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About The Plaindealer. (Roseburg, Or.) 1870-190? | View Entire Issue (Dec. 21, 1903)
! OST, 44 STRAYED or STOLEN By MARV WINTHROP ICopyrlght, 1302. by T. C- MeClure. T IIIB man who said that a big apartment house was a vil lage In Itself didn't know a tiling about it, or else be bad never been in a village. Lord! I would Bay it was a collection of hostile camps, with a Janitor as the only means of communication." By way of emphasis for his words Frank Lane threw across the room the gayly illustrated magazine lie had been jjjctending to read. It landed with a "frosh, bringing with it to .the floor a small vaso which stood on the corner of- the mantel. Broken bits of porce lain rolled In all directions. The young man started to his feet The vase was one of his childish rel ics. Every bit was precious. But he sank back with, a groan. Ho Imd for gotten his sprained ankle. The pain In it made Tdtn remember, It was almost intolerable for a few mo ments. But that was not what brought the tears to his eyes tears of weak ness and loneliness. He was remem bering that it was the day before Christmas and that he was; shut up in his bachelor apartments with a sprain, d'ankle. A solitary" dinner at the club "I WISH' TOO WOULD LET ME KEEP IT." was never wildly festive for Christ mas, but even that was to be denied Mm this year. -, p 1. There was a rattliag at the-hail door. I lane hastily brushed aside the, tears as T plpljl the wife of the janitor came in. Wom anlike,, she was coin passionate. : Her fae 'beamed, as she cried:, "A package for' ye, M ester-Lane. Th postman jest . left it an' I hurried it up, thinkin' it might cheer ye a bit If s sure some ipristntidady frcn's been a-sendin' ye." The Invalid laughed shortly. From n 'tarty friend Ifc-had boon ra Ised-in-an orphan asylum and as far 41s his knowledge went had, not a living '.relation. His position in the business world was entirely due to his own pluck and energy. He had not had .time tomake lady friends. When the woman had gone, he still - looked curiously at the package in his lap. It- waa in bad order. The string , "was loosened and the enveloping paper torn. The address waa blurred, but he could still make out faintly the in- . scription "F. E. Lane" and the name . of -the apartment house. It was really for iim. His fingers trembled rfth eagerness is he -dipped off the outside wrapper and disclosed dainty tissue paper and ribbons. It must surely be from a girl, lie thought Inside was a creation of violet 6llk. He eyed It dubiously, but then his face cleared. He had seen similar curias In shop, windows. It must be a handker- . .chief case. . But the name of the sender? He took hold of the case gingerly and shook It He carefully turned it Inside out. No card appeared. It must have .slipped out on the way. He sniffed appreciatively. The case was strongly ecen ted with violets. It almost seemed as "if the fair donor herself was glorify ing bis room with her presence. Xet "the Question of who had sent it still remained unsolved. He knew whom lie wished had sent it the girl In the flat above. She was the girl who, (when she came in from the office of an .evening, sat down at the piano and .rattled off a jolly twostep that was "when things bad gone well or crept In .quietly. and sang soothing lullabies that .was when the day's work had left jher wornout and blue. Lane sympa jthlzedT for he had felt just that way Jilmself. ! "J3-r-r-r" rang the electric belL Lane . frowned as he reached his' hand back for the button. Why .need common- . place' realities In the shape of the jan- , Jtor break In upon his .day dream? Then he straightened up suddenly. !Xhe figure standing In the doorway was not to be confused with the jan itor.' It was a girl with rebellious : ' "brown curls wandering down to oh- . struct a pair of serious dark eyes. It pvaq LUC &UI Ui. wv UiU. ULKJte. r- P". '- """'"'J " ; ht the gathering dusk, then stepped j forward wltjj sudden decision. "I beg Vo'& Airdon for intrndln" on vot," . she .said ' apologetically. "I don't be- " 'JjD.. HAMILTON, President. i-f ia', TITLE GU A ic-. t- '"'I6Ct filW 'H'Sf- Have" you can eveifsecTwho r am In this scmldnrkuess. Von't you let mc light up? I anj the girl from the Hat above." Aft. she spoke she turned to the switch. Iu a moment the room flashed Into a blaze of light. Lane still stated at her as. ff at a vision, but the years of business train ing came lo his aid. "Won't you sit down. Miss -Ifane?" be said