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About The Eugene City guard. (Eugene City, Or.) 1870-1899 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 21, 1889)
Eugene City Guard. CIIltlKT.M as si pili:meit, A TIMELY GREETING. MERRY CHRISTHASl CHRISTMAS CAROLS. INO loudly, 0 my soul, A piean to the Lord I His goodness, grace and love extol, And for hi nierclei poured Upon theeasthe r, Uh seasons roll. Give thanks in glad accord. For on this happy day A star from heaven MM torn. To blazon out tht hunilile way To where our Lord wum lrn. And change earth's twilight, cold and gray. To spiritual uiorn. Rejoice, my soul, and know That Christ la born anew, His grace new mercies daily show. His works our work Imbue; And to the world his words outgo In endless love and true. V, II. MAM K. B. Kau-h. rrv Christmas :"-ring It out ill ye happy festal bells, "hn.Hi.-li tin' sweet magnolia grove. Fi-iwti iniKirs, or snow heaped fella. irols ns', and yule tires glow, prtya of silver mistletoe r fri mi out the dark green pine. tuktide, peace and Joy be thine I M ml ' liristtnas:" ring it tart. All yetuut-flll festal bells, Plo cheerless hearts, wherein .Wither hoie nor gladness dwells. t'Svens stuilc, nnd stars shine out All our y tile decked homes about; knurls stand within the door urbtiuas tide is come once more! Helen Chase. IK MERRITT MATTER. DEUJN BI.AKK BROUGHT ABOUT UmintAI RECONCILIATION. Pglit, lsw, by American Press Association.) WOXDER what you'll be like at my age," Raid Will iam Merritt angrily to his y sou Aiuerv, oue uny meiiiov )w able in the lives of both. Mr William Merritt was what ts. the tssirte oalKsi "a Imrn man to I along with." Ho was hard. just, sincere and Hi! began mature life as a fiatlmat ad finished his training as sherilT of n count v. A born ruler, at 50 years he knew absolutely nothing of any sov stern command and force ready 't application. To this he added a '( Dertstll.il fault flndincr ' ' " n C"inc over the hoarv hnrangue. kich some old people have insulted "since the days of Homer, about a hoys and the industrious young men F"')' life and the degenerate sons of J, when Albert's satirical humor 1 mighty little account now," said "What'll you be at my agef" said Albert, unconsciously f bi father's sneer, "111 do like other at and tell lies about the big things 1 1 was a boy." I "f those insults which some men r "the first blow," and the second fell naming his broad, right hand, ! with rage, the father brought it I serosa the son's mouth. The blood : s nose as he staggered luck. I pied an instant on the father, away with clinched teeth and to his confidant, Sam McCorkle, shoemaker's boy near by, who Km age as Albert, but knew as much of the tricks and devices I At 10 vears Rani was an " trick ; at lb be was simply two had met and conferred often ': .. ......fir- i ,- . - was ! ell-to-do farmers of the commu- ' as finished trickster, whose father t : they often laid out wonder- in distant reel oris: but soon ! face rose Lfm Alhrt MerrlttS ks could not nuke nn hia mind to the face of Helen Blake, only a oeiore his schoolmate. But now rasnlral is rr.i. ,h,.,,,Ti,. of mw tor ...m to n'.iiir., r.t,u If she were w, tu the winning she would respect him more for leaving the discomforu of bit present lift. Thus he reasoned. 1-ate that indit two lad o, ....: v. dies might have been seen, but took care not to be, on the river road, and it was soon .i"nio an me conunuuity that they had left the place. Of farewells the boys had said none. Allien had indeed written Mai . his mother, in which he had bidden her a good-bv full (,f clumsily worded tenderness id another to Helen, which he had formally' eg"" -Miss Helen Hlake." and in which ho had as formally expressed the I,,,,. ti,. though hunt perhaps for years, bt would not be forgotten. Those epistles he took wit h liim in bis Bight, and a day or two later en trusted them to Sam McCorkle to post, but that Individual, fearful that the route of de parture would be guessed by the postmark. calmly destroyed them, although he solemn ly declared to Albert