THE NEBRASKA ADVERTISER
ft. W. HAN DICKS I'Oblltbsr.
NEMAHA, NEBRASKA.
g A "Happy" New Year
5 Uy Mm. CImticH C. Marble
a2SXi3e
IN n, comfortless collage on a bn
Btrcet of u country towii Jolin
back
ny
Wullaoo and Ills llttlo sister May
lived with their parents, one of whom
lll-dcficrved the name. While yet Ut
ile more than u toddling babe, John
ny 'had learned what the uncertain
footsteps of his father often meant,
mid lnfitnntly his gay laughter conned,
and hurriedly would he put away the
poor remnant of toys which Saudi
CIiiub had dropped tho year before
whilo on his way to more favored
lioiiHuholdH. At leiiKt that was the
way the little fellow accounted for
the broken toys, which, between you
and me, some thoughtful neighbor
had PMit in to the worse than fa
therly . little Johnny. Afterward,
when a wee llttlo sister came to
share IiIh wanlK and pleasures, he
guarded her iiIko from his father's
tcmpoBts of anger an well as IiIh frail
little body would ndmit.
The day before the ChriHtmas of
which 1 write the mother listened with
an nching henrt to the prattle of her
children an they each recounted tho
gifts whieli they hoped Santa China
would bring to thiMii hIucI and doll,
skates and mittens, toys and enn
dieB and the poor mother, looking
at their worn and faded clothing,
their much mended HtockingB and
Hhabby hIioch, wished in her heart
that Christmas day might never dawn
upon their disappointed hopes, that
her own and her dear ones' eyelids
might not. open upon the joy and
gladness of h day bo gloomy to them.
Night had fallen, and the mother,
dreading to hear that reeling foot
step, had early prepared the little
ones for bed, and now with them
on her lap sat before the kitchen
window, the room lit by no rays save
those of the stars.
Just above them the evening star
twinkled and glittered In the deep
blue of the heavens, uml to tho
thoughtful boy It seemed to bo n
diamond upon the brow of a shadowy
angel, n diamond which might be sent
to him by Santa Clans, could he but
eall loud enough for tho angel to
henr.
"Maybe T ain't good enough," he
sighed, remembering the well worn
phrase of how children, should win
the good graces of that giver of
uriftH, and then, aloud, ho asked:
"Will Santa Glaus come to our house
to-night, mamma?"
"I'm afraid not," replied the hope
less mother, knowing full well where
the week's wages would be spent.
"I know why he won't turn to our
house," gravely announced May.
"Why?" queried Johnny.
"'Tausc papa gets drunk, and says
bad words. Santy 'Tans never comes
to bad folks' houses. Docs he,
maminn?"
Tho mother only pressed the dear
head more closely to her h welling
heart, and made no reply.
"Tell us, mamma," said Johnny,
after a long pause, "all about tho
buby in the manger and the wise
men, and tho htur what led 'em to
to"
"llethlehem!" supplied May.
And so tho mother told again the
simple story, ever beautiful, of how
nn angel oT the Lord appeared to the
wise men and bade them go and seek
the young child, the Saviour; and how
a Htur guided them to whero tho babo
Iny, and how tho wise men wor
shiped lllin and gave Mm gifts of
gold, and and "other things," she
added, choosing simpler words than
the text,
"Other things," Inwardly comment
ed Johnny, resolving at once what
those other things might mean.
"And does the Saviour, come to
to nethlchcm every Chrifitniuts, mam
ma," he naked, still gazing upon that
twinkling star.
"Yes," she answered, abstractedly.
"Ith the manger very, very far?"
lisped May.
"Not. very," sadly said the mother,
feeling herself nt that moment very
near the Divine presence. "Not very,
dear," .
Thoughtful Johnny went to bed and
before ho slept he whispered to tho
little sister beside him what thosu
"other things" wero which the wise
men brought as Christmas glftB to
the bubo In tho stublc, for what else
could they be but toys and caudles
and all manner of good things?
