1 I 1 THE OLD TTME CMRTSTMAS ,!l HY EDWIN flmm WJTwih- Wo dd. How voll I recollect Our famous Chrlttmna tree Tho fjMndett p.iuennt, I expect, That I ohnll ever toe. Wo didn't huy It In tho town; Wo trudged a mile or no To where It grew and chopped It down And hnulsd It through tho now, Tim (lfti7 I got " pa! of mltta Uy mother knit bright red, And father had employed hlo wlti To build n fine new riled. An orange thing too email, no doubt, To cult a modern lad, But ",v. a Christmas out and nut, Thr btJt I'v3 rv:r hrd. (I'bpyilttM JMT. I J.J, n L HHn o O o o o o o o n o o o o THE CHRISTMAS PIRATES By CHARLOTTE F. Copyright ICO!, bj-C. r. Iloldituan o 8?$mm88ijtt$itttttistsB WP. left off nailing our chair tdilps to tierce nnd blood less battles on on r pot scaa nnd followed Helen. The i daring pirate, knocked from bin ililp lu tho excitement, forgot, to cry. Wo nil forgot everything but, Helen, for Mho bail n qecret alio would, tiot tell ua. ,M.. r Wo bubbled over with excitement nnd deslro nnd eagerness, begging for her story, but ahe was cnlm mid mys tcrlmii nnd grow In Importanco as wo pressed about her. We htmg about restlessly, watching her every move; wo could not piny the games ho dear to us; wo wnnted to Jhiuiico upon Hrleu nnd with bruto force make her tell what the knew, but wo da r oil not, f curing never to learn. Mother wnn preparing to ko nut. and, feeling aure we should know wbni she left, we offered to help her to get Iut .... to button her shoes-l while she LoUril nt uh wuudcrlngly. not uudcn.:ii tiding our wlllltignesM to ii(.slt. When she luld gone, Helen ink! nothing, hut led the way out of the notu, ucrois the hall, lift the stalrsi oud Into tho garret room. The dur ing pirate ngalu fell, hut recovered himself without tears and ulthagrunt followed on quickly rather limn loso High) of Helen, Finally she stopprd before n closet far over o:i the other side of the house. .She wnlttd for all to come up, then opined the don nnd polutul. "Hniitu Chins!" we Nbotileil nnd wero Hlh'iit Willi iiue ThiTo mi the shelf undur the tafleis stood till the evi dence Hint Hnutii Clans had been there. I'ellgbt made us speechless, forget ful of nil tunc the Joy of sowing before us toys cou'tod so long. There stood the automobile to carry the doll with plnl; cheekH and chestnut hnlr, with cy'H that openetl nnd closed, with mag ulll'uut hllkui gown. The drum nm Joi'j cap was there, the horn that I.lt tli) (toy Illno would blow, dishes fur the little mother, u sword mid a gun for the liereo pirate, u nodding ele phant, n bleating filii-ep, batu and balla, tlilps and tlods, bookii, tikates and n theater for our dolls HUH we wero t-llent. The daring pi rate brought his chair ship and, climb ing Into It, captured the shelf's cargo. Automobile, doll, dluhes, gun, balls, Ulieep, elephant, books, skiites and till came down. We scrambled for them, ullcntly tearing them from each oth er's flngem. liaeli gained a trcasuro j.peclally coveted nnd beenmo ab sorbed In It, forgetting time nnd placo niKl nil elso but that the longing to posucus at lust was uatlslled. Ilolow stalru n door Hlammed, caught by tho wind. Wo Jumped to our feet In nu ngony of fear. No ono must llnd us hero. Wo unntched Uio toys from the little onen, sending them uway lu i Hood of ten:t Wo put tho tovfl back L, SAHIN Lot'c nod n hit beforo (ho hlazo Amid the quiet glonm And live ntnln thoeo Christmas dnya Away back there nt homo, fleemo II ko tho chlldron of theso times Hnvo notlona nil no great; Tho thlnun that co6t hut cento nnd dimes Thny don't appreciate. I couldn't ent a hlto of tup That Christmas eve not II I coulln't cltwaa bobbing up To hang about and opy. And then when I had done my chorci, Vlth heart rloht on my llpa I nnw It through tho folding doore, Aglsnrn with tallow dipt. i oo-ooo 2 o ot o 2 o. o Oit o 2 O.J. o o fro o BOLDTMANN 0 in meir pinccs nnd went below stairs. Tho little otieH cliattered