Light the fires of Christmas tide:
Kindle thorn well with oil and pine;
Huild them biR, and deep, and wide:
Let their light through the ages shine.
Shine on the path of the rugged past.
Where mankind has Journeyed through;
Light up the path to a life more vast.
Shadowing up through the starry blue.
Cast on the logs; make the flames leap
higher:
» Pluck from the bough and mistletoe— .
' To the spirit of Christmas time aspire, i
Peace, good will to friend and foe. *
Peace on earth and friendship true,
Undlmmed as the light of Bethlehem's
star—
A grander and subllmer view
Comes with that light through the ages ^
A death in life, and life in death,
> Do we behold, but know that life
Is uppermost tu all things yet—
King, joyous bells, throughout the
strlfe.
For now- Is born the Prlnee of Peare,
i And he is "Love" among us now;
Bing out, glad bells, and never cease,
, While there Is life on earth below!
SANTA CLAUS, V. S.
?HE big blond mechanic
looked awkward and out
of place in the crowd of
women shoppers at the
toy counter. He seemed
painfully conscious of the
sharp contrast between
his old working clothes
and the stylish dresses of the ladies
who jostled him on either hand. One
given to studying the faces of Christ
mas shoppers would easily have read
the question which makes Chirstmas
the most pathetic as weli as the happi
est holiday in the year—the question,
“Can I do it with the little money I
have?”
At length the man c-aught the eye
of a sales girl, and leaning over the
counter said in a low voice:
“Say, miss. I’ve got a little feller at
home that's been talking for months
about Sar.ty Claus bringing him a
horse. I’d like to get him one if I can
afford It. How much is this?" and he
pointed to an equine paragon in front
of him.
“That is three dollars,” said the sales
girl. “Best grade we’ve carried. You
see it’s covered with real horse hide
and ha3 a real hair tail and mane.”
The mechanic shook his head hope
lessly.
“Yes,” he said, “it’s a fine horse, all
“THAT’S EASY."
right, but I can't pay that much. 1
thought p'r’aps I could get something
for a dollar—a smaller one, mebbe.”
“I’m sorry,” said the girl, sympa
thetically, “but we cleaned out every
one of the cheaper kind this afternoon
and this is the only one that’s left of
the three-doliar lot.” Then suddenly
her face lighted up. “Oh, say,” she ex
claimed, "wait a minute.”
She dived under the table and came
up with a counterpart of the horse
they had been discussing; a counter
part, but with a broken leg and minus
that very useful appurtenance, a tail.
“There,” she said, “I just happened to
think of this! Somebody knocked it
ofT the counter yesterday and broke
the leg. The tail kept coming out any
way. and I guess it’s lost now. You
could have this for a dollar. Mebbe
you could fix it all right.”
The mun examined the fracture seri
ously. “Why, that’s easy,” he said.
“All it needs is to peel the hide up a
little and splice the leg and then put
on some of old Peter Cooper’s salve.
Make it as good as new.”
“And perhaps you can get some
norsehair and make a tail. They’re
lust tied in a bunch and put in with a
plug.”
“Oh, I’ll fix that all right, miss. I’ve
got an old bristle shaving brush that
'. can use It’ll be real stylish one of
hem hobtailed coach horses, you
snow."
They both laughed.
“You’re mighty good, miss, and I’m
obliged to you.”
“Oh, that’s all right,” said the girl.
“I know how it is Christmas times
myself," and she sighed as the cus
tomer turned happily away to play his
part of Santa Claus, veterinary sur
geon.
Vo Xmaa Fan In Scotland.
Ia consequence of the Presbyterian
form of church government, as consti
tuted by John Knox and his coadju
tors on the model of the ecclesiastical
polity of Calvin, having taken such
firm root in Scotland the festival of
Christmas, with other commemorative
celebrations retained from the Roman
calendar by the Anglicans and Luth
erans, is comparatively unknown in
that country, at least in the lowlands.
The tendency to mirth and jollity at
the close of the year, which seems
almost inherent In human nature, has
in north Britain been for the most
part transferred from Christmas and
Christmas Eve to New Year's day and
tho preceding evening, known by the
appellation of Hogmenay. In many
parts of the highlands of Scotland,
however, and also in the county of
Forfar, and one or two other districts,
the day for general merry-making is
Christmas.
©no or
(pmr
Twine the bittersweet and holly
Arched above the hearthstone's glow,
Joy, not melancholy.