that he had deposited them in the postofHee of a considerable town through which they journeyed. And to the two boys were quite cut off from the old world of semi-servitude. That a father should be sorry for the flight of a son is but natural; that he should, while asiwrkof pride or anger remains, tell any oue of his sorrow would lie contrary to ail recorded precedents in such case. William Merritt was not the man to violate prece dents of discipline. He held himself stilllv. waved away the subject complacently, and ! said w hen he sjHike at all; "Uh, he'll soon get sick of his flirt he'll be glad enough to come back. Hut late summer yielded to am num. and autumn gave place to winter, and a ud Christ inns day had come, for Allien Merritt had made no sign. When lleleu Hlake was told that Albert Merritt was a "runaway boy" she merely said, "Ah, indeed," and bent very low over her work: but she knew why he had gone know it, indeed, about as w ell as he did. Ere long she and Mrs. Merritt teemed to have good ileal to say to each other. They seldom if ever mentioned Alls-rt, but it al ways seemed that the mother was much cheered after a visit from Helen. In her own desponding heart the mother said: "He will never come back, he is too much like his taller, a favorite delusion with mothers, by the way. And so, on this sad Christinas day, the two sorrowful women exchanged deep sympathies without exchanging a word on the subject nearest their hearts, and the mother felt that night as if volumes hud been ssiken on the subject, when in fact it I. ad not la-en mentioned. And thereafter Helen came oftener and oftener, and some how after each visit the mother 'elt an as surauce that all would be right, and felt it just the same whether Albert's name was mentioned or not Now, after the first shock was pass.il, Helen Blake never felt a doubt in her bosom that she would ill good time receive some word from Albert Merritt, and she would have risked much on her conviction that she would hear before either of his parents, though she could not have told you why, and probably would not if she could, for the liest farm in Jackson township. Yet she knew it all the same, ami visited the Meriitts often, and ut each visit it somehow fell out that something rather singular happened. On cue occasion she grew quite hilarious in reminiscences of a certain school exhibition, and told how the teacher had photographs of the whole class taken, a sot for all, and lion childish the pictures looked r w, and ho everybody had changed, though it was but six years ago, and the-' she brought out the photographs cheap, tawdry things they were, but among them was one of a tall, tall boy, with all the glow of class leadership in bis eye, and light hair curling around a bold forohend, and under it, in round boyish script, was the autograph, "Alliert Merritt." A pang shot through the father's heart, and he longed tor her to talk of his Isiy; but she rattled 00 aliout Tom and Jennie and Mattie, and soon hastened home. Hut tho mother noticed that Helen "hud forgotten her pictures," and so they lay on the looking glass stand for muny a day, where the father often saw the presentiment Of his boy, but he never toadied it, and they lay there till Helen came again. This time she brought a "story MOW" for Mrs Merritt. saving that the main story m it had interested her very much; and after she was gone William Merritt picked it up and pished and pshawed and ridicuh-d the pictures, but he read the story. It was a commonplace novelette of a son, who hadOtd from u harsh father and enlisted in the fed eral arinv. and who was sick almost unto death in u southern hospital, and how 111 de lirium he babble.) of home, and how a Sister of Charity wrote to the father, who came and patiently nursed his boy back to life and love and forgiveness. A commonplace story -one of ten thousand war stories of the tune -but the father's hand trembled as he road, ami he rushed (0 the Held and drove his work with unusual energy and shouted louder than ever at his team, and at night was stern and Silent and solemn to a degree that surprised even his long suffering wife. The other children would occasionally ven ture"'. WWUdOl to 4UVt, anil now wneu Helen came the father would blame the run away; but she only listened quietly and ask li if" tl.ev had ever heard of torn, and turned the ta Ik to their school -lays. And so two ,l away and the third I ins.nia, tl UWH BUI , . m, (if the dav tie- Jler- came. Kl . . ... ,.f the Blnkes. and .rthevgal thebigro, ft. it'-hichA.liertMernt.had Of course Helen Blake never though wi&.'