courteous ly. "I can't rise a little trifle of n sprained -ankle." "Tea, 1 know," the girl Interrupted sympathetically. "The janitor told ma I am so sorry." Tho man found her pity very sweet "I don't want to trouble you." she went on, "but I am looking (or one of my Christmas presents which is lost strayed or stolen. It must have come, for my couslii -writes that It was mailed some days ago." Instinctively Lane spread his hands over the dainty trifle lying in his lap. Yes,, the pillow hid it from view. "It Is n handkerchief case made of purple silk. As our names look some thing alike. I thought It might have come to you by mistake." She looked at him expectantly. Now. Lane had been mentally plan ning how he might keep that handker chief case. He was a thief in every thing but the deed. But he could not answer those searching brown eyes with a lie. "Yes. 1 have it 1 thought it was mine." And he held it out weak ly. Then sudden inspiration came to him. "I wish you would let me keep it" ho said pleadingly. "I will buy you anything else in its pjace that you like." Mss Lane's color deepened. "Why?" she asked wond'erlngly. "Because," he said vehemently, "it's the only Christmas present 1 shall have I have been lying here in the dusk Im agining who might have sent it to ie. and I can't bear to give it up. I would not care "so much If I was up and around. You don't know how blue a fellow gets shut up here all alone. Lit tle things come to count a lot" He looked-eo helpless lying there on the couch tkaFtheTgirl's heart went out to hfin, and she had u fashion of fol lowing her heart more readily than her head. "You poor fellow!" she said gen tly. "I know just how you feel. You shall keep the handkerchief case. Cous in Laura will never know, and I have several others. And you must count It as a real Christmas present from me. Only doa't give me anything in its place except to wish me a merry Christmas when I come down to see you in the morning. I will bring some of the good ies from my home boy. They will make you forget all about "the ankle." She hurried away. Lane did not know that it was because she wished to hide tears bhwgbt to her eyes by the dumb look of gratitude an his face. And he lay back and wished that the morrow might come. Before another Christmas the two flats were empty. Mr. and Mrs. Lane were keeping house in a large Cat on the ground floor. His wife always de clares that he stole her heart and the handkerchief case at on.e and the same time on that memorable Christmas eve. " " XM AS --WITH THE GERMANS. Scene Ia the Shops and In the Uo 4irenicnt uf Uomc, As the handsome shops reveal the Christmas or the rich Germans, also we see the Christmas joys of the othr. the peasant class. The toy scores the dolls in all the national costumes of the world, an3wknJws all bristling with combating soldiers. Candy shops! Candy is Slstinctjfijly American. In Germany and France Jt is bonbons; in England sweets. The Germans do not eat candy as a habit as we do, but on 1 Christmas time, according to their idiom, "it goes loose! But It is the "pfefferkueheu" that is the great dis tinguishing delicacy of Clrristmastide. Not a hpuse, family or person In Ger many is without It - It is a sort of hard spice cake, made in all sorts of sbaies. The writer spent last Christmas In the home of Baron von Shlerbrant The day before Christmas the drawing rooms wore closed. No one dare enter except the baron and baroness, who came in and out of those rooms very quietly and mysteriously. On Christ mas eve the first event of Interest Is the Christmas eve dinner, which is characterized by the serving of "karp fen in bier" and the bringing forth from their secret hiding places of the fa mous Christmas cakes, marzipan, pfef; fernuesse and pfetferkuchen. Dinner ends with the joining of hands and all saying, "Gesegnete mahlzeit" Wash ington Post A Juvenile Impression. "I'll be glad when Tm a" grownup man," said the thoughtful youngster. "Why 2" "Because then I can get my Christ mas presents without having to be good beforehand." Washington Star. lias Been There Hlmnelf. "Cbris'mus kin be made so much pleasanter ef the stern parunt will on'y let hfs mln' wander back tew the time when he made a dash fur the ole chlin neyplece himself," says Ole Nutmeg. Ballads of Yule. Though some are dead and some arc fled To lands of summer over sea. The holly berry keeps his red. The merry chtldren keep their glee. They hoard with artless secrecy This gift for Maude and that for Molly, And Santa Claus he turns the key On Christmas eve. Heigh-ho, the (holly! Amid the snow the birds are fled: The snow lies deep on land and lea; The skies are shining overhead: The robin's tame that was so free. Fur north at hnme Ihe "barley bree'1 They brew; they give the hour. to folly. Bow "Rab and Allen cam' to pree," They sing; we sing, Heigh-ho, the holly! ENVOI. Friends, let us pay the -wonted fee, The yearly tithe of mirth, bo jolly! 