UNDER THE MISTLETOE! TO THEIR CHEEKS THE WARM BLOOD
FLIES
AS INTO HER EYES IX)OK HIS. BUT—THERE ARE OTHER EYES.
4*9
Christmas in the country forty yearn
ago was a different affair from what
it ia now. I never think of Christmas
In those days without thinking of a
lovely whiter day, bright with sun
shine, and snow everywhere; large
drifts, through which the horses floun
dered as they drew- the stout sled, on
which was the wagon-bed filled with
hay, and covered with blankets and
buffalo-robes, where we cuddled down,
as we rode merrily away to spepd
Christmas at grandpa's. We eould
hardly wait till the horses stopped, so
eager were we to wish grandpa a mer
ry Christmas; but ho was generally
ahead of us with his greeting of
"Christmas gift." That entitled him
to a present Instead of us; but a kiss
ell around was usually the way we paid
off our Indebtedness, while some strip
ed sticks of peppermint candy, laid up
for the occasion, were given us. Our
aunts, uncles and cousins came next
for their share of good wishes and
merry Jokes.
A bright fire burned In the fireplace,
and there, suspended by a stout string
from the celling, was a groat turkey
packed full of dressing, and sending
forth a most delicious odor as It turned
round and round, gradually browning
before the (Ire, the Juice dripping Into
a great pan on the brick hearth; and
from this pan grandma occasionally
dipped the Juice with a huge Iron spoon
and poured It over the crisp sides of
the turkey. Other preparations were
going on meanwhile In the kitchen,
where a cooking stove held the place
of honor, as cooking-stoves were very
rare in those days. The neighbors had
rone miles to see it, and express their
fears as to the probability of Its "blow
ing up.” This cook-stove, however,
was not equal to cooking such a large
turkey In Its small oven. A coffce
boller sent out an odor of coffee strong
A BRIGHT FIRE BURNED,
ami fragntut. while a lung table cover
ed with auowy linen tthe work of
gtaudma * own hand*) etood at the far
ther end of the long kitchen.
A* ooou a* the turkey war pro
nouuced dune and the gravy made tn
the drlpplng-pau, the chair* were plac
ed near the table aud we were relied
to dinner. No one waa left to wait,
and »m h a merry time! After grandpa
had aaked a bteaaing on the food, he
carved the turkey and euppttvd our
.watting platea bountifully with any
piece we Wtehed, together with all
meaner of good thing* lu the way of
vegetable* A rite pudding with plen
ty of retain*, pumpkin pie* and roey
*h**k*d applv* eertrnd for dea**rt, and
our only Borrow waa that w* could eat
no little, After dinner w* children
played game* In lh* kitchen, around
the •replace that wa* u*ed when there
waa no Hr* in the took atove- Here
we popped cora, tracked ante. i«id
felt i etortee and play*4 blind man a
buff While the older one* “«tailed" In
lh# "k**ptn ruwip" aniii ihe lime com*
In return harp*.
theater You marl dt*Hka Newcomb
eery park" lirlMly I k* * him a*
■at•*!> aa g barker hat** a held h*adwd
fm* Vl'Jk d t'*U ir*«i It a A
The Clillflllke Mind.
Christmas Is not only the mile mark
of another year moving us to thought
of self-examination. It Is u season, from
all Its associations, whether domestic
or religious, suggesting thoughts of
joy. A man dissatisfied with his en
deavors Is a man tempted to sadness.
And In the midst of the winter, when
his life runs lowest and he Is remind
ed of the empty chairs of his beloved,
It Is well he should he condemned to
this fashion of the smiling face. Noble
disappointment, noble self-denial are
not. to be admired, not even to be par
doned, If they bring bitterness. It Is
ono thing to enter the Kingdom of
Heaven malm; another to malm your
self and stay without. And the King
dom of Heaven Is like the chlld-llke,
of those who are easy to please, who
love and who give pleasure. Mighty
men of their hands, the smltcrs and
the builders and the Judges, have lived
long and done sternly, and yet pre
served this lovely character; and
among our carpet Interests and two
penny concerns, the shame were In
delible If we should lose It. —From a
Christmas Sermon by Robert Louis
Stevenson.
