Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 December 1874 — JACK’S CHRISTMAS. [ARTICLE]

JACK’S CHRISTMAS.

“Hurrah! No more school till after Christmas!’’ shouted Httis Jack Harvey, as "he burst into his mother’s room and tossed his sachel from his shoulder to the ceiling. Mrs. Harvey looked up from her sewing and smiled. She called Jack to her side, and as he bounded into her arms she thought how bright his eyes were and that the winter air had painted his -cheeks as red as the two big apples she had stowed away in his lunch-basket that morning. “Jack,” she said, as she ran her fingers tenderly through his golden hair, “ what do you suppose Christmas comes every year for?” Jack raised his eyebrows and opened his blue eyes to their utmost. He had supposed that every baby knew the purpose of Christmas, and here was his mother asking a great boy of seven why it came. “ What for, mamma? Why every fellow knows that Christmas comes to bring us holidays and toys and sugar plums and ” “ But, my dear boy, that is only the selfish part of It comes also as a time to show our peace and good-will to everybody and to make their Christmas as beautiful and happy as our own.—l have made up my mind, therefore,” continued Mrs. Harvey, “to give you a Christmas party. This is the 23d of December. To morrow invitations shall be sent to all your little friends, and papa and I will select some pretty gift for each one of them.” “That’ll be tip-top!” cried Jack, but the next moment a shadow stole over his face and he added: “You said all the children I know, mamma; but I want you to leave out Rannie Mount.” “Why?” inquired Mrs Harvey. “ Because he’s a mean fellow,” Jack answered, indignantly. “He borrowed my new penknife the other day, that nice pearl-handled one papa gave me, and he took it home and brought it back with the best blade broken. Yes! and what’s more, he said he didn’t do it. It’s very likely some one else did it when he had it!” cried Jack, in a tone that showed he believed Rannie had told him an untruth and thereby added insult to injury. “Jack,” said Mrs. Harvey, gently, “it might have been the fault of some one Rannie was too generous to tell upon.” “ Well, he could have had a new blade putin for me, anyway,” replied Jack, doggedly, kicking the table as he spoke, and thrusting oat his under lip something very like a pout. “ Probably he had not the money, my child,” urged Mrs.ttarvev, who seemed determined to defend Rannie. “ The Mounts are hard-working and poor, and, I am sure, not manj pennies find their way into Rannie’s hands. At any rate,” she continued, as Jack fumbled in his pocket for the injured knife, “ it will be an excellent opportunity for you to throw aside the grudge aud show him the peace and good-will which belong to the season.” , Jack made a wry face at the easy manner in which mamma got over his affronts. Little boys are apt to think resentment more manly than forgiveness. She was patient because she was wise enough to know that, if there was to be any real good-will in the matter, Jack’s consent must come from his heart. By and by it aid, for his arms stole round her neck and he whispered something in her ear. 1 think he was ashamed to say the words aloud, although no one was by to listen. Mrs. Harvey looked up with a bright smile, and added .Rannie Mount’s name to the list of invitations she had been making out for Jack’s party. As for Jack, lie seized his cap and ran downstairs, whistling all the way. Every boy’s, and indeed everybody’s, heart feels so light when it rids itself of the burden of any illfeeling. Rannie Mount missed that part of the fun, lor his mother had sent him on an errand, and he did not reach Jack’s house till the little company were in the midst of a lively game. Mr. Harvey had hung a huge paper bag, full of sugar-plums, between the folding doors of the parlor and the children were all blindfolded in turn and given a long stick. Of course whoever was lucky enough to strike it would bring down a rain of sweets and tlje nimblest would be sure of the prettiest. Mrs. Harvey, who had been look-

ing oat for Ranaie, called the little fellow from the corner where lie sat, shyly, as if out of place in his-neat, but rather shabby, dress. Nannie Was duly blind*folded and given the stick, but proved j as unsuccessful as those who had gone i before him. At last Willie Ellis (I wonder if he peeped?) did strike the bag, and then the walls rang with the shouting and the merry scrambling after bonbons and almonds and jelly cakes. When every child had a pocketful they were called to the nursery for the giving of the presents. Of course the hqys were polite enough to let the girls lmve thl first choice. “Now,” said Mr. Harvey, “ Willie Ellis shallliuve the first choice among i the boys, as ne was the first to break the ! bag of sugar-plums.” Willie’s selection [ was a neat box of tools. Then Bertie I Snyder picked out abigred drum. “ And ! now, said Mrs. Harvey, “ Kannie Mount shall choose.”

Kannie stepped out timidly, and with a “Please, ma’am, might I take that?” pointed to Jack’s locomotive, which chanced to lay on the table. “ You’ll just please not!” yelled Jack, as he sprang forward and grabbed his treasure indignantly. Rannie was not present when he had exhibited the toy as his special property. Mrs. Harvey tried to remonstrate against this outburst, but her gentle voice was quite drowned in the louder tones of Willie Ellis and Bertie Snyder, who cried: “Now he’ll lie about not wanting it for himself, just as he did about breaking your knife!” “ Perhaps he meant to give it to me!" sneered Bertie, and then he and Jack laughed rudely. “Silence, boys,” said Mr; Harvey, sternly. His voice drew the general attention from Rannie, who took advantage of the moment to slip out of the house. When the uproar had subsided it was time for the little guests to leave, and Jack was not sorry when the door had shut behind them all. He was thoroughly out of humor. He avoided ~his mother and ran to the nursery. “Itwas just like that stupid Rannie Mount!” he grumbled to himself; “just like him to try and take away my nicest present after he had broken my knife!” and Jack took the locomotive from she table and wound it up. But, somehow, it did not please him as before. There had been a big tear of disappointment in Rannie’s eye when he was refused the toy, and Jack had seen and remeinbered it. Presently softer feelings began to work in his heart. He thought how quickly Rannie had given up instead of fighting aljout the matter, as a ruder boy might have done. How shabby his clothes had looked, too, and then Jack began to wonder if Christmas had brought Rannie any toy at all. Mrs. Harvey was determined to leave Jack to himself till his own conscience convinced him he had not shown Rannie the peace and good-will he had pronrsed. And by and by conscience did tell him so, and, what’s more, it whispered: “You could make Rannie’s Christmas beautitul and happy if you would give up that locomotive to him.” . At first Jack thought conscience asked really too much of him. He had invited Rannie to his Christmas party against his will, and now he must reward him for coming, and that at the cost of his prettiest plaything. But Mrs. Harvey knew where he was going as she saw him run down-stairs in his cap and overcoat, and out into the winter twilight, with a bundle under his arm. Jack returned soon without—that-hundlfr, -and—with—asweet, happy light in his face. “ Oh, mamma!” he cried, “ Rannie was so glad, and it wasn’t for himself he wanted it, but for a little crippled brother, who never goes anywhere, and who never had a Christmas toy before! Mrs. Mount was so pleased she cried. I wound up the locomotive for him half a dozen times, then Rannie half a dozen more. We thought he couldn’t see enough of it. Yes, and, mamma,” added Jack, gravely, “ Rannie didn’t break my knife after all. It was the sick boy did it. He told me so himself, and, only think, he pulled a little box from under his pillow and showed me some pennies in it he was saving to buy me a new blade. Of course I made him promise to keep them for himself.” “You are not sorry that you gave up the locomotive, are you, dear Jack?” asked Mrs. Harvey, tenderly. “No, indeed,” Jack answered stoutly; “ I wouldn’t have believed it, but Tfcel better than when I had it.” v “And you have also the sweet satisfaction,” said Mrs. Harvey, “of having made others’ Christmas as beautiful and happy as yours.” —Young Folks' Rural.