Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Ontario Argus. (Ontario, Or.) 1???-1947 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 25, 1913)
What Christmas Day Brought the Convict IT waa late la tho afternoon of the dny before Christinas. To the woman who waited for news and yet dreaded its coining It wns the closing of the longest wretchedest, dreariest dny that she hud ever known. Bhe hnd hwn advised not to hope, yet be clung to hoe. feeling that If she tare up entirely she must die. If the worst came alio must live for the snlce of the children, who were too young to know of the shadow that clouded their llTes Often and often the woman went to tho window and looked out at the drenry street Once when a boy came down the walk with the blue uniform of a telegrnph messenger ahe clutched at her tliront and uttered a little moan of despair. "WIim'm matter, mamma T" asked the little girl thnt clung to her skirts. The woman could not reply until after the messenger had passed iter gato. Then he caught the child In her arma and covered Its face with kisses. Hope once more revived 'n her heart. When she went to the window ngnln the woman looked out and saw her bnslintid coming. In the wnve of Joy that surged over her she did not no tice thnt he looked old and hopeless and broken and bent and that there :5&r$r- MB' TOHB OPXM TUB TKLBURAM. Waa DO elasticity lo Ills step. Bhe threw open the door and ran down the graveled walk to the gate. "John, nil. John," ahe cried, flinging her arms ubout hla neck, "you are free! Heaven I praised for his mer .ii Von uic free." The man pressed her to ula heart, un able to apeak. "1 knew that they would not find you guilty they could not." ahe cried. "My poor Ornce," be murmured, stroking her hair, "you must be brava. 1 have t .. ii found guilty Five yeara In the peiiltentlury." "Then bow la It that yon are hereT" "The Judge who sentenced me haa given me a reprieve on my own recog nisance ao that 1 can spend Christmas with ton and tho bahlea. I am In hon or iMiiind to surrender myself to tbe aberllT on the flrat of tbe year. It wus a technical violation of the law only. '1 hey know I am honest, but the senti ment of the public la set ao strongly against bunkers that 1 could not get Justice I . i-n uiy political friends dare not eupKrt me It la an unexpected favor thnt 1 um allowed to be wltb you for a few days." John Aiistrtither spoke bitterly, and his wife listened with tearleas eyes Bhe controlled herself with an effort "John, the children!" she whispered. "They musl not know. Let them have one more buppy Christmas. They have I.e. n praying for you to come home. Let us smile and be happy with them for a few dnys Let ua forget the dread future" Once during tbe evening she spoke of a pardon wlilch might be asked of tbe governor "It Is n vnlii hoe, dear." her husband aid "We will not waste ourselves on it." n. I he relapsed into thoughtful silence Hut for all the shadow that bung over the home there was a Chrlstmus tree, aud the Anstrulber babies were happy. Their convict father played tbe role of Siuitu Claus Their mother laughed and sung, though now and then her voice broke and her eyea were wet with tears A few neighbors call ed full of sympathy aud yet timid about showing it. All the little towu felt that it wus best to let tbe striiken family enjoy their Christmas cheer without intrusion even od tbe part of those who loved and respected them. When tbe children, surfeited with sweets and l heir arms still Ailed with precious toys, were asleep once more the mother was busy in her kitchen with her preparations for the grand Christmas dinner ot tbe morrow per haps the last bouutiful meal her chil dren would have through all the dark years to come John Aiistruther went to bis room to look over his papers In the drawer he suddenly found something that made his heart leap It wns a revolver He took the shin ing, cruel thing In bis hands, and a sort of uiadnos i-ame over him Here raa his opionunity Here was escape from the stripes, the dark cell, the Ig nominy of prison life Here waa pro vision for Urace aud his duties His 1V imo life insurance still wns in force. and he knew well that it was nonfor feitable even iu :ae of suicide. A I tsfJ.J Hidden shsrp shock and It would ha over Even for her It would be better than the live years of living death. He pressed the cold muzzle to his forehead His linger was on the trig ger He could hear tlraep singing sad ly, with a pathetic attempt to be gny In the kitchen. "Coward!" The warning voice came out of the void, like the voice of the nngel who spoke to Abraham on the niountnln top Perhaps It wns only the cry of his own consciousness, made audible by his Imagination Hut lie heard It dis tinctly A revulslou of feeling swept over him. "Oh. not thnt not that thank God." be murmured. He put the weapon back In