From every spire on Christmas eve,
The Christmas bells ring clearly out
Their message of good will and peace,
With many a call and silver shout.
For faithful hearts, the angels' song
Still echoes In the frosty air,
And by the altar low they bow
In adoration and In prayer.
A thousand blessed mcm'rles throng,
The stars are holy signs to them,
And from the eyes of every child
Looks forth the Babe of Bethlehem.
But there are others, not like these.
Whose brows are sad, whose hopes
are crossed,
To whom the season brings no cheer,
And life's most gracious charm is
lost.
To whom that story, old and sweet.
Is but a fable at the best;
The Christmas music mocks their ears,
And life hus naught of Joy or rest.
Oh! for an angel's voice to pierce
The clouds of grief that o'er them
rise,
The mists of doubt and unbelief
That veil the blue of Christmas skies.
That they, at last, may see the light
Which shines from Bethlehem and
unfolds
For Christ the treasures of their hearts
Richer than splcery or gold.
Hope of the ages, draw Thou near.
Till all the earth shall own Thy sway.
And when Thou reign'st In every heart,
It will Indeed be Christmas day.
—Eleanor A. Hunter.
Th* Win* Smiled.
King Rooster 1 Kedcouib!”
Itedcouib—"Yes, sire."
K. It. "What Is the cause of this un
usual excitement tn the court?"
It.—"’TIs the preparations for the
usual Christmas feast, sire,"
K. It.—"The annual feast?"
R.—"Yes, sire,"
K It. (anxiously)—"Are we tn sny
Immediate danger?"
It —"No. sire. It la only the females
i and youug males."
K. It -'"And those 'up-to-date' hens
I who have been the pest of the court
1 lately with their attempts to Imitate
! me, are they Included?"
i II.—'“All. elre."
K. R ' Excellent! Perhaps this
may serve to teach theta that they only
deceive ihsmeelves by their egottem;
that u i matter how loud they crow, the
world still tvgards them as hens." U.
A C.
HtlliMv II4I4 X 1,4,4,1 | iiituttie,
Au Anted- aa <*'•*<spay primed U.
! 1st! contain • this Interesting informs*
I lion! "CnUfornta is a wild and annual
t unhn >wn land, covered throng hunt the
I year by danse fugs- ae damp as they
j are unhealthy tin tha northern ehotea
| live anthropophagi and in tha inter Mr
! me native volcanoes sad tost plains aI
I oh tiling hSow. which sometimes shoot
I np columns tn tn-'—aesivahls heights.'
1 Tha booh adds that soma of these
statements nun Id seem k acted this ween
| they hot so nail nut bent tented by trait*
nnrth| liaretersc
OLD TIME CUSTOMS.
By Winona Butler.
There ts no brighter fact In history
than Christmas. The golden thread of
its influence can be traced through
nearly nineteen centuries. On the first
Christmas morning the angels sang:
"Peace on earth, good will to men."
The glad refrain has been repeated
each Christmas season In every Chris
tian land, though the character of the
music varies greatly.
Our ancestors were In the habit of
forming companies which went from
house to house, singing Christmas
carols In the streets. These beautiful
carols would break the stillness of the
winter night or early Christmas morn
ing, making a most delightful begin
ning to the merry day.
But these holy jubilees had as rivals
the mingling Instruments of thoso
wandering spirits of harmony—the
“Walts." One author writes: "Many
and many a time have we been
awakened by the melody of the Walts,
and have Iain and listened to their
wild music, Its solemn swells and ‘dy
ing falls,' kept musical by the distance
and made holy by the time, till we
stars were again singing as of old they
‘sang together for Joy,' and that the
sounds of their far anthem came float
ing to the earth.”
The German children probably be
lieve more firmly In Krlss Kriqgle, or
Santa Claus, than do the children of
any other nation. Germuny Is the birth
place of Krlss Krlngle, and the won
derland of fable and poetry. German
children are taught to love the
Chrlst-chlld. In many parts of the
country It 1s the custom, on the morn
ing before Christmas, to let a figure
representing the Chrlst-chlld wave
post the window of the room where the
little ones sleep. Half awake only, In
the gray of the morning they see this
little child-figure flit dimly past, and
they go to sleep again In the blissful
consciousness that the Chrlst-chlld has
not forgotten them, and that they will
have un abundance of presents around
the tree In the evening.
