Brenham Weekly Banner. (Brenham, Tex.), Vol. 26, No. 51, Ed. 1, Thursday, December 24, 1891 Page: 4 of 14

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OOD NIGHT'
said mamma
good night
good night 1
Shut little eye-
lids fast and
tight
And Christmas
will soon be here.
Then up up up in the merry day.
With hearts and faces happy and gay
And voices of ringing cheer."
"I meant to try if I couldn't keep
My eyes from shutting and going to sleep
So as to get a little peep
At Santa Claus flying flying
Out in the frosty Christmas night.
When the moon and stars were shining bright
And all the snow was white white white.
They said it was no use trying.
For straight the boys and girls all go
To the land of dreams before they know.
"But it was making a great mistake
To say that couldn't stay awake.
How long it was I never could tell;
'Twas hours and hours I know very well
"When I heard a silvery tinkling bell
Out in the moonlight stealing.
On it came a tlng-a-llng-llng
Andjtngely jingely ingely Jing
You never heard such a ring ring ring
Of dear little sleigh-bells pealing.
"I held my breath for at once I knew
'Twas Santa Claus and his reindeer too.
Of course it would never never do
To let them know I was weeping
He might hove carried the books and toys
To some other little girls and boys.
If 1 had made a speck of a noise
And he thought I wasn't sleeping.
Ting a ling ling and ring a ring ring-
How it kept on sounding 1
I surely heard the crack of the whip
And the queer little reindeers bounding.
Then there was a noise about the house
A stepping stirring and humming.
I held myself as still as a mouse;
Somebody sure was coming.
" TJp up up for the merry day
Christmas night has passed away.
TJp. my little ones all'
The tills were ringing and ringing on
But all the night and the dark was gone.
And mamma's own cheery call
Came along with the other din
Just as the sun was shining in.
Sydney Dayre In Christian Union.
?--
AMES OAKLEY
worked at his
trade as carpen
ter in the same
village near the
Hudson river where he was born. His
little cottage with the tall lilacs in
front and the kitchen garden in the
rear was a very dear place to him. His
pleasant-faced sunny-hearted wife kept
the home always bright and tidy and
the three rosy children filled it with
. glee and laughter. Margaret the old-
est was a sweet loving girl; Dick was
a sturdy manly little fellow and Rob-
bie was the darling of the housef-(i
Mr. Oakley was a skillful mechanic
and an industrious God-fearing man;
but times were dull for him in Smith-
ville Center. There was little going on
in the way of new building and he
often had to be absent from home for
weeks together while employed at some
remote place.
After many earnest talks with his
"wife they decided to remove to the west
where new villages and cities were rap-
idly growing up. So they found a pur-
chaser for the little cottage and had an
auction sale of the cow and horse and
all the furniture except some heir-
looms and a few articles which they
would not part with. Then after bid-
ding their neighbors good-by they en-
tered the cars and were whirled away
to a new home in a flourishing town in
Illinois.
It was early in spring. The red-bud
bushes were bright in the thickets and
a thousand flowers new and strange to
the immigrants painted the prairies.
An air of bustling activity pervaded the
town. Buildings were going up on
every side and Mr. Oakley soon found
employment at better wages than he
had ever received in his old" home.
For a time everything went well with
him and his family. His work was in
constant demand and if his thoughts
ever turned with tender regret to the
green hills which surrounded his former
home he had only to look at his rosy
children and picture to himself the
career which seemed open for them in
the vigorous growing west.
Spring wore away into summer and
under the long and rainless heat the
river which flowed past the town
shrunk into its bed leaving great
stretches of slimy ooze festering in the
fierce sunshine. Autumn came at
length with soft south winds laden
with germs of disease. Robbie the pet
of the house was stricken with a
malarial fever. For long days and
nights he- lay in his crib tossing and
moaning with flushed cheeks and
heavy eyes. At length the crisis was
passed but recovery was slow; and
while Robbie was still the mere shadow
of the ruddy-cheeked little boy he had
been the fever seized upon his father.
