fi f I
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s ( ''tt"
l't L ft
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ia&IST
LIKE IT USED TO BE
HKISTMAS like it
used to be!
That's tho thing
would gladden inc.
Kith und kin from
fur and near
Joining In thcChrlst-
mas cheer.
Oh, the laughing girls and boys!
Oh, tho feasting and the Joys!
Wouldn't It be good to see
Christmas like It used to be?
Christinas llko It used to be
Snow a-bendlng bush nnd tree,
Hells a-Jlngllng down the lane;
Cousins John nnd Jim and Jane,
Hue and Kate and all the rest
Dressed-up In their Sunday best.
Coming to that world of glee
Ohrlstmus like It used to bo.
Christmas like It used to be
Been a long, long time since we
Wished (when Santa Claus should come),
You a doll and I a drum,
You a book and I n sled
Strong and swift nnd painted red;
Oh that day of Jubilee!
Christmas like It used to be.
Christmas like It used to be.
It Is still as glad and free,
And as fair and full of truth,
To the clearer eyes of youth.
Could we gladly glimpse It through
Kyes our children's children do
In their Joy-time we would see
Christmas like it used to be.
Nixon Waterman, In Elliott's Maga
zine.
fkimMM
VF.UYB0DY knew
that old Mrs.
Moon wns "plumb
sit." nir.'iiiiKf 'I'ntii
'' While. Tliev also
knew Hint
I'om wns determined to
marry Clnrissy Moon. Tlie views of
Clurissy herself were locked in the
lirenst of tliut maiden nnd no one, not.
even 'her grandmother, could draw
them forth. She listened to flio old
lady's diatribes against Tom, just ns
she listened to Tom's ardent wooing
nnd said nothing.
Mrs. Moon, her unmarried daughter
and Clurissy lived in a tiny cabin at
the foot of the Little Backbone, a very
pleasant place In summer, though
Hint season was brief enough in n
region which is described by its
denizens as having "nine months win
ter nnd three months cool weather"
each year. In winter the cabin wns
.not a pleasant place of abode. Not
only did the snow drift high about it.
but the pla.vful winds entered through
the crevices which Mrs. Moon wns al
ways intending to have filled up and
never did. It was lonely in winter,
too; not even the most persistent
suitor could find his way lo it fre
quently when the trail nns obliter
ated by snow drifts and when night
onme early and suddenly, too, in the
shade of the mountains.
Clniissy was thinking of these
things, as she stood at the cabin door
one afternoon in the middle of De
cember. It wns rather a eool place
for meditations, but her Aunt Phoebe
was on what her mother wns wont
to call a "high," nnd nny place was
preferable to her immediate vicinity
at such u time. Aunt Phoebe's tem
per, never very sweet, had ill with
stood the strain of prolonged spinster
hood, and she vented her maidenly
disappointment on the nenrest ob
jects, her mother and Clurissy, who
were quite innocent in the matter.
"Seems if I eain't please her, no
how," Clarify was saying to herself,
"I eain't bear that air bothersome
Tom White, but lie's bottom' what
she is, nu,hov. Sposn T was t' give
him er siu t' come V talk t' me er
while!" As she hesitated she henrd
Aunt Phoebe's shrill tonvs still raised
to danger pitch in the cabin. Draw
ing olT the red handkerchief which
was knotted coquettishly about her
dark hair, she ran down the path und
drawing down a branch of the young
oak which stood alone, she deftly tied
the streamer to it. The handkerchief
was Tom's gift and he had begged
lier to use it as a signal whenever she
desired his company. It was the first
time she had made use of it. and as
she tied it. she was assuring hovsolf
thai she "didn't cure er mite fer that
great, awkward fellow," but, in spite
of that fact, her cheeks rivaled the
handkerchief in color. Yielding to
a sudden impulse she scurried into
the cabin regardless of Aunt Phoebe's
longue.
"I'll peek out'n l!i. window nn'
watch fer him," she thought, "an' I'll
let. him cool his heels n bit waitin', be
fore I go out. Anyhow, T ain't prom
ised nothing by tying that liiindlior
ehev ip there."
Clurissy had the sharp cars of the
mountaineer and soon she heard steps
coming nlong the trail and finnlly into
the clewing, but she never moved,
save to see that her grandmother wns
dozing in the chimney corner and
.Aunt Phoebe ubr.orbed with her quilt
JSjy- " Tm?
m
0M? :
m, ilifey
A Ml" VMrf'ZXiZinj
A. L-eSiX. fl, limBllU&r
ptcccR. The latter had passed from I
the active to the passive stage of her
ebullitions and was now sulking.
