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IIEN I hunpr up my
stocking So long
it scorns to-day
Since children thrco
nflush with glco
loft oft their mer
ry play,
And, pinning to the
mantelshelf their stockings lti n row,
Each laughing sprite In robe of whlto away
to bud did go.
.When I hung up my stocking Tho world
was different then-;
Unvcxr-d tho mind by things that blind and
clog the souls of men;
A prayer lisped at a mother's knee, a hope
to "only peep"
If wo wero quick and sco St. Nick while
others lay asleep.
IWhen T hung up my stocking Tho gray
dawn camo so lato
Each little head In trundlobed grew weary
with tho wait;
'A. stealthy rush of white-robed three and
then the stockings split
Chelr treasure out, to laugh and shout,
upon tho patchwork quilt.
"When I hung up my stocking If now I
could but feel
Buch bubbling Joy without alloy as reach
ing to tho heel
Brought In the cold gray dawnlngs of those
Christmas days gone by,
Not anyono beneath the sun would bo so
glad as I.
JvVhen-1 hung up my stocking No mine
of golden ore,
Or Jowels rare, past all compare, a3 In
Aladdin's store,
Could make me feel such wealth to-day as
onco I used to know
JWIien counting out, with laugh and shout,
tho pennies in the too.
WTion I hung up my stocking If wo coulfl
always hold,
Throughout our days of devious ways, like
pictures framed In gold,
Close to our hearts such memories of child
hood's perfect bliss,
Wo'd often Hnd what now, too blind, in lifo
wo simply miss.
Mary C. Huntington, in N. Y. Independent.
AM .s i
m .&
tefc
i.A7i mrmt
Ewt'MkiVKM Bisr ct"t-n raw
AwYh
llttlo blonde, with a piquant expres
sion, nntl n pair of mischievous blue
eyes, shot a half-laughing, half-defiant
look at the handsome young rector,
who reddened slightly as he replied in
rather constrained tones: "Many
thanks, Miss Evelyn, but I won't trouble
you to that extent. I hate arranged
to have one of Mr. Brookc'B curates
take the services for me, but he leaves
directly after the morning service, to
go to one of the mission churches, nntl
you sec I had promised to devote Christ
mas afternoon to tho patients of the
Homo for Incurables' nntl they hnvc
counted on having some one rend to
them und mnko the afternoon ti little
bright; and I can't find anyone to take
ray place; everyone wants to bo at
home on Christmas day, so I must tell
the poor things thnt I cannot keep my
promise unless "
lie broke off hesitatingly, and looked
entraitlngly at tho bevy of fair dam
sels before him.
But they all began with one accord
to make excuse.
One was "so sorry, but she had prom
ised months ago to go to a matinee on
Christmas afternoon, and couldn't
break the engagement," another "felt
just nwfully to refuse Mr. Dayton any
thing," the Inst, with a melting glance
from a pair of big brown eyes, "but
grandmamma wos coming to spend the
day, and it would seem so disrespect
ful to leave her."
A third "wan taking part in a con
cert their guild was to give on New
Year's eve, and she hnd promised Mr.
Trevor faithfully to practice his ae-
nonnmnimeut with him on Christmas
afternoon; he was so anxious to be
well up in his part of the trio."
A fourth girl "wished dear Mr. Day
ton would ask her something else, for
she would just love to help him, but
really it made her so dismal, seeing
those poor souls suffer, that mamma
hnd positively forbidden her to go
again."
They wcrev-nll so sorry, and so re
gretted thnt they could not help him,
that the young rector felt sure thnt it
was not the will that was wanting.
and thanked tlrem for their rendy sym
pathy as warmly as though it had been
practical help.
But in the midst of the volley of ex
cuses a bright thought struck one of
the fair defaulters, and she exclaimed:
"Why don't you ask Evelyn to take
your place, Mr. Dayton? You would,
wouldn't you, Eve, dear?"
Tho rector hesitated, then said, iu
been asked to talto an afternoon at
tho 'incurables' Binco he camo until
now, so he probably docs not know
that I am in the habit of going there.