There were sorrowful times now in the
little household. Mrs. Oakley watched
day and night beside her husband and
little boy and helpful Margaret proved
herself a treasure.
When the first brief wintry days
came Robbie was once more playing
OSaifflKLf
around the house and his father upon
whom the fever had spent its force
could only sit wan and pale in his arm-
chair. His little savings were rapidly
melting away and u long winter had
only just begun. Christmas was near
at hand and who was to fill the chil-
dren's stockings and make the day a
merry one for them?
Margaret was a thoughtful little girl
and she pondered long over the matter.
Two days before Christmas she got a
postal card and sat down and wrote on
it as follows;
"Deab Santa Claus: We have moved
since last Christmas and I am afraid you won't
know where to find us so I write this. We
live now at No. 36 East Fourth street. Papa
and Robbie have been awfully sick and papa
isn't well yet. Please bring Robbie a ball and
Dick a sled and I would like a doll for I lost
mine when we moved. Good by.
'Margaret Oakley."
She wrote the name of Santa Claus
on the other side of the postal card
and just then her mother called and di-
rected her to go to the grocery for some
things. So she took her basket and
started accompanied by Prince the
dog. As she passed the corner she
dropped the card into a mail .box
which was fastened to a lamp post. All
that day and the next Margaret went
singing through the house in the old
light-hearted way she had shown so
little since sickness had invaded the
household.
Soon after the postal card was
dropped into the box the postman came
around and threw it with a lot of other
cards letters and newspapers into a
bag which he carried to the post office.
There a clerk took the bag poured the
contents out on a table and began sort-
ing them over. "When he came to Mar
garet's little let
ter he laughed
and showed it to
Thomas Ray-
mond another
clerk who was
busily engaged at
another table.
Mr. Raymond
read it through.
The name Oakley
attracted his at-
tention. "What
if it should be
James Oakley the
friend of my boy-
hood?" he asked
himself.
Christmas eve
came and Mar-
garet Dick and
Robbie with the
junwavering laitli
of childhood hung
up their stockings
said their prayers
around their mo-
ther's knee and
were soon tucked
away in their lit-
tle beds dream-
ing of Christmas
and Santa Claus.
Mr. Oakley too
feeble to sit up
more than a few
hours at a time
had already re-
tired. Mrs. Oak-
ley sat thinking
sadly of the disap-
pointment which
seemed awaiting
the children for
the first time in
their lives. Sud-
denly the doorbell
rang and as Mrs.
Oakley opened
the door there
stood an express-
man and in the
street a loaded
wagon. From its
depths he drew
out a big fat tur-
key a hand-sled
and a heavy paper
box wrapped up
in thick paper.
Having deposited
the things in the hall he hur-
ried out to his wagon and drove
away leaving Mrs. Oakley greatly
puzzled. Surely there must be
some mistake she thought But no; the
packages were all plainly marked:
"James Oakley No. 36 East Fourth
street" and on the sled was neatly
painted: "Dick Oakley." In the paper
box was a French doll with real hair
and eyes that closed when she was laid
down. A little card attached to it was
marked: "Margaret" There was also
a ball marked "Robbie" and such lots
of candy and pretty things for all. The
stockings were soon filled to the very
tops and the other things laid out on a
table where the children found them
the next morning.
There was a joyful meeting around
the breakfast table :but Mrs. Oakley's
face wore a puzzled expression. Finally
she asked: "Where could all those
things have come from?"
"Why mamma" said Margaret
"Santa Claus sent them. I know he
did 'cause I wrote to him."
"You wrote to him?" said her mother.
"Yes I wrote and told him where we
lived."
This made the matter clear enough to
the children but only deepened the
mystery for the father and mother.
In the afternoon when full justice
had been done to the turkey Margaret
sat holding her beautiful new doll
Dick was out drawing his sled through
the streets and Robbie was asleep a
summons came from the front door.
As Mrs. Oakley went to answer it she
found there a tall bearded man who
inquired for Mr. Oakley. She led him
to the little sitting-room where her hus-
band sat propped up with pillows in
his armchair. The caller went
straight to him seized his thin hand
and asked: "James don't j-ou know
your old friend Tom Raymond?-' It
was indeed the friend and playmate of
his early days.
