in such
circumstances we speedily got acquainted with each other. One of the men
was a "drummer," a travelling man for a notion house; another was a
cow-boy; the third was a big cattle-man; and I was the last. We soon
found that the woman was a widow who had maintained herself and the
children precariously since the death of her husband by sewing and other
feminine odd jobs but had at last given up the unequal struggle and was
going back to live with her mother, also a widow who had some little
property.

The poor little threadbare children had cherished anticipations of a
joyous Christmas with their grandmother. From their talk we could hear
that a Christmas tree had been promised them and all sorts of things.
They were intensely disappointed at the blockade. They cried and sobbed
and would not be comforted. Fortunately the woman had a great basket
filled with substantial provisions which, by the way, she generously
shared with the rest of us, so we were none of us hungry. As the night
fell, we tipped up two of the seats, placed the bottoms sideways, and
with our overcoats made two good beds for the little folks. Just before
they went to sleep the drummer said to me:

"Say, parson, we've got to give those children some Christmas."

"That's what," said the cow-boy.

"I'm agreed," added the cattle-man.

"Madam," said the drummer, addressing the woman with the easy assurance
of his class, after a brief consultation between us, "we are going to
give your kids some Christmas."

The woman beamed at him gratefully.

"Yes, children," said the now enthused drummer, as he turned to the
open-mouthed children, "Santa Claus is coming round to-night sure. We
want you to hang up your stockings."

"We ain't got none," quivered the little girl, "'ceptin' those we've got
on and ma says it's too cold to take 'em off."

"I've got two new pair of woollen socks," said the cattle-man eagerly,
"which I ain't never wore, and you are welcome to 'em."

There was a clapping of little hands in childish glee, and then the two
faces fell as the elder remarked.

"But Santa Claus will know they are not our stockings and he will fill
them with things for you instead."

"Lord love you," said the burly cattle-man, roaring with infectious
laughter, "he wont bring me nothin'. One of us will sit up anyway and
tell him it's for you. You've got to hustle to bed right away because he
may be here any time now."

Then came one of those spectacle