Life — December 3, 1898 — page 19: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

ERE 459 puta pair of ‘em in Japhet’s stocking. Japhoet’s mighty fond of guinea-pigs.” “Just tho thing,” sald Mra, Noab. “And you know how the white mice have increased ; we might givo a pair of them to Ham.” “ But what about Shem?” asked the navigator, “You know how fond of music the little fellow is,” replied Mrs, Noah; “we might give him a violin.” A CHANCE FOR SOMEBODY. up on her forehead, “do you know what evening this is?” “The 2th of December, Old Btylo,” promptly replied Noah, stealing a look at the front end of the “Almanac.” “Right tho first time,” sald Mrs, Noah, But it is also Christmas Evo.” “I thought as much,” sald the Captain. “That accounts for those darned infants of yours behaving themselves #0 well lately and calling me ‘Papa, dear,’ every two minutes, Well, what about it, anyway?” “You know, dear, that, on account of the insurance, you wouldn’t let us have any open fireplaces on board, 80 the poor children have had to hang their stockings up In front of the kitchen gas-stove. That's bad enough, but we came away in such an awful hurry that I never thought about Christmas, and I haven't got a singlo thing to put in the stockings. I want you to help me do something to remind them that to-morrow’s Christmas,” Noah's eyes moistened. He remembered those Christmas mornings, somo three hunured and fifty or four hundred years before, when ho, too, was a little boy, and used to rush gleefully downstairs to sco what Santa Claus had put in his stocking. + Woll,” ho said finally, “I don’t know what I can do; the little money I've got I want to save towards that vinoyard and wine- cellar I’m going to start as soon as we got ashore, don’t know as I'll ever be able to collect a cent of freight on this load of live stock.” “Isn't there something on tho Ark we might give them?” asked Mrs. Noah. “Well,” said Noah, “them guinea-pigs had another family last night; wo might “A violin? Why, ma, you know the last muxie store went under threo days beforo we came aboard.” “I know that; but we've got wood enough, and we can get hair from the horsos’ tails for the bow.” “That's all well enough as far as it goos, but what's the good of a fiddle without strings?” “ What a gooso you are, Noah! That old tom-cat has got up on the roof every night since we lefta good home to come here, and kept mo awake with his yowling. Why not uso him?” “That's all right; but I can't take any chances of being arrested when we get ashore for broaching the cargo. You know that’s a State's prison offense.” ust say he died a natural death.” “That would do with anything but a cat. No one ever know a cat to dio a natural death, We'll have to give up the fiddle idea, ma,” But Mrs, Noah was a woman, and “sot” in her ways. Noah went on deck to have a look at the weather, and whon he came back sho was twisting violin strings with an alr of quiet determina- tion which several centuries of mar- ried life had taught Noah to signify that it would not be wise for him to ask super- fluous questions. Therefore, he went down into the stables, plucked some nice, long horse-hairs, and set resolutely about his part of the tusk of constructing Shom’s Christmas present. Tho noxt morning there was joy on board the Ark, and even the poor animals, who had nover been told that there was such a thing as a Humano Society, wero glad that Christmas camo but once a year. Tho boys marched all over the ship, Ham and Japbet teaching their new pets to do many clever and amusing tricks, and Shem playing “A Lifo on the Ocean Wave” on his beautiful fresh violin. It wasa very merry Christmas, and even the cat was bappy, as ho had nino lives, and enjoyed the satisfaction which comes from doing a kind and unselfish act. When the Captain went ashore to report to the consignees, his invoice was complete. Theroforo, after tho manner of sailormen, he immediately proceeded to get into that frame of mind which has since become his- toric, and {# recorded in Genesis ix. 21, in the following words: And he drank of the wine and was drunken. Metcalfe, comicbooks.com