A beautiful custom In Norway and
Sweden Is the Christmas feeding of
birds. Hunches of oats are placed on
the roofs of houses, on fences and
I
It went out. It was considered a sign of
ill-luck.
The Christmas dinner was the cen
Cital fenture of all the gay festivities.
The table was literally loaded with
good cheer. The boar's head held the
place of honor and was a lordly affair.)
brought In by the butler, attended by
a servant on either side with a large;
wax light. The head was carried on a;
Bilver dish, the tusks piercing bright-)
red apples, while between them an
orange was laid, the whole graced with
nn abundance of sauce. When this,;
"the rarest dish in alt the land,” was
placed at the head of the table, one of
the company sang a carol suited to the
great occasion.
The Christmas peacocks were also,
gorgeous, the bird being flayed, roast
ed and then sewed up again in ail the
splendor of its brilliant feathers, a
piece of cotton saturated with spirits
being placed within the gilded beak
to burn while the carver was at work.
Still more curious was the ancient
peacock pie, the bird being covered by
the crust, save that on one side appear
ed his plumed crest, while from the
other side protruded the gorgeous,
spreading tall.
Mince pies were called Christmas or
December pies, as the old rhyme
went—
"Treason’s In a December pie
They (late beck to 1596.
The classical plum pudding must be
added to the list of good things,
though, sad to relate, It was really
plum porridge, and not pudding, as
wo have always believed.
An old poem says—
"And those that hardly all the year
Had bread to eat or clothes to wear,
Will have both clothes and dainty fare,
And all the day bo merry.”
Tho leader of all the merry-making
was called tho Uord of Misrule or Ab
bott of Unreason. The wardrobes at
hulls and manor houses were often lafd
under contribution to furnish fantas
tic disguises.
Snap Dragon was one of 'the favorite
sports. Raisins were placed In a largo
shallow dish and brandy poured over
the fruit and ignited. The lights In
the room were extinguished, and In
the weird glare tho players attempted
to pick the ralsias out of the flaming
dish:
| W^n % Bells Ringing. I
3 \
3 BY SHIRLEY WYNNE. S
S i*
3 I
a
2 Alone, alone In the crowded street,
3 Alone on New Year’s night,
£ Barefoot and wet with the bllnd
w lng sleet,
3 Pale ’neath the red lamplight,
* A little mutch girl through the
3 crowd
3 Halses a feeble cry
3 While the New Year bells are
a chiming loud,
* "Matches! Oh, will you buy?”
3
3 Oay, bright-eyed, smiling children
8 pass;
They laugh and sing and dance
a and run—
<t They all have happy homes; alas!
3 But this heroine has none!
« Alone, alone in the busy street
3 She cowers on a doorstep nigh
3 While the New Year bells are
3 chiming sweet,
3 Still pleading, ‘‘Will you buy?”
*
t
Hungry and ragged and blue with E
cold— , &
The wind blows keen and loud— If
Her frozen Angers can scarely hold £
The matches to the crowd. £
And still, as faster falls the sleet, &
More piteous grows the cry S
While the New Year bells are £
chiming sweet, K
"Oh, will you—will you buy?" &
k
No more alone In the moonrlse J
gray, a
With face so wan and white; *
The little match girl has gone *
away £
To a happy home tonight; a
For an angel came through the J
. crowded street, a
Hushing the tempest wild, £
VVhllo the New Year IjellB chimed fc
loud and sweet, £
And bore away the child! <k
I
£
»»»»»»»»»>*»»»»»$
trees. Cartloads of sheaves are
brought Into town for this purpose, and
both rich and poor buy and place them
everywhere. The sentiment Is that a
man must be very poor Indeed If he
cannot spare a farthing to feed the lit
tle birds on Christmas day. In many of
the valleys and mountain dales of the
countries watch is kept during the
whole of the night, and all are merry;
randies are kept burning at the win
dows, and the people Hock to church at
four o'clock In the morning, each car
rying a torch.