&'a- 1" ii " "."-" " h T, IT! -ressivelv to tho at t end l!5S5u 1.4" the other side 500,000 majonty over could put up next own 5o Helen was JjSlfcil .nind that Oie trough': work, but !k.t'fW pj te. borne the 'X ? wrar7 waiting. J',kan fltaj Bugle, V r .rttMl'i n TO THE GROUND. Helen Knew. Tliere'"asn't auniTk 'of fcny kind on the printed sheet, to she set herself resolutely to read every line. Never had for western publisher in the most heated cam paign a more devoted reader, and at last, 1 in a lediil arttcle in the page headed j "Local Intelligence," she found a list of members of a new fire comiiany. and among the names was "Alliert Merritt." A writer in the "County Correspondence" of the next issue of The County Democrat told of "our fair ladies who charmed the audience; with their music" at a certain Christ mas eve church f.-stivnl, and, by request conveyed in a note inclosing the stamis, the publisher di rected a copy to "A. Merritt, Esq., Tekee wuh. Kan." And this sort of thing went on for eight months more, ami the golden au tumn set in and the country was most mightily stirred over the presidential eh-c-lion, and the Blnkes and the Meri itts bogan to look forward with strangely mingled feel ings to another Christmas. William Mei ritt was the same and yet not the same. His hair, which was just streaked with grav when his son Albert had left him, was now whitening visibly. His broad, bur i.K,,M..e bad heL'un to sbop. His hard eyes had lost somewtiato. u eir s,e v... , and occasionally there were lines denoting mental pain visible 111 his nlMe, uilio- nance. His voice, too, sometimes quavered in a way that astonished nn ono more than himself. Ami one day Just after the sorrel Bolt a wild, viciTnis beast, he was breaking to the saddle-had almost thrown him on the way to town, he hail caught himself audibly wishing that Albert, who mutt be a full grown, strong man by this time, were there to help tubjugale in annimi r.l'T WE orr ALOIRT BACgT And to when Helen next paid the Merritt homestead a visit she found the fortress of th old man s heart ready to yield. Hbe had th day before received a copy of The Tekeewah Bugle in which the found the following paragraph half way down a crudely written account of a fire in that enterprising town: "We should utterly fail in our duty to our readers if we omitted to take more than paas- ing note of the heroic conduct 01 one 01 our young townsmen, a prominent and efficient . m I i. L .iinna ci.ml1lir Nil memts-roi aisi j,, 1. Of course we refer to Mr. Albert "wiitt, than whom a braver man never drew breath - hmA it hmime known tliat a child was in the burning building than, at the risk of his own life. Mr. Merritt rushed into th smoke and flame, dashed op the stairs almost at a bound, and, groping about hi the stifling besvi, found the infant, fought hit way through tne nre to tne'Wini.Tiw. Tit' Dy this time me stairwuy was burning, and jumped to the ground with his precious burden safe on hit arms. Ho was greeted w ith such a cheer as only Tekeewah throats can give. We regret to be obliged to add that Mr. Merritt suffered ajiainful, though not necessarily dangerous, Injury in the breaking of an arm, which was struck by a falling timls-r. lie was also rather wordy burned. It It hoped, how ever, that he will - - u l himself again." This w-r Helen brought with her but carefully hidden. She hail det. i mined, If need Is-, to show it to the stern father, but she promised to hold it for the last resort, But her manlier (for, though ordinarily calm, sh. was now much