excitedly, but we tth'd to quiet them, Impressing upon tbetn Unit Sun tu hnd left Ibexo glftu for Christmas nnd would tnko them nwny If any. one found out Wc fill agreed never, never to tells wo promised uot to peep Into the closet, not even to go up to the garret from then until Christmas. ,"" " " Wo returned to onrrplny, wlshlng'to net as though nothing hud happened. No one spoke of our secret, but the suppressed excitement In the nlr made ua forget our plrntirtil battles. We feared for the little ones too. In the morning the little onen came whlFperlng. begging u to go upstairs, but wo dared not, fearful to let them see more. Yet nothing wo did wpuld quiet them, mid wo were afraid o,( nn outburst of tears. Mother looked tit ua with suspicion, not knowing why wo whispered, nnd we did not dare to keep u ,, Im chu B01,d M ,pnr,. ,.. , ,,, ' n.,fl. wn Un. learn from tho little ones what we had done. Ko we told them Bantn Claim had tnken tho toyn nwny, atul If wo wero very, very good nnajaevor spoko of them again he would bring them back on Chrlstmnu eve. Satisfied, they began to play In tho usual way. Wo played, too, hoping to forget, but could not. When the little ones took their nft cmoon nap, wo started for the garret to tako one peep, but wero bidden to stay downstairs. Wo longed for n sight of our treasures. Ono glimpse would mnko us happy, wo felt suro, but wo could not get It nud hung nbout, uneasy and hard to please. Wc asked ques tions nbout Santa Claus nnd what ho would bring, hoping to learn which toys would bo our own. but wo went nnswerea evasively nnh told to wait until Christmas. When night came, mother sent us early to bed, Judging from our notion wo were sick. We tried to bleep, but could not, thoughts of tho treasures over our bends kceplug us nwake. Wo got together nnd wills pered, longing for n sight of tho new toys, nnd, knowing thnt nil were safely asleep, quietly too'; tio night cnudlo and crawled up Hie garret stairs to the cupboard, Again the sight 111 led us with longing. Again the dnrlug pirate, aloft In hlu cbnir ship, took down one nfter tho other, nud In the delight of their possession wq lost 'ourselves nnd played and played until tho crowing of tho cock warned us to our beds. Next morning wo slept long, and mother iigaln feared somo sickness. Wo could not cat breakfast; wo wero foverlsh and excited. We Jumped at any unusual noise. Wo had no hca,rt to play nud were glad when again sho scut us early to bed. ., Itach night we played In tho garret nnd ench day longed for nlght'to come, yet dreading to be tound out. Ono day when a neighbor commented on tho nightly light in our garret wo grow faint nnd white nnd breathlessly watt- f eci ror motners answer. To our relief sho merely smiled nnd mid Bantu Claim needed a light sometimes. Hut nn for uh wo w-r careful to keep tho light from the ' dow utter Mint. It was the vtek before Christmas. r wnmi to ncny np mtrr. war rot mcr fear of mlco In tho garret (ingulfed our doslro to sco tho now toys. Their chnrnm wero beginning to fado; no longer wo cared for tho nhtorqobUo that carried tho doll with pJnk cheeks nnd chestnut hair, with cyct that opened nud cloned, with magnificent silken gown, nor for tho drum major's cap, nor tho horn that Llttlo Iioy Illuo would blow, nor tho dishes foe tho llt tlo mother, nor (ho sword and tho gun for tho flerco plrnte, nor (ho nodding elephant, the bleating sheep, bnta and balls, Nhlpn and sleds, books, skates, tho theater for our dolls. Tho grownups begnn to cot myste rious and (o talk often of Christum nnd tlto Joys It would bring, but wo i grow sadder nnd sndder ns It up tiroaclied. for It rrmlil lii-lne no mr. I prises for us. Wo missed (he Joy of anticipation, nnd for (ho lltt.t tline In our lives wo learn d what sorrow mennt. A realizntloii of tlm wroiu: we hnd dono en mo liomo to us. Wo would Iiavo given n Ay thing to undo ft; but could not, for nothing would mnko