Christmas Every Day and Other Stories

“HAVING BONFIRES IN THE BACK YARD OF THE PALACE.” [Page 130 . CHRISTMAS EVERY DAY AND OTHER STORIES TOLD FOR CHILDREN By W. D. Howells NEW YORK AND LONDON HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS Copyright, 1892, by W. D. Howells . All rights reserved. CONTENTS CHRISTMAS EVERY DAY 3 TURKEYS TURNING THE TABLES 25 THE PONY ENGINE AND THE PACIFIC EXPRESS 51 THE PUMPKIN-GLORY 71 BUTTERFLYFLUTTERBY AND FLUTTERBYBUTTERFLY 111 ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE “Having Bonfires in the Back Yard of the Palace” Frontispiece “The Old Gobbler ‘First Premium’ said They were Going to Turn the Tables Now” 35 Two Little Pumpkin Seeds 75 Took the First Premium at the County Fair 83 “‘Here's that little fool pumpkin,’ said the farmer” 85 “Caught His Trousers on a Shingle-nail, and Stuck” 93 “‘My sakes! it's comin' to life!’” 103 Tail-piece 107 “‘Fix dusters! Make ready! Aim! Dust!’” 121 “The General-in-Chief used to go behind the Church and Cry” 125 “The Young Khan and Khant entered the Kingdom with a Magnificent Retinue” 131 “She was Going to Take the Case into Her own Hands” 135 “The Imam put His Head to the Floor” 139 “They began to scream, ‘Oh, the cow! the cow!’” 143 CHRISTMAS EVERY DAY. CHRISTMAS EVERY DAY. The little girl came into her papa's study, as she always did Saturday morning before breakfast, and asked for a story. He tried to beg off that morning, for he was very busy, but she would not let him. So he began: “Well, once there was a little pig—” She put her hand over his mouth and stopped him at the word. She said she had heard little pig-stories till she was perfectly sick of them. “Well, what kind of story shall I tell, then?” “About Christmas. It's getting to be the season. It's past Thanksgiving already.” “It seems to me,” her papa argued, “that I've told as often about Christmas as I have about little pigs.” “No difference! Christmas is more interesting.” “Well!” Her papa roused himself from his writing by a great effort. “Well, then, I'll tell you about the little girl that wanted it Christmas every day in the year. How would you like that?” “First-rate!” said the little girl; and she nestled into comfortable shape in his lap, ready for listening. “Very well, then, this little pig—Oh, what are you pounding me for?” “Because you said little pig instead of little girl.”…