Came, Indrifting with the snow;
In each face the frost's a-tingle.
And afar on flying wing
Comes the sleigh bell's rhythmic jingle,
Through December Journeying.
Set the board and ask the blessing
For the bounty amply spread.
In the simplest words expressing
What a loving father said—
“Peace on earth"—for this Is nearest
When the snows with ns abide.
And the winter air is clearest
In the hush of Christmastide.
Bring the old musician's llddle,
Belie of the bygone (lays.
Send ihe fairest down the middle
While the lilting music sways;
Light of foot and quick of laughter
Swing the dancers, toe and heel,
As they pass or follow after
In the quaint Virginia reel.
Deck the tree and light the candles.
Let the stockings all be hung.
For a saint with furry sandals
O'er the housetops high has swung;
And his reindeer steeds are prancing
Through tlie star-bespangled rime.
And the moonbeams pale are glancing
In the merry Christmastime.
FORTUNE IN THE MISTLETOE.
1
m
N Georgia there Is a farm
devoted to mistletoe and
holly growing. It is
owned by the Cartledge
family, consisting of
mother and two daugh
ters, but the daughters
do the farming. It all
began through the fait
ure of the elder sister to make
an immediate triumph in art, to
study which she went to New
York. She realized in the great city,
as she never could have in her rural
southern home, that talent for art is
too general to leave murh hope for
special distinction, and wisely con
cluded to turn to something that
would bring more speedy results. Be
ing an observant young woman. Miss
Cartledge noticed that holly and mis
tletoe brought extremely high prices
and bethought her that on the 500
acres at home in Georgia both grew in
wild abundance. She returned home
and she and her sister began to pre
pare for making the neglected luxu
riance of marketable value. In the
months of January and February fol
lowing they get out ten acres of young
holly trees with their own hands.
Their colored farm hands would not
plant a holly tree for worlds, as they
believe that if they did they would die
as soon as the tree became tall enough
to cast a shadow the measure of their
graves. Last Christmas the sisters
found the trees so grown that they
required thinning out and the trees
that were removed were sent north for
Christmas trees and brought high
prices, as they were symmetrical and
covered with large, rich berries. They
plant the mistletoe berries under the
bark of old oak trees In a crack or
hole, where they can get hold as they
germinate.
Preacher as Prime Minister.
The p^ime minister of Holland, Dr.
Abraham Kuyper, has broken the rec
ord by being the first doctor of divini
ty and preacher to hold that position.
A CHRISTMAS WAIT.
By Emma Alice Browne.
Break In the dreary East, and bring: the
Eight!
Hlae, holy Christmas morning! Break
and bring
The blossom of our hope—the stainless
King—
For weary Is the night!
Strange darkness wraps the haggard
mountain rim;
And worn with failure, spent with grief
and loss. *
From the pathetic shadow of His Cross
We yearn and cry to Him.
Sad pilgrims, burdened with unshriven
sin.
Oppressed, and cowering 'neath the chas
tening rod.
We humbly seek the path Ills feet have
trod.
And strive to enter in.
His anger is so slow—His love so great—
Tho’ we have wandered in forbidden
ways.
Spurned end denied Him, all our fruit
less days.
He calls us long and late.
We are so poor! Of all the squandered
years
We bring no tithes of oil, or corn, or
wine.
Nor any offering to His spotless shrine,
Save penitential tears.
We arc so friendless, in our abject need
We can but cry to Him In bitter stress;
Yet He will not despise our nakedness.
Nor break the bruised reed.
Hard was the lot for His contentment
spread;
Rough was His garb, and rude His lent
en fare;
In all the earth He had not anywhere
To lay his weary head!
His patience is so long. His wrath so
slow,
Tho' mocked and scoffed, insulted and
denied.
Beaten with many stripes, and crucified,
He will not bid us go.
By all the anguishe of His laden breast—
The bloody sweat—the sleepless agony—
The pangs and pennance of (lethsemane—
He giveth the weary rest.
Break In the dreary East, oh. morning!
Rise
With healing in thy holy wings, and
bring
Fruition of our hope—the promised
King,
And blameless Sacrifice!
A sudden pulse of waking life we hear
Throb in the hush of hollow glude and
dell;
The hills take up their olden cantlele:
"Behold! The Dawn is near!”
And far against the soft auroral glow,
Peak over peak the kindling summits
burn;
The vales, rejoicing, seem to lift and
yearn
Thro' curling mists below.
And far along the radiant heights of
morn
A sudden hurst of choral triumph swells.