"And u turkey," ndded May. "A
dreat, drcat big turkey. Oh, my,
I do wish papa was one of them wise
men, don't you, Johnny?" Tint re
ceiving no answer from Johnny,
whoso brain was busy with a new
thought, the child was soon asleep.
At a late hour the father came
home; his voice thick, his steps un
steady, ugly In temper; the noibc f
whoso coming nwoke the Bleeping
children.
"J have been waiting up for you,"
gently said the patient mother; "for
you know to-morrow Is Christinas,
and there Is nothing much in the
house to cat. And, oh, I had hoped
you would think of our dear little
ones and bring home your wages to
night that I might buy some little
trifle to make them happy."
"Don't bother mc about the children
and Christmas, and such nonsense," he
grumbled, crawling into bed Just as he
was. "I've only got n dime or so left,
and I'll want that to-morrow myBolf."
And muttering imprecations upon his
wife and children and everything In
generti.1, tho man fell asleep.
"Santy Thus won't never come while
papa Ith so bad," lisped the drowsy May,
with n sigh, which went to the very core
of the listening Johnny's heart.
Late into the morning the miserable
father slumbered, and when he at hist
did nwttko he lay there wondering at
tho deep stillness which reigned in tho
house. Again ho fell Into a gentle doze,
his. bruin freed from the vapors of
liquor by his long sleep.
It was high noon when he ngr.fn
opened his eyes, and still that oppres
sive quirt below stairs made him won
der. "That was a strange dream," he mut
tered, uneasily, wiping the dew of fear
from his brow, "How glad 1 wnstosec
the faccH of Johnny and May peering
into that, deep, black pit into which I
had fallen. I can't remember how I
ler got out., but I can feel their denr
little hands' in mine now," and with
a new love in his heart, and n new light
upon his face, the imin descended U
the kitchen.
IHu no wife, no children, were nnj
wliero to bo seen.
"Clone to some neighbors," he
thought, tilled with a disappointment
most, keen as he gazed from the win
dows Into the noisy street.
"Merry 'Trismus," cried several
happy-faced urchins, as they caught
sight of him, "Merry Trismas, Mr.
Wallace: Where's Johnny?"
The father shook his head, moodily,
and sat down by the tireless stove.
"Where's Johnnj ?"
How the letters seemed to stnrt out
before him, no motter where he looked.
How they danced upon the wnlls, over
the floor, among the shadows, in the
sunlight, Kvery tin horn, blown by
.boyish lips, repeated the cry: "Where's
Johnny?" and the man, filled with a
nameless foreboding, recalled the man
ly little fellow's reproachful looks, his
loving care of the wee sister, and upon
his big, brawny hand dropped a tear
of which he was not ashamed.
"I wish to-morrow were Christmas,"
he said, aloud, with u sudden pang, ns
he thought of other men's children to
whom had come lavish gifts, whose
shouts of joy reached him In that soli
tary, comfortless room; men who
earned no more than he, nor capable
of earning so much. "I wish to-morrow
were Christinas, nnd I hadn't spent
all my money in the tavern, I'd " he
broke olT as the vision presented Itself
of that tavern, warm and snug, with its
whiffs of egg-nog. of something 'hot."
and good, nnd In that thought all oth
ers were forgotten as he urosc and put
on his hat, feeling the need of some
thing to sustain his weakened stomach
uml shaken nerves.
As he fumbled In his pocket for u
bit of ehnnge, the bartender buid, care
lessly: "They have been found, I sup
pose, Mr. Wallace?"
"They? Who do you mean?" asked
the other as carelessly, as his nervous
hand closed about the glass before
him. ,
"Why, your children, Johnny and
May," replied the bartender, in home
surprise. "Somebody told me your
wife has been searching for them since
awhile after daylight."
"Since dayllglitV" repeated Mr. Wul
lace, pushing the glass from him with
ii shudder. "Since daylight, while 1
have been sleeping off the elTects of
sueh cursed stulT as that. May God
forgive me if aught has happened to my
little ones!"
