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The Commoner.
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A flemory.
Sitting in the gathering shadows as the daylight slowly dies,
And the stars begin to glisten through the windows of the skies;
While the memories come trooping from the "dim 'and distant past
And like witches' incantations o'er my mjnd their spell- is cast
In the gray light of the gloaming ' - ; ""
Through youth's days In fancy roaming,' - - -
And the scenes, like phantom pictures, through my mind go dashing fast.
In the old homo 'neath the maples with their waving ' houghs o'erhead , -When
the leaves at King Frost's summons turned from green to gold and 'red,
There we gathered ov'ry evening 'neath the rooftree quaint and low
And knelt down in family prayer in the firelight's ruddy glow.
Mother sitting in tho corner, in her old accustomed place,
Gently rocking, always knitting, with a smilojupoi her face; "1 "-;'
Children gathered in a circle poring over schoplday .themes; '. , . "V
While the backlog, stirred to anger, shot .'abroad its golden beams ' ' ; " '.
As the winter winds were sighing.
For the hours swiftly flying . .
Like the shadows ever dancing on before the chasing gleams.
Singing, talking, playing, laughing;-swiftly time before us sped ..."
Till the old clock on tho mantle gave the warning-note for bed.
Then, when father read the scriptures as the flames danced to and fro
We knelt down in family prayer in firelight's ruddy glow.
Trooping up tho winding stairway, down the dark and chilly hall
Soon the backlog burned to ashes and the darkness cohered all. - '
And wo dreamed about the future dreams of winning gold and fame;
Dreamed of winning wreaths of laurel in the world's Olympic game "
Youthful fancies deeming pleasure '
All that filled life's brimming measure
Till we heard at early dawning father calling each by name.. , '
Ah, the "years are long and lonely, and the group that sat beside
That old fireplace has been scattered since the sweet-faced mother died.
Would that we, again united, hand In hand could once morego
Back and kneel. in family prayer in the firelight's ruddy glow.
the Mean Man. "Of courso Santa Claus
won't visit you. There is no Santa
Claus."
As he spoke tho Mean Man felt a
joy arising in his heart, for here was
a glorious opportunity to make some
one miserable.
"That Santa Claus story is all a lie.
It's time you knew it. I think it a
shame that people will lie to children
about that sort of thing. Now quit
your snivelling. You are too big to
believe that Santa Claus fab! any
longer. I tell you there ain't no Santa
Clause and I'm "
"What's that you're, telling that lit
tle girl?" queried a young man who
"was attracted by the sight of a child in
distress.
." "Ho was just telling me, that there
ain't no Santa Claus, and.I did so want
Santa" ' '
ViYou .been telling 'this' -little, girl
that?" demanded the young man.
"Of course I did. I thirik it a dis
grace to let children believe that fool
ish" Biff! Bang!
It was the Mean Man getting what
was coming to him. And he got plenty.
" Thirty minutes later a' little girl
emerged from a toy shop with her arms
full of bundles and a young man came
but just behind her, w'histling softly
and rubbing a bruised knuckle.'
stomach wjis not burned to a blister
with, bad whisky and you were not a3
nervous as a cat because your flesn
was not soaked full of nicotine, and
you were not up two-thirds of the
night before chasing around a billiard
table at tho club and having just ono
more with the boys. Perhaps taat
had something to do with it."
Mrs. Gruffly might have added more,
but Mr. Gruffly pushed back from the
table and grabbed his hat. His exit
was marked by an unusually loud
slam of the hall door.
'.
W , t
, I'
It Was Coming.
The Mean Man was feeling unusally
mean on this particular morning. It
1 wasnearing the cheerful Christmas
time and the sight of happy childven,
the glitter of the handsome Christmas
' goods' and the general air of good, will,
all" made him feel out of sorts ihe
1 ; worst way. As he wended his way to
vhis office he felt that he -must make
'gomobody miserable or ho could not
"he happy.
1 Turning a corner suddenly he col-
lided with ar little girl. She was cry
ing, and the 'tears ran down her 'little
cheeks while her frame shook with
her sobs. t "
"What's the matter with you?"
growled the Mean Man.
