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Yr3jRfet HERE waa once, in a IWaX MTrl I llyjk. mJm
MgdOSaHgWa far-away country, a glK ft. XlfKwtylf
P89M5! wouacrful church. It E3K L-i XlAnf l 11 v
ftlesifSBSSfl Bt00d on n U,B" hm WDlf iV VW aU( A
HftHa laPt ,n tho midst or a Wjll ISi f); nrffl
$HRrrS1h Great city; nnd every 7f AM -mLA
fftStgSsJfflKtf Sunday, aa well nH on R l) f I II If I
tsStSSSfdZSuB B a c r d d'i'H Hke I ' V III Im
IIICIIE was once, in a
far-away country, a
woudcrful church. It
stood on a high hill
In tho midst of n
great city; nnd every
Sunday, aa well nH on
sacred days like
Chrlntmas, thousands
Of UCOIllo clllilliPfl thn
ffinaPBff Chrlntmas, thousands ! (1 I v'
MiTnT of people climbed the A I & I
inr hill to Its great archways, look C1 J PI I
l u Ins llko llnea of ants all moving Tyi Jf W I
hill to its great nrchwayB, look
ing llko lines of ants all moving
iu mo same direction.
U ono corner of the church wnn n
great gray towor, with ivy growing
uvui u u mr up rb ono could
boo. I Bay ns far as one could
aco, becauso tho tower was
qulto groat enough to fit tho
groat church, and it roso bo far
into tho Bky that it was only in
very inir weamer that any ono
clulmod to bo ablo to see tho top.
Now all tho people know that nt the
top of the tower was a chime of Christ
mas bells. They had hunir them nvnr
i iu vuo B.iuiu airecuon. A '
since tho church bad boen built, and
were the most beautiful bells in thn unrid
groat mualclnn had caat them and arrnnjred them in thX n nr X. "!..?
It was because of tho great holght, which reached up whore tho air was clear,
est and purest; however that might be. no ono who had ever heard tho chimes
fSSSSi-?Jt thv 75e the rBttcai ,n tne worl- Some described them as
SSSSnSSSfSlSS' ,n the Bky: othor8' as Mlag ,,k0 AifwinS
w iB JSS.'SI! JSrJSS -"8
were Chrlstmaa chimes, you see, and
2SnH!LdlyB' J?P fU8tom
J ?hi?f ihS cthurch th0,f offorJn88 to
thn miiain tuZ -i.7- T.r ir.
Zrrr "-"" .ru" . l" ""simna
..., .0b years mey had nover boen heard. It was Bald that neonla hnh
been growing less careful of their gifts for tho Chris "hlld and thS no oil
ing was brought, groat enough to deserve the music 5 llo' chimes
llrvriroCiltraaS Er..th0 r.,ch I"30"10 8tl crowded to the aHar; each ono
K5nbrg,8.0mo,?etteI 8ft than nny othr. without giving anything that
h. " lA ,or. ,h,m80,f' nnd tho church was crowded with those who thoucht
?5lcrwrntnionrdndnCnr!,Ul.,I,nC,,8W,n!Bht b? hard ga,n " ' ffhoSS"?K
ffi.tafflj .nnnthe,B0tonrowgefr.P,",ty' n'y th rar f tD0 W,nd
3? n n,1,mbor of m,l0 om tho city, in a little country village, where
fh gn.h"ld l, Rcon,r tho Breat church but glimpses of tho "Tor when
w.roathor,w?." flTl0 "vcd a by nnmcd Pedro. n h8 little brother Thlv
SrXW1"?. bUt !o Chrlstmos chimes but they had hSrt o r tUo
ad nftnn Eu, 'J"1" on. chr'8tma8 Evo, and had a secret plan, which they
Station. VOf Whn by thomselve8. to go to soo the beautlM colj.
thl'Jl0b?fy4 can guef 8 L,tt,e Brother," Pedro would say, "all tho fine thlncs
2EiELt0 Se " hca5: nd l have cven he,ird t said that the ChriBtS
nA Z i?e ??? to D,CBB tne BcrvIco- What " wo could see Hlmr
Tho day before ChrlBtmna was bitterly cold, with a few lonely snowflakca
XWtth a li1 and a haur.d wh,tp cruat on the ground SuroenSh, Pedro
and Little Brother were able to Blip quietly away early In tho afternoon- and
?,Sh h? "1?. hard ,n th0 it0 a-. beUVABhtfaTthey had
ittCl"Kfar' hia",d !j? huand' that thy Baw tho lights of tho Si "it? fust
i'cad SM"1, Indeod thy wero aD0Ut to enter ono of the great Kates in
tho wall that surrounded it. when they saw something dark on fho snow near
BTBTBtJ TB?BTBTBTBTBThlBBrB'lmBTf C j"l.
ma milium, ii was pretty nara to lose tho
muslo and splendor of the Christmas celebration that ho had boon plnnnlng
for so long, and spend the time instead In that lonely placo in tho snow
The groat church was a wonderful place that night. Every ono said that it
had nevor looked so bright and beautiful berore. When the organ played and
the thousands of people sang the walls shook with tho sound, and llttlo Pedro,
awayoutslde the city wall, felt the earth tremble around htm.