the draw er and went out Into the kitchen, where Orace waa dressing the Christ mas turkey. "Klve yenrs will soon pass," he aald cheerfully, "and there will bo a gen erous allowance for good conduct 1 will have some sort of bookkeeping to do, and the life will be bearable, no doubt Let us meet the future bravely, dear heart Uod will not fall to send ua comfort And you you dear, brave little woman you will get along some how We have friends yet tbnnk heaven." It wns the first time he hnd ventured to speak of the life In prison, and she was com ivi led to know that he took solirnvea view That night they slept and the next dny their Christmas din ner wns an occasion of Joy to the chil dren, and the parents, thankful to lie together, simulated n checrfulucrs thnt almost deceived one another. It was Inte in the nfternoon thnt a large number of their neighbors came trooping In with words of love nnd sympathy and encouragement. They promised to look after draco and the children, and when John got back they spoke of It as If be were going only on a little Journey they declared thnt the village would be at the train wlt'.i n band to receive him. "You will be a convict, but not a criminal. John." said the lending mer chant warmly "You can step Into the best Job in my store the day after you get home. I promise you that and call upon these neighbors to witness It" John Anstruther rose to reply, but before he could speak the door waa opened and a blue coated messenger hoy appeared with a telegram. An struther tor It open with shaking flu gera "The governor baa signed your un conditional pardon na a Christmas gift to your wife and huhloa. He did It ta an act of Justice and In response to telegrams from hundreds of men throughout tbe state who know you are an honest man Congratulations." The name signed to the telegram was that of tbe secretary of stale. Chicago Tribune. Christmas Treasures By EUGENE FIELD. I COUNT my t rear ores o'er with cara A II. I. (o Him ii.ii.v knrw, A llttlt MH'k of faded bus. A huu- lock of (oldsn hair Long years ago this C'hrtstmss time My Httls one my all lo ma Bat robed In white upon my knae And hrard lha marry Chi 1st ma a chime. "Tall ma, my Mule goldan head. If Santa Claua ahould coma tonight What shall ha bring my baby bright What traaaura for my U.v! ' I aald And than be named the little toy .While In hla round and truthful eyee There eama a look of glad aurprlaa That apoka his trustful, childish oy. And aa he 1 taped hla evening prayer Ha aaked the boon with baby grace. And. toddling to the chimney place. He hung hla little Blocking there Tbat night aa lengthening abadowa crept I saw the white winged angela come Willi inualc to our humble home Am Mas my darling aa he alept. Ha muat have heard that baby prayer. For in the morn, with glowing faoe. He toddled to the chimney place And found the little ireaaure there. Tbey came again one Chrlatmaatlde, That angel hoal ao fair and while. And, singing all the Christmas night. They lured my darling from my aide. A little sock, a little toy. A little lock of golden hair. Tbe Christmas muslo on the air. A-watchtng for my baby boy. But If again that Sngel train And gulden head come back for me To bear me to eternity My watching will nol be In vela For This Christmas, Te old time stave thai i-aleih out To Christmas reve 1 , - ill At tavern tap and Triin sM bout And In ye banquet halt Whiles ye old burden rtafjs steals. Add et ye verse, as 4ue. tio I rest you merry, gentlemen," And gentlewomen la' Jamea Wultcorab Riley. of I iirl 1 ' 4 1 - BBaXaalalW aaaaaaafl Wisest '"' fr OVJ-kS Festal Day In Dixie A Carnival of Cheer S' OMKHOW there la 0 charm nbout 11 Christmas down in Dixie pe culinrly fascinating. It savors more of the old English holiday when the wassail howl was filled to tbe brim, when (lie Yule log glowed and tlie boar's he.nl was borne Into the lianipiet It was In the good old days before ilie war that the folks of the south ohsft'vi d Mils Joyous season with prodigality nunc lavish and hospitality more extensive than were dreamed ol even in the annuls of Hrucebrldge Hall Then came I he true cnrnlval of mer rltiient. The old manor waa ablaze with life and beauty. From the sur rounding country nil the belles and the lieu 11 ; bud gathered Morning brought a meet at dayhreiik for the fox hunt and nighttime called for "Old Uncle Kphrulin," the plantation fiddler, whose reels were famous throughout the whole country. Feast followed feast and the spirit of celebration extended from the master down to the Held hnnds, each of whom received a Jug Oiled with good whisky when he called for bis Christmas rations. Hut these are the days tbat have gone, anil with their going depnrted many characteristics which made the Christmas time down south so distinc tive, wiiii.