it right. Mother bustled about wcil'Jng to mnko It a happy Cbrlntmrn, yet nbo worried over its, dosing us with medl clues a mj teas she thought would hetn us. nut tney (tut us no good, for r,r could not know It was tho guilty con sclenco rather than the body that needed healing. Those bitter dosca filled our cup of woe ulmost (o overilow- Inc. vit ti (nol: (Iimii t-iiflu.i- thnti (I'll ..., , - , tho truth, for w hud o!vinuly o;red ' alio must never know. We n greed to cheer up and lie happy, nnd when sho was (hero wj played nt plrnlcs, but had uot the heart necessary to victory and generally loit to tho llttlo ones. JJach day we looked more mlsernble anil becamo paler and thinner and less Inclined to eat. Tenrs came easily to our eyes, nnd In those times llfo was full of misery. On Christmas eve wc were silent nud llHtlesH. We tried hard to bo lively, and full of expectation for the coming" day, but did not deceive mother, wbo rent us early to bed, giving us an extra strong dose of tho bitter medicine. We tried to beg off, but sho made us tako It, telling us wo must bo well when morning came or wc could not enjoy tho presents' Santa Clnus would bring, nnd wo had to pretend to want It W heard her tell fnfhor sho believed wo would hnvo measles of some other fercr, and sho helped us undress, tuck ing us In and kissing us tenderly tho wny mother always docs when wo do not feel well, aud crept up onco or twice to sco us. In tho Intervals wo talked sorrow fully of. tho ordenl. beforo us and nerved ourselves to be pleased when wo sow the automobile to carry tbo doll with pink checks and chestnut hair, with eyes that opened and shut, with magnltlccnt silken gown; the drum major's cap, the horn that Llttlo Itoy Illuo would blow, tho dishes for tho little mother, the sword nnd tho gun for tho Ilcrco plrnte, the nodding elephant, tho bleating sheep, bats nud balls, ships and sleds, books, skates. tb'e theatcFToVour dolls. No one must know wo had ever seeu them, wo would bo overjoyed nt gettlug them, we would forget pur sorrows and our sins. morning dawned, in tho delight of expectation tho llttlo ones woko early, nud mother cnllcd ua, asking anxiously how we felt. She mado us dress, fear ful of cold and wondered that wo did not beg to go down In our gowns and Uppers. Wo tried to laugh, but could not Solemnly each one drfsod aud filed down tho stairs to the Joys that might have been ours but for Helcn'a fateful secret Wo entered the pnrlor. There nbout tho tree lay the toys, ours at last, but no longer desired by uh. It was nn effort to touch them. With disappoint ment on her face, mother tried to mnko us sco their beauties. Onco moro wo tried to be happy, once more wo made an effort to overcount tho Influence of our misdeeds. Then n keener realiza tion of our sins en mo over us. Somo ono sobbed, aud wo one nud nil turned nwny, bursting Into tenrs. Mother plended, begging to know whnt was wrong, but wo could uot tell; we could not break her heart with our wicked ness. Wo tried to atop weeping, tried to look nt tho gifts which Santa Clnus bad brought, but the tears camo faster and faster. Wo hurled our heads In tier tap mm gave wny to our grief while Helen walled: "Oh, mother, I've spoiled Christmas for every one! Hut we'll never, never play with our pres ents beforo Chrlstmns again!" Mother understood. Tho tears stream ed down her fneo whllo tho gathered us lu her firms. Father snld nothing, but, crossing tho room, looked out of tho window. Wc sobbed nnd sobbed until wo could Bob no longer. Then wo dried our tenrs, and mother put nwny the toys, for we did not want them. Wo resumed our pirate llfo with meek nnd chastened spirit, 111 befitting tho fero cious deeds we did, for tho pirates had learned a lesson. Never again would they capture a enrgo stored by Santa Clnus on n rnrtcr shelf, awaiting tho gtad Ohrlstmastide. For tbn OoaA ( Ilia Torfa, Charles If, Hockley believes that whero n man amasses a forttino Micro bo ought to spend at least n goodly por tion of It, nnd to th! end ho lias given n great number of good things to Mus kegon, Mich. No worthy appeal Js met with n refusal, nnd n great deal of tnonoy has been given by Mr. Ilacklcy for tho good of tho town In tho way of good roads, donations to worthy chnr Itablo Institutions, to tho town library, to tho hospitals, and nny Individual cases that cotno up nro always aided from his purso of plenty. IIo is popu lar wlthyhl fellow townsmen, and do Borvcdiy ho. 