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Show If Her j I Christmas J lUedding i n By Emily Burks Adams (, 1324, Western Newspaper Union.) vtv--pat RAND M OTHER, le" 113 a reul Clirlst-fjiOl Clirlst-fjiOl I I 'mis story one you irii V I J J really experienced. fi Tl'u us tlie very fyfyj ,)t,;it Christmas you Kr ever haJ" 5cii Julia and Jua-nita, Jua-nita, grandmother's adored granddaughters, settled themselves, them-selves, for, to them, no one could tell stories equal to grandma. "All right, girls, that won't he hard. The very best Christmas I ever had was my wedding day. I was married on Christmas day and the most precious pre-cious gift I ever received was your grandfather. "Weil, It was like this: our Christ-muses Christ-muses and weddings were very different differ-ent finiu now. My wedding dress was ' a j . r.-l t y calico, the first I ever had, j anil cost one dollar a yard. Up to this time I had worn woolsey, we railed them, and I spun i.nd wove It. My mother was afraid I'd take cold, so I had to wear my calico over the wool one. We didn't have hope boxes then I we had hopes, though. It was n disgrace dis-grace for a girl to marry anil not possess pos-sess a feather lied and some iillts I and n pair of home-made blankets. I I had all these, to be sure, j "My worst worry was for fear Peg's ' cakes would be Hat, for she had a I habit of spoiling cakes by making them too rich, when she wanted them especially good. I. too, wanted the plum pudding Just so. and the turkeys : hi- , frWll f.:n n properly cooked in ease we got any for my father bad to go to the woods and kill wild turkey." "Oh ! grand , how thrilling I Old you get a turkey?" "Yes, your grandfather came In with six. Peg cooked four, for we were ex- peeling all the klnfoIkH from both I sides of Hie house. Tills was Hip day ! before, and our kinfolks began coming ' that evening, for some lived I 1 1 miles ' and It was too far for the oxen to I make Ihe trip In time next morning. I Oh, yes, we drove oxen and I much prefer Ihem to these human killing nil-toiuohlles nil-toiuohlles of today. Both Julia and Juanlla laughed. "Oh, do go on, grandma !" "Well, we were lo be married at high noon Chrlshnas day, so by ten o'clock Christmas hive our feather beds were full. We didn't try to pul more Hum six In one lied - three al the head anil three al Ihe fool - heils were made on Hie Moor all over Hie house, and we slept as soundly lis yon 011 your fine hex sprini'S of today, and nothing disturbed dis-turbed us only an occasional snore, and that wasn't half as holhersouie as j ihe sputtering of llu'se Hying mu- chines. "Well, the next day dawned fair, land I think everybody said "Happy Is Ihe bride the sun shines on," peg assured as-sured mo Ihe cukes were line and lur-l:evs lur-l:evs louder. The great, long lahle was "sol" and we were married under 11 bouidi of in'Uloloc and your grandfather grand-father i.bisc'.l me for Ihe Ural time. I'm sure no girl of lodny can say that. Kvorybody l.ook my hand and wlalied me much joy and we all went to dinner. din-ner. Your grandfather and I ate at the first table; most of the women waited, for in those times the men always ale first. I suppose it was proper then; anyway, they did. "The ni'xt day we drove over to your grandpa's home for the Infare, and had another big dinner, and I had a cheaper calico. I called it my second-day dre-'S. We visited my folks and his folks about a week and then tool; our belongings In an ox-cart to our home, four miles away n one-room one-room log house built by grundpu. Your mother was born there. "'I hat was a great Christinas, and we were happier In one room than those In mansions today. "Oh, that . as a great day I Yes, It was truly Christ's day and Christ's way. The same Savior reigned then as now, and be has the same mes-sagi- 'I go to prepare n place for you, that where I am there ye may ho also.' "Hood night, rirls, grandma must re-lire. re-lire. Tomorrow Is Christmas day, hut sixty-seven years ago I received a gift heller Ihan any I'll get tomorrow. I'll be wllh father before another Christmas Christ-mas rolls around and there'll be another an-other great Chrlsimas and ihe same Christ will reign. Hood night, dears." I |