"But how did you find me?" inquired
Mr. Oakley.
"Oh I had it from Santa Claus"
laughingly replied his friend and then J
he sat down and the two talked over
the events of their boyhood. They had
sat together in school; together they
had climbed the hills and hunted squir-
rels gathered nuts and rowed their
boats on the broad Hudson.
As the talk went on a suspicion grew
upon Mrs. Oakley of the manner in
which Santa Claus happened to send
the presents. But the visitor gave no
clew to the mystery nor did she see
through it until Margaret had told her
the whole story of her letter to Santa
Claus. American Agriculturist.
AN EVENTFUL TWELVEMONTH.
"Not One
Cross Word
Year."
in One Kind
"He never spoke an angry word to
me."
It was just one year ago December
31 that the tearful wife of my neighbor
made to me the above remark. Poor
Charley! He ran a locomotive between
Boston and . He was killed on the
last day but one of the year.
Now this simple verdict from the lips
of his wife set me to thinking. I re-
member that I took the resolve that
very night as in company with a
brother of our lodge I turned away
from Charley's door: "So help me God
my wife shall be able to say as much
of me this coming year." And now I
may I trust record it I have lived
one kind year. To many other people
AS SHE PASSED THE CORNER
I presume I have been about the same
sort of a fellow as for many years. But
to my faithful wife I have not spoken
one fretful or cross or complaining
word to the best of my knowledge and
belief for twelve months last past. I
have not made much money this year
but I have made one heart glad.
Xow let me tell you how difficult this
was. Did you ever stand by a running
stream and think how smooth as oil its
swift flow was? Then you thrust your
hand in the water and lo! it was a mill
race. The waters boiled and spattered
about your hand till you could hardly
hold it there.
Well now I never realized the force
of my snappy scolding habit to that
woman till my new vow began to check
it. I found that I had been in the con-
stant habit of playing the coward that
is scolding a good woman. A dozen
times each week the fretful words
sprang to my lips. I shut my mouth
tightly and my! how the bitter stuff
bubbled and boiled against my teeth on
the inside! You may laugh but. actual-
ly I had to chew the words. My wife
quite a lady for proprieties used to ex-
claim: "Harkley I do wish you would
not chew that spruce gum as you leave
the door. Hon- it looks on the street!"
Which generally made me laugh as I
kissed her good morning. Dear heart
it was far better that I chew my spleen
than her gentle spirit with biting words
this one kind year.
I have noticed an increased fondness
in my wife this one kind year. She
draws near to me oftener she confides
in me more she has lost that "I'm
afraid-of-you" look that half the time
she used to wear. We consult now
about family matters; before we used
to telephone to each other as it were.
Her spirit has improved. The irrita-
tion that I had inflicted it seems she
a :.-sil v ) I. s A Jfi ur s
1 il Xs54Ai QJ3df
caught and now that I am a better
man she is a sweeter woman. It makes
my heart ache to recall how often she
used at first in this kind year to glance
up at me with a surprised and ques-
tioning look when I spoke gently. I
caught her studying me curiously as
if she were wondering if I had secretly
made a fortune recently or had met
with what the minister calls a change
of heart or was growing to be a boy
again. I think she decided on the lat-
ter for her eyes grew soft and young
like the girlish eyes I first loved years
ago. And she began to act young her-
self. She resumed the use of the pet
name she gave me long long ago. I nev-
er let on I just silently kept to my re-
solve: "Xot one cross word in one kind
year."
The best of all is the decided improve-
ment in the dear woman's health.
Xow some of you doctors explain that
if you can. My wife eats better has
more nerve more vitality every way.
The children do not worry her half as
much as they used to. She gets along
with less fretting at the servants. Can
it be because I worry and fret her less?
Is there anything to that old sore about
a man being "the head of the family?"
If so why when the head goes wrong
the whole body is sick eh? Exactly.