excitedl betrayed her, and as soon as William Merritt looked Into her face he knew that she knew something of Albert; and her uiiwouted agitation, as ha gazed fixedly at her, convinosl him that something was ani.1i witu UT son. .Mrs. Merritt was about to speak when her hus band interrupted her in strained, quivering tones: "Helen Blake," he said, "Is Albert deadl Tell me the truth!" There was a world of paternal love in me aM man's voice now. But for a moment Helen said nothing, for she felt that were tha to sieak stm would iuttantly and completely lose her self controL 8o with a deprecatory gesture and a white face she walked to ths window to conio herself, while the father and mother waited m sus'tise. After u lit tle the turned again to them, and, with a re assuring look toward Mrs. Hlake, who sat with rlnsil hands and rted lips, she took the paper from her pocket "I would liketoread to Tou an article from The Tekeewah (Kansas) Bugle," she said, in as ttcady a voice assbe could command. And then she read the account of the lire, from headlines to dash, without a break, and with out looking up. When she had done sb raised her eyes. Mrs. Blake was crying qui etly ami the old man was quite broken down. "Helen," lie said, reaching out both hnndi to the girl, "it's no use. I can't lie a hard ened old fool no longer. Can't wo get Alliert back here with u.sl Hadn't I l-ttr go out to , -.t ,-, , r,r IK,.',,,l8y l. lie's ,L, it sav." And then the old burt worse than It says. man let tin' tears flow unconcealed. Tlint night a letter was mail.sl to Tekee wah. Kan. It was written by Helen, though unsigned, and here is a copy: Mr Allien Merritt: Tie- aeeeiuit of the recent fire In Tekei-wah and the bravery displayed by yourself ou that .-ca-slon has worked a great change of opinion Ic s-rtsir. quarters, a change which would bav OHM soon, however, In the natural court of things. Your father I very much broken and anxious to see you. A FBKWn When Alls-rt Merritt received this letter he was convalescent, lying on the lssl of ttie liest risim in the Tekeewah tavern, while Ham McCorkle was standing in the center of the flisir telling ome admiring friends for the thousandth time how "my pard here saved that gal baby." '''I tell vou,' he? said, "It take the hon from old laflkjnj- todo things. Now, I mitiii me one time before I came weat of how little Jimmy Jones fell Into the river, n' I Juml right In without ttopplng to peel a bit ' And then ho reeled off a wholly imaginary yam of his own bravery, wbUe Alls-rt sin lbs I and the rest listened open mouthed. When Albert had read his letter be said, quietly: "Sam. I'm going home for Christina. I shall start us soon as I can do it safely." Ham was astounded, but he did not remon strate, and finally concluded to go, too, "Just to take care of Al," be explained to the boys. But secretly be was glad of the excuse. The next iaue of The Tekeewah Bugle 000 tained this tragraph: "Our well known townsman, Mr. Albert Merritt, is al. nt to visit bis old borne In In diana, where be will probably spend the boll- 'daya He is very nearly well of the Injuries (ugujnn , nom)l H, wU1 b. by hU fut trimii jr. Ham Mo- . " ' " . ..... . 1 Corkle, the well known lightning r..i agent." UgB u (,u( to Wilwun JlerTitt't 1 4 iMxk m chrlltmM fr but too roads were had and it was quite dark when, with a sweeping curve, it swerved to the tide of the pike and stopped in front of the bouse, in the open frontdocrway of which, In strong silhouette against th flood of light Wilton. i inn brfriv MM M WttttejO Merritt, hi humls outstretched with trem bling hopcfulnc". "Come along. Sun," aid one of the young men w ho dismounted from the hack seat of the high stage, "1 need you yet." ThOTI an a cry, 111 whvh recognition, wel come and forgiveness were all blended from the figure in the doorway, and an answer from the fuller of the travelers, who still car ried one arm in a sling. And a moment Inter William Merrill led this one Into his house. "Mother,'' he said, "our boy has com hook." In the eotatic joy of meeting lii mother, Allrt