!
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