The sweet Te Deura of an hundred bells—
And lo! "Messiah's born!"
And all the burden of our grief and sin
Is lifted from our souls forevermore.
As humbly knorkhig at the Master's door
He bids us enter in.
(JheDm//uesS(ofy)
The Dominie used to complain some
times about the character of the stories
the rest of us told. He said they were
too economical in their use of the ele
ment of truth. And truth was so
cheap, and also so interesting, he
would say. We were always ready to
admit that it was interesting, but were
not so free to acknowledge its cheap
ness. Like other exotics it seemed to
us expensive. Fiction, being so much
more easily produced, appeared to be
the true mental provender in the Corn
Cob Club, a social institution where
we decided questions of great pith and
moment by the aid of the civilizing
and ennobling influence of tobacco in
cinerated in cob-pipes. The Dominie
had quit smoking when he entered the
ministry, but he always said the cobs
smelt good, so we hail hopes of bis
reclamation; besides, the air was usu
ally so thick that he absorbed enough
to bring him up, in a large measure,
to the high philosophic plane occupied
by the rest of us.
It happened on Christmas Eve that
somebody told a story appropriate
enough to the season so far as the sub
ject went, but palpably impossible con
sidered as a happening. At least the
Dominie said it was, and threatened to
tell a Christmas story himself; and
being counseled by the Professor, who
was classical in his language, to “blaze
away.” the good man complied as fol
lows:
There used to be a young man J
named Stanwix who was rector of a ;
church at a little town in New Jersey
called Appleburg. Very amiable young
man, not long in the ministry, and un- j
married. Nice-looking chap, too, and
a bright fellow, but he had his trials
at Appleburg. Mainly it was the wo
men—they thought he ought to marry,
and of course they were right. Hut
thinking so wasn't enough for those
dear Appleburg ladies; with the true
feminine desire to help they resolved
to see that he did marry. But here
again they showed a universal femi
nine trait by refusing to combine and
work together. They all labored hard
enough, but independently, and each
with a view to inducing the minister
to marry a different woman.
It had been going on thus for some
months when Christmas approached.
Now of course there isn't much you
can give any man for Christmas—slip
"WHY DON'T YOU GET MARRIED?"
pers and pipes and shot-guns and slip
pers. And in the ease of a parson it's
still worse—you’ve got to drop off the
pipes and shotguns, leaving only slip
pers—and slippers. Of course there are
book-marks and easy chairs, but the
first are trivial and the latter expen
sive; besides, if lie is unmarried ana
you are of the opposite sex, and in the
same state, you will see that you ought
to give him something made with your
own fair hands, and you can't make an
easy chair. So slippers it had to be
for the Rev. M. Stanwix, especially
after his landlady had been sounded
on the subject and reported that the
poor man didn't have a slipper to his
name.
Well, the result was, of course, that
the whole hundred and thirty-six mar
riageable ladies at Appleburg went to
work on slippers; and a few of the
flock who already had husbands also
began slippers, out of the goodness of
their hearts, probably, or maybe think
ing that they might be widows some
day and might as well have a pair to
their credit. The slaughter of plush
and embroidery materials was some
thing cyclonic, and the local shoe
maker had to sit up nights pegging on
soles. Even unfortunate little Jane
Wilkinson wont at a pair hammer and
tongs, though everybody said she
hadn’t a ghost of a show. In the first
place Jane was too young—her older
sister Katharine was conceded to have
a right to enter for the contest, but it
was universally held that Jane had no
right to compete at all. Besides be
ing too young—she was really nineteen
or twenty—she was also plain. She
might have a certain girlish prettiness,
but not the beauty W'hich the wife of
so handsome a shepherd as the Rev.
Mr. Stanwix should have. Further
more, Jane was in no other way adapt
ed for the position—she had been a
good deal of a tomboy, and was yet, for
that matter; she was frivolous and
careless, and was always putting her
foot in it. The first time the pastor
had called at the Wilkinson house,
and while Katherine was entertaining
him in the parlor in the most ap
proved and circumspect manner, Jane
had blundered in, and inside of five
minutes asked him why he didn’t get
married—all the girls said he ought
to. Jane had explained to everybody
that she meant it as a joke, but it haa
generally been pronounced ill-timed
and in bad taste.