May, you arc getting that ruff for her
majesty too high."
And then they nil plunged into the
mysteries of dolls' drcssmnking again.
When Edward Dayton first camo to
St. Boniface he had been irresistibly
attracted by Evelyn Gwynn's pretty
face and snucy speeches, but lately his
manner had been much colder, for he
had arrived at the conclusion thnt Eve
lyn cared too little for serious thing?
to consent to become a clergyman's
wife, nnd he was too unnccustomed to
women to divine thnt her ilippant
speeches were assumed, and thnt her
gay, careless manner concenlcd nwnrny
generous heart. The fact was that
Evelyn was so disgusted at the sudden
mania for parish work, which had seized
the young ladles of St. Boniface since
Mr. Dayton's ndvent, that sho hnd
taken particular pains to nppoar in
different, nnd even frivolous, nnd hnd
on one or two occasions evaded doing
some church work which Mr. Dayton
had asked her to attend to personally;
hence his remark about the "incura
bles" not being "in her line." Evelyn
felt sore nnd hurt at his opinion of her
nnd mentally resolved that for once she
would desert her invalids rather thnn
have Mr. Dayton imngine she was in
fluenced by his wishes, but better coun
sel came with the morning, nnd shecon
soled herself with thV thought thnt Mr.
Dayton was out of the city nnd would
probably never discover that she had
taken his plnce.
It was Christmas afternoon nnd Eve
wns descending the staircase of the
"Home for Incurables" on her wny to
the small ante-room where she had left
her cont and hut.
When she entered the houso It had
been a bright, elenr day, and as she had
passed from room to room she had
seemed to the poor sufferers to have
brought something of the vivid out
side brightness with her; now the sit
uation wne reversed, the frosty sun
shine had given wny to the sudden win
ter twilight, nnd, in sympathy with the
change, her heart was heavy with vica
rious sorrow. Like many seemingly
volatile natures hers was n quickly
sympathetic one, nnd she wns sad with
the sight of so many who were doomed
to spend the last years of their life in
suffering.
The little ante room was dark when
HEY were dressing
dolls; the whole 1G,
and they were talk
ing or chnttering
like magpies, when
he door opened nnd llev. Edward
Dayton wulked into the room.
Now Rev. Edward was tall, he
was young, he had a pair of
well opened, honest blue eyes, his
fair hair showed decided symptoms of
curling, when it was allowed to grow
beyond the orthodox clerical length,
his features were distinctly Greek in
their outline, and his figure would have
done credit to any young athlete; his
clerical garb was well cut, and of the
finest cloth, and when to these attrac
tions were added a particularly frank
nnd charming manner, and a most fas
cinating laugh, it can readily be under
stood why the new rector of St. Boni
face, Chicago, was so popular with his
congregation, and so adored by the
feminine portion thereof.
Consequently when he entered the
rectory drawing-room on the afternoon
In question, where 10 pretty girls were
employed in dressing dolls for the
Christmas bazar, and, in an incidental
manner, enjoying the excellent tea and
cake dispensed by his maiden mint, it
was not to be wondered at that his ap
pearance caused a little thrill of excite
ment to pass through the circle of fair
workers.
The rector had only been nt St. Boni
face nine months, but already he was
on fairly intimate terms with the ladies
of his congregation, especially the
young girls, so without any preliminary
he stated his errand.
"I am in a fearful fix," ho announced,
in a very boyish nnd unciericai man
ner, "And I want one of you young
ladies to help me out of it."
The oilers of assistance were mnny
nnd prompt, but the rector still looked
worried nnd nnxious.
"You see it is just this way," he be
gan, balancing his spoon ucross the
edge of his cup, and gazing at it intent
ly. "I have suddenly been called nwoy
on some errand for the bishop and it
will be impossible for me to get back
to Chicago for Christians day."
He paused here, ond a storm of ex
clamation and regrets was poured
forth, in the midst of which a saucy
young voice was heard to exclaim:
"And you want us to write your
Christmas sermon for you? How per
fectly charming. I liave always fan
cied it must be most delightful to stand
up In a pulpit und deliver nicely point
ed little moral axioms always, of
course, carefully pointed nt some one
else."
