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MY LONG AGO CHRISTMAS Ruth D. Scow Senior Division Honorable Mention Short Story Her box said her name was "Pansy," but regardless of her unusual name she was everything chat 1 dreamed about or wished for in a doll. She was more beautiful and lifelike than any doll in the Sears and Roebuck catalog, and 1 had studied each picture and description very carefully.....china head, curly hair, eyelashes, dimples, eyes that open and shut, jointed bisque body, twenty four inches tall with lace- trimmed dress, knee-length stockings and black "Mary Jane" slippers. The day before Christmas of the year 1914. Papa had brought our tree from the Red Point, just south of town. It was a son of fat. round tree, so he had hauled it on the bobsled behind our team of horses. 1 watched through the window as he had measured, sawed, and hammered to attach its wooden stand. Then 1 had helped by holding the door to our house wide open while he maneuvered the huge pinion pine into the parlor, where it took up the entire comer if the room. To me, it looked very tall. While Papa had been getting the tree. Mama and I had popped com which 1 had carefully strung on a doubled thread. To make Ute corn festoons even more attractive, about every ten kernels 1 handed a small square of red tissue paper. I had saved my nickels to buy the paper from which 1 also spent many nights cutting and pasting red and green paper chains. From the top shelf of the closet. Papa now handed down the box of last year's decorations. These included three tinsel-framed pictures, one of Jesus, a heavenly angel with wings spread out. and the Three Wise Men who brought gifts to baby Jesus. Each picture had been wrapped in tissue for storage. Very carefully, I unwrapped each one and Mama supervised my hanging them on the tree. From this box also came red and green colored candles and tin candle-holders, which clipped onto the tree branches. It was difficult to get the holder placed so that the candle stood upright, instead of leaning sideways. Mama cautioned, "Don't hang the paper chains near the candles." As we worked, the smell of pine and popcorn permeated the room to give the feeling and look of Christmas. Darkness at the close of the day had hardly come when 1 begged. "Please. Papa, let us light the candles. 1 want to see how they look." As he hesitated, 1 continued. "Just for a few minutes, and then we can blow them out so there will be more candles for another time.' Papa struck a match and lifted me high in his arms to light the 51 |