11 a duty so to be, Though half wo sigh. HcIgh-ho. the nni vr Androw Lang Office in Court House. Have the only complete set of Abstract Books in Bouglas Gouxiiy. Eaong Experience. Write Us. Strictly Reliable. BLUE PRINTS OF RM TOWNSHIP Ifl R05EBURG LAND DISTRICT FOR 50 CENTS Of Private Jackson N Company K of a volunteer regi ment that was camped In Manila a year ago there was a soldier named Isaac Jackson. Ho was Just a common, everyday sort of man. n good enough fellow to get along with, but one whose talents and per sonality never would attract any par ticular attention. Previous to his en listment lie bad been a hostler In a livery stable, and In the village where he lived his social status wis consid ered a minus quantity. The town of Kalconhurst was a place of aristocratic pretensions, and the leading people of the municipality prided themselves on being up to date. Consequently when lite whole country was Interested In the sending of Christ mas boxes to soldiers on foreign serv ice the members of the exclusive set of Kalconhurst resolved to do their share. At an informal meeting held one evening at the residence of Brew ster I)e Kallb, the bank president it was resolved to appoint a committee consisting of six fashionable ladies and a half dozen of the wealthiest men In the community to prepare a suitable Christmas box to be sent to "tho heroes who had left their homes in Falcon hurst to do battle for their country's flag In the farofl" Philippines." The select committee entered Into tho work with enthusiasm. On the first day there was collected a vast assort ment or things that It was thought the soldiers would like. As the stulf was being packed in the big box that was to be shipped to Manila one of the la dles chanced to ask the names of the boys who had enlisted from FalcBn hurst No one present was able to an swer the question, and. fearful that their town had .no heroes whom they could honor, the bank president's wife went at once to make further inquiries of her husband. Although this worthy man was supposed to know nil alKut everybody who was anybody In Fal conhurst. he could not immediately call to mind the name of a single volunteer, and rather shamefacedly lie so stated to his wife. But Just the.11 his office boy. who had overheard the question and answer, spoke up and said that "Ike Jackson, who used to work la Tones' Hvery stable," had Joined the n,rmy and gone to Manila. The bank er made. an investigation and found that with the exception of Ike Jack son no ono had enllste. from llcon hurst. When 1t Iwcame "known thnt Jackson was Ihe only volunteer of whom Fal- Tiunrr-EiaiiT inciters and a ciirisihas box. conhurst could boast there was some disappointment in certain quarters, but . It was felt that the honor or the town had been saved by a small majority. And by one of those sudden turns ' wJiich public opinion often takes the j absent Jackson was made much of. People who hardly desired to notice , him when he lived In their midst called , upon the committee with parcels and kindly messages that they wished to send to their "old friend. Mr, Jackson." , J'osslbly no bos that was sent to the . Philippines ever contained a 'greater , variety of presents. Everything, from j champagne to ginger snaps, was most j carefully packed Into the Christmas j box. There were reading matter galore. J knlckknacks of every description and 1 other good things too numerous to men- 1 Uon. j When the box was finally filled and i mfiled up It took four men to load It j Into the wagon which was to haul It to f the depot. ' ITavIng packed the box aud started the package on Its way across the con- 1 tincnt. those concerned In their work j felt it obligatory upon themselves to 1 write Jackson that he might know to whom to give the proper credit In camp one night the Iwys of Coni pany K were discussing the approach of Christmas and speculating upon what they might got from home. Poor Jackson took no part In the conversa tion, lie had no relatives' living, nnd to his knowledge there was not any one Jn America who would bother about sending him even