"Weill" muttered the bartender, as
he looked after the retreating figure
of his one-time best customer. "I'll
warrant he'll be coming buck before
night to get this glus of liquor, so I'll
just set It by."
Aye, set It by, Mr. Rnrtonder, set it
by, but Its aroma will have departed,
Its strength be gone, Us power to do
evil forever lied, e'er re.nuira shall have
ceased to do Its work upon that awak
ened father.
For the first time In yVart tho
thoughts of that hurrying uinn pene
trated the Mulling sky above him, the
genial warmth of the noontide sun, the
moing panorama of the blushing
clouds, and he wondered, with a dull
pain at his henrt, if a prayer from a
creature so vile as he would be heard
nnd heeded by the Ureal Helper beyond
ChivMmnsI and for the first time for
years the tender significance of the
word penetrated his dull senses, nnd he
felt, with a glad thrill, that the One
who could help was once u poor babe
born in a stable, u lowly carpenter, a
man of infinite sorrows, ncqunlnted
with direst grief, and thut thought
brought him near unto Him; confidence
took the place of doubt, and, with o
heart torn by new emotions, strange
and sweet, ho hurried to his miserable
home.
"The.v mav be within." whispered
Hope, ns lie opened the door, nnd IhiA
hopo redoubled as his eyes fell upon
his wife sitting In front of tho newly
kindled fire, but that hope vanished
when she turned upon him her sttlty
face, her nngulshed eyes.
"I have Inquired nt every house," she
snld, wearily, In niiBwer to his breath
less question, "but no one has seen our
dnrllngs."
The father could do nothing but
gronn,
At this juncture neighbors Hocked
In, hind neighbors Inden with Christ
mas cheer for both body and mind.
Wallace flushed ns he ate the food thus
provided, nnd loathed himself for rob
bing his home of food and every com
fort. That day and another passed nnd
no news of the lost children.
It was now the day before New
Year's, and into the town came many
farm wagons, driven by ruddy-faced,
genial old formers.
Tlie season had been unusually mild
and the first day of the new year bade
fair to come In disguised under the
mnntle of spring.
"Hey, what do you say?" queried
bluff old Farmer Brown, "a lectio gal
nnd a boy lost from thisyer town? Jest
describe 'cm, mister."
"Wall, I never, and it's from this here
town they strayed," hecontlnucd, "and
I've been a-lookiu' in another direction,
the little feller not knowin' the town
he come frobi, but always p'lntin' to
the north."
"Well, well! Johnny and May."
"Yes, that's them!"
"Why, bless your boul, them little
ones I found n-sleepin' snug ez snug
could be 'mong the hay on Christmas
mornin'; and the first thing the boy
says, says he: 'Is this Bethlehem, sir?'
In jist the sweetest way 'mnglnnhlc.
"llethlehem?' says 1, struck all of a
heap, for seein' as it was Christinas time
1 knovved right away what the boy was
tliinkln' on; so I says, says 1:
"'No, sonny,' ez grave e airy owl,
this hero ain't that holy place at all.'
"'Then come on, May,' says the
plucky little feller to the gal; 'we must
hurry up or the wise men will have give
all their gifts away before we get
there.'
"'What wise men be jon lookin
fer?' says 1, as though not comprehend
In'. Tlie little chap hesitated fer a
minute, aud then says, he, n-wipin' the
tears from his tired and hungry little
sister's eyes, says he, eonfidin' like:
" 'We are goin' to see if the wise men
won't give us some of the gifts, sir,
what they bring to the young child in
the manger every Christmas; some of
the gold and other nice things. We
weren't born in a manger, sir,' says he,
quite humble nnd mournful like, 'but
we are as poor as He was, and father is
so bad that Santa Clans won't come to
our house, and ' "
The listener turned very pale and
stifled the groan which arose to his lips.
