Press enter after choosing selection

"last Christmas Was A Year Ago."

"last Christmas Was A Year Ago." image
Parent Issue
Day
26
Month
December
Year
1888
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

(The Old Lady Speaks.) Last Chrlstmns tras a year ago Snys 1 to David, I-says-l, " We're gol' lo mornln' service, so You hltch up riüht way : l'll try To teil the whal to do Ver dlnuer. We'll be back by two.'1 I dldr.'t walt to hear what he Wnuld more 'n llke gay hack to me, Rut banged the atable door and flew Back to the house, jes plumb cMUed through. 'old! Wooh ! how eold It waf! My-oh ! Frwl tlyin'.and ibealr, you know- Jes sLarp rnough,'' heerd David swear, 'Toshave a man aDd cui hl halr! " And blow a d blow ! ai.d snow and snow, Wliere il had drllted 'long the fenee And 'crost the road- some places, though. Jes swep' clean to the grave , so 'The goln' was as bad fer sleighs As 't wan fer wagons- and both ways, Twlxtsnowdrilts aud the baregromid, I've Jest wondered we got through allve; I han'i saw nothin' 'fore er Henee 'Al beat lt any wheres I kuow- Lat Christmas was year ago. And David sald, as he Rfit out, 'Al Uhilstmas services was 'biut As cold aud wothirs kind o' lovu To offer up as he kuoweil I; A lul. as fer hlm, he niilly tbought 'At IDa liod Bein' up above Wouid ihlnk more uf us- as Heought - A-siuy In' home on Ich aüay And i hunkin' of Hlm thaiaway. Aml juwedon in au underlone. 'li ui ihiïiii' Lide and June alone 1 hei e on t e place, and me uot thera 10 oversee Vin, and p'pare Tne i-lufflu' Ier tho lurkey. and l'lle sas and all. you umie mand. I've .Iways mauaged David by I ¦ iii.vlu' noiiii .'. l'hal was whv lle'd wiased Lid 's beau away - 'cause Lldo he alius luk u Perry'sMde W en HavM lackled hlm and no, l.asl' lirlxiiiiH was a year agolar rul bt-r. 'hout a week alo e. - U.ivid mul l'erry qiiari'l'd ab out so.ue toni looi rg inent, you know, A DO Pap lol il hl m lo " les gil out O' inert-, hdü DO lo come no more, And wheu he went, lo snel ihe door I " A'hI he par-ed tlie .wilder, we aw I'. rry, wliltea whlle could bfi Murrii pasi, onullch bis ho.se and llght A gar and lope oui ot sight. And ,,lde siie cottie t int aud erted, vml 1 uld noihiu- -ras o need. And lt. nu know, t bat man jes got lililí! uto' thcre's ef he d bu'ii stiot - i 'lendlu' lic luitHt u' aud teed L'ne siock er somepiu. Tben I trled . o git Ule pore ri p trlütM. Bui gl tin' back lo -where was wet - un, es - wliere David leeiered mn ï way t met-tin', lililí ami low, Lal fbristnias was a year ng. Kor all ibeawful cold. tliey was lair aiteuduuce; monlly , tliui(h, i'be crowd was 'rund the stoves you Ket-, l'bawlu' the r beels and scrouxiu' uu. KI 't 'ad n't be'n fer llie old öqulre ivlu' hls Neat tu 11, as Itl Wusiiiinpird, a-fnirly perlshlu' vin! D ¦ v ui c uld 'a' gol no ñre. Me 'l Je' 'a' drapped ihere tu hls tracks. And MQUire, as i wa trylu' to yli vlake lo-iui for hlui sayn, "No; tbe fackn ís I gol to gil up and glt 'liiioui no pn-iichi ' Jes got word- 11 lal ur llfe - (Muí bo deferrud " nii mu lie pin Aihlall waymrough l'he Mertuout - and a long one, too - i eoull u'i he'p but tulnK o' tjquire And us cbanged 'round so, and admire 'lis ginlle ways - to give nis warm Ueucii up, and have to tace the storm. Mul wliun 1 notlced David lie Was nci-din' J.ihbin' I tbout(b best lo k mi o' sort o' let hlm rest, 'l'eared like lie lep' so peacefully ! nd llien I tiioiubt o' home, and bow i nd whal ihe giris was dolu now, Aii'l kind o' prayer, 'way iu my broast. And bresht-d away a tear or lwo As David wuked, and cuu ch was through. Hy tune we 'd "liowdyed" round nd shuck liando wilh Ibe uulghbors, musí 'a' tuck i haii-iiour longer; ever' oue v-sii In' "C'hriutmas-glfi ! 'f afore David er me- ho we tot none. tíut David war ed up, more and more, ind got so Jokey-Uke, and had UiM p rils u, and 'p.-areil so glad, i whlspercd to hlm, "fi'pose yuu ast A passet of Vm to c me and eat i iImiikt wlih us.- Ulrls 'a got v lull-and-pleuty fer the lot nil au tueir klu." Ho David passed l'lio Invite round. And ever' seat In ever' wagon bel aud alelgh A' as Jes packen, as we rode away- The ou i. tí t'oiks, ni 1 1.1 er so aluug, A-slrlklu' up a sletghln' song, l'el Davlil laugbed aud yelled, you know, And Jes wmrped up and seut tbe snow A n i gravel llylu' llilck and fast- Liasi ctiristiuas was a year ugo. v'y tliai-air seveu-mll.l Ja'nl wocome - ¦Jes seven mild scant Iroiu church to homo - í t dul u't pear, that day, to be Mucli furder rallly 'u 'aboui tliroe. But I was purly squeamish by l'be lime home U .ve In slgbt and I ¦See lwo vehlckles standln' there Already. Ho says I, "Prepare I " All to uiyse'f. And presenlly David he sobered ; and says he. "lialn't that alr squlre Hauch's old Buggy," hesays, "and Claybaak mare? ' nays I, "Le's git In out the cold- tour compauy 's nlgh 'bout froze." He says, "Whoseslt-lgh 'g thai-alr a-slanaln' there?" Says I "lt 's no odds whose- you Jes Drive to the house and let usout, 'Cause we 're Jes frecztn' nlgh about." Well, David swung up to the door And out we plled And Hrsl I heerd Jane's volee; ihv u Llde's- I ihought aforo I reached that glrl l'd Jes die, shore; And when I reached her, would n't keeretl Much el I had. I was so glad, v-kisln' her through my greunvoil, Anti jes excitln' her so luid ' VI riin broRe down, herse'f- and Jane Snfl crled - and we all bugged again. nd David - David Jes turned palé!- Looked ai th" glrls, and Ihen at me, rlien at tbe open door - and Uien Is oldSqiilre Hanch In ttiere! " says he. l'beold Hqulre suddenly giood tn i he doorvvuy, witb a Nneaklng grlu. "Ih l'erry Aud rs In there, too?" says D'vld llmberln' all ihrou{li. As l.liif aud me bolti grabbed tilín, uncí l'erry stepped out and waved hls h-ind ud says. -Ves pap. " And avld Jes Sti oped and kissed Llde, and says, "I guess Your're motiier 's inueti to blaine as you, KI sir kin rek hun, ƒ kin, loo." llie dinner we had Uien haln't no liitbetter'n tnconeto-day 'At we'il have tur 'eni. Hear some slclgh v JinulltiK nitw. - David, for me. I wih you'd jes a" out and see r.l ibej'ie in i-lgln yli. Il Je does vte goKl lo tblnk. lu time llke tbee, Llde's done ko wel i And David b. 's vior irHclahler 'ii what bewas Last Cbribtmus was u yeur no.