- the fate of war and chang ed condition, have curtailed the prodl gallty of former days, most of the un dent customs remain, nnd In mnny in stances Chrlstmus in the villages and the country is but a mild repetition of antebellum observances A few of the large country homca still have sonic of the old servauta who were with the family in slavery daya. If these old family darkles have been away during tbe year tbey always re appear with the approach of the Christ mas holidays and assume duties about the household The old "mammy," al though her services have been engaged elsewhere during the rest of the year, reports to make tbe fruit cake for Christmas dinner Bhe alone knows the culinary tradi tions of the family kitchen The In grodlonts of this wonderful cake have 1. en handed down from generation to generation, aud the aplco and the brandy and the citron and all auch things are comKiunded according to the proportions laid down yaara and yaara agone. Those fruit cakea bear the family name, unci some time, through the cour tesy of tho season and the exchange of compliments of the day, a slice of Jrn ut iiiiui .ake la on tbe same plate with a slice of Dublguon cake Not Infrequently these enkea are cooked a year In advance, by which time tbey are fully seasoned aud settled, although the cracka Iu the Icing and Its yellow tint mar tbe beauty aoiuownat Its cooking can be Intrusted to no bands except those of the antebellum family cook or her descendants Not aloue this old cook, but all branches of the service In vogue dur ing the daya of slavery are usually reproaeuted about Christmas time. The sou of your father's and your grand father's coachman cornea, and ou rare daya tbe old man himself bubbles to the house aud spins out marvelous tales of the past These old darkles are all presented with gifts, and for each of their chil dren 11 present of some sort has been prepared Tbls feature generally comes In the Houlheru home before tlie rest of the family has been attended to. In the meant line the children have been keeping eager wulch at the door of tbe room where Kaiitu Claus bus made his visit No one is ji I lowed to enter tbls sucred precinct until the paterfamilias gives the signal, but be fore tills signal Is given every member of tbe household must be dressed and ready for breukfast and the morning prayers must have been said When everything Is ready the chil dren ure allowed to rush in and exam ine the contents of their stockings Some of the largest children still have Implicit faith In the wonderful person ality of old Santa Claus. Forged notea from the old fellow, admonishing them to make their behavior according to the precept of their mother, are eagerly read nnd compared The Interchange of presents among the older uicinhci of the family usually takes place ut the breakfiiHt table, but III most instances they are allowed to mingle with the bounties of old Snntn Claus aud are plucked from the same holly tree from which his presents hang. The bunt fig Hie holly aud tbe mis tletoe, wbli ' us exciting as the chase for t. - ar's bead. Is Just as much a fe.m. .- us tbat old Lngiish custom and iiullv enjoyable. Sev eral days before Christinas eve a big wagon, tried wiib straw and brimming full of pretty girls ami boys. too. Is driven Into the woods, sj here the search for tlie holly is carried on It require a most agile youngster to scale to I he height w here the uilstle toe grows, a ml lie Is ul ways sure of a generous reward of btassjsl from the girls U-lou Christinas day Is ulways ipuiet Sometimes the boy- and girls have been taught enrols u hi h they slug at home or Iu tbe village chapel hard by Night brings mirth nnd youthful Jollity again when tbe durkles come once more and sing old songs or par tlclpate In outdoor guinea. AU.it it uil there bus been a quaint, old time flavor Everybody Is huppy and yet there is a tinge of sadness about It all. for tbe southern Christmas now N but a faint echo of days gone by The Jays of Christmas. Be merry all. be merry all: With holly dress the festive hall; Prepare the song, the feast, the bait To welcome merry Cluisunaa. -W. K. Spencer. Celebrating the Day Anciently and Now On Christmas eve the belli were rung; On Christmas eve the mass was sung. That only Bight In all the your Saw the staled prlrst the chalice rear. Tho damsel donned her klrtle sheen; The hall was dressed with holly green. Forth to the wood did merry men go To gather In the mistletoe Then opened wide the baron's hall To vassal, tennnt. serf and all. Power laid his rod of rule Hilda, And Ceremony doffed his pride. The heir, with roses In his shoes. That night might village partner choose. SO sang Sir Walter Scott of the glories of Christmas eve and of Christmas Itself. And the world yields to him the palm for the best practical description of the sea son's dear delights Christmas wltb us Is a dny of giving snd receiving, of good cheer nnd