The steps approached nearer and
nearer.
"Kf Hint old stupid ain't comin' in
yere, after all," Clnrissy thought.
"Well, granny'll send him olt with a
flea in his car if ho-does, that's nil!"
and she assumed nn air of elaborate,
indifference.
"Hello, thnrl" called a masculine
voice scarcely audible to Clarisy for
the beating of her heart. She made
no move and the call was repeated.
"Ain't ye got no manners, t' let
company wait out there that a way,"
her mint said, sharply, and poor Clur
issy went flying to the door.
There stood, not Tom, but Amos
Purdy, n near neighbor, as neighbors
go In a thinly settled country, nnd a
widower of two months' standing who
hnd dropped In once or twice of late.
He entered now with a sheepish air
which to anj-onc less preoccupied than
Clnrissy would have proved that he
was on courting bout. He took n
chnlr near the door and where he
Bhut out Clarissy's view of Hie win
dow. "Right cold tiny," he ventured, ad
dressing Aunt Phoebe.
"Well, I guess ye can't 'xpect much
else, with Christmas only two weeks
off." wns the ungracious reply.
"Yep, that's so," the visitor re
sponded. Then he relapsed into an
embarrassed silence, during which he,
with apparent unconsciousness stared
Clnrissy out of eountennnce.
"Ole Zeb White killed er bear last
Chuesdny," was his next remark, still
addressed lo Aunt Phoebe. "Biggest
one this year, he says. Them Whites
is awful liars, though, an' I cnin't
promise ef he tells th' Iruth er not."
"Them Whiles is n bad stock," Mrs.
Moon broke in, suddenly; "one of 'em
filled our ole cow full of shot when
I was a gal. pretendin' like he thought
she was er bear. An' all the satisfac
tion pap got was puttin' er loud o'
shot Into him, nnd pretendin' like he
thought he was er buck!" Siie chuck
led at the remembrnnce.
"That air Tom White's goin' t' see
Tiny Koontz;" remarked the guest.
"I seen 'em wnlkin' Inst Sunday.
Kockou they'll be gittin' married
AND CAM13- PACE
soon. Seems s'f they'd be a lot of mar
ry! u' round yere before long. Kr man
nin' worth much nowudnys 'nless he's
got ii wife."
Clnrissy had turned pale at the bit
of news. She rose now, on pretense
of getting more wood for the fire and
went outside. Aunt Phoebe hud sud
denly become gracious and the sound
of her voice followed Hie girl as -die
ran along Hie trail lo the tree which
held her token.
"He ain't goin' t' think I want 'ini;"
she panted, he can go t' his Tiny
Koontz, ef he wnnts to. 1 don't want
'im great awkward thing!" She
dashed away a tear, as she did so,
and saw that the handkerchief no
longer fluttered from the branch
- m&WM - III IIP s ,
mmmi ill 1 1 siip1vMcp''
Nervously she searched the ground to 'Tom White an' Tilly Koontz is goin'
see if the wind hnd carried it into a 1'do!"
clump of bushes. Hut no hnndker-J Clnrissy never could remember rlgTit
chief was there! Tom had evidently ' ly what she said, but Amos construed
come and gone, without trying to at
tract her attention.
"An' he's taken th' hnndkereher t'
that air Tiny Koontz!" she said. Then,
with head held high, she inarched buck,
meeting Amos fnce to fuce, us he came
down the path.
"Mighty purty red cheeks ye got,
Clnrissy," he remarked; "when I git er
nother wife she's got t' have red cheeks,
I tell ye. Say, d'ye like red npples?
I'll fetch ye some when I come this here
way agin; you look in that air holler
stump, nn' ye'll find 'em."
"I jest plum despise red apples, an' I
plum despise you, too, Amos Purdy."
And she fled to the cabin before the
ustonlshed guest had time to make re-
ply.
To her surprise, Aunt Phoebe was in
especially good humor. Her mother
hnd been throwing out some very plain
hints ns lo the inteiitioiib of Amos re
garding herself, which chimed pleasant
ly with her own opinions on the subject.
She giggled mightily, nnd assured her
mother that she "wouldn't look at Unit
ole silly, no, not fer nothing!" But she
wns mightily pleased, as anyone could
see.
