A Little Girl in Old New York

  CHAPTER X

  A MERRY CHRISTMAS

  George Underhill came down and made a nice long visit. He felt he likedhis own home people a little the best, but his heart was still set onfarming. Thanksgiving came after a lovely Indian summer, such as onerarely sees now. Then each State appointed its own Thanksgiving, andthere were people who boasted of partaking of three separate dinners.

  After that it was cold. The little girl had a good warm cloak and hoodand mittens, and it was nothing to run to school. She studied andplayed, and knew two pretty exercises on the piano. Jim and Benny Frankgrew like weeds. But Benny somehow "gave in" to the boys, and two orthree of the school bullies did torment him.

  "I'd just give it to them!" declared Jim. "I wouldn't be put upon andcalled baby and a mollycoddle and have that Perkins crowding me off theline and losing marks. I'd give him such a right-hander his head wouldhum like a swarm of bees."

  It was not because Benny was afraid. But he was a peace-loving boy andhe thought fighting brutal and vulgar. His books were such a delight. Heliked to go in and talk to Mr. Theodore, as they all called the eldestWhitney son. Mr. Theodore in his newspaper capacity had found out somany queer things about old New York, they really called New York thatin early 1800. He had such wonderful portfolios of pictures, and nothingin the Whitney house was too good to use.

  Hanny often went in as well. And though Dele was such a harum-scarumsort of girl, she was good to the children and found no end ofdiversions for them. Nora was a curious, grave little thing, and herlarge dark eyes in her small, sallow face looked almost uncanny. Shedevoured fairy stories and knew many of the mythological gods andgoddesses. They had a beautiful big cat called Old Gray. It reallybelonged to Mr. Theodore, but Nora played with it and tended it, anddressed it up in caps and gowns and shawls and carried it around. Itcertainly was a lovely tempered cat. Hanny was divided in her affectionbetween the Deans' dolls and Nora's cat. The play-house was too cold touse now, and Mrs. Dean objected to having it all moved down to hersewing-room. But Mr. Theodore's room had a delightful grate, a big oldlounge, a generous centre-table where the girls used to play houseunder the cover, and such piles of books everywhere, so many pictures onthe wall, such curious pipes and swords and trophies from differentlands. You really never knew whether it was cleared up or not, and thevery lawlessness was attractive.

  Sometimes they sat in the big rocker, that would hold both, and theywould divide the cat between them and sing to her. Occasionally kittywould tire of such unceasing attention, and emit a long, appealingm-i-e-u. If Mr. Theodore was there--and he never seemed to mind thelittle girls playing about--he would say, "Children, what are you doingto that cat?" and they would no longer try to divide her, but let hercurl up in her own fashion.

  "Oh, mother!" said the little girl, one rainy afternoon when she had tostay in, "couldn't we have a Sunday cat that didn't have to stay out inthe stable and catch mice for a living? Nora's is so nice and cunningand you can talk to it just as if it was folks. And you can't quite makedolls, folks. You have to keep making b'lieve all the time."

  "Martha doesn't like cats. And Jim would torment it and plague youcontinually. And you know I wouldn't let Jim's little dog come in thehouse."

  "But so many people do have cats."

  "There's hardly room with so many folks. You wait until Christmas andsee what Santa Claus brings you," said her mother cheerily.

  There came a little snow and the boys brought out their sleds. For twodays the air was alive with shouts and snowballing, and then it was likea drift of gray sand alongside of the street gutter. But winter hadfairly set in. Stoves were up.

  In the back room at the Underhills' they had a fire of logs on thehearth, and it was delightful.

  Ben was tormented more and more. The boys knocked off his cap in thegutter and made up rhymes about him which they sang to any sort of tune.This was one:

  "Benjamin Franklin Underhill, Was a little boy too awfully still: Forty bears came out of the wood, And ate up the boy so awfully good."

  "Come out from under that hill," while some boy would reply, "Oh, hedassent! He's afraid his shadder'll meet him in the way."

  One day he came home with his pocket all torn out. Perkins had slipped acrooked stick in it and given it what the boys called a "yank."

  "Go in and ask your mother for a needle and thread. You'll make a goodtailor!" he jeered.

  "What is all this row about?" asked his mother, who was in the frontbasement.