a Christmns card. When .asked If he hoped to get a package he shook his licad and said that he would bo the last man in Ma- 1 CAPITAL STOCK S5.000 iH.i Hi.it the folka'In ImTTTnHod Stntea uld remember, 1 11 I'hrlHtuins eve the ilrst sergeant (Uiiuriuieed that thirty-eight letters and n Christinas box that weighed "about u ton" were waiting to be receipted for by I'livute Jncltson. Company IC had a very merry Christmas, tut through It all Ike maintained his usual stolid cheerfulness. The amount of stutT that Jackfsnn received, together with the lib erality with which ho distributed It, caused to lie circulated through tho regiment a story' to the efTect that ho was a millionaire In disguise. Manila American. MYSTERY OF MYSTERIES. A ClirlKfiiinx Task For IlnuiuliiuU Nhcrli-K, (lie DtMcctlvc. It was the day after Christmas. Ilonieloek Sherles and I sat In tho Uuteher street rooms cursing the mowy. sloppy weather. "Bless me! Mulroou's come home sober!" he suddenly remarked as the bark of a dog came In from the hall. "How on earth can you tell?" 1 mar veled, for no sound of man's voice had been heard. "Because Ills dog doesn't know him," answered my friend, with a gleam in his eye. "For a veterinary surgeon you let a great many 'horses' get on you. old man." Another period of silence, and then Sherles reached up his long white hand and took down the bottle of gin. "No more of tills!" ho mused aloud. "Now liegins a period of hard work for me." "Hard work?" 1 asked wondcringly. "Why. 1 haven't heard of any recent murders, robberies or disappearances." "None of those this time, old man. All mysteries. Hvery young man Iu town will soon be here to have mo find out what the Christmas present his girl gave him is intended for. don't you know." New York Journal. Ovulation of Chrl.ttiunt. It Is said that Christmas was at one time quite a movable feast and kept when the weather and circumstances permitted aud that one of the early popes tixed on Dec. 'jr.. Gradually the custom of singing canticles and carols was Introduced by the church In re membrance of those songs of the heav enly host that amazed the shepherds on the Galilean hills and sent them off In hot haste to find the wondrous tmbe. The holly aud mistletoe decorations, of course, descended from the Druids, and a pretty fancy reigned which Miggest ed that the sylvan spirits would bo In duced to follow the evergreen branches Into house niMl church him! remain there, sheltered from the utmost rigor of winter frosts and snows. Then the Yule og was lit on Christmas eve and the lire never allowed to go out before j Candle-nag. a device for securing j warmth during the coldest weeks, 1 while people bat around the hearth and cniused tVusvlves with hot cookies , and snapdragon, conjuring and for- ' felts and quaffed spiced ale and punch, much as their descendants crack jokes "over the walnuts and the wine" of these days between Christmas and the new year, when business is at a stand- ' still liiid the children clamor for par ties nnd pantomimes. Otiicrvancc In CnRland. 1 The lighting of Christinas candk-s and tb? nurnlng of the "Christinas Mock" were the sure heralds of the season in old England, and the cus toms slill survive in certain parts of . the country- in some counties a piece of the Yulv log is kept from one year to the next la order to light the next year's Jog. In ancient times this frag ment was supposed to be n protection against fire aud thunder. Us ashes Were given to animals for certain ifick,-m-ss uud were scattered over the land to ktp the corn from blight. In Ie't.-shSre what Is known as the "A will on fagot" Is burned on Christ-. mas t-ye. and a company watches the falling apart of the hoops with which the fagot Is bound as they burst with , the heat. In some parts of England. after the church service, the jieople express tbelr joy by crying out In ! chorus: "Ynte! Yule!" Srasnualile Atlvlpe. "I shan't want one." sahl KiUy. "un less it has real teeth." "Never look a Christmas dol! in the mouth. Kitty." counseled her uncle Chicago Tribune. CHRISTMAS POEMS. By Jnrai-j Wlillcnmb Itllry. A word of Koclsperd and gi-od cbeer To all on earth or tar or near. Or friend or foe, or thine or mine. In echo of the voice divine Heard when the star bloomed forth ami lit The world's face, with God's smile on 1L By Ben Jnnsan. I slnR the birth was bora tonight. The a&thor both of life and light The angel so did sound It, And like the ravished shep.Vrds said. Who saw the light and were afraid. Yet searched and true