"Please, sir; r was just crying be
cause mamma told me Santa Claus
would, not visit. us this 'year, and the
pretty things in the windows look so
nice, and I want some of them so bad,
an" ' '
"0, quit your snivelling," growled
- .'. Honesty;
' "A penny for your thoughts, Mr.
Lightly," said Miss Pert.
' "Aw, my deah -Miss Pert, they ah' not
wo'th a penny, dontcher know."
"How refreshingly honest -you ar),
Mr. Lightly."
'.
Perhaps. ' r
' ' Mr. Gruffly (tasting" the Thanksgiv
ing turkey) "I can't eat anything.
The turkey don't taste right and the
cranberry sauce is not fit to eat. I
wish I had a Thanksgiving dinner sujsh
as mother used to get up. She was all
right, mother was. She could suit me."
Mrs. Gruffly "Perhaps you did not
feel then as you do now."
Mr. Gruffly "Why not?"
Mrs. Gruffly "Well, when you used
to enjoy your mother's cooking your
Brain Leaks.
Did cny one ever know a "vijlage
cut up" that fulfilled the expectation of
his friends by becoming a great com
edian? The village gossips always feel that
they Have been" imposed ' upon when
the -village -belle marries a young man
mher'Own town. , -. - . . ,
Why is it that a piece of dress goods
displayed in the show window always
looks better than, the same kind of
goods on the counter?
If men would spend as much time
trying to do good as they do trying to
find excuses for being bad, this would
be a much better world.
It is a pity that no one knows the
name of the man who" first called
them "church socials." He deserves a
place on the roll of humorists.
Nothing is more painful than the
.sight of an ancient maiden trying :o
act girlish, unless it is tne signt or a
young' man. trying to act smart.
Living 'in a city has its drawbacks.
You never see the old man who used
to come around every few days to ask
if he could get a job sawing your wood.
We sometimes feel .that preachers
could do better if their congregations
would applaud occasionally. That
sort 6'f thing he'lps aii actor;-why not
a preacher? " -.-
The country boy makes lots of sport
for his city cousin when in town, but
it isn't a marker to the sport the city
cousin makes for his rural cousin when
on his first visit to the country.
A league pitcher has just been signed
to work four months for a salary of
$5,500- A college professor is in luck
if he can get $1,800 for working twelve
months, evory day in the month and
eighejn hours a day. Yet some peo
ple wonder why young men do not
yearn for the higher education.
U Will M. Maupin. ,
. i.
44
The
Commoner,
Condensed
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Is
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Arrangements have been made with
the Abbey Press, of New York, for the
publication of a book of from three
hundred to three hundred and fifty
pages, which will be, as its title indi
cates, a condensed copy of The Com-"moner-
for the first year of its exist
ence. Tho volume will reproduce the
editorials which discuss questions of
a permanent nature, together with
selected paragraphs. A few chapters
will bo devoted to Mr. Maupln's.page,
to tho Home Department and to the
Weekly Press Forum. The last chap
ter will contain the choicest poems
which have appeared iri the paper dur
ing tho year.
The editor has a two-fold object in
issuing this abridgement of the year's
work. He desires, first, to furnish in
convenient form for preservation, the
more important editorials so that sub
scribers who have not kept complete
files may have a permanent record of
the paper from tho beginning, and,
second, he also desires to give to new
subscribers an opportunity to secure
the principal part of the preceedlng
numbers of the paper. Tho publisher's
retail price of the volume will be $1.25
for cloth, 50 cents for paper binding,
but tho following offer is made to sub
scribers: ,
Tho Commoner for one year and
".The Commoner, condensed," cloth
binding, $1.50.
The Commoner for one year and
"The Commoner, condensed," paper
cover, $1.25.
The book is sent postage prepaid.
This offer is open to old subscribers
who renew for one year or to new sub
scribers; Those who have already re
newed can secure the book by sending
50 cents for the cloth binding or 25
cents for the paper cover.
The first year of The Commoner ends
about the middle of January, and "The
Commoner, condensed," will he issued
as. soon after that date as tho work
can he done. Crders .should bo sent
direct to The Commoner; they willbe
fllled as soon as the book is issued
from the press.
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