  Ben held out his jacket ruefully, and said, "Perkins never would leavehim alone."

  Jim had complained and said Ben always showed the white feather. Mrs.Underhill couldn't endure cowards. She was angry, too, to see his nicewinter jacket in such a plight.

  "Benny Frank, you just march out and thrash that Perkins boy, or I'llthrash you! I don't care if you are almost as tall as I am. A great boyof fifteen who can't take his own part! I should be ashamed! Marchstraight out!"

  She took him by the shoulder and turned him round, whisked him out inthe area before he knew where he was. She would not have him so meek andchicken-hearted.

  Ben stood a moment in surprise. Jim had been scolded for his pugnacity.Perkins was always worse when Jim wasn't around.

  "Go on!" exclaimed his mother.

  Ben walked out slowly. The boys were down the street. If they would onlygo away. He passed the Whitneys and halted. He could rescue hounded catsand tormented dogs, and once had saved a little child from being runover. But to fight--in cold blood!

  "Oh, here comes my Lady Jane!" sang out some one.

  "She's quite too young-- To be ruled by your false, flattering tongue."

  "Sissy, wouldn't your mother mend your coat? Keep out of the way of theragman!"

  Perkins was balancing himself on one foot on the curbstone.

  "Come on, Macduff!" he cried tragically.

  Macduff came on with a quick step. Before the boys could think he strodeup to Perkins and with a well-directed blow landed him in the sloppydebris of snow and mud, where the children had been making a pond. Andbefore he could recover Ben was upon him, roused to his utmost. The boyswere nearly of a size. They rolled over and over amid the plaudits oftheir companions, and Ben, who hated dirt and mud and all untidiness,didn't mind now. He kept his face pretty well out of the way, andpresently sat on his adversary and held one hand, grasping at the other.

  The boys cheered. A fight was a fight, if it was between the bestfriends you had.

  "Beg," said Ben.

  "I'll see you in Guinea first!"

  Ben sat still. The kicks were futile. With such a heavy weight breathingwas a difficult matter.

  "You--you--if you'd said fight I'd a-known----" and Perkins gasped.

  "Oh, let up, Ben. You've licked him! We didn't think 'twas in you.Come--fair play."

  "There's a good deal in me," cried Ben sturdily. "And I'm going to sithere all night till Perkins begs. I've a good seat. You boys keep out.'Tisn't your fight. And you all know I hate fighting. It may do for wildanimals in a jungle."

  Ben's lip was swelling a little. A tooth had cut into it. But his eyeswere clear and sparkling and his whole face was resolute. Perkins'attempts at freeing his hands grew more feeble.

  "Boys, can't you help a fellow?"

  "'Twas a fair thing, Perk. You may as well own up beat. Come, nosnivelling."

  Quite a crowd was gathering. There was no policeman to interfere.

  Perkins made a reluctant concession. Ben sprang up and was off like ashot. His mother met him at the door.

  "Go up-stairs and put on your best clothes, Ben," she said, "and takethose down to the barn." She knew he had come off victor.

  "I s'pose I'd had to do it some time," Ben thought to himself. "Mother'sawful spunky when she's roused. I hope I won't have to go on and lickthe whole crew! I just hate that kind of work."

  As he came down his mother kissed him on the white forehead, but neithersaid a word.

  When he
went in to see Mr. Theodore that evening he told him the story.It was queer, but he would not have admitted to any one else hismother's threat. Mr. Theodore laughed and said boys generally had tomake their own mark in that fashion. Then he thought they would try agame of chess, as Ben knew all the moves.

  Jim was surprised and delighted to hear the story the next day. Henodded his head with an air of satisfaction.

  "Ben's awful strong," he said. "He could thrash any boy of his size. Buthe isn't spoiling for a fight."

  A few days later there came a real snowstorm of a day and a night. Jimsprung the old joke on Hanny "that they were all snowed up, and the snowwas over the tops of the houses." She ran to the window in hernight-dress to see. Oh, how beautiful it was! The red chimneys grew upout of the white fleece, the windows were hooded, the trees and busheswere long wands of soft whiteness, the clothes-line posts wore pointedcaps.

  "Don't stand there in the cold," said Margaret.