In her nnger against Tom, Clnrissy
forgot all about Amos and his red ap
ples, nnd, indeed, she attached no im
portance "to the offer, anyhow. She,
too, wns very gay that evening, for she
felt that her grandmother's sharp eyc9
were on her, nnd she would have died
rather than display her futile rage
against her faithless lover. She as
sured herself over and over again that
she never cared n strnw for Tom, but
the fact Hint she had sent for him and
that he had answered her signal only to
enrry off the present he hud given her
o lake it to another rankled in her
breast.
Heavy snow fell the next day and n
cold kept her close in the cabin for a
week. Amos was the only visitor dur
ing that lime, and when he came he
brought a substantial offering of ven
ison and a brace of rabbits, gifts by
no means to be despised, nnd which Mrs.
Moon received most graciously. Aunt
Phoebe's eyes shone, but she kept them
on the ground in maidenly modesty
nnd was very reserved and coy in her
manner. It never occurred to either
her mother or herself t hut Clnrissy was
the object of Amos' evident intentions.
"I plum got t' have somebody t' keep
house fer me soon," the guest re
marked. "I ain't much of a cook myself,
nn' there's lots o' good meat spnilln' at
th' cabin now fer want o' n woman t'
look after it. T was er good husbun' t'
my woman while she was livin'," lie
concluded.
"So ye was, Amos," Mrs. Moon agreed,
eagerly; "I always said so." She.wu
overjoyed at the Idea of giving up her
daughter; she thought delightedly of
the quiet life she could lend with only
CInriMy. "An', now that air Tom
White's out'n th' way, I'll git t' keip
her u long time," she reasoned, com
placently, as she listened to the vis
itor's account of what he intended to
do for his wife when he married again.
"An' tnlkin' erbout mnrryin'; I gues
Tom White nn' Tiny Koontz'll be git tin'
married a Christmas. 1 seen her with
a red hunkcrohcr he give her th' Ins'
time 1 was over there," he went on.
TO PACK WITH TOM.
It seemed to Clnrissy tlmt Si.c would
die tin she sat there. It was bad enough
lo tell herself that Tom had given her
handkerchief to Tiny, but to hear it
as u certainty was worse yet. She ma le
no sign, but when the tall; hud once
more veered around to the apparently
inexhaustible subject of Amos' second
wife she slipped softly out of the cabin
and wandered about in the snow like
some wild thing with a mortal hurt.
As she was returning an hour later she
found Amos patiently awaiting her at
the hollow tree, ,
"I put a lot o' nuts in there and some
yellow apples," he announced. "ICf ye
don't like red apples ye mm,' like yel
low ones. Say, Clurissy, spoMi' you'll
me git married u Chrlsinus, like what
lict answer into consent, und, proini
lug to come with the preacher at seven
o'clock on Christmas evening, he went
his way.
It was dark- when Clnrissy came into
the cabin, und her grandmother and
aunt were in such a stale of excitement
that they failed to notice her pule
cheeks nnd wild eyes. For they had de
cided that Amos certainly meant to
marry Phoebe and that preparation-
had better be commenced at once.
"Hecnuse widowers don't want t' wait
er minute," Mrs. Moon said, sagely;
"they makes up their minds quick, an'
they expects oilier folkH t' do th' same.
I wouldn't be a mite surprised to see
'Im come In with th' preneher a. Christ
mas, like what ole Sam Smith did when
he got married th' fourth time. Sniry
she-wnsn' 'xpectin' 'em, but she thought
she better take 'im when she could git
im."
Nothing wns said to Clnrissy, who
was regarded as ti child by her elder,
nnd she, in her intense preoceupntlon,
failed to notice that the preparations
for Christmas were on a much more
elaborate scale than usual. She wns in
n sort of a daze, sometimes determined
to .marry Amos in order to convince
Tom that she cured nothing for him;
at others, determined to die before she
did such a tiling.
Fortunately for her, Aunt Phoebe
wanted a quantity of ground pine nnd
red berries with which to adorn the
cabin, and as Clnrissy knew the shel
tered spots where they wore likely to
be found she was sent out iu quest of
them. In her anxiety to be ulone she
made the quest a prolonged one. Amos
wisely ubsenteil himself from the cabin,
n fuel which puzzled Mrs. Moon and her
daughter not n little. Clarlssy gave
this fact not a thought; she wns quite
in ignorance of the fact that Amos was
supposed to be the victim of her mint's
bow and spenr, nnd was only thankful
to Lave him out of the wny while she
wrestled with her problem.