And the Bpeaker, a slight, graceful
yL ffnl
llSmwjmmmSm I It wmi i m
"BecniiBo I have misjudged you."
"Please don't say any more, Mr. Day
ton." "But I must. I have been sitting In
judgment on you ns you know I
know you know It, nnd to-day I came
here, nnd going from room to room
found thnt you had been there beforo
me, nnd hnd left such n trnll of bright
ness behind you, that your path wns
easy to follow. The poor souls hero
are witnesses to qualities in you that I
have been blind to."
"IMense don't say any more," plcndcd
Evelyn. "You are going to the other
extreme now, nnd I renlly won't know
myself. Perhaps you did not give m
credit for some things, but after all
you know I am very frivolous!"
But the laugh with which hIic said it
wn3 not quite natural, and there wns
really no reason for her to wnlk to the
window and look out, for there was
nothing to be seen thuro but a blur of
light from the window opposite.
There wns a pause, and then n voico
enme from the shadowy figure in the
center of the room.
"Miss Gwynn, you hnvc done a great,
deal for these jraor souls here; won't
you do something for me?"
"But you are not an 'incurable,' "snid
Evelyn. The fur monstrosity hnd evi
dently come unfastened ngnin and re
quired a great deal of attention, also it
seemed that the blur on the opposite
side of the street had acquired n fresh
interest, so it wns to the bnck of a dim
ly outlined figure in tho window that
llev. Edward spoke next.
"I am nn 'incurable,' Miss Gwynn;
I nm suffering from something thnt I
must carry with me the rest of my life,
nnd I don't want to be cured. Eve,
denr, listen to mo a moment do not
spenk, dear, until I hnvc finished let
me have my say, even if the answer is
'No.' I lovo you, denr, so denrly; I have
loved you, I think, ever since I met you,
nnd like a self-righteous Pharisee I have
endeavored to put my love aside. I hod
not wit enough to see the best in you,
and have tortured myself by imnginlng
I was in love with a thoroughly world
ly woman. Eve, dear, 1 deserve noth
ing at your hnnds, but, dnrling, if you
will only establish a homo of your own
for 'incurables' I will try with all tho
love that is in mo to mnko you happy.
Will you marry me, dear?"
The figure at tho window turned
around, but It said nothing. Perhaps
it did not need to. Attitudes tell a
great deal sometimes, nnd then I think
there wns a shadowy outline of a littlo
outstretched hand. At any rate, llev.
Edward took three long strides across
the room, and the next nttitude thnt
showed against the dim window wns a
very confused one. But it did not mat
ter; no one wns there to see.
Was it dark? Well! Perhaps nn or
dinary benighted mortnl, loveless and
unloving, might hnvc thought bo, but
to these two the room was full of radi
ance, for if one is supremely happy, one
carries one's ntmosphcre about with
one, and whnt the rest of the world
moves in mnttors very little. Ethel
Longley, in Chicago Saturday Evening
Herald.
WINTER HOUSE PLANTS.
WlilN.
At riirlntinim Time.
Who would not bo merry at Christmas
time.
And banish nil worry nt Christmas tlmol
A well-spring of cheer
From the heart of the year,
Whon earth lleth oore, is tho Christmas
tlmol
'TIs wlso to bo merry at Christmas time,
ah manco 10 nury at Christmas tlmo;
AH envy and strlfo
To put out of each life,
That Joy may bo rlfo at tho Christmas
tlmol
'TIs well to be merry at Christmas time,
To open our hearts at tho Christmas time;
That lovo and good will
Every cornor may fill,
And vanquish all ill at tho Christmas tlmo!