  They all turned out to shovel snow. The areas were full. The sidewalksall along were being cleared, and it made a curious white wall in thestreet. Mr. Underhill insisted that the boys should level theirs. Somewagons tried to get through and made an odd, muffled sound. Then therewas the joyful jingle of bells. The sun came out setting the world in avivid sparkle, while the sky grew as blue as June.

  Not to have snow for Christmas would have spoiled the fun and been a badsign. People really did believe "a green Christmas would make a fatgraveyard." It was so much better in the country to have the grain andmeadows covered with the nice warm mantle, for it was warm to them.

  Father Underhill took the little girl to school, for all the walks werenot cleared. Men and boys were going around with shovels on theirshoulders, offering their services.

  "I could earn a lot of money if I didn't have to go to school to-day,"said Jim, with a longing look at the piles of snow. "If it only _was_Saturday!"

  But there was no end of fun at school. The boys began two snow-forts,and the snowballing was something tremendous. The air was crisp andcold, and it gave everybody red cheeks.

  Before night the stage sleighs were running, for the omnibuses reallycouldn't get along. Steve came home early to take the boys and Hannyout. Hanny still wore the red cloak and a pretty red hood and lookedlike a little fairy.

  They went over to the Bowery. You can hardly imagine the gay sight itwas. Everything that could be put on runners was there, from the daintycutter to the lumbering grocery box wagon. And oh, the bells on thefrosty air! It was enough to inspire a hundred poets.

  There were four horses to the long sleigh. Steve found a seat and tookthe little girl on his lap, covering her with an extra shawl. The boysdropped down on their knees in the straw. It was a great jam, buteverybody was jolly and full of good-natured fun. Now and then ayoungster threw a snowball that made a shower of snow in the sleigh, butthe passengers shook it off laughingly.

  They went down to the Battery and just walked across. Castle Garden wasa great white mound. Brooklyn looked vague and ghostly. The shipping washuddled in the piers with fleecy rigging, and only a few brave vesselswere breasting the river, bluer still than the sky. And here there wassuch a splendid turnout it looked like a pageant.

  They came up East Broadway. The street lamps were just being lighted.They turned up Columbia Street and Avenue D, and stopped when they cameto Houston Street. A man on the corner was selling hot waffles as fastas half a dozen men could bake them, and a colored woman had a stand ofhot coffee that scented up the air with its fragrance.

  They had to walk up home, but Steve carried Hanny over all thecrossings. It was a regular carnival. The children decided snow in NewYork was ever so much more fun than snow in the country.

  But after a few days they settled to it as a regular thing, though thesleighs were flying about in their tireless fashion, making the airmusical with bells. And Christmas was coming.

  It really _was_ Christmas then. Not to have hung up your stocking wouldhave been an insult to the sweetest, merriest, wisest, tenderest littleman in the world. There were some fireplaces left for him to come down,and he was on hand promptly.

  And such appetizing smells as lurked in every corner of the house! Fruitcake, crullers and doughnuts, and mince pies! Everybody was busy frommorning till night. When Hanny went to the kitchen some one said, "Runup-stairs, child, you'll be in the way here," and Margaret would hustlesomething in her apron and say, "Run down-stairs, Hanny dear," until itseemed as if there was no place for her.

  The Dean children were busy, too. But Nora Whitney didn't seem to haveanything to do but nurse dear Old Gray and read fairy stories. Deliatold them Ophelia was to be married Christmas morning, and "they weregoing over to _his_ folks in Jersey to spend a week."

  "But it won't make a bit of difference," Delia announced. "Frank has asteady beau now and they'll take the parlor. And then, I suppose, it'llbe my turn. I shall just hate to be grown up and have long skirts on anddo up my hair, and be so fussy about everything. When I think of that Iwish I was a boy."

  The little girl wondered if Margaret would get married next Christmas.Her gowns were quite long now, and she did have a grown-up air. Itseemed years since last Christmas. So many things had happened.

  The cousins were to come down from Tarrytown and make a visit, and AuntPatience and Aunt Nancy were to come up from Henry Street for theChristmas dinner. If they only _could_ bring the cat!

  "Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!" some one shouted while it was stilldark. Hanny woke out of a sound sleep. "Merry Christmas," said Margaretwith a kiss.

  "Oh dear, I shan't get ahead of anybody," she sighed. "Do you think Icould get up, Peggy?"

  "I must light a candle," Margaret said.