" 'And so,' the boy went on, 'May and
me made up our minds to foller the
star thnt hnd peeped Into our window
all that night; just like the star mam
ma said that moved on before the wise
men, and so we got up real quiet, and
out we went, and, sure enough, the
star kept, beckoning us on and on, and
we walked and walked until all at once
It growed dim and at last it wont out,
and May said it meant for us to stop
just where we was, for thnt must be
Bethlehem, and so we laid down in the
bam, meuoin' to go Into the stable
after restin' a bit to worship the voting
child, too.'"
Tears by this time btreumed from
the eyes of both nieu.
"My Johnny, my little Ma.,," cried
the happy listener. "Thank God!"
"And what do you suppose they ex
expeeted to find in the stable as gifts?"
lie asked of the farmer after a pause.
"Oh, they looked for a turkey to
dinner, and u sled, and u beautiful irzv
all gold and silver, like one of their
little neighbors always gets from San
ta Clans, and a dolly, and massy only
knows what else They got all the tur
key they wanted, you bitter believe,"
chuckled tho old farmer, "and Johnny
said if mnmma hnd only birn along
he'd concluded it was just e good cz
llethlehem, anyway."
And then Mr. Brown, after a little
talk with the bhumc-faced father, dived
into his pocket and brought out a well
filled wallet, and the next day when
all tho world were greeting each other
with a "Happy New Year," Johnny and
May stood in speechless delight before
n tree upon which stretched gold and
silver tinsel In greut profusion, and at
its base lay all the gifts which they had
journeyed so far to ask of the wise men:
but better than all were the loving
words and kind looks from flint father
whom they had hitherto only feared;
thnt father who held them in his strong
arms, and called them God's New
Yenr's gift, to a repentant man.
"'TIs the dawn of a New Year, in
deed," sobbed the happy wife, us the
husband asked a humble blessing upon
the- bountifully sprend board at neon,
"a happy dawning for thee and me and
our llttlo oues."-N. Y. Observer. '
MiKiir In .Inli Lota,
Wabash Old you hear that fellow?
He called his wife Sugar.
Dearborn--Yes; that's n favorite pet
name of his. He'svalled every wife lie's
had Sugar.
"For gracious sake! How many
lumps has he had?" Yonkers States
man,. ' '
SCHOOL AltD CHURCH.
Last ycur S.I.'iOO.OO!) was expended in
Greater New York for tlie current ex
penses of Protestant churches. The in
crease in membership was 3,278.
In Cuba, under Spanisli rule, the
number of pupils in tlie schools did not
exceed 'lO.OOO. At the present time
150,000 pupils arc enrolled, under .'1,000
teachers.
One-tenth of the Prosbytorlnn home
missionary force is nt work among .'12
tribes, while the annual expenditure
for these wards of the nation amounts
to about $100,000.
It is related of Nov. Jothani Sewall
a missionary preacher of Maine, In the
closing years of the last and the-llrst
half of 'tills century thnt during his
long life he preached 11,389 sermons In
Maine and 1,204 in 11 other states.
Recent regulations issued by the gov
ernments of Belgium, Switzerland nnd
Bavaria limiting the Sunday freight
traffic have not lessened the receipts of
the roads either in freight or revenue,
says the Boston Congregntionnlist.
Andreas and Anton Lang visited the
pope in Rome a few weeks ago In their
Oberainmergnu costumes. Cardinal
Bampolla introduced them. The pope
received them very kindly, gave them
golden medals and wouid not allow the
impersonator of Christ to kneel before
him.
Prof. DuBois, a negro alumnus of
Harvard, and now a resident of Atlanta,
U:i., has been able to find 2,414 negroes,
including 2I13 women, who have taken
degrees from Institutions of every sort.
So far as he could learn, all of these
have been self-supporting, and letters
from half of them report an average as
sessed ablation of real estate of $2,300.
HONORING A GEOGRAPHER.
I.lcul. I'njcr'n Uml I.ttclc In .Niiiulni
(ii'iiKriiplitciil Object After
Dr. I'eleriiuiiin,
Lieut. Julius Payor, of the Austro
Tliiiignrhiu army, who, with Lieut.