I'd rather have any kind of an ache
than an ache in my head-piece. Xow
SHE DROPPED THE CARD INTO A MAIL BOX.
if it is true that by cheerful kindness I
have saved my wife's nerves and turned
the doctor out of doors ought I not to
give her a present of the amount of her
usual doctor's bills? Jupiter! That's
an idea and I will! It is a good way to
round up this one kind year.
It is curious how smiles furnish a
house. I presume you know what it is
to have your wife beg you to buy a new
chair or picture or some other thing.
Our things get worn out. Well ray
wife hasn't asked me such a thing all
this one kind year. Yet somehow I say
the old home looks better furnished
than it did a year ago. Maybe it's the
sunshine on the old things. Sunshine
can do almost anything.
I have been surprised by my own in-
creased appetite for breakfast and din-
ner. A fellow can't eat and scold too.
Xow breakfast was my favorite time
for scolding except dinner at night
for I take my lunch down town. Let
me see; that makes every meal at home
a growler's feast. Well that was about
so. My lunch was my best meal for I
ate alone and there was nobody to fret
at Xow all is changed. Meals at
home I like them. There are no salt
tears on the bread. God forgive me!
How often I used to make somebody
cry wife or one of the two children at
table. All is now changed in this one
kind year.
In fact the thing has gone with me to
the store. I have gradually got in the
habit of being first civil then kind to
the boys. It is like oil down there the
last few months. It is queer but every-
body hates to be scolded; even I do. A
kind word is better than a whip with a
Yankee clerk. Xow I am going on one
kind year more. I don't make any very
loud pretensions but I think there's a
deal of gratitude to the Almighty in be-
ing kind to His creatures. Perhaps it
will go further than longer creeds. For
if a man is not kind to his fellow whom
he has seen how shall he be to his God
whom he has not seen? Harkley Hark-
er in X. Y. Weekly.
piss?
vlivVmiSiBBBk'' n l
UCH a laughing
and chattering
of tongues as
there was in
Dr. Byrne's
cozy and pleas-
ant sitting1-
room. "It was
enough to drive
man dis
tracted" as the good doctor himself as-
serted though he looked as if he en-
joyed it as well as the youngest among
the merry group that surrounded him
none of whom ever thought it necessary
to put on a long countenance because
"father had come.' Indeed this was
always the signal
for -increased
mirth and happi-
ness. The holidays
were approaching
and the doctor's
four daughters
were all discuss-
ing the important
subject of Christ-
mas and Xew
Year gifts and
comparing notes
as to the beauti-
ful articles they
had seen in the
shop windows.
We said all and
yet there was one
a fair sweet-looking
girl sitting a
little apart from
the rest who did
not join in this
animated conver-
sation though ev-
idently from no
unfriendly mo-
tives. This was Dr.
Byrne's oldest and
best-loved daugh-
ter and he noticed
her quiet mood.
"And what does
Helen want for
her Xew Year
gift?""
The doctor re-
gretted the ques-
tion as soon as it
passed his lips.
Helen's quickly
averted eyes filled
with tearsher lips
quivered and af-
ter silently strug-
gling for a few
moments with
her feelings she
arose and left the
room.
As soon as the
doctor could do so
unobserved he
followed her
going directly to
her chamber
where he found
Helen sobbing
with an abandon-
ment of grief that
alarmed him.
"My daughter"
he said in a tone
o f tender re-
proach "do not
give way to your
sorrow thus."
Helen lifted her
head from her fa-
ther's shoul d e r
with a smile that
was sadder even
than tears.
"I know how uuerateful it must
seem papa when I have so many bless-
ings remaining. But I could not help
thinking how lie was with us a year
ago so strong and full of life and
now "
Here the sobs again choked her utter-
ance. The good doctor was strongly affect-
ed for Robert Tracy had been as dear
to him as a son.
"But Helen it is not certain that
Robert went down with the ship "
Here Dr. Byrne checked himself too
wise as well as honest to hold out
false hopes.
One morning a few days later Helen
entered her father's study.
"Papa would the present you spoke
of buying me cost as much as fifty dol-
lars?" "Yes my dear; all of that certainly."
"Then would you as soon let me have
the money instead?"
Dr. Byrne smiled.
