e marched over to the
foreman's home, led by old "Santa Claus", who in all his glory of a fur
cap, long white hair and snowy whiskers, carried a wondrously decorated
Christmas tree. We were royally welcomed, and after the Christmas tree's
colored candles had been lighted and our presents had been distributed,
we received those which had been purchased for us by the foreman and his
thoughtful wife. Amidst the shouts of glee of the youngsters, and
especially of Baby Helen, the hours flew past only too soon. The time
came for her to be put to bed, and the moment arrived for our departure,
but just before we went, the stern overseer of our work descended to the
level of a satisfied father, and proudly permitted each one of us to
kiss his baby's forehead, a most signal honor considering circumstances.
As we were returning to our bunk house, he called from the porch of the
section house, reminding us to be sure to be in proper shape on the
coming day to enjoy the best Christmas dinner that his wife, who was a
very good cook, had ever placed before guests.

No sooner had we entered our bunk house than we threw off all the
restraint of etiquette which we had to observe at the "big" house, and
quickly had a roaring fire in our stove, and while out of doors another
blizzard was playing a tattoo upon the telegraph wires and was piling
tons of snow upon the right of way, we had brewing in a pot upon the
stove something that is not altogether in accordance with the tenets of
temperance, but which meant additional cheer to us, whose thoughts were
ever and anon slipping back to those days when we spent happy Christmas
Eve's in very different surroundings. It was a curious fact, that
although we celebrated till into the wee, small hours of the morning,
when the first one of us crawled into his bunk it was only a few minutes
until all of us had followed his example. We seemed to hate to be left
alone.

About daybreak a loud pounding upon the door of our bunk house aroused
us from our slumbers, and while we rubbed the drowsiness out of our eyes
we heard Foreman McDonald calling to us to make haste, as a wrecking
train was waiting to take us up the line to clear away a bad wreck.

It took little time for us to slip into our clothes, rush to the tool
house and throw our track implements aboard the wrecker, and then climb
into the coaches provided for our accommodation, in which were other
section crews who had been picked up below us, an