Carl Weypreeht, of thnt, country'?
navy, made 1 'muz-Josef Land known
to tho world, was n great admirer of
the famous German geographer, Dr.
A. Peterinnnn. Petcrmnnn was an en
thusiasm supporter of arctic explora
tion, and it. was through reading his
writings on this subject that Payer
first became interested in polar re
searches and determined to engage in
the work that maue his nnnie well
known. It was therefore natural that
Pnyor should attach the name of the
German geographer to two of the dis
coveries he reported, which wore re
garded as among tho most important
features of his work, says the New
York Sun.
When Payer went to the coast of
Fast Greenland in 1870 with Kolric
way on the steamer Gennania. the
most important discovery they made
was Fnin.-Josef Fiord and the moun
tain thnt stands near its head. Payer
described the magnificence of the
fiord, which he said was a combina
tion of "huge wullc, deep erosion fis
sures, wild peaks, mighty oreviiBsed
glaciers, raging torrents and water
falls." It happened to be tho warm
est of arctic: summer weather, and
Payer related that the sailors, over
come by tho heat, fell into a lethargic
sloop, from which it was ditllcult to
arouse tnein. raver named the nvra-
mldal mountain rising near its west
ern end Mount .Peterinnnn, and it has
long been supposed to be the highest
mountain in Greenland. His first de
termination f its heights was 14,000
feet, but h! later survey gae 12,400
foot. As it rises from sea level its
whole height comes into view, and
it is, of course, a very impressive ob
ject from tin water.
But Payor made a fatal blunder in
his calculations. As lie stood on Payor
point, far to tho east, ho took the
angle to the top of tho mountain aim
estimated tlie distance to the moun
tain top. This estimate was vorv op
roneoti.. and tho result was that his
determination of the height was
great 1 exaggerated. Those facts
were diseoored by Dr. Nathorst last
year; and, according to this high au
thority tho height of tho summit is
between 0OS and !l,00O feet above
the sea level. Thus the mountain can
no longer be called the highest moun
tain In Greenland, though its height
is not yet exactly determined; and
this natural monument to the great,
explorer is not quite so conspicuous
as it was thought to be.
Mat tho other case is worse yet, for
the supposed bit of earth that was
also named by Payor after the geog
rapher cannot lie found, and, in fact,
docs not clst. Tho ofiicial report of
the duke or Abruzi, on his explora
tions of Franz-Josef Land, confirms
the fact, hitherto suspected, that
King Oscar Land and Peterinnnn Land
do not ovist. In the spring of 1874
Payer stood on Cape Fligely, which
long remained tho highest hind over
attained In tho old world. To the
far won't uml north he saw what
lie thought wero bine mountain
ranges, indicating masses of laud, lie
ilained those to the west King Oscar
Laud and those to tho north Peter
maun Laud. There Is nothing to do
now but to expunge them from the
maps. .Similar blunders have morn
than once been made In polar lands.
Probably the deceptive appearances
that. Payer snw were nothing more
lliuu lino. of icebergs,
HUMOROUS.
Druggist "Pills, my young man?''
Young Man "Yes'm." Druggist "Anti-billons?"
Young Man "No; uncle."
Yale llecord.
"That is an unuBtinlly fnst boat.'
"Whatl That old tub?'.' "Yes'. Don't
you see It tied to those iron rings with
n wire rope?" Tlie War Cry.
"Gen. Buttons is a brave man. lb
has been through two wars." "Yes:
nnd yesterday I heard him tell his wife
she didn't know what she was talking
about." Philadelphia Bulletin.
"Sny, Pn!" "Um-in?" "Where doos
n mermaid keep her comb nnd lit t It
looking-glass when she Isn't using
them?" Indinnnpolls News.
Hetty "I think Tom loves me with
all his heart. Why, he actually threat
ened to shoot himself if I did not look
upon him with favor." Bertha "How
like Tom! That's what he alwnys says.