"What idea has entered your busy
brain now. Helen? Or is it that you are
getting mercenary?"
A faint color came into the pale
cheeks.
"It is not that papa; but the Widow
Howe she that has the crippled boy
you know thinks that she could sup-
port herself and children nicely if she
had a sewing machine and so "
"I see! I see!" said the doctor taking
out his pocketbook and putting two
fifty-dollar notes in Helen's hand.
"There is no balm for such a wound as
yours my daughter like that of minis-
tering to the needs and alleviating the
sorrows of others."
"So I begin to find papa." said Helen
with a smile that lighted up her face
withjnore than its old beauty.
The first day of the Xew Year had
dawned and was near its close. It had
" Oi. t a
been a very busy one to Helen and a
happy one as well; for hers was one of
those sweet and loving natures that
find joy in the reflected happiness of
others.
She had "caused the widow's heart to-
sing for joy" and this consciousness
had brought into her own great peace.
All the younger members of the;
family had gone out to some entertain-
men. Helen had wanted to have a little:
talk with her father but a stranger was.
with him so the servant said and with
a lonely feeling in her heart she went
up to her own room.
Dr. Byrne came up almost immediate-
ly. There was a strange light in his.
eyes and more than usual tenderness
and solemnity in his manner as he laid
his hand on Helen's head.
"How is it with thee to-night daugh-
ter?" "It is well father."
"After night the morning; after win-
ter the spring. God is often kinder to
us than we can even ask or think."
"He is very good father."
Dr. Byrne drew his daughter's arm
within his.
"Come into my study Helen and get
your Xew Year's gift Because you
have forgotten yourself in caring for
others did you think your old father-
is going to forget you?"
"Oh no papa; but you gave it to me
you remember in money. I didn't ex-
pect anything indeed I don't think-
you ought to give me anything more."
"Well well my child just come and
look at it If you don't want it or-
would prefer its equivalent in money
you can tell me so."
With silent wonder in her heart not
unmingled with curiosity Helen stood
at the half open study door.
The shaded light upon her father's
desk revealed the faint outline of a man.
who was standing near it and who ad-
vanced eagerly toward her.
Helen looked up bewildered into the
face of the man she had mourned as
dead and then with a faint cry of joy.
threw herself into the arms that had.
opened to receive her.
Dr. Byrne almost regretted his pre-
cipitancy as he looked upon his daugh
ter's pale face. But joy does not often
kill and his fears were entirely dissi-
IT WITH THEE
DAUGHTER?"
pated when he returned to the room an
hour later.
The good doctor was fond of a joke.
"If your present doesn't suit you
Helen" he said slyly "I will try to-
exchange it or give you its value in
money that is if you don't rate the.
young man too high."
Helen glanced' smilingly from her
lover's to her father's face.-
"You are very kind papa but I am
very well satisfied with my New Year's
gift As to receiving its value in money
not all that the whole world contains
can give what it is worth to me."
Mary Grace Halpine in N. Y. Weekly-
She Wm Particular.
A woman who had spent a full hour
in one of the stores "looking- for some-
thing for her son" was finally asked if
she was not rather particular for a
would-be purchaser who had such a.
choice of Christmas presents.
"Why yes I suppose I am" she re-
plied "but I tell you I need to be."
"Then your son is also particular?"
"I should say so! Hardest boy to suit.
you ever saw. Why he s turned me
out doors had a fight with his father.
set the house on fire and taken the-
horse off and sold it And if I should;
get him anything he didn't happen to
like he'd kick all the furniture out of
the windows order his father off the.
premises and use me for a foot-wiper..
Oh we know Tommy from top to bot-
tom and we've got to be very particu-
lar and consult his feelings." Detroit
Free Press.
FOR I1EK HUSBAND.
Lady (to clerk) I want to look at
something that would be a suitable
Christmas gift for my husband.
Clerk Yes madam; something cheap.
I s'pose?
Lady Yes something cheap but
good looking.
Bobley says
great give-away. -
that Christmas
-Rochester Post.
is a.
TO-NIGHT.
tHW i ill W
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