All too soon, it was Christinas cvp,
and Clurissy went forth for n last
loud of plue, with which lite cabin
was already gay. Late In the arter
iioon, she sat down n moment with
her load, still pondering upon tho
sltbjoot which never left her mind.
She was in no hurry to return home,
for her aunt had gone to the storo
tit the cross roads to make a few pur
chases and she knew that her grand
mother would be, dozing nnd uncon
scious of the flight of time.
As she sut there, Clnrissy let. 1 lie
big tears roll unchecked down her
cheeks. It seemed to her now that
Tom had left her for another, he had
become the one object for which she
cared. .
i.vn, i II UUli; 41II1U.-, MIC sum, i
proudly, "mi then nobody Ml know .
Tom left me fer Tiny Koontz!" As'
she spoke, he lose from the stump1
on which she was hitting and came j
face to face with loin Tom pale and
haggard, and with a gun over IiIb
shoulder, which added lo tho wild
ness of his appearance. Clurissy
trembled so that she could scarcely
stand, but she put on u brave smile.
"That you, Tom," she said, "I I !
nuts' wish ye well, you 'n Tiny. When
ye goin' f git married to-morrow V"
Tom put down his gun. "Me 'n
who?" he demanded, fiercely.
Clarissy's anger grew at the eva
sion. "You V Tiny Koontz," she re
sponded. "Amos Purdy, he tole me
how you Mi' her was goin' t' get
married to-morrow night."
"Amos Purdy tole ye that V"
"Yes, he did; and ye needn't, to
deny Jt I don't cure!" All the trlii's
fierce pride was in anus. "11 only
lint th' red handkerchief on th' tree '
that day because "
"Because ye wanted t' make er fool
er me!" M'om cried, hotly. "Ye had
took it down again 'fore I could git '
there, tin' ye ghc it 1' Amos Purdy; '
he showed It t' me. An' he lole me '
you Mi' It I in was goin' 1' got ninrrieil
n Christmas, nn' ,Ve didn' want no
more sight o' me! I on'y wish I'd
hud my gun tlmt day, an' "
"Oh, Tom! Tom!" Clarlssy and the
ground piius were, all tangled up in
his arms, and Clarlssy was crying for
pure joy.
"Hut I tell ye one thing, Clarlssy,"
Tom said, Inter, "that ole coon did
see me with Tiny Koontz that day.
I was giving her u message from
Walt Thomas over at th' sawmill.
Him Mi' her's goin' to git married
sunn's he gits buck."
When Clarissv at hint started for
home M'om went with her lo tell her
grandmother Hint he iitennl to marry
her graiiddnughti-r on the following
.day, with her consent or without it.
"For I aln' goin' 1' lake no more
dinners!" M'om alllrmed.
Luckily, Aunt Phoebu had not re
lumed when they reached the cnbin,
and the story was poured out to
Mrs. .Moon alone Iter dislike for
M'om melted away before I he Idea of
C!arisv'a nut frying Amos, on whom
Phoebe hud set her heart, and leav
ing lift- to bear the brunt, of that
damsel's rage.
"Tell ye what you do," she said,
flnnl.'v. "You Mi' Tom git ready 't
git married to-morrow night an' jest
leave Amos t' me when he comes!"
Tom stood out for a personnl inter
view with Amos first, but he was
overruled, .lust what Mrs. Moon said
to thai worthy dining the few min
utes' private talk they had no one
ever knew.' She said it so convinc
ingly, however, that there was a
double wedding In the cabin that
Chribtmas night, and Aunt Phoebo
never knew thai she was second
choice. liliza Armstrong, in Httnncr
of Oold.
ot Th nt Kind.
"You know w hut is said about east
ing your breud upon the waters,"
said the man with Hie subscription
paper. "After many days it will come
back to you."
".Vol. the kind our cook makes," re
sponded Hie oilier man. "It would
sink o llie hot lorn like a stone."
Chicago MM-lbttne.
1 1 Im Opinion,
Pupa WMiat Is the matter with the
steam engine, .Johnny'.'
Johnny I don't know; but it won't
go. J'npa, I think Sntta Claus goi
stuck n tlu-t steam engine. Punk.
SCHOOL AND CHURCH.
Colby Is the first Maine college to
publish a collection of college stories.
Mr. H.C. Libby hns collected Morten
from Colby men who have won fame
in the literary world.
Harvnrd college, which was founded
by llev. .John Harvard, in JB30, and
which graduated its first class in l4S,
is the first as well as the. oldest col
lege in tho United Stales.