But poor Jane kept working away on
her slippers regardless of the talk
Everybody said that Jane’s slippers
wouldn’t fit, or that they would both
be for one foot, or that she would get
the heels sewed on the toe end, or
something. Jane finally put on the
finishing touches and then packed them
In a pasteboard box and tied it with
pink ribbon.
Then she got her other Christmas
presents aeady. She had a lot of hand
kerchiefs \or an aunt, and a shopping
bag for a married sister, and a little
knit shawl for her grandmother, and
a pair of skates for a boy cousin, and
various other things for divers other
persons, including a fine meerschaum
pipe and a pound of his favorite smok
ing tobacco for her brother who was
at college, and who wouldn't be homo
till New Year’s. Each thing she care
fully put up in a box or bundle and
laid it away.
The day before Christmas was a
never-to-be-forgotten time for the
Rev. Mr. Stanwix. Slippers just came
down on him like an Egyptian plague.
Along about four o'clock Stanwix
got crowded out of his room—slippers
piled half way to the ceiling—and had
to put a chair out in the hall and sit
there with an atlas of the world in his
lap writing his Christmas sermon on
it. Mighty tough sermon it was, too,
and got tougher as the slippers contin
ued to arrive. Fact is, he was getting
pretty mad; and every new pair sent
his temperature up five degrees. Con
sequently, at ten o’clock he was just
boiling. Of course he couldn't swear,
but the way he tramped up and down
that hall and ground his teeth really
amounted to the same thing. The
arriving slippers now began to fall off.
For ten minutes nothing came, and he
was just starting down to ask the
landlady if she couldn’t put a cot in
the hall so he could go to bed, when
in came another box. It was from
Jane—just her luck, of course, to be
late and strike him when he was all
wrorked up to the bursting point. But
let us draw a veil over the scene right
here and leave the poor man alone as
he opens Jane’s box.
It was not more than half-past nine
the next morning when the Rev. Mr.
Stanwix mounted the Wilkinson Bteps
and tugged at the door bell. He asked
for Jane. It seemed rather queer, but
they ushered him into the parlor and
sent Jane in. Well, to make a long
story short, it wasn’t ten minutes
until lie had the thing all fixed up. He
had his chair drawn close up beside
her end of the sofa.
“Jane,” he was saying, “I’ve lovad
you ever since the first day I saw you,
but I never knew it until I opened
your box.”
"Then you liked them, did you?
I’m so glad,” murmured Jane.
“I should say I did! Why, it’s one
of the finest meerschaums I ever saw,
and that tobacco used to be my favor
ite brand at college. But, Jane, how
did you know I used to smoke, and
was dying to begin again?”
Jane had stopped breathing at the
word meerschaum. Now she caught
"MOVED INTO THE HALL.”
her breath, and for once in her life
rose to the occasion and didn't put her
foot in it. She simply looked up at
him and smiled demurely.
"Oh, I guessed it,” she said.
“It was the best guess you ever
made. 1 should have died last night
amidst that awful landslide of slippers
if 1 hadn't smoked about half of that
tobacco. I mean to keep on smoking
now—that is, if you don’t object,
dear?’’
Jane scored again.
"I rather like the smell of good to
bacco," she said.—Saturday Evening
Post.
Only President Without an '‘A.',
President Roosevelt is the first oc
cupant of the White House in whose
name the letter “a” does not appear
Not only has that letter appeared in
the names of all previous Presidents
but also in the names of nearly every
one of the G1 Americans who have re
ceived votes for President in the elec
toral college down to William j.
Bryan. There are only eight excep
tions to this rule.
Plurriirr Mnjbrlrk Hnt k»n* It.
It Is generally known by this time
that "Stephen Adams, the composer,
and Michael Maybrlck. the baritons
singer, are one and the same person.
An interesting fact concerning the
first singing of "The Holy City is
not generally known, vis., that Mrs.
Florence Maybrlck was the one who
first sang the words which have aided
so materially In making the name ot
"Stephen Adams” famous. It was
aboard his yacht that Michael ^May
brick composed “The Holy City, and
it was ther that Florence Maybrlck
first gave voice to its melodious
strains.
Cnatl lent of All Monument*.
Mrs. Iceland Stanford is determined
that the university at l’alo Alto, Cal.,
founded in memory of her son, shall
ho one of the greatest educational in
stitutions in the world. The magnifi
cent. Taj Mahal, that wonderful me
morial tomb at Agra, in India, cost
$16,000,000, but this is less than the
endowment of the Stanford university.
The one monument is but a master
piece of beauty, the other is the source
of education and inspiration to higher
achievements for the countless thou
sands in the years to come. Mrs.