In some districts. Immediately after
the service, everyone hurries from
church, either on foot or In sleighs, for
there Is an old saying that he who gets
' hi.nts #tm! will have lit* (TOt) rtlht llHf
voted. At thia holiday *r-a*on the
peaaant* dance ou atraw. and the peaa
ant girl* throw straw* at tho Umbered
roof of the hall, and for every one that
•tick* In a crack a lover will come
courting during the year.
In old Knglialt time*, at the close of
the church aervlcea It waa customary
for the clerk In loud and emphatic
| tone* to wish all th* congregation a
Merry t'hriatma* and Happy New
Year In those good old tlmr* an Kng>
Itah gentleman would throw open hi*
hall at daybreak to all hi* tenant* and
neighbor* l«**r. blachjack*. loaat and
cheese were plentiful. Th# great aau
sage toot) be boiled by aunrla*. or ala*
two young men mu at lake the cook by
th* arm* and run her around the mar
ket plm* till the la aahamed of her
laataeea
The Yule tog le n greet leg ef
wood, aometimee th* ru*U of a tree
brought Into the heuet with great
•erawony »* I'hrlatme* Kve. laid th
th* ireptaee and lighted with the brand
of last trail lug While It lusted
there wae greet -triable* binging and
telling nf tale* Aometimee It *** *#•
j ««m pealed hy t hr tat me* ceadWe, hut
lu the cottage* the eutt light was fr»m
, the ruddy hieee ef the greet weud are
; The Yum tog •*» le lure all aighi, if
“Here he comes with flaming bowl—
Doesn't he mean to tako his toll?
Snip, snap dragon.
Take care you don’t take too much,
De not greedy in your clutch,
Snip, snap dragon.”
But In 1652, the question of Christ
mas was brought up in parliament.
They decided It was not iu harmony
with the scriptures; pronounced it
"antl-Christmasso” and abolished ft.
So the Jolly Lord of Misrule became uu
outlaw, and the old picturesque Christ
mas faded away with the severity of
the Puritan atmosphere; but with the
nineteenth century came a revival.
The new Christmas was merry, but
quieter. What It lost In noise and
frolic, It made up In cheerfulness amt
good will; and now. remembering the
____ s __ ss_• nw _i ___
lug. u« hall the merry f'hriatmai day
with—
"I'ear* on earth,
flood will to men.'*
(tin* to* Women u4 Nta
••Women* want*. II meaeuied by
their be longing*, would aeem to be
almoet luuuu*«rable. and of a kind
whgh require loneuul renewing and
replacing," wrilea frame# K Lnnigan
telling of appropriate 1‘krlatmaa gift*
for women and for men "Woman*
Intercom and occupation* require a
greater number of entail thing* for
their equipment then du tkona of men.
and t’hr lei tuna gift* lor them arc.
I here tote. Wore easily prepared. <«’te
rn* a • hetoaging* have Ike further ad
vent*** of being ttaeful aa well a*
beautiful M«* are alway* pteaaed
with *impl* gifta. and are uaually em
OatrMeed wke* pr*ee*t*d with **pe«
•l«* trlhltq of any eetl. The value
t* them of a gift la, a* H eto-uld be
with all pereona III prupeflM* t* It*
vimpiwity and tM*iul»**a **4 out of
proportion to It* Mti"
Uf* • a ehert vumarer. maa I Sow**
-1* MMek
HRKTMAS bells
are ringing,
Ringing glad and
gay,
Voices sweet are
singing
Songs of Christ
mas Day.
Heart, what Joyous
Of music,
• s'X? For thy part doat
•'“* bring?
Hast thou filled sad places
With love’s carolling?
Christmas bells are ringing,
Heart, what gift of thine
Marks the day’s sweet meaning
Purposes divine?
How dost tell the story
Of the heavenly birth
With its streaming glory
Filling all the earth?
Christmas bells are ringing,
Ringing Joyfully,
Heart, a holy helper
Thou thyself must be;
Thou must follow, follow
Him who Is the way—
Be love's advent angel
Bringing Christmas Day,
LEGEND OF THE MAGI
The legend of the Wise Men of the
riunL, ui as Lilt*/ aitr di/h-u in um*
glnal Greek, "the three Magi,” became,
under monkish Influence, one of the
most popular during the middle ages.
