A Christmas Story

"It was Christinas night, 184-," continued Plunkett, "when I first seed Peter Simpson, though it had been norated erround f or soine time that there was er I stranger in the settlement, and that he was erkin to old Billy Brooks, and was ergwyne to settle ennong ns if he could find er place to suit him." Brown drew lus chair up closor to the old man and rentarked: "Them war the days when yoa played the fiddle, and 1 hain't much to brag on myself nor on my kin, but 1 nevar seed no mnsio that come up to 'Sugar in the Qourd' when 1 was er haudling the straws and you was er puiling of the bow." 'Tve seed the day 1 could fairly make t er fiddle talk," nodded Plunkett. and tiien continued: I "On the Christinas night of 184- thar was a part3' at old man Jimmy Lawrence's, and we'd all athered and the young folks had played er gamo er two of sich as 'Thimble,' and Timothy Tuberbutin,' and 'Snap Out.' till at last they gathered partners and begin to walk erround and erround, and Peter he was there a strenger uid he didn't have no partner and wasn't er having nothing to do with the walking erround. So Lucy Coats, as good er girl as ever lived in Georgia, wanted to make him feel at home, and o she axed him to be the 'middle fellow.' "That's the way the play is. They all have partners but one. The odd one gets in the middle as they all walk erround and sing, and when they git to the part in the song where it says 'Right here Til find her' they all change partners and the middle man has the right to jump beside some of the girte if he is quick enongh and then that fellow that loses his girl gets in the middle, and eo it goes." "Oh, 1 know that old play," spoko Brown, at the same time drawing bis chair a littlo nearer to the old man. "Well," continued Plunkett, "Peter I he got in the middle, and the youngsters walked erround and erround er singing 60 as you could er heerd 'ein er mile: 'ït rains and t hails, and It's cold atormy weather, AJong comea the farmer drinking all the eider; m reap the oats and who'll be the binder? I lost my true Iove and right here 111 fiad her. "And then the change come and Peter he throwed himself erround and got by the side of Lucy, and he has told me sílice that he loved her froni that very minit." Oíd man Brown was unable to contain himself longer and he remarked: "And Lucy made him as good er wife as ever er man had." Plunkett frowned at being disturbed, bat soon continued: "The young folks went on with their playing- first one thing and then another- tül pretty soon they got partners and went walking erround and erround y ergio, singing: "Very well done, sald Johnnle Brown, This Is tho way to London town; , Stand you stiil, staod you by, TUI you hear ths watcbman cry. "On this carpet you must kneel, Kiss your true lore in the field, Kiss the ono that you love best Just before slie goes to rest. ';Pretty soon," continued Plunkett, "they cried out, 'Seat your partners,' and Peter and Lucy was right close to me and Lucy she turned and 'lowed: " 'Mr. Plunkett, let me make you acquainted with Mr. Simpson.' "Then Peter he ahook hands erlong with me and took er seat by me, and it warn't no time til] me and him was just Hke cid friends, and he lived by me er long time and I never had ertruer friend or better neighbor, and Christmas makes me think erbout these oíd times and these old neighbors that have passed away forever. "Well," continued Plunkett, "Peter and Lucy married dnring of the year 184-, and that's what I want to teil yon abont. "In that old hewed log house that yon passed on the road where the moss is er iuuig uu l'u rooi íives v Klager man by the name of old Tom ihst w;is the first uigger that ever Peter and Lucy had. Tom was some eighteen years old when Peter's dada give him to them, and old Tom and Peter had been brought up together, and Peter done just as much work as he reqnired Tom to do, and they made good crops and in two or three years Peter had er right smart money layed up, and so he bought some moro land, af ter thtt he boughtanothernigger or two und they helped him, and soon paid for themselvea and Tom and Lucy got ambiüous to bo rich and they went in debt, thinking they could work and pay out, and so things were moving erlong when old Tom, over yonder on '13 road, went to his yotmg master and mistress and told 'em ho wanted to marry one of old Squire Crawford's niggergals. Tom'8 master was willing for him to ïaarry the girl that he loved, but the olj squiro he fixed up and before anybodj thought erbout it he'd sold oat his plantation and put out for Texas. Folks were crazy on Texas theai days, and it didn't take er fellow long to git off for them parts when the fever ones struck 'em. "Aíter Squire Crawford weut off to Texas old Tom never was the samo fellow. Sé dtdn't sing and dance erround like ho alwHya liad and