Stanford has given her entire time and
attention to her son and to her hus
band. who bequeathed to her this trust
of affection.
How tho Itnw Krk" Helped Him.
William H. Leonard, Tammany can
didate for assemblyman, was compli
mented on his fine voice at the close
of a campaign speech and was asked
what he took to produce such pleasaut
tones. “It’s a secret,” he said, "but
I don't mind letting you in. I swal- i
lowed three raw eggs on my way to
the hall and kept one in my pocket
as a reserve. I sat down on the pock
et, and now I don’t know whether it
was that egg or the other three that
did me good.”
Col. Jack Aator'H Invention.
Colonel John Jacob Astor has patent
ed a marine turbine engine to drive
vessels at high speed, which Is highly
praised by the experts. The Astor tur*
bine differs from other forms in that
it has no stationary parts other than
the Journals and foundation frames
which carry it. The casing of the tur
bine revolves as well as the shaft, but
in an opopsite direction. While the
shaft propels one propeller, the case,
whirling in the opposite direction,
moves a second screw, both screws
driving the vessel.
I’hjmlclans Mach Interested.
Northport, Mich.. Dec. 9.—The medi
cal men are just now eagerly discuss
ing a most remarkable cure of a severe
case of Kidney Disease in this county.
Mr. Byron O. Leslie of Northport has
for years been a victim of kidney de
rangements, with all the consequent
pain and annoyance. He was gradual
ly growing worse and as the disease
advanced he became very despondent,
often wondering if he would have to
endure this suffering all his lifetime.
But at last he found a remedy that
cured him in Dodd's Kidney Pills. He
was much pleased, but did not say
much about it lest the good effect he
experienced would not last. Now,
however, after months of continued
good health he ha3 concluded that he
is permanently cured and his an
nouncement of this has caused a pro
found sensation among the physicians,
and the people who knew' of his appar
ently hopeless condition.
No Place for Phelps or atone.
In some parts of Peru—for example,
in the province of Jauja—hens’ eggs
are circulated as small coins, forty
eight or fifty being counted as a dol
lar. In the market places and in the
shops the Indians make most of their
purchases with this brittle sort of
money. One will give two or three
eggs for brandy, another for indigo
and a third for cigars. These eggs
are packed in boxes by the shop
keepers and sent to Lima. From Jau
ja alone several thousand loads of
eggs are annually forwarded to the
capital.
Catarrh Cannot Be Cured
with LOCAL APPLICATIONS, as they cannot
reach tho sent of tho disease. Catarrh Is a
blood or constitutional disease, and In order to
cure It you must take Internal remedies. Hall's
Catarrh Cure Is taken Internally, and acts
directly on the blood and mucous surface*.
Hall's Catarrh Cure is not a quack medicine.
It was prescribed bv one of the best physicians
111 this country for years, and Is a regular pre
scription. It is composed of the best tonics
known, combined with tho best blood purifiers,
acting directly on the mucous surfaces. The
perfect combination of the two ingredients Is
what produces such wonderful results In curing
Catarrh. Send for testimonials, free.
F. .1 CHENEY & CO., Props., Toledo, a
Sold by druggists, price ihc.
Hall's Family Pills arc the best.
Some men's idea of being a Chris
tian is to look solemn.
Piso's Cure for Consumption is an Infallible
medicine for coughs and colds.—N. W. Simim.,
Ocean drove, N. J., Feb. 17. 1000.
Don’t wait for opoprtunity to call
on you. Go and meet it half way.
ItEU CROSS BALL BLUE
Should bo in every home. Ask your grocer
for it. Large 2 oz. package only 5 cents.
Hapy is the man whose smile is
tne same in prosperity and adversity.
many good physicians and nurses use
Wizard Oil for obstinate rheumatism
and neuralgia. It’s the right thing to
do.
If a man thinks only of himself he
hasn’t much use for brains.
TTalf an hour is all the time required to
dye with PUTNAM FADELESS DYES.
Sold by druggists, 10c. per package.
He who follows his own advice must
take the consequences.
Stops the Dough and
Works Off the Cold
Laxative bronio Quinine Tablets. Trice26a
Some people spend a lot of time in
regretting things that never happen.
DO TOUR CLOTHES LOOK YELLOW
Then use Defiance Starch It will keei
them white—16 oz. for 10 cents. W'U *eel
When bread is wanting
cakes are excellent.
oaten
*