  "Come down and see what's in your stocking, Han!" shouted Jim.

  Margaret sprang out of bed and put on the little girl's warm woollenwrapper and let her go down. She ran eagerly to her mother's room, andher father made believe asleep that she might wake him up. She wantedto wish some one Merry Christmas the first of all.

  Two wax candles were burning in the back room and the fire wascrackling. There were stockings and stockings, and hers were such littlemites that some one had hung a white bag on the brass nail that held thefeather-duster, and marked it "For Hanny." And a box lay in a chair.

  There was a cruller man with eyes, nose, and mouth. There were candiesgalore, the clarified ones, red and yellow, idealized animals of allkinds. There was an elegant silver paper cornucopia tied with blueribbons. There was a box of beautiful pop-corn that had turned itselfinside out. Ribbon for her hair, a paint-box, a case of Faber pencils,handkerchiefs, a lovely new pink merino dress, a muff that purported tobe ermine, a pair of beautiful blue knit slippers tied with ribbons.These didn't come from Santa Claus, for they had on a card--"With bestlove and a Merry Christmas, from Dolly." That was Dolly Beekman. Hannylaid them up against her face and kissed them, they were so soft andbeautiful.

  She drew a long breath before she opened the box. Of course it couldn'tbe a real live kitty. John and Steve were coming in at the door.

  "Merry Christmas!" she shouted with the boys They were not so very farahead of her.

  Steve caught her under the arms and held her almost up to the ceiling,it seemed. She was so little and light.

  "Ten kisses before you can come down."

  She paid the ten kisses, and would have given twice the number.

  "I'm trying to guess what is in the box." She looked perplexed and acrease came between her eyes.

  "It's a chrononhontontholagosphorus!"

  "A--what?" Her face was a study.

  The boys shouted with laughter.

  "Yes, Joe sent it. Santa Claus had given his all out, and Joe had toskirmish around sharp to get one."

  "Is it alive?" she asked timidly, her eyes growing larger with somethingthat was almost fright.

  "Oh, Steve!" said Margaret, in an upbraiding tone. "Boys, you're enoughto frighten one."

  Steve untied the string and took
off the cover. Hanny had tight hold ofher sister's hand. Steve lifted some tissue paper and tilted up the box.There lay a lovely wax doll with golden hair, a smiling mouth that justbetrayed some little teeth, eyes that would open and shut. She wasdressed in light-blue silk and beautiful lace. Though her mother hadsaid she was too big to have a doll, Joe knew better.

  She was almost speechless with joy. Then she knelt down beside it andtook one pretty hand.

  "Oh," she said, "I wish you could know how glad I am to have you!There's only one thing that could make me any gladder, that would be tohave you alive!" Steve winked his eyes hard. Her delight was pathetic.

  Then she had to see the boys' Christmas. Benny Frank had a new suit ofclothes, Jim had a pair of boots, which was every boy's ambition then,and an overcoat. And lots of books, pencils, gloves, and the candy itwould not have been Christmas without.

  Mr. Underhill poked up the fire and took the little girl on his knee.Mrs. Underhill put out the candles, for it was daylight, and then wentdown to help get breakfast. Cousin Fannie and Roseann, as Mrs. Eustiswas always called, came in and had to express their opinion ofeverything. Then breakfast was ready.

  John went down in the sleigh for Aunt Patience and Aunt Nancy Archer.They were not own sisters but sisters-in-law and each had a comfortableincome. It did not take very much to make people comfortable then. Theyowned their house and rented some rooms.

  Hanny had to go in and see Josie and Tudie Dean's Christmas and bringthem in to inspect hers. Then Dele and Nora Whitney were her nextcallers. Nora had a silk dress and a gold ring with a prettily setturquoise.

  "The marriage was at ten," began Dele, "and it was just nothing at all.I wouldn't be married in such a doleful way. She just had on a brownsilk dress with lots of lace, and white gloves, and the minister cameand it was all over in ten minutes. There was wedding-cake and wine.I've brought you in some to dream on. Nora and I are going down toAuntie's in Beach Street where there's to be a regular party and aChristmas tree and lots of fun. After 'Phelia comes back she's going tohave a wedding-party and wear her real wedding-dress."

  Nora thought the doll beautiful. Hanny just lifted it out of the box andput it back. It seemed almost too sacred to touch.