good feeling, and essentlnlly It Is one of re Unions significance. Hence It will sun rid strange to mnny to be told tbat n number of our Christmas customs "ome down to us from pagan times. Yet such Is the fnct. Truces of some heathen rites are found In L'nglntid ns well as here, nnd the cause of their survival lies deeper than theology When tlie mother country, so called, was converted to Christianity the priests found her people wedded to mnny old customs Not nil of these were what tbey would have had them. but they hnd a practical work to per form and went it It in a practlcnl way. Tho more revolting of these customs they properly uprooted nllogelher; the better of them they preserved, only In grafting tbe rites of the church upon them Thus It cnino about thnt festivities which had their origin In the old Ho man Saturnalia and hnd come Into use among the drulds survived In the grim mythology of tbe Snxous and are a portion of our Inheritance todny Consplcnous among these are the burn Ing of the Yule log and tbe hanging of the mistletoe hough Among all peoples who celebrate the dny nt nil It tins nlwnys been a dny for eating nnd drinking, for singing and dancing and merriment of all kinds In dood, tbls tins leen the criticism of the church against tlie manner of observ ance thnt Its spiritual moaning was too often forgotten In the general tide of worldly cheer. In Kngiiimi Its observance la unlver aal. The chroniclers tell us that In Cheshire no servants would work on this day. even though their failure to do ao resulted In their discharge The richest families were compelled either to dn their own cooking on Christmas or eat what hnd been prepared beforehand, while dnnclng nnd merriment reigned Aud the games that were played number nearly legion, the most of them, though, ou Christmas eve Hun STKsJTS IK stANYI'I.A' isUHlEKII.l.tti iin sisskiis nlng Iu sacks, ducking for apples. Jumping at cukes suspended by a airing aud trying to catch them be tween the teeth, drinking bard elder nilied with egg and spices, and a score of otliers-these claimed and still claim Iu Devonshire the time of old and young, the children themselves being allowed on this one night to alt up until the midnight boll tolls. What bus been aptly culled "a beau Uful phase In popular superstition." n very old belief, was that ull tbe pow ers of evil ln dormant and haruilees on Christinas day Tbe cock crowed through the live long night to drive all evil spirits away: the heoa snug In their winter hlvea; the rattle, half human at all ' limes, became wholly so at midnight and talked like human beluga.. Itread thnt wns baked tbe night be- ' fore Christmas could not possibly be come moldy Tbe streets iu many places were filled wltb iniimmera In fantastic garb Indeed there were mummers In the days when Saturnalia reigned over even tbe Unman emperors, but tbey were not necessarily of tbe Christmas time The love for uiuaiicrade is al most aa old as the human race Itself. Itiit as to the day Itself, It was then, aa it is iinw, a very merry day. with good fellowship bubbling even from hearts where theological nouladlef dwelt a day sacred lo the family, to the eating of roast turkey and cran berry sauce or roust beef nod plum pudding and walnuts and tbe drinking of i. ii-i ale and un it has i bunged lo some extent since the old day. but it is still tbe happiest day of all the ear- at leust whore the shudow of misfortune does not ckud the sky. ADVERTISING IS THE ABC ) OF BUSINESS, AND IT i BatlNOB SUCCESS TO YOU Empire Lumber Company, Limited WHOLESALE AND RETAIL DEALERS IN Sash, Doors, Lumber, Lime. Cement, Plaster and Coal sole AGENTS AND DISTRIBUTORS OF Malthoid Rooiings and all P & B Produces The Moat Complete Line of Building Material. If you cannot Hud it anywlu-iv cl.-c come to u. We have it. 200 Acres for Sale OR TRADE Fifty acres has been seeded to alfalfa. Some buildings. All under fence. Railroad line through tract. On Snake river. Well drained bench land. Elec tric pumping plant can be installed for $12 per acre. Will cut up to suit buyer. Address Box 128, Ontario, Oregon SAVING TIME Means Not Only Time But Money. Do you ever consider how lurur it takes to travel the distance from your house to the Doctor and Merchant and what time you save by telephoning? If your time is worth anything, you cannot afford to tie without a Telephone. Malheur Home TelephoneCo. A Complete Line of W? totttg gtatuwnj At the Argus Office BUTTER WRAPPERS Must Be Printed We are printing more wrappers than any other two offices in this section. There is a reason. We have the machinery, type and workmen necessary and we take the same care with Butter wrappers that we do with wedding invitations. Take your next order of Butter Wrappers to the Buy your Meat at The ONTARIO MARKET and get the best the market affords kv TELEPHONE rxmy Argus Office