they found It. Sir Walter Scott. "Marmlon." England waa merry England when Old Christinas brought his e ports ngaln. Twaa ChriBtm.is broached the mbrhtlest ale: 'Twas Christmas told the merriest talc A Christmas nambol oft would cheer A poor man's heart through half the year. By llurrlct Beecher Stowr, (Written at the age of eighty-two. Hall, blessed Chrlstmax mora! When Christ, a child, wax born Pt Mary, holy maid. In heavenly grace arrayed. Amen! Halleluiah! Br nudynrd Klpllnjc. High noon behind the tamarisks-tlio sun Is hot above us As at home the Christmas day Is break lng wan. They will drink our healths at dinner, thos who tell us how they love us. And forget us till another year be gone! RANTEE Year's on the ew ion CHItrSTMAS was never celebrat ed to any great extent In tho south back In the good old days "befoh do wnh." New Year's day took Its place among the masters, nnd the prolonged, rollicking "co'n sliuckin' " supplied tho slaves of Kentucky and Missouri especially with all the Jollity they desired. It was an institution peculiar to the south, pecul iar not In being conllned to those sec tions, but peculiar In the manner In which It was conducted, for husking bees have been known In New England since the mind of man remembers and Indian corn lias been gathered. When a "co'n shuekln' " was decid ed upon notices were sent out to the slaves of all adjoining plantations stat ing thnt on a certain night Judge S. or Squire I!, would give a com shuck ing of so many thousand bushels and that all colored people, male and fe male, were Invited to attend. Great preparations were made by "ole mas sa" and "ole missus" for this event, for, while they expected a good night's work iu the shape of wagon loads of yellow corn, pleasure was to be the main part of the programme. Supper was always provided on a large scale and generally consisted of two or three roasted pigs, turkeys and chickens, with side dishes of vege tables. In equal proportion. Bushels of sweet potatoes were baked, boiled and fried, nnd hundreds of rich, golden pumpsln pies were turned out of the ovens, done to a mouth watering brown. A band of musicians was engaged, for no "co'n sliuckin' " would be com plete without It On those nights ne groes worked not happily save to the twawdng of the ban Jo nnd walling of the fiddle. A com shucking always lasted three nights continuously on one plantation, ami then the negroes moved on to the next, where three more were devoted to the corn of the owner, and so on until all the maize of the neighborhood had been husked. About twilight the darkles began to arrive from all over the country, the "boys" clad In their suits of Jeans, with that pride of the darky's heart, his "long tailed clawhammer blue." Every negro who made pretensions to being "anybody" possessed one In more or less condition of wear. The female portion of the gathering was coquettisbly dressed In llnsey THE Nrr.IiOES WOUKKD HAITII.T to tub lirslC Or IIANJO AND FIDDLE. woolsoy Trucks, with their liead tied up in naming ml bandanna handker chiefs, the redder tlie lietter. and with a white IihimI kerchief crossed upon their brensts. They came in groups, awl each party of buskers from a neighboring planta tion was announced long In-fore It ar rived by the well known turn's preva lent in those daj-3 floating down the road and over the Gelds as the happy boys aud women hastened to the gath ering. A favorite tune was this: Ye3. we's gwlne to de shucktn. Yes. we's gwlne to de shuckln. We's gwlne to de shuckln' of de co'n. An" we'll be dar In de mo'nln. An we'll be dar In de mo'nln. We'll be dar In de mo'nln. shuah as yo's bo'n. As soon as the darkles were all as sembled the oldest slave present went to "ole massa" and begged a piece of silver money.' This was always ex pected, and a plantation owner woukl as soon have thought of havlug a "shuckln" without corn as to lie un prepared to produce the bit of silver on the first evening. Taking this piece of sliver, the an cient darky returned to tho Held nnd there performed a ceremony the exact meaning of which hns not come down to us. Whetting his Jnckknlfc upon the silver, he solemnly pronounced an Invocation for a bountiful crop of corn the following year. And it Is doubtful If the "ole massa" would have been any more willing to allow the husking to proceed without tills kindly prayer than would his white haired servitor, I who by Its mentis thus once a year stood In the attitude of high priest to the family he served. After the preliminary