Funny, isn't it?" Boston Transcript.,
"The.v tell me old Orchid died of a
broken' heart." "Yes; he spent 15 years
trying to find a chrysanthemum that
looked like its picture in the floral cat
alogue, nnd finally realized that. In
sought the impossible. Tlie blow was
fatal." Omaha World-Herald.
Witherby "Now, my deal, I shall be
perfectly candid with you. 1 um go
ing down to the club to-night to play
poker and have a high old time." Mrs.
Witherby "That's just like a man!
You might at least have led me to sup
pose you were innocent," Boston Ga
zette. Proved Conclusively. "What! Fish
ing on tlie Sabbath?" exclaimed the
clergyman, reprovingly, "Don't you
know that little boys who fish on the
Sabbath go to the bad place?" "I guess
dat's right,' replied the bad boy, dis
gustedly. "I couldn't, 'a' struck no
worse place dan ills." Philadelphia
Press.
SPECTACLES FOR SOLDIERS.
KiikIhimI KoHiIiI.h The in, ami Scout.
Ciiniiot Tell Cnvnlry from
Cnttle.
Tho following interesting nnoodote
is sent by one of my readers apropos
of the remarks in last week's Truth
on spectacles in tno army, says Lon
don Truth:
"A few years ago at some foreign
maneuvers 1 spent an afternoon on
the outpost line with an officer of n
crack British regiment. Pointing tn
some fields about 1,000 yards awaj.
he said: 'There are some onvalr.
among the trees. I wonder whether
they are scouts from the other side.'
1 pointed out to aim that the supposed
cavalry were, really cattle. Although
short-sighted, I hnve good sight even
for long distances, thanks to a properly-selected
pair of pince-nez. spec
tacles. My ollleer friend used his field
glass and admitted his mistake, add
ing: 'I am short-sighted. It is a
great nuisance. One cannot always
be using field glasses.' T suggested
that he might, use spectncles, as did.
'I would, gladly,' he replied, 'but there
is such a prejudice against them in
the service.' Just imagine this oa
airy officer sent out scouting, and go
lig about his work hnlf blind because
of the prejudice against spectacled of
ficers! 1 could name men on active
service in Africa at the present mo
ment who are very short-sighted, but
dare not wear glasses. Some of them
wear single eyeglasses to the great
damage of what sight they still have.
Yet. last year in Germnny, at. the im
perial maneuvers, 1 saw plenty of of
ficers in spectacles, and a good many
privates as well."
I regard this as one of iho most
conspicuous instances of wooden-headed
stupidity with which our army is
governed. Another which deserves to
be bracketed with it is the exclusion
of men from the army because they
happen to have false teeth. If there
is to be a new regime worth anything
in Pall Mall, these are among the
many absurdities which will at once
be got rid of.
The correspondent I have jut
quoted states, on the authority of Mr.
Conan Doyle's book that tlie redoubt
able Do Wet actually goes about in
blue spectacles, owing to some c.vo
trouble. If this is true, it is Indeed
one of the object lessons of the war.
How many of the British officers.
whoso eyes were scientifically tested
before they received their 'coninii.--slons,
can see ns far as tho blue-spectacled
Do Wet?
My last week's remnrks about spec
tacles in the army were delivered
apropos of the grant of a commission
to a city imperial volunteer who was
said to be shortsighted. It was sug
gested at the same time that tho
volunteer in question had been oitg
inally rejected on medical grounds,
but subsequently passed, through the
exertions of Influential relatives.
This suggestion, however, appears to
have been unfounded. I am told that
no C. I. V, who has gained a commis
sion was ever objected to by the med
ical examiners.
Her Kxciihc.
Clara What is your idea In being
engaged to a man old enough to be
your father?
Maud l didn't know but 1 would
marry him. Indianapolis News.
. Clover Trlcli.
Changing ones mind is often n very
clever trick, Chicago Daily News.