Colonel Crockett's Co-operative Christmas  -  1906
Rupert Hughes
66 pages
genre  - Humor, Christmas
my rating  - 4 out of 5 stars

If you were away from your family on Christmas Day, what would you do?

Well, the first year this happened to Colonel D. Austen Crockett, he moped around feeling sorry for himself. In his own words, it was "the miserablest night I ever spent in all my born days".

But the next year when it happens again, Colonel Crockett comes up with a very clever idea.

This short story is actually two letters from Colonel Crockett's to his wife with a commentary from an 'editor' in-between the letters.

I loved reading the Texan slang, and I'm purdy sure there was some exaggeration somewheres, especially when Col. Crockett reports that "the fire department was called and played the hose on the crowd. This thinned 'em off a bit on the outsquirts". 

The first time I read this, it was just an ebook I got from Amazon.  I really enjoyed it, and told my family all about it.  Then my husband found a pdf version, which included all the wonderful pictures in colors.  If you decide to read this book, I highly suggest you take the time to find a copy with the illustrations.  Each page of the book has a border with drawings inside, and then there are six pictures.


About the Author  -

Rupert Hughes was born on January 31, 1872 in Lancaster, Missouri. Rupert spent his early years there until age seven when the family moved to Keokuk, Iowa. He was the brother of Howard R. Hughes, Sr. and uncle of billionaire Howard R. Hughes, Jr.

After receiving his basic public education in Keokuk and at a private military academy near St. Charles, Missouri, Hughes attended Adelbert College in Ohio. Hughes later attended Yale University, earning a second degree in 1899.

Hughes worked at various times as a reporter for the New York Journal and editor for various magazines including Current Literature, all the while continuing to write short stories, poetry, and plays.

Some of Rupert Hughes most notable early writing involved music. Hughes was a musician and composed several songs including ones for his first venture as a playwright, the musical comedy The Bathing Girl (1895).

Hughes was married three times: Agnes Wheeler Hedge in 1893 (ended in divorce in 1903), Adelaide Bissell in 1908 (she died in 1923), Elizabeth Patterson Dial in 1924.

Rupert Hughes health began to fail in the late 1940s, leading to a non-fatal stroke in 1953. He suffered a fatal heart attack while working at his desk on September 9, 1956.