Andorra, n little republic in the
Pyrenees, has marked tho end of the
century by opening Kb public schools,
to girls for tho first time. The
French government contributes $200
to this schools' support.
A notice was recently posted In u
West Kensington (London) cIiiiitIi
announcing that live pews were for
sale. And, according to the notice,
one of the advantages of these pews
is that the contribution plate is not
passed to them,
Tho- seventy-sixth annual report of
the New York Bible society, Just Is
sued, shows another year of earnest
work, during which nearly -10,000 vol
umes of Hie Scriptures have been
placed In the hands of Immigrants
arriving at this port, the sallois in
the harbor, and churches, mission
and families in the city.
There Is to be no backward step li
Christian missions in China. The
church Is rendy to obey the command
to "preach the (lospel to every creat
ure," undismayed by persecution or
other discouragement, It. is subject
for eongrut illation that tho most nble
and far-seeing men of our own coun
try, who hnve hnd experience in the
orient and are competent to spenk,
are unanimous in the opinion that
missions oiiirnot be abandoned miles')
we are prepared also to abandon com
merce and diplomacy.
RUSSIA ENTERS THIBET.
C.IH- Huh HnIiiIiIImImmI l)lilomn tlir
llclniliiiio Willi tin- l)ii In I
I.niiin.
Is the evil-of mystery that, has hung
so long over the '.and of Thibet and H.m
lamas to be at Inst swept aside and
Lhasa to be entered In the Itinorurx,
of Hie commercial traveler for Man
chester lextlles? It would uertuinly-"
seem so from the recent-ntalement of
a correspondent.
lie says: "For the moment wc
frankly admit that luissin, in her se
cret, stealthy way, has stolen a
march upon us and scored ti point.
Tlie government of India, by its os
tontulious iipglect of all question be
yond the northern frontier of the
peninsula, has contributed to Itussln's
success. When It allowed lis agent
at Kushgar, (ieorgc Miicartuey, o be
completely overshadowed by the Ku
siau consul general, Mr. Petrovsky, it
might hnve known that Hiisslu would
never rest satisfied until her influ
ence was supreme throughout Chinese
Tutkcsau. and from the time of (Ion.
IM-eJcvaisky she has never concealed
her ambition fo pierce Ihe. Thibetan
mystery.
"Confident In the security supposid
lo be conferred by Hie Illiintliiyas the
government of India has remained In
different to the schemes imputed to
KiiM-lu; now that Ihey liuvu Hindu ti
step In the direction of realization it
may, perhaps, see reason to review
the situation."
Kightccn mouths ago an accredited.
Kuhslaii mission entered Lhasa, sajs
the London Kxprcss. Tills Ir not alto
gether so exlraonllnary. as Hie result,
for "so supreme and secluded n
potentate us the dalul lama" has been
induced fo send a return mission,
which was recently prcHcntcd to the
czar at l.'vaiiiu.
M'he writer, after summing up the
dangers of allowing i'usuiii lo get n,
firm footing thus on our Indian fron
tier, corn-hubs: "M'he siicccks ot Uus
sla in establishing some sort of dip
lomatic relations with the dalai
lama reeals all Ms perilous possibil
ities ut n (lash. We lire not going to
allow an Abvssinia to be created ut
lite gates of Iteugal, or the failure of
Hiinza to' be obliterated in u triumph
nt Lhasa." And with this inosl llilnk
iug people will agree
Phi-Ik Alioiit (lie AVnrlifN CriMtlfi.
According lo scientists Hie limit of
the earth's capacity to support human
life will lip readied when Its population
Is O.OOO.IXO.OOO. or four times as much
us Its present estimated number. A
the ourth doubles her children ecrj
MO yours, It is easy to calculate that in
2b() yearn, or in tin- jar 21S0, Hiiire will
positively be no room for more, nnd.
unloiu by that time there are fiicillths
for emigrating to other planets, some
serious steps will have to ho taken to
restrict the growth of our niiiiiliorh. r
by nuj chance ii should be possible to
surmount ihe dlllicully of support, am.
if the population continues to luci-cuse
nt present rates, a more dillicuit prob
lem still will hnve io be faced a thou
sand years or so later, In Hie year ,il(iO.
For by Hint year which, happll.v,
none of us may see the earth's broan
will have grown to such proportions
that every .square yard of solid ground
vvl'l have U population of three per
sons, each inhabitant of the earth br
ing thus strictly limited to throe square,
feet of laud for all purposes of support
and domicile. People's Home Journal.
K
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