prayer the "twelve wlso men" were chosen, and their first duty was to select two of Ihe brawniest negroes In tin. company, Who, when cnlled out, with much pride &t their distinction, Indulged In n good humored contest of strength, which was known as "rasslln' fo do capt'ln." The victor became the master of cere monies, and upon him devolved the duty of seeing that no one shirked In work or entertnlnment. The matter of tho captnlncy being decided, the "twelve wise men" chose four big fellows, who formed a "pack raddle" by crossing their hands and the I captain wns elevated upon It nnd enr- . neu naif a dozen times around the heaps of corn, while the darkles sang mis melody or Homethlrg akin to It: When our days am flono Don't wo darkles hab a tlmo? When our days nm clone Don't wo darkles cut a shine? Hack to our cnUn ve will ro. Hack In the erly .no'n. Hut we'll be hero In d ob'nln To do do dhuckln' ob do co'n. Then the corn shucking proper be- gan. Stacks of fuel had been placed ; at Intervals of n few jurds near the corn, nnd after they had been lighted, under the supervision of the "twelve , wise men," the fun began. As the corn wns husked It was thrown Into piles and would lie hauled away In the morning. Twelve workers were se lected for each heap of unhusked corn, and. as back In New England, the red car wns eagerly sought for. but with a different punose. When a man got : It he shied It at a big nigger's head, and If he hit the mark the unfortunate dnrky would not "marry for ten years." If by shrewd dodging he mlss- cd it his happiness would be crowned within the year. If a dusky belle se- ; cured a red car she had the option of choosing a sweetheart from any of the darkles around the corn pile. Cincin nati Enquirer. NEW YEAR'S CARDS. I They OrlRlonK-d In Japan. Where They Are .Vow Obsolete. j In Japan originated the art of mak ing and the custom of exchanging New Year cards. Today both are as obso lete in the Flowery Kingdom as Is New Year's calling in the United States. More charming art more de lightful custom, arc not numbered among the good things that have passed away to suffer In their time, let us hope, n happy revival. For more than a hundred years the designing and coloring of New Year cards occupied the attention of the foremost draftsmen and wood engrav ers of Japan. They were made at the command of the noblemen of the ein- , perors court In fclxe they were from , six to eight Inches, and each jvas In scribed with a poetic sentiment dlctat ' ed by the noble giving the order. They j were printed from five or six blocks, each color requiring, as In modern color printing, a separate block. The ! blocks were the property of the noble, who retained or destroyed them at will. No reprints for another were ever permitted. A nobleman's New Year card was like bis coat of arms or his sword. The surlrnonos. as Japan's New Year's cards were railed, were designed specially to please some lady love. New York Press. NEW YEAR'S IN OMAR'S DAY It Warn Celebrated In the Springtime Nine Centuries Ann. Now the new Tear n-v1 v1 n c- nlrt iWrM The thoughtful soul to solitude retires: ! Ah, my beloved, till the cup that clears Today of past regret and future fears. So sang old Omar, the Persian poet, nine centuries ago, and we of today can but echo his thoughts at this New Year's season of resolution and festivi- ty. though kingdoms have risen and ' fallen, okl nations have decayed aud ' len,lvftil ' uiuauer and lightning, to new ones sprung up and we live in a ' Tranl mornin- of Candlemas day. country where sentiments of freedom s at tIlc I-t,enh11- CornhUI, a staad and Justice abound, for the human emo- j anl of trw- be,DS sct nP tb aWt tlons remain much the same whatever of Pv,t. fast la the ground, the Ume or clime In which we live. f holme and ivh?. for dfcs- whatever the religious Influences which i txrt of Christmas to the people, was govern us. Of course In the time of i ,orn P aad rast down b-v lbe Omar In most countries the new year ! nant si,iri'- 33 TO thought, and Ihe was celebrated In March, that being stoa of Ue pavement all about were the beginning of the vernal equinox. 05181 ta ,bo streets and into divers and as It is the sea sou when cvervthlng j bH,6CS' tiait th peopte were sore in nature Is given new birth the an ; al",st at S1 tempt.