At the close of tho service camo tho procession with tho offerings to bo
S V
j&fS j, ecn(cc
cr I&' Ss &!w&
vvs- .- HK9
Some thought it was because a
h.e"dA1iom '1 ?ea" W They
were not meant to be played by men or
on Crttmn8 Eve ?or Who people ?o
the Christ-child; and when the greatest
V" u?cu l" cono sounain
cnimeB far un in tho tower, llut for
meir puiu, ana stopped to look at It.
It was a poor woman, who had fallen Juat
outside tho. city, too sick and tired to get In
where eho might have found shelter. Tho
soft snow made of a drift a sort of pillow for
her, nnd she would soon bo bo sound asleep,
In the wintry air, that no one could over
waken her again. All this Pedro saw in a
moment, and ho knelt down beside her and
tried to rouBo her. oven tugging at her arm
a little, as though he would have tried to
carry her away. He turned her face toward
him, so that ho could rub some snow on-it,
and when he had looked at her silently a
moment ho stood up and Bald:
"It's no uho, Llttlo Brother. You will have
to go on alone."
"Mono?" cried Little Brother,
not bco Ibe Christmas festival?"
"And you
No," laid Pedro, and ho could not keep
back n bit of a choking Bound In his throat.
See this poor woman. Her face looks llko
tho Madonna In tho chapel window, and Bho
will freeze to death If nobody cares for nor.
Every one lias gono to church now, but when
you come hack you can bring -some ono to
help her. I will rub her to keep her from
freez ng, and perhaps get her to cat tho bun
that Is left in my pocket."
"But I cannot bear to leavo you, and go on
alono," said Llttlo Brother.
'.'ih, ot UR noort not miss tho service,"
oald .Pedro, "and it had better bo I than you;
and phi if you get n chance. Llttlo Brother,
to Blip up to tho altar without gettlug in any
ones way, take this llttlo piece of Bilver of
mine, and lay It down for my offering, when
no one is looking. Do not forget whore you
havo left mo, and forglvo mo ror not going
with you."
In this way ho hurried Llttlo Brother off
to the city, and winked hard to keep back
tho tears, as ho heard tho crunching foot
"teps sounding farther and farther away in
"rt, "..- . uw ,v w mi, i0r inmBuii mo cnimo or tne unnitmaB bell
'BSfSS AraLm?Uro)?lhhe.?.hurf Lh' "0 People saw the k"g
Btones, and lay It gleaming on the altar, as his offering to tho
holy Child. "Surely," every ono Bald, "wo Bhall hear the bolls j
now, for nothing llko this has ever happoned bofore." 1
But still only the cold wind was heard In the tower, and
the people shook their heads; and some of them said, as they
had before, that they nover really believed the story of the
chimes, and doubted If they ever rang at all J
The DrOCCSglon Was OVCr. nnd thn nhnfr hoiran Iho ntn.l.. V.
hymn. Suddenly the organist stopped playing as though he &
had been shot, and every ono looked at the old minister, who V?
r.wo maiiuiuB ujr me Hilar, noiaing up jus nana ror silence.
Not a sound could be hoard from anyone in tho church, but
as the people strained their ears to listen, there came Boftly,
but distinctly, swinging through the air, the sound of the
chlmoB In the tower. So far away, and yet bo clear tho muslo
seemed so much sweeter woro the notes than anything that
nnd been heard before, rising and falling away up thcro In the
Bky, that the people In the church sat for a momont as still ns
inuugn Boracining neici cncii or them by the shouldors. Thon
they all stood up together and stared straight at the altar, to
see what great gift bad awakened the long silent bells.
. tUA..1 iha!.tho neareBt f them saw was the childish flgur
of Little Brother, who had crent nortiv .inw th i.t nh.n
no one was looking, and had laid Pedro's little pleco of silver
on tho altar.
Behind the Gift
By Barbara Lee
MERRY Christmas!
You'ro welcome!
How have you en
Joyed the first few
hours today? Hasn't
It been exciting and
interesting! Now that
the first little calm
has come after the
Btorm, lot us settle
backtolook onco again
at gifts that aro our
special fortune to own
in the great Hvhik
room. There's father's gift. Can't you
see dear old dad behind every nam of
your favorite set of books? All calf.
too, and illustrated by the only artist
that nppeals to you. What riches He
In the palm of your hand as you look!
No one can rob you of these. Every
pngo means the door of a new treasure
house. How good of dear fathar! I
wonder how ho knew? Ho must hnvo
been listening when you nnd your
chum hod that ripping discussion of fa
vorites. And you can't understand how
he knew the color of your collection.
Ah, woll! Trust a father.