'l'renldent'o l'rJncrt0K Unlvcriljr. Dr. Woodrow Wilson, who was re cently Inaugurated president of I'rlnco- W&& idffi&sM ton university, Is tho first laymnn to hold that position. IIo In a native of Virginia and Is forty-six yenn old. Brtem TV'Ith a Method. " "I hnvo nearly run my legs off going nbout a department store ranking n few purchases for my wife," snld the man with tbo bundles. "I bclioTe thnt I wss directed to six different pnrts of the citnbllshmcnt for each article I bought. I was sent upstairs, down stairs, across the shop, along th" aisle and from ono point to another. Just as though nobody knew where anything was." "Yon evidently don't understand the system," suggested his friend. "Indeed I don't. If It Is n system, it Is beyond my understanding," he an swered. "Well. It la a system that is not with out method," replied the other. "You did. not rcnllno It, but It, was a great exhibition of stock for your benefit It would hnvo been n great deal of trou ble to have seated you on one of tho re volving stools mid brought all of the goods In the store and paraded them In front of you; so you wero started off nnd directed from place to plncc so ns to make n tour of the establishment nud get u general view of the goods In each department. Do you sec the ad vertising scheme';" "I bellovo that you are right, my boy, for that Is tho only rational ex planation of the proceeding." New York Herald. TuoU Her Literally. Elizabeth Cody Stanton was onc giving n piece of advice to a roomfu' of young men in a llttlo village on the sultje'et of matrimony "When you marry," sho tald, "choose a woman with n hpltie aud a sound set of teeth." "Hood gracious. Mrs. Stanton," re marked one of her listeners in alarm, "do they ever come without pplnes?" Unit Spoiling. One of the caused to which the prev alence of had spelling among the rising gcucrntluti Is attributed Is the fact that the modern ltuuiuu method of pro nouncing l.ntlu glu'H no direct Indica tion of tho pronunciation of the Eng lish derivatives nud to no cue to their Hpclllug, as the Euglinh sound of Latin words did when It was used. Otortieurtl lu tho Ciirilon of 1'ilon. "You are u niibty, mean, horrid old thing, ho there!" uxeluliued Eve. "I HMupoho next you will threaten to go homo to mamma," taunted Adam. Then, realizing the bitterness of na ture's handicap, Evo burst Into tears. rhliadeJphln ltecord. Tho Wtv. "Suppose I were tin absolutely per fect woman." she remarked 'sharply. "Do you know what you'd do then?" "No," answered her huhbnnd. "What?" "You'd growl because you had noth ing to growl nbout." Very AVnitnrw "You asked her father for her handV "Yes." tAnd ho refused you?" "No. hu didn't. Ho said I could hao both of thein."-CIovclaud Plain Deal er. I One ixm llnd nn tho OtltorT "Poverty Is no disgrace," said the young woman with Ideas of her own. "Ko," salt! Mrs. Oumroeks, "it's no disgrace, hut It certainly Is extremely unrasniooapie." nsulngton star. ' TQW'Sf BEAUTIFYING VALUE OF OHADE TREES TO A COMMUNITY. Tim rtcmornl of III I.noklnar Tencc Urcntly Imurovrn tho Appearance of a Toitii flomo Itemark Aliont Street MKlitlnff. Without trees no town can bo beauti ful. In summer their shade Is refresh , Ing, whllo tho dreariness of winter la rendered leys dcsolnto by their pres ence. And trees have a direct vnltio I too. A tree shaded avenue lit n much more dcslrablo place of residence