-Leslfe-.s clents probably for this reason conskl- 1 clly- oral It a suitable time to begin their j year aba Christianity, however, made Oa the Christmas Tr. a distinct break, and finally In the six- L " '"Wo"l stockings ami teenth century Jan. 1 was settled on bv ! hf.rts,a aml cut t common consent In all continental i f tarif,ta,n 'iaf wth worsted ami countries. "ca " flat candles and tied on the tree are always popular orna Those Xevr Year tlesotultono. Lvery 1st of January hat e arrive ! LE1 rKntl,aC,tarrtl,hOUP!,t,r 7 SSn f. exertion in the performance of our j J0r"C-y' . The man who does not at least pro-' pose to himself to be better this year j than he was last must be either very good or very bad Indeed And only to propose to bo better is ! something. If nothing else It Is an no- j knowledgment of our need to be so. ; which Is the flrst step toward amend-; ment. Rut, In fact, to propose to oneself to do well Is ln some sort to do well posi tively, for there is no such thing as a stationary point In human endeavors. He who Is not worse today than he was yesterday Is better, nnd he who Is not better Is worse. Charles Lamb. Her Xevr Year's Gift. I.uella Gladys Rosamond Ophelia Phyllis May Sweetly resolved to mnko folks glad Upon the New Year's dny. A h-tsket filled with dainties raro With her own hands she boro And left It without word or sign Before n poor friend's door. "It did not even boar my name. For that. In full, you see. Would quite eclipse the gift Itself." She murmured modestly. Joe Cary. AND LOAN JOLLY HANGING y ft . jr j J I Y ITJI Polly I chanead to bo hanRlnK tho noiiy. With Polly the roguish, with Polly the sly; With Trilly. who's brimming with froho and folly, A 'julp cn her Up and a Jest In her eye. The wind It vas grieving, and shadows ' were weaving j Their dark wtb without o'er the face of Within It w m.rry with green lf ml ber, v. I And Pc!!y. clone by. with a gleam hi her eye. "This hoUy, 1 know, sir, you wteh tntatle toe. clr!" Cried 1'i.lly ax o'er us a wreath we hone Msh. I !oki! i.t hr. lauKhlngr. to see were she ohallitiK. And. oh. what a glint there shone out ' from her eye! "this noLLr. 1 ujrow, rib. too wish UI0TI.BTOB. SIKT How like the rose petals oa which the bee settles Her cfceolu were! Her Hps were the hall)- fruit's dye. "Be it mie(Jte. dear.- a mbnsu or so, dear" "A minute?" breath.: PoUy, wKJ mirth lc her eye. So It's. Su to be haatHiac the aoUr wMh I'uMr. IVtth Iolly the adschievoas. I"oOy the e'r! With 5 'oily, the seams of alt that Is Jottr. A tare on her Up and with love in her eye! Clinton Scotia nl in Smart Set ORIGIN OF XMAS GREENS. I They "Were Ced at Chrltrunjt Idr Plre Centuries Ako. The use of evergreens at Christinas time Is older than the Christmas tre. the Christians seeming to have copied : It from their pagan ancestors. In a I very oM book we nnd this reference to j the use of evergreens at Christmas time: "Against the feast of Christmas churches, were decked with holme, lvie. bayes and whatsoever the season of the year afforded to be green. The co10" and standards of the streets wcrc "kevrise garnished, among the wUcl1 1 rwMl tlwt 5n th -Ter by ment.. Sugar figures bought in the confectionery store will serve to break The baker at Christmas &2lL and rttoUHy ornamented with color- wI sxir vs. These are tooth- wine and attractive to the small boy and , CaIcs ln SBW aR? nhvavs mUma wel, ovcr the trw. u b a wsc preciUtloa to k , of ,n whch s a wet w m nruiont vin . -nr f.n n the sponge quickly applied to tho snot -m cw.fc lht rf tht. fire Washington Star. Christmas In the West. Dendshot Dick Any fun In R'ar Creek on Christmas. 11111? Grixaly Kill-Waal, we bad a purty Mg Christmas tree. Dendshot Dick Anything of much nccount hangln ou It? Grlsaly Hill Three boss thieves awl two Chlncymen. Suitable Rifts For "Women. Silver or silver and glass tivilct arti cles are always acceptable to women. Some of them are brush, comb, powder box, cokl cream jar. buttonhook, curl ing Iron, glove stretcher, atomiser, per fume Jar. vaseline holder nnd hairpin case. 4 D. A LONS CHRISTMASTIDE. Holiday Hint Kitrncl Into the frn Year. While In this country, m in Rngi if I, Germany ami other parts of Eur .: the Joyous spirit of the ClH-bttwaa ft-s- tival Is by no means limited to in. 23, but finds expression In many -a..;s in the life and amusement of the peo- pic both before nnd after that day lt- self, comparatively little nttontu.n la j paid here to the observance of tho ' numerous designated holidays which j in other lands go to make up Chrlst mastlde. The period opens with St Thomas day, which falls on Dec. 21. and closes with St Distaffs day, on Jan. 7. The first named festival la m. m I,arta of England as "Doling day," on