  Jim went out presently to get some Christmas cake. The grocers andbakers treated the children of their customers to what was properly NewYear's cake, and the boys thought it no end of fun to go around and wishMerry Christmas.

  The dinner was at two. Doctor Joseph came in to dine and to becongratulated by the cousins. The little girl's gratitude and delightwas very sweet to him. He put up the piano stool and she played herpretty little exercises for him. Then about four he and Steve went downto the Beekmans, where there was a dancing party in the evening.

  The elders sat and talked, to Benny Frank's great delight. The "oldtimes" seemed so wonderful to the children. Aunt Patience was the elderof the two ladies, just turned seventy now, and had lived in New Yorkall her life. She had seen Washington when he was the first President ofthe United States, and lived in Cherry Street with Mrs. Washington andthe two Custis children. Afterward they had removed to the Macomb House.Everything had been so simple then, people going to bed by nine o'clockunless on very special occasions. To go to the old theatre on JohnStreet was considered the height of fashionable amusement. You saw theSecretaries and their families, and the best people in the city.

  But what amused the children most was the Tea Water Pump.

  "You see," said Aunt Patience, "we had nice cisterns that caughtrainwater for family use, and we think now our old cistern-water isenough better than the Croton for washing. There were a good many wellsbut some were brackish and poor, and people were saying then they werenot fit to use. The Tea Water pump was on the corner of Chatham andPearl, and particular people bought it at a penny a gallon. It wascarried around in carts, and you subscribed regularly. My, how choicewe were of it!"

  "There's a pump down here at the junction that's just splendid!" saidJim, "I used to go for water last summer, it was so good and cold."

  "We miss our nice spring at home," said Mrs. Underhill, with a sigh.

  "And what else?" subjoined Ben.

  "Oh, the milk did not go round in wagons. There were not half so manypeople to supply. We kept a cow and sold to our neighbors. The milkmenhad what was called a yoke over their shoulders, with a tin can at eachend. They used to cry, 'Milk ho! ye-o!' The garbage man rang his belland you brought out your pail. A few huckster men were beginning to goround, but Hudson Market was the place to buy fresh vegetables that camein every morning. And, oh, there were the chimney-sweeps!"

  "We had our chimney swept here," said Jim. "The man had a long jointedhandle and a wiry brush at the end."

  "But then there were little negro boys who climbed up and down andsometimes scraped them as they went. But several were smothered or stuckfast in London and it was considered cruel and dangerous. You'd hear theboys in the morning with their 'Sweep ho!' and you wouldn't believe howmany variations they could make to it."

  "Poor little boys!" said Hanny. "Didn't they get awful black and sooty?"

  The boys laughed. "They were black to begin with," said Jim. "All theyhad to do was to shake themselves."

  "And how do you suppose Santa Claus keeps so clean?" asked the littlegirl, nothing daunted.

  That was a poser. No one could quite tell.

  "We used to burn out our chimney," announced Aunt Patience.

  "Burn it out?"

  "Yes. We'd take a rather lowering day, or start in just as it wasbeginning to rain. We'd put a heap of straw in the fireplace and kindleit, and the soot would soon catch. Then some one would go up on the roofto see if the sparks caught anywhere. We never let it get very dirty.But presently they passed a law that no one should do it on account ofthe danger. But sometimes chimneys caught fire by accident," and AuntPatience laughed.

  "Why, it was like the wolf in little Red Riding Hood," declared Hanny.

  Then they all talked of the old roads and streets and the Collect whichwas a great marshy pond, and the canal through Lispenard's meadows overto the North River, where present Canal Street runs. In the Collectproper there was a beautiful clear lake where people went fishing. Agreat hill stood on Broadway, and had to be cut down more than twentyfeet.

  Father Underhill recalled his first visit to the city when he wasnineteen, and going skating with some cousins. And now it was all gradedand finished streets, houses, and stores.

  But Aunt Patience said it was time to go home, and they planned for theMorgan cousins to come and spend the day. They were to bring the littlegirl with them.

  They had a light supper and then John escorted the ladies home. BennyFrank wanted his father to tell some more incidents of the old times.The little girl was tired and sleepy and ready to go to bed, but she hadone wish saved up for next Christmas already--a set of dishes.