A Christmas on the Arkansas [pp. 26-40]

A4 Christmas on the A rkansaw.3
Fearing that she had hurt herself in
some way, he went in and discovered her
lying prone on a black bearskin, her
body shaken with sobs, even to the little scarlet legs which quivered with emotion.
"Got frightened at something, Dolly?"
he asked, when he had picked her up
and found her bones whole.
"No-o," she murmured, shrinking
away from his consoling arms, and hiding her wet face in the bearskin.
"What is it then, dear? You'd ought
to tell me; mebbe I could straighten it
out. "
Reaching forth her hand, and hiding
it in his by way of preface, the little man
and hero sobbed out her woe. "My
Christmas is took away, and I can't have
it until New Year's, and Santa Claus
will forget all about me. He does n't
go around twice, but d-don't tell paw; I
don't care -much."
Rupe patted her head reassuringly.
"Old Santy ain't no such man as to forget you, Dolly. He ain't that kind;
he'11 turn up all right. I've known him
to be a month belated, but he got there
just the same."
Her tears dried at once; she smiled
brightly on Rupe, and condescended to
get up from the floor, and perch on his
knee for a little while. When he left
her she was quite consoled, but he feared
a relapse.
"Boys," he said to his companions,
"it's no use to think of putting off the
show; the little one has been breaking
her heart over it all by herself. We'd
better get up something; any sort of a
tree with a few presents hung on it at
the appinted time would be more than
the wealth of Injy later on. Children is
made that way."
So it came to pass that on the night
before Christmas a brown, leafless
young cottonwood occupied the middle
of the largest tent; bunches of sagebrush were tied on in profusion. They
represented, according to Horace Gree
ley, roses and pinks and chameleons and
all choice greenhouse herbs. Stars and
moons cut from tinfoil which wrapped
their tobacco had been hung by the men
from almost every twig. A wooden doll,
masculine, dressed in a cowboy's suit of
buckskin, smiled down from the top of
the tree; the eyes were rather small,
and the mouth was too irregular for
classic beauty, but the man who had'
carved it was of more importance just
then than a presidential candidate. It
was thought that his road to the child's
heart had been made broad and easy.
She must succumb before that masterpiece. Willow whistles, horsehair rings,
and jumping-jacks were bestowed lavishly, and when the knots of resinous
wood placed at judicious intervals behind
the tree had been lighted, the tinfoil
planets gave forth their reflected glow,
and the whole presented a unique and
pleasing appearance. Everything being
ready the boys went to escort Dolly to
the festive scene,- her tent was empty.
"She's in the wagon asleep. Dolly!
Dolly!" cried Jim, but no laughing face
thrust itself. out from the canvas. He
climbed into the wagon and found that
empty also.
"I guess her father has put her somewhere else; we'd better ask him," said
AiEneas.
Milton was frightened but he tried to
conceal his fear. "Dolly not there? Of
course she is. I left her not half an
hour ago, and told her we'd come for
her soon. She's a-hiding from you;
she's full of larks."
He ran to the tent, he looked in the
wagon, then called her name wildly.
The men joined the search; they peered
into all the shanties and the mess-wagon,
they looked among the horses as though
she might be curled up on the back of
one of those ungentle beasts. Every
spot in the camp where the child could
have been concealed was examined, but
not the slightest trace of her was found.
Milton turned furiously upon his friends.
37
1889.]