than one which lacks tho adornment Property Is moro valuable on thlu street, aud landlords demand nnd re ceive u higher rate of rent Tho houses aro moro pretentious, tho lawns nro green nnd smoothly shnven, nud beds of ilowers and bunches of shrubbery bear witness to tho friendly rivalry among tho dwellers to excel In tho beautiful. A comparatively small out lay will do much to beautify n town. Onco planted and properly guarded from destruction, trees require llttlo care nnd In a few years will limply rec ompense for trouble and money ex p tided. Tho custom of maintaining III looking fencea in front of residences Is a fool Mi one. ItemovG them and note what n difference. Tho street has a much broader appearance, the bouses appear to have more room, and, whnt Is worth considering, tin Item Is taken from tho cx;m.!im's of the householders. Laws arc not necefMiry to do nwny with tho f nets. Once the movement Is stnrtcd, they will qulfkly disappear. The pen tilths provided lu the town ordinance for stray nnlmnls is amply Hulllclcnt to protect lawn nnd shrubbery from their deprivation. Of course, In certain localities fences have their ufces and are well nigh In dispensable. I'or Instance, on tho farm they nre necessary to keep hones, cows, pigs nud other stock from (iitcting tho Ileitis which the husbandman has planted with grain ami vegetables or to exclude them from prematurely enjoying tbo hnrvest of grass lu meadow nud upland which Is destined for their winter sustenance. No such conditions prevail In the town, however, nnd lu tho Intcrcst-of beauty the fences thouM be relegated to the domain to which they belong. There is no use or reason for n fence in the streets of a town. In days of yore, when cowb nnd pigs wandered at will through the highways and by wnys, they were necessary only be cau.c the ordinances respecting cattle in tho town were not enforced. But times have changed and people no longer tolerate the mnn wbo permits his domestic animals to gain n liveli hood at tho expense of his neighbors' lawns nnd gardens. A subject of great Importance to the people of a community Is the lighting of streets nt night The benefits arc many nud far outweigh any questlou of cost or economy. How many Occi dents that have caused loss of life und limb are due to InsufflclcnUy lighted or wholly dnrk streets! How many Crimea have been committed under cover of darkness thnt would never have been perpetrated bad there been light to reveal the robber or assassin to his Intended victim! The develop ment of electricity has made It possi ble to light our streets nt night nt a small expense. No costly plant Is re quired nnd the outlay for labor to put up the wires Is nominal. The personal snfety nnd convenience of every citizen demand that tho Etrccts shall bo so Illuminated that ho may leave his home after dark with out danger of breaking his limbs or having his bend smashed by somo en terprlalng footpnd. GOOD ARCHITECTURE. TXic rntnro Erection of Pablla rtallil Inics nnd Itcalilcncea. A town cannot bo rebuilt, but Is It not posslblo to foster such an Intelli gent Interest In good architecture that every now puntlc edtnee, factory, storo or dwelling erected In tbo futuro shall be as good ns can bo built for the money? It cannot bo too strenuously Insisted now thnt beauty Is uot a matter of dol lars nnd cents, but of mental quality, says tho Springfield (Mass.) Republic an. A Sl.oOO cotUigo may have a charm of Its own as well 8 tu0 ?100,000 man sion if only ft conforms to us type nnu does not strlvo for cheap, pretentious effects, for cnstlo battlements (In paint ed shingles) nnd Juliet balconies to which Juliet must climb by a ladder nnd other shams and absurdities of tho romantic minded architect Nor does tho business block requite elaborate ornamentation to bo beautiful If only its proportions nro good, its color rich and its windows well set Whnt Is dono caunot nt onco bo un