TIs good to bo morry at Christmas time,
To opon our hands at tho Christmas time;
That norao who nro sad
May by us bo made glad,
And glorify Cod at tho Christmas tlmol
'TIs meet to be merry at Christmas time,
In a Christian land at tho Christmas time;
When gladness and mirth,
Slnco that wondorful birth,
Have ruled o'er tho hearth at the Christ
mas tlmol
"WHY, MR. DAYTON, HOW YOU STARTLED ME!"
and without meeting
formal tones,
Eve's eye:
"I am afraid that It would not be
much in Miss Gwynn's line."
Evelyn drew herself up proudly and
seemed about to reply, then a hulf
amused, half hurt expression crossed
her face, as she turned carelessly away,
and sauntered over to a table where
two girls Bat chatting busily ns they
arrayed a round faced, dimpled, waxen
benuty in the royal lobes of Queen
Elizabeth.
"Evelyn, why did Mr. Dayton snv
that visiting the sick wns not in your
line?" queried Mny Lindsay, ns she ad
justed the crown on the head of the
doll queen. "I nm sure there is not a
girl in the guild who has done as much
visiting at the hospital ond 'Home for
Incurnbles,' ns you have. I don't see
why he should seem to regnrd you ns
so frivolous lately, he never used to.
Doesn't he know thnt for years you
have gone to your 'incurnbles' every
Sunday afternoon? Why, we all re
gard you as the most goody, goody girl
in our set. I don't see what has come
over the rector."
"It is not worth talking about," said
Evelyn, lightly. rtMr. Dayton has never
she entered so dark that she started,
when a tall, shadowy figure loomed up
before her, and a voice snid: "Good
evening, Miss Gwynn." I think he must
have been waiting for her for some
time, for his eyes wero evidently to
some extent used to the dim light; how
ever that may be he could not see well
enough, however hard ho tried, to dis
cern whether she looked pleased or
otherwise, as she said, naturally
enough: "Why, Mr. Dayton, how you
startled me! 1 thought you were miles
away."
"I got back ns early as I could!" he
replied, "and came nround to see how
the 'home' hud fared for its Christmas.
Let me help you into your jucket."
Well, it ulways Is a terrible business
getting n jacket to go snugly over one
of our present enormous sleeved dress
es, but these two seemed to make n
worse job of It than usual. At length,
when it wns satisfactorily adjusted
nnd Eve was fastening a monstrously
elongated fur animnl of some sort
around her throat, llev. Edward broke
the awkward silence with a rush.
"Miss Gwynn, I want to beg your par
don." "Why, Mr. Dayton?"
wo rejoice at tho Chrlutmai
tho peal of our glad bells
And whllo
tlmo,
Let this with
chime;
"All glory to God
For tho love that Ho showed,
In tho gift Ho bestowed at tho Chrlntmaa
tlmol"
M. A. Maltland, in Outlook.
How to Kpnp Tlinm 1'rrnli nml Orooa
Through Hnowy Diiyfl.
Very few housekeepers, nnlurnlly
ambitious to beautify their rooms in
winter with follagu plants, recognise
Hint like cats or dogs, canaries, or ohll
dten, palms und ferns require a tltnu
for becoming naturalized and happy
in their new homes.
A fern or palm brought in thu most
vigorous health from the florist's green
house will often droop und pine in gen
uine home sickness, and like young
niilmals or birds, plants thrivu most
happily in each other's company. It In,
theiefore, advisable to begin n bit of
window observatory, not with one, but
let us say with three plants. Tho
best selection ib usually a sturdy In
dia rubber tree. Flschus clastlcus, is
what thu llorists call 11; a parlor pnlin,
thnt is, nn usidistrln lurida, and u big
pot of zebra plant, Eulnlin joponloii
zebrinn, which you can tell by its long
lovely striped green nnd white leaves
that grow iu nn elegant cascade.
All of these lire recommended he
cause they are hardy, easily kept clean,
and need potting only onco n year.
They will live, too, in n room whero
gnu Is burned, whero nn occasional plpo
or cigarette is smoked, nnd where thero
is a tire. In turn for so much sturdy
good nature, they must hnvo not only
cure, but that given regularly evry
day. The woman who complains thnt
sho can't ralso house plants is simply
negligent of them. Shu moves them
about too much, is not ulways heed
ful of their need of water, permits tho
room they sit in to become very cold at
night, and then very hot during tho
day. Probably, too, she does not cover
them up at night, nor In uny way pro
tect them from dust.