ho'd set erround by himEelf ,:ul wouldn't havo much to do with aiybody, and Peter and Lucy noticed it and tried to git hira tu forget the girl that went ofï to Texas, but they couldn't, and old Torn he begin to talk erround ermong the other niggers that slavery was wrong and that he'd rather be dead than submit to it. Things went erlong this way till Turn ho got worse and worse, till at last ono night when the niggers liad gathered out in their yard and were playing and er singing under a big oak on the grass Tom he jest set out on er horae block and whittled with Ms knife and looked down at the ground till he hei-ed tho niggars sinc; the old song: "Old massa gíve me holler iiay He said he'd give rae more, And I tlianked liim very kindly. And 1 shoved my boat f rom shore. It's oh, my dearest May I You're lovely as the day Your eyea so bright They shine at nijjht, When tlio moon has gone away. "And froru across the brancli carne the plaintive sound of negro voices from Freeinan's quarter, and as Tom listened his heart seemed to go out in sympathy to the singers, for as they progressed he slowly raised his head and leaned forward, as if to catch the sound, and hia lips moved in unisón as the words "I too!; her hand withln my oirn, A tear was n her eye, I asked her if aho would be mine. Her answer was a sigh. Oh, Ernma, dear, dear Emmu, From tUe Mississippi vale, Iu all this wide woiid over There 13 nono like Enuna Dale, swelled upon the breezes, and at the finish he aróse f rom his seat and walked toward the woods. "When the niggers got througli vnth their frolic Tom was gone, and the next morning when the other niggers went to work thar wan't no Toni there, and it was soon known that Tom was a runaway. "Peter and Lucy wouldu't hear to putting bounds after Toni, and so he was not heard from any more, and they had quit talking about him on the place. Thus it went lfor a year. The crops were sorry and Peter failed to pay anything on his thousand dollar note to old man Smith, but had to renew and borrow a little more. Peter was confident and Lucy was cheerful, and so they pitched another erop and resolved to economizo and work hard, never thinking that luck had tunied ergin 'em. "Erlong in June, thouh," continued Plunkett, "the niggers that Peter had bought got the suiallpox erniong them, all three of them died and the erop was lost, but Peter rolled up Iris sleeves and worked the harder and Lucy sho was jist the same good littie woman, and they made er pretty good erop and got it housed, and 1 dori't think ary one of 'em ever thought erbout luck being ergin 'em. "But," continned theold mau, "on the Sd day of December - on the mht of that day- I never would forget it if I were to live er thousand years, Peter's barn ketched er fire and burned up hia whole erop and all three of his horses, and the very next morning old Smith was over there er pressing him for the twelve hundred dollars and said he had to have it or he'd take possession of the farm. Tho inoney would be due on the 25th day of December, and old Smith wanted hia money or possession on that day. The prospecta for a happy Christmas waa mighty gloomy for Peter, but Lmcy said: " 'Well, Peter, you've got me and the children yet.' " 'Yes,' said Peter, 'and you've never her'd me complain, but I do hate to give up the home.' "That was erbout as much to do as there was erbout it, until at last Christmaa eve night rolled around and the lifctle cMldreu hung up their stockings and talked theinselves to sleep about old Santa Claus, and Peter and Lncy listeued with hidden tears, and all through the long night they sat unti] the hands on the clock pointed to the hour of three, and then Peter raised bis head and 'lowed: " 'Lucy, we will have to give up our home to Smith.' "Before Lucy could answer u soft, catlike tread was heard upon the porch and the laten string was pulled, and as the door opened there was revealed to the Bight of the iistonished pair: "Old Toni, the runaway. " 'I'se worth $3,000 of any inan's money, and that will pay off old Smith moríBage said old Tom as _ho unslung a clean piiiow case from his shoulïïèr that was filled with goodies for the little ones, and that soon swelled the little stockings that hung on the mantel. "With the return of old Tom carne prosperity to Peter and Lucy, for when old Smith found that Toni had returned and if put up for sale wotüd pay the mortgage he made terms that enabled Peter aud old Tom to go to work npon the farm and not only get oat of debt, but get rich, and Tom was eet freo long 'fore any Yankees knowed ida, and Peter he went out to Texaa and found old Sqnire Crawford and bought the woman what Tom loved and brought her back to Georgia on Christmas day, 184-, and give her to Tom for his Christmas present, and they live at yonder moss covered log house, and I wisn them a merrv.