done, but if tho future Is looked out for tho town will gradually grow Into u new beauty, and whenever ono of tho old buildings yields to the en croachments of time Its placo will bo taken by another more worthy of tho twentieth century. Tumi Ilooui Committees, There tiro ,tftecn dlffqrcut towns In southern MIehlgun wburo"tovn boom committees of .women .nro annotated .JrW ' i every spring, nnd the good thoy hnve dono cannot be estimated In dollars nnd cents. Tho business of n town can bo left to Its men, but tho beautifying of It should bo In tho hands of tho women. Ailvrrtlafl Yonr Wnrvsw. Local merchants may keep ns good waret ns tin; largo metropolitan stores, but if tiiey do uot advertise this fact Miey need oot bo surprised to ceo their townspeople continue to send out of town for anything unusually good. Itcnd of Wnninn'n Ilcllaf Corp. Tho now president of tho Womnn'n Kollef Corp. Mrs. Lodusky .7. Taylor of Lesucur, Minn,, has been a zenloiiH .worker for tlto cause during tho eight- oen years that hnvo elapsed sinco the organization of the Minnesota Slate Woman's Ucllcf Corps. Mrs. Taylor Is a native of Minnesota and Is descend' d from New England Puritan stock. She Is a woman of great executive nblllty. Do Finite llenrf Did any ono ever sco n fish's cars? Do fishes lutvo cars? It has been pret ty well proved Mint Uaey hear. Sci entists have mado up a list of nbout 100 flshc3 that mnko sounds. Why, should 'they make sounds unless they, expect to be heard? Tho dnin) drums The puffer croaks. Even the Vcnkllsb; complains with an Internal voice whoa the cruel fisherman leaves It to. die In the bottom of the boat Possibly fishes hear through their teeth. New, .York Press. , f Snaflovrer Seda as Food. ' The sunflower crop la one of tho uestf paying lu Ilusela. A good crop Is worth' as It stands In the field $25 an acre The seeds are sold by the farmer for, about $1.30 a pound; then tho mer chants salt Ihotn and retail them fox; 53 a pound, and at every street cross ing In Russian provincial cities nro stand and peddlers with baskets sells lng to the paBsersby the Baited prod uct of tho big sunflower, which la eaten. &. wmea me wiwit unxmi, - A friend onco wrote to Mark Twain asking hi opinion on a certain natter and received no reply. He waited a' few days and then wrote again. Uto second letter was also Ignored. FlnnDy; he sent n third note. Inclosing a shoot of paper andu two cent stamp. By turn post he received a postcard on which was tho following: 'Taper and! stamp received. Please send envelope.'? LanfBice of Floirtn. ' Edith Do you understand tho Ian guage of flowers? ( Ethel-I da i Edith Then what does tills bunch of rare orchids that Albert sent me 'sig nify? Ethel That a fool and his money aro eoon parted. Judge. Unprejudiced. ' "Rut, Judge, you were asleep when tho testimony was presented. How can you given decision?" "Easily, sir, easily, for no one can accuse me pf having been prejudiced' by the nrguraeuts of either side." New York Times. Ono Hotter. Mrs. Wltherby We must glvo soma sort of affair, dear, If only to maintain our position. Wltherby I suppose you want It to, cost as much ns possible? "Oh, more thau thatj'' Life. Hit It. "I bear you are going to marry old, Rroadacreis." "Yes." "For land's sake!" "Yes." Baltimore American. Tho Kent Mennlnir, "Eunnl," bald tho cynical codger, "i the polite name for laziness. It njrn: doing nothing nud too tired to stop.' -Ualtlmoro llernld. urniiRea nnd Innnenrn. Oranges nre used as a euro fr ltc fluenza, especially in Florida. NonnJf every fruit will purify tho blood, part! r bccnuBo of tho soft water, which uk i up moro injurious material in the i tern thau hard wnter, aud pauly I causo of its salts. Lemon Is tV.j . for this ronton. lu the Connie of Time. I'm golnt; to he n millionaire; My money I sliull hoard ft. I'll be a great tcformer then. Decauau I can afford it. Washlnuton Star A 1 VI vl i . r- -4" ' 'car v i