account af the Oli- I trlhuliofl of the bounty of eJwritablr individuate, and in roost RnglMi i-iu 2 at the present titn the day fa gtvri) up largely to the anHiversr.rles of -h:: table societies and the distribution ct benefits among th poor and needy. It Is also the day ehtmvn for the elrvti-n of ehnreh officer, a custom ado.: 1 here In home denomiftation. and i' appears also from the old rhyme I!, .it certain public otAdais were eLttp.l r.l the same time: l!y masters all. this Is St. Thomas' day. And Christmas now can't be far sff. you'll ay. And when you U the ward zastes do re pair I hope such ano4 men win be cfceseB there As constables tor the r filing year A a nrtit nn I . I. . L. . strong beer. As for Sr. DtotafTs day, which closed the merry round of Christmasthie. that anniversary is bow rarely observed anywhere, but ia the good ekl times In England it was not the least among the happy festival of the year. It takes Its name from the fact that or this day it was the custom for wenen to re sume for a few hoots their loiters at th distaff or the srdnntnx wheel. It w.-is m -V.izirn railed "Rock day" In l.f.hor of th rock, which h another name for distaff. Jostle's Weekly. THE FIRST CHRISTMAS. From the Gospel Aecordln Ire St. Lake. Chapter II. Verses T-28. And she brought fort her fast bom son and wrapped hid in swacHMng clothes and laid him in a manger, be cause there was bo room for tbsm in the inn. And there were is the asaae eaantry sfaepherds abfctiiig la the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And. hi. the angel of the Lord came Bpoo them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel sohl unto them: "Fear not. for, bebofci. I bring yon good tkl incs of great joy. whieh shall he to all people. "For nam yon is bora tbfe day in the eHy of Da-rhl a Sorlow. which is Christ the Lord. "And this shait be a sign taste yoc ye shall Sad the babe wrapped in swaddling riotbe. lying ia a Bsanger " Aad saddenly there was with the angel a mai tit tide ef the heaves? bot praising God and saying: " Glory to God la the highest, aad on earth peace, good wiR toward mea." And it came to pass as the aagela were gone away from them iato bear en the shepherds said ooe to another. "Let ss now go even auto Bethlehem and see this thing whieh Is come to pass, which the Lord hath made kaowa unto 115." And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in the manger. And when they bad seen it they made known abroad the saying which was toM tbem concerning tbb chihL And they that heard it wondered at those things which were toM them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things aad pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned ghxify lag and praising God for an the things that they bad beard aad seen as it was tokl unto tbem. Drnids aad 3IIstletoc The Druids always songht the mis tletoe by the full moaa and. when they found It. rejoiced and worshiped. Aft er cutting off its twigs with a goMVs sickle they sacrificed two in ilk white bells beneath the tree. The sacred shrub was tbea immersed in water, and the resaitiwr concoction became their remedy for ail diseases. The early Christians woukl not permit the nse of the mistletoe la their churches because of its heathenish origin; consequently it was bang only within the private abode and nsually in the kitchen. Any raahl caught standing beneath a branch had to forfeit a kiss to the gaihtct eagerly awaiting his opportunity. With each kiss a berry was ptecked. and when all of the berries disappeared the bare branch was useless to the young man who wished to ctaim the privilege of thus saluting the fair daa&ol there after. The mfestletoe was said to have been the original magical shrub or for bidden tree ia the garden of Bden. Cincinnsti Enquirer. Cnrlstmas at Maety la the Shade. Christmas In the West ladies Is very well observed. To meander about among palm trees or orange groves and fields of sugar cane oa Christmas day. with the thermometer at 00 degrees ia the shade, certainly has the sest of novelty to a northerner. If you are in the Ilrltfeh West Indies on Christmas day yonr attention will be most attract ed in all the Christmas gatherings of which you form a part, whether in the streets, the home or the church, by tho close association of whites and bfcteks. The "color line" is not a Uve question. Itoota as Steeklnjr. German children do not. as a general practice, hang up their stocklnc Christmas eve. but use their father's big boots instead. t C. HAMILTON, Secretary. CO