The Scripture nowhere Informs us that
these Individuals were kings, or their
number restricted to three. The legend
converts the magi Into kings,gives their
names and a minute account of their
stature and the nature of their
gifts. Melchior, we are thus told, was
king of Nubte, the smallest man of the
triad, and he gave the Savior a gift
of gold. Balthazar was king of Chal
dea, and he offered Incense; he was a
man of ordinary stature. But the third,
Jasper, king of Tarshlsh, was of high
stature, "a black Ethlope,” and lie gave
myrrh. All came with “many rich or
naments belonging to king’s array, and
with a multitude of people to do hom
age to the Savior, then a little child 13
days old.”
The barbaric pomp Involved in this
legend made It a favorite with artists
during the middle ages. The picture of
"The Offering of the Magi," which we
publish, is from a circular plate of sil
ver chased in high relief and partly
gilt, which Is supposed to have formed
the center of a morse or large brooch,
used to fasten the decorated cope of an
ecclesiastic in the latter part of the
fourteenth century. 1
The Empress Helena, mother of Con
stantine the Great, found what she con
sidered the burial place of the three
kings, and their remains were removed
to Constantinople and Interred In the
church of St. Sophia. Later they were
removed to the Cathedral of Milan, and
In the twelfth century to Cologne.where
they still lie, in a magnificent reliquary,
enriched with gems and enamels. These
relics are enveloped In velvet and dec
OFFERING OF THE MAGIS.
orated with embroidery and jewels, so
that only the upper part of each skull la
seen.
THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT.
One of the greatest blessings that
Christmustide brings to us is the
Christmas spirit the fulfilment to the
letter of the Christian law embodied
In the Golden Rule,
This Is not invariably the rase, but
It Is fortunately the rule In a great
number of eases. For a little while—
n month-during the Christmas season,
we are turned away from all spirit of
avarice and selrtshness From the tiny
toddler, who has for the first -lm* be
gun to realise her responsibilities as a
member of the family, to the grand
mother in her snowy kerchief and cap.
we are all plotting and planning or
others. Doing to the great**! pants lo
euareal all our doings in order that our j
gifts may be grnulnt surprises.
If wo are member* of Chriitlan
churches, we hat* the pour with u*
■I this season, ns nt au other We Ihiah
out their needs It ha* been the rule in
Cbriattatt churchee of iale year* to tic■
! vote the • tiering# of the Christmas t **
lo th* mission school. Istvlag bands of
King * t*alighten go about and gather
nil manner of gift* for I hoe* who are
Wen fortunate, for thus* to whom
Chrtetmae otherwise brings tmly empty
larder* and threadbare clothing The
muet sordid among us. Ithe Old d» rouge,
to sure taaltr to have as awakening of
hi# better nature, tu ftnd a drawing
' nt hi# heart string* mare pewerftsi than
the tight drawn strings of Ike money
»
In her '‘Abandoning an Adopted
Farm,” Miss Kate Sanbop tells of her
annoyance at being besieged by agents,
reporters, and curiosity seekers. Sho
Bays: "I was so perpetually harrasscT
that I dreaded to see a stranger ap
proach with an air of business. The
other day I was just stnrting out for ai
drive when I notlcetj the usual strang
er hurrying on. Putting my head out of
the carriage I said, in a petulant and
weary tone: ‘Do you want to see me?
The young man stopped, smiled and
replied courteosuly: ‘It gives me pleas
ure to look at you, madam, but I was
going further on.’ ”
Iowa Patent OIBrf Report. *
Des Moines, Dec. 15, '97.—Six (fi)ap- /
plications prepared in our office an/'
filed and prosecuted by us In the^g
S. Patent Office at Washington,
been allowed to Iowa Inventions (.
not yet Issued) as follows: To O. A.
Rogers, of West Union, for a duplex
stay for buck-saw. To R. O. Rider,
of Mt. Ayr, for a nut lock specially
adapted for railway rail joints, and for
bolts in bridges. A double elbow
shaped key is used and is concealed
and protected when its inner end en
gages and locks the nut. To J. R.
Braden, of Rowan, for a tree-protect
or, made of woven wire adapted to be
adjusted to trees varying in diameter
and detachably fastened and provided
with a top of bibulous material to be
saturated with tar or other adhesive
matter. To H. R. Gregory and R H.