bad forgotten Sain McCorkle, and when he lo.kisl lor him that individual bad ditaptavinsl As he afterward explained, h( "didn't feel like he was any use when folki was ull a-en in' and a-weepln' and fallin' on each other'" ins-ks. solje hut slooed " nut Alls-it did noriook for SaTII very long. lie bail much to tell of his new life ill Hit w.sd, where he had Isvn fairly successful, and his father and mother and brothers and sis ters had quite as much to tell him. - i Tiirmt WAA A CRT. The next dav there was such a Christinas. gathering nt William Merrltt's house ns had never lieon there tiefore. Such roast turkey with crnnlierry sauce, and such Juicy mince pi., and such BMily potatoes, and such line, white home made bread, and such gmsl things to eat generally as they w ho sat down at tht dinner table rtik of have uever hjMB OB celled. All the Blnkes were there, an I so were all the members of that class of eight, whoso photographs were the first weaimn Helen i. ad employed in storming Williutn Meriitt s filmy old heart. Aud Sam McCorkle. too, the drunken shoe, milker's son, lull of far western dash and his torian of the time "Al rescued the Imby." He was "Mr McCorkle," an honored guest, in I no one recc I Tad greater ressVt than ha But be did not rise to the height of his glory till evening, for at the dinner table. Alliert would not suffer his own praises to be sung In too high a key. But when Alliert, soeirt lug to have something particular to any to Helen, w hoso great, brown eves rkltsl un WiMitedly and whoso cheeks 'iisbsl In blushing furiously, led her away with him Into a quiet corner and left the Held to Sam, that individual chanted his hero's deeds to his heart' tent nnd everylssly else's de light, though he did not let slip tho oppor-tuuilli-s to tell of some things he had himself acmmplishtsl in the OOOk The close of this veracious history may be rlipiied Iroui The Tekeewah Buglo ol March It, I Mi'.': "Mr. SiMiiuel McCorkle, Iho gentlemanly and enterprising agent for Plash & llittem's Justly leluat.sl lightning nsls, bus returned from Indiana healthy and happy His friend and our former townsman, Mr Alls-rt Mer ritt, has (-.included to remain east, w here ha will settle down Usin his father's extensive (not A little bird has whispered that the Uind gisl had something to do with Mr. Merrill's decision to forego a sham in the golden fulure sure to come to T'ek-c isrtk, Those who are curious In this matter nre di rected to the notice in the marriage column on another p i, - headed Merrltt-lllake.' " IUxrv DaWsii. A HUMBLE CHRISTMAS DINNER. There was not very much on the table In fact, It wasn't very much J a table, lielng made of a dry goods box stood on its side. The room U-loiigil to the grocer, but ho had told them they could have the use of It for Christmas night In the corner there was a little, cracked stove, which was so hot that it thone like a big lump of Christmas cheer In tho seini-darknesM. 1'rctty wsm "Hwlpesy" came in out of the roar of the city street. He had a few unsold import under ono arm and a small a very small-bundle under the other. With him was hi sister Huie. They were orphans try ing to make their own way. Hbe bad had good luck and had sold aN lv-r o .. r S!,s took what Vua left of Ki,"n sloe and spread a nice clean paper over the dry goods box. Then be unrolled ; iiumlio. "Oh, Hwijiesy I" said the girl. Thero was a can of oooked corn lionf and a lilt l- box of tlga Pretty smi the others began to come In. There wa "Mickey" with a little packet of coffee, some sugar, and (what lie k 'i some cabbage thnt the apple woman on the corner had cooked and given him with big tours In her honest, Irish eyes when be told her about the dinner. "It ain't much, Mickey," she said, "but may the gissl saints make it taste a relisbln' a if 'twas as big as a bam and cooked in a gnwld skillet " Thero were flv charter members of the dinner rty, so to speak. "Hock" lo named from bis manner of defending himself in his frequent "scraps") came into the room MXt He too bad a httl bundle which was undone with due