas! I:have bought Tom
my. f Kl '.Z'Z WHARTON.
The father and mol"-:2r-looked at
each other for a moment' before tire
full meaning of the words penetrate!
their brains; then, taking, the two chil
dren in their arms, all were united ia
a single embrace.
- In a twinkling all was changed. Miss
Wharton now being the .owner .oi'
Tommy, his parents knew well that he-
would never be separated from them.
The girl was beloved by the colored
people, both her father's slaves and
those on other plantations, for she de
voted all her time to ministering to
them. She had a little. money of he
own, and as soon as she knew ci
Tommy's sale went to the trader, . oi-
' fered him a good profit on his pur-
Nevertheless, the door was opened. ; cnase, it was accepted, and the boy
The face of a young girl appeared.
"What do you mean. Sue? I haven't
come to take your boy. I've come to
bring you the turkey for Christmas.
Here it is." And. she held up a four
pound bird.
"Oh, Missy Alice," said the father.
passed into her ownership.
As soon as Ben and Sue felt assurer!
that Miss Wharton had arisen they
started for her home to hear the good
news from her lips and thank -her for
having been the means of sparine
them a suffering worse than their
Acropolis at Athens alone excepted
is. perhaps the most thrillingly Inter
esting spot on earth to such as know
and appreciate the teachings of his
tory. From the Forum came the au
gust laws which governed the then
known world for more than a thou
sand years.
sym-
Raising Chickens.
The suburban man was all
pathy.
"What's the trouble, my dear?" he
asked as he came home and found his
wife in tears.
"T-trouble enough," sobbed his young
wife. "You k-know that five d-dollar
incubator the man sold me? WelL It
exploded today and blew all the chick
ens through the roof."
"Oh, well, cheer up, Martha. The
man said it would raise chickens, and
you see it did." Chicago News.
An Accommodating Man.
"Ton see," said' the old farmer as be
measured out the green tomatoes' to
the grocer, "I brought along my spade
by accident, but it was a good thins
I did."
"Wagon get stuck in the road?" was
asked.
"Oh, no--I was coming along about
a mile back when I saw a feller In a
field. He had a crooked stick in his
hand, "and a little boy with other
crooked sticks was following him
along. The man was knocking a wood
en ball along the ground.
" 'Hello, says I as I stopped.
" 'Hello yourself.'
" "What you doing? "
" 'Holing a ball in the ninth.
" 'Hard work, hain't it?
"Tes.'
" ". 'Then let me help yon a little.
Nothing mean about me.
"And I grabbed the spade, climbed
the fence and dug that ninth hole out
till it was as big as a bar!, and the
feller laid right down and rolled over
and over and laughed so much be
couldn't find words to thank me."
Uocbester Democrat-Chronicle
'we don't want no turkey. Dey ain't child's death. She met them with
no Christmas fo' us. De Lawd hab
struck us down. Mars' done sold
Tommy to a trader, and de "tracer
gwine take him down souf. Tal'.e de
turkey away, Missy Alice. We ain't
got no use f o' it."
The visitor, Alice Wharton, was a
girl of twenty, whose face bespoke the
kindliness of her nature. But over
kindliness triumphed Indignation.
"It is brutal!" she exclaimed.
The mother continued to moan. Sev
eral times Alice essayed to speak
words of comfort, but her lips refused
to say wljat was untrue. There was.
no. comfort for herto spje Co'one
smile not less happy than their own.
Ben tried to speak his thanks, bin
failed. Sue then tried, but did not et
very far before she broke down in ter.rs.
And so it was that the Christmas
which came so near being a day of
agony was saved to this humble fam
ily by an angel of mercy. . The chil
dren enjoyed the toys and the tnrkey
and the mince pie. But there was
in their parents that which "did not
come Of several things, for theirs was
a great comfort of the, soul. That
which they held most dear had been
taken on Christmas eve and returned
on Christmas morning.. , .. ... . ,
Made His Position Clear.
An 1-1 Ponnovlran!!! nprmiin Hvfnff
lli V V 1 A. V ' ". -
ia the mountains had a bard three
Iicttm dusty walk to accomplish one
mo.-'-ig, and he rose very early to
mr.'-ie his start. He had gone but a
lit' la way when he was overtaken by
nr. automobile. The driver picked up
the old man, and they were at his des
tination in about twenty minutes.
"Danks so much awfully mit de ride.
If I had known myself to be here al
ready two hours in front of de clock
yet I vud be at home fast asleep al
ready to start unless I knew yon vud
not have picked me up since." Housekeeper.
- Severe Punishment.
Belle And did you make her eat
her own words? Beulali Eat 'em? I
made Iior Fletcherize 'em. Youkere
Statesman.
TTnless you bear with the faults of a
it?ni0i .betray you fdTSfTT,