Ratton of Prescott for an adjustable
straw stacker and threshing machine
attachment adapted for elevating
straw to different heights and convey
ing It in different directions relative to
the thresher. An undivided half la
assigned to C. H. Dicks of Dps Moines.
Thomas O. and J. Ralph Orwig,
nmiriUMB ui raicmo.
The absence of meteors which as
tronomers deemed possible this year,
at about November 13 and 14. docs
not appear to have bten observed any
where In Kurope or America, although
the weather was unfavorable, and
there are still a few remote observa
tions to hear from. The failure, how- a,
ever, afTords no reason for supposing
that the areat displays of 1899 and
1900, to which this would have been
merely a preliminary, will not occur
ou schedule time.
Curious Invention.
One pf the most curious Inventions
that has probably been Issued out of
the United States Patent office, was
granted last week to a Scotchman.
The Invention embodies a process of
obtaining useful products from silk
worms. All those desiring free infor
mation as to the laws of patents may
obtain the same In addressing Sues &
Co., registered patent lawyers, Beo
Building, Omaha, Neb.
A smart Chicago operator advertised
that he had discovered a process by
which old and rancid butter could be
made over as good as new, but that he
could only handle large Quantities.
Some dealers sent him samples to try
and in return received perfectly fresh
creamery butter. Then they sent
agents all over the state, bought heav
ily and sent the stuff to him. To their
consternation, he declined to operate
on it, but offered to buy It at a small
figure, much less than they had paid
for it. and as. In the open market It
would be graded as axle grease, they
were obliged to let him have It.
A flood Thing.
The Royal Publishing Company, of
Richmond, Virginia, are offering ex
ceptionally favorable contracts to live
workers. They want men and women
of good character, and allow liberal
weekly salaries and expenses. A line
addressed to them may lay before you
a proposition that will be as surprising
as it 1b gratifying.
In Montenegro they say on Christ
mas eve: "Tonight earth Is blended
with paradise."
The llurlliigton Koute—California Ex
cursions.
Chrnp, (Julrk, Comfortable.
Leave Onmtia 4:3A p. u».. Lincoln fl 10 p. m.
ami Huntings K:S0 p. tn. ©very Thursday In
denn, modern, not crawdod tourist sleeper*.
No transfers; cars run right through to >»ri
Fratn'isco amt !.«** Angeles over the &’©nld
---. -.*.. -.. y
Car* are carpeted; upholgiered In mimo;
have (print and back* and am pro
Tided with cmrtalne, I eddlug. towel*. vna
etc Tinformed purler* and experienced #1*
rareloii conductor* accompany wall exrur
all mi. relieving pnwengera of all lailtier alaiut
baggage, point.Bg out object* of tntcri<*t and
In many other way* helping to make Ilia
overland trip a delightful experience. hecuad
claw ticket* are honored Uerihe fl
for fooler giving full Inform tVlun, call at
m greet llurllngtou Itoute ticket ofllce, or
••lie to J. f ram ie, Ueueral I'aeacuger Ageub
t'leaha. Neb
If Chlneae children do not obey ihelr
pareuta anil the Inner whip them to
death, the law ha* no puntahmvnt for
them aa obedience to pareuta la |li*
cardinal virtue.
'ttluadybe Halletla"
Mill •* pttldlgtn d hy I he ««• I toe Honda?*
. oatglnii.g all Tai v.u im. Nee* end up-be
date It, hxiaatkKi g* to Heat luM-iaa. »e»
«b (a, •ii ieguir aging,.*, owl every facility
m Mine develop laveti isi e to tiwlea
yngpvNM* endatl tbelv trtvad* Tula placed
1 a n going lt«l vead vt v tent* ailg dvH,|M lev
H Hi lU tetl U f A . Minna* putt*, Mlaa
The holiivg i n lllark Mill M*f ^
t'hwreb d« ratio* la Hhropahlre. a»a
rlaiated i« be l.taw yeaia old Maay of
*bet» truaha are Harteea feet la di
ameter a fuel a bote gntuud
The primitive .\ngio rt«t u aaaM tor
i'hrtat., a* «.* «lau Mdr* aeh Moth*
•r • Nyht.