ceremony. When "llper" came in be itopiied a minute Just Intide the threshold, and held the door open while b beckoned to mime one on the outside. "C.c.11 kV said be. "Tb fellers Tl b glad ter see jer." Then there entered a little fellow not mora than tl vears old. He was very much em barrnsMil, and held his linger to bis Ilpa Piper, by way of introduction, said: "Kellers and huza this 'era little cova" (Piper himself was a big cove, having seen thirteen years, end being the oldest member of the dinner party) "Is comln' to our Crla muta He's ju.t gone into the paper osllin' bit, an' h ain't got nc boodle. I'm a takln' ear u' bim till he git started. Bear' For a miuute an embarrattod silence hung over toe little group. Then tbaJitUeneoid opened their Hearts to the newcomer mint they were lug hearts for such very small bodies', and he was one of the dinner party. l'lgs r eiplam.sl to him: "You see," said I'uht, "wo fellers and Sum had Inurd a lot 'Unit Crismuas. We don' know 'giac'ly w hat u is. but we do know that everylssly, wot is aiiylssly, has a Crla muss dinner So wo jes' tblppoj in, and and" (waving his hand around the naim) "here y' are." "Hut I ain't Ohlppatt in." said the new comer. "Well, wot if f ain't Vcan nex' time." So ll nl was soltled. Sua in the meantime hnd products! a pnll from ismie where, and an old stew mn from tome w here else, and some broken crockery from still another place. "Voii'll make the coffee nnd wiirrm tho cabbage nnd meat, ihirlint," said Mickey. "Yen are tho only woman hero." Ho Sill- went ul it It wusn'i long before everything win ready, and they gathered around the box. The savory lor from the eon.-.' pot nnd stew pan hnd tickled the twelve little nostrils, and the six mouths were ns eager to taste the pool little dinner ns ,Ver yours was to pick par siuvulctit Christinas turkey honea They fell to at once. "I in 'liaid the c.iffis' ain't very gissl," said Sure. Hut she smiled the satislhsl smile that everv hoiwwile smilis while ihs-ryiug her own .liilnlles. and was as pleased as you ever weic. my line lady, In similar circumstance, when Kts-ks exclaimed ill answer: "Kiner'n Dcluiouico's, I'll liet." Before very long the dinner had been eaten. They ant mound and talked for awhile, and the little tl year-old fi ll asleep with bis head on Sine's Inns, and her linger passul lovingly over the little fellow's dirty forei . ad. and by and by she leaned over nnd kissed him. l a ' (allow candle burned low in its green bottle oiiudlcsltck, and when l'inr rose and 4uer1.1l: "Well, fellers and Sur.o has w had a merry Ciistnussf" A fervent "You bet!" went from tne tin nit lis of everyone but til Vviiir old, mid he smilisl In his sleep. The dinner party was over I). E. M. I I.e llruiliatlek. Behold my rotund wealth of meat With nil us Juice, rich and ROM) flow llrm, tiow solid, an my Kirts, And how 1 go straight to the hearts Of children, wlih distended Jaws, In wait to hide me In their maws Ah I how 1 love to lie In state Vsin the table, while you wait With eager eyes and teeth that burn, Ci lit 11 e.nues I., no y. ur turn. How crisp my skin, anil, oh' how brown. And how I tickle golngdown: And.l'ien, my Isme, oh: what delight To pick It till li s clean and white. How Ootdd you like, on Christina Pay, To I ramp 1 ill in sin nnd then, we'd say, Toroine hack h tue.w.l almost starved, Aud llnd mt waning, nicely carved? Between your linger and yiKirtliiunb Von hold 1110 up. thus lytnn, yum, yum!) I tickle every nerve. I thrill Your stomachs, and I (111 the hill. And with all men I nothing lack In luct, 1 have the Inside track I To Massok. A tvise Hint. Why deal jron Mi Mr. OuliMuT "Itccaiiso I iluti't wish to I' eiiten, my" Monti Arc you not iiwnro tluit ClirUt M is coiningf"--Harper' Young I'eo- n.iys Are llillimn, (if t'oiirse. The bOT wbO Bftdl hi stockitigH well fllle.1 on C'lirintimis morning doesn't euro wluit tlm other follow got. Judge. Christmas Olftt A STU0Y IN BLACK AND WHITE. Ills Nw Hon. "Hay, mister, why don't ver let hla fjrwulil4tt'iBi(ir LJtv he did of her, she. would wait at m E ..t