Hnppily, where so many sins of omis
sion und commission nro committed
tho poor things tile quickly, nnd so es
cape their wi etched existence. If you
intend to keep plants put them in n
window thnt has double sashes and
whero tho greatest amount of sunshine
strikes for tho longest time every
day. Boll the shades high and drnpo
the curtains back far and only for the
liveliest necessity move the pots. Every
day, at as nearly thu samo hour as you
eon mnnnge, water theso household
pets. They will be grateful 'for tho
regularity, und unfailingly once u
week give them u bath. That is, with n
sponge nnd clear tepid water gently
pass over the leaves. Use many basins
of water for this, and as far as you can
protect them; don't let a cold draught
strike through their foliage.
A sudden chill often blasts an other
wise healthy plant, und just as impor
tant Is it to protect them from superflu
ous dust. When cleaning day comes
around throw big bags of old muslin
or dimity over the green things, nnd
us plants are usually kept In u deep
window, be sure at night to draw down
tho shades und portieres, where the gas
is lighted.
The portieres should bo of somo
heavy dark stuff to keep out tho light,
heat and possibly tobacco smoke, lle
fore leaving the room for the night
ono window, as distant as possible
from thnt in which the plnnts sit, ought
to be pulled down nt the top, to let in
fresh air, while the closed curtains will
still keep them wnrm enough. Then,
not until she has made her fire, cleaned
tho grate and done her dusting for the
duy, should the maid push back tho por
tieres ond pull up the window shades.
Under such circumstances the fol
lowing plants will gayly flourish in n
sitting or dining room, or bedroom,
whore every day plenty of heat is sup
idled during the winter.
There is tho fan palm und its dwarf
mote, called C. Lumllis, the Senforthin
olegans with handsomu fern-like leaves,
Australian cabbage palm and fnmllhi
ICeutia J-'oslerlnna, silky Australian
oak and Eucalyptus globules, all worthy
of cultivation in one's conservatory,
nil willing to flourish, if their needs
nro considered, ond wonderful benuti
flers of one's home.
Another hardy foliage plant is tho
Contnurca raguslnu, with silver frosted
leaves that serve on occasions to deco
rate tho center table, but the list is
really almost endless, though those
given ubovu nre enough to fill an em
brasure and nnswer for green und re
freshing decoration the year through.
St. Louis llepubllc.
Till! CHJUHTAIAS VlItD.
M.iil i
Tho Horse It's a flue turkey, eh,
Jimmy?
Jim Fine? It's a dreamt! Bay City
Chat.
Tho lU-nson Why.
Willie Mamma, if Santa Clous is such
a good man, why docs he give so many
mort presents to rich children than to
the poor ones?
Mother Because it takes so much
more to please a rich chHd than it does
I u poor one, my sou. Golden D.iys.
Capo Cod Itllnco Mo:it.
Down on the Cope the housewives nro
preparing their mince meat for tho
winter. Tho Listener once gave the
recipe for Cape Cod mince meat, and
will not repent it, especially at this
time, when the people are tired of sen
sational literature in the newspapers.
The Listener has heard of an excellent
lady at ilyonnis who has hit upon nn ad
mirable idea in the preparation of this
article of diet. Instead of leaving the
Jnmuicn ginger, tincture of rhubarb
und other things of this kind to be taken
after the mince meat is eaten, she
gives it in them when the meat is pre
pared. One bottle of Jamaica ginger
to a boilcrful of mince meat is under
ntood to be tho proportion she favors,
and yet there are mincu meats which
would seem to need u great deal moru
of thu stomach-settling ingredients.
The bane and antidote thus go together.
Boston Transcript.
In Paris there are scores of restau
rants whero horse flesh is regularly
served as an article of food, and tho
I1KI ff lilts 111111 1. llMK l'PPCIlt Iv cvtiMidiwl
I to muny other cities of Europe.