Mother's dressing gown. She made
It unholpcd and probably In tho lato
night hours after the very long day.
Seo how cleverly her fingers hnvo
mndo three yards of cord look like
much more. The loops nnd buttons nre
handmade; they cost bo much less, and
you know mother hasn't n bank nc
count of her own. She has not cut
down tho rations, either. It's just her
groat, generous heart that hatf accom
plished tho seemingly Impossible thing.
The oyes aro not so bright riud blue as
when'sho was the happy, laughing girl
that dad first loved. But sho sees Just
as far beneath the surface, and she
knows how much you long for some
things. Ah, what a world of sacrifice
and love stands behind these gifts.
Oh, my! Don't smlleliut Isn't this
Just like that great, blundering cub of
a Bob? He must have paid five or six
dollars for this. Poor, misguided, stung
brother! Now you can Just see him
sauntering Into the "nrt (snve the
markl) needlework" store. Do you bco
his airy nonchalance as he casts his
eye over tho pincushions arrayed In
glistening, satiny lines? How much
Is this? And this? Tho latter being
tho more expensive, was quickly
chosen. Oh, what ever are you going
to do with It? Bright pink satin, with
a suggegtlve bunch of bright forget-mo-nots
blooming out from benontb. a ruf
fle of very cheap lace. You'll never
forget it. You know tho kind of
things you seo at fairs. It may be tho
reason! Perhaps the fair Is an In
stitution for helping hopeless pin
cushions along an easy way,
But that's Bob for you! Cnro freo,
big hearted, a little rough on tho es
thetic edges, but ever willing to give
you the best. Put back the abomina
tion of satin and sawdust. Don't hurt
his feelings, please. Thank him for his
thought, his generosity, You can do
this without being a hypocrite
Hero's something that hurts. Why?
Oh, becauso it has been given to "get
ahead" of you. She has money and has
bought the most expensive of its kind
and has forgotten to remove the price!
Sho really should not have done this,
for she Isn't one ot your inner circle
and she doesn't care for you. Money
stands back of this. Nothing more
than the dollar mark lies beneath the
lid. You know It, and a blush mounts
iW ;
(Oopyrlght, by Dobln-McrriU Co.)
to your checks when you think of tho
few remnrkB that you heard tho giver
make about you at Laura's toa. Why
do people do these things?
Here's a queer one. Lift up the box
lid again. It's an old shoo box, but
some loving hands have covered It
with two paper napkins and look at
tho contents! A loaf of the finest
Dutch cake you ver tasted. Dear
Bridget nevor forgets you. does sho?
In her llttlo four-roomed cottage, where
bijos very nappy and very bU3j. she
always bakes tho broad that you rel-
Ish and sends her awkward husband up
wun ner Dest wishes every Christmas
day In the morning. What that cake
means only you and she can tell.
Let us look again at the llttlo card
before you. What did that? A tear
falls on the colored church, with its
bright roof and another splashes on
the snow that is piled with childish
prodigality at the roadside. A little
boy has drawn that all for you. He
calls you "Dear One." and once ho told
his mother that he felt sure that angels
iook iiko you, but she corrected him, as
ii a cnua couia oe stopped In harm
less wonderings, and he never again
ventured along lines of comparison.
Poor little boy! You know'what that
card means! It means day and days
of work. It means the gratitude of a
crippled child who can't use a flngor
without pain. And ho has drawn this
for you!
Oh, my, isn't this funny! That clown
of a Jack Is up to his tricks again.
Ho hus bought a book for 49 cents and.
has inked It with his foolish hand, add
ing, "Reduced to $1.08." And to pllo
Ossa on Pellon, he has boen addition
ally rrank In suggesting thnt it's "trcs
bum." That man can always get a
smllo from you.
There, you've dropped something!
Don't loso that. It's a letter. Are you
going to road it again? Why, you know
every word in it!
"Dearest," it says, "I send you my
heart, my bouI, ray llfo's best thoughts
and actions. Will you keep them? Ah,
no need to tell you what stands behind
tho note. You know, don't you?
That's why it has been a very happy
Christmas!
CHRISTMAS THE CHILD'S DAY
By Rev. Brandford Leavlrt.
Christmas is tho child's day In the
Christian year, and how this weary
and unoasy world needs the child-
llko mind to save it from Itself. What
is nioro subtly fitted to tho needs of a
worn and dissipated world than tho
image ot all that Is allvo and fresh
and unstained? It is the child in men
we look for and love again today tho
child Is the savior that answers a
mlle with a'smllo, that responds to
the confidence with confidence, ready
to take you and me for what we would
llko to bo and thus lifts us nearly to
our Jdeal.
I havo admired wit in mon and In
fluence and grnce and beauty in wom
en and I find also that one dlsturbes
these, grows lndlfforejit to them as bo
gets older and sadder and wiser, but
loves In men and women the little
child, longs for some one not to ad
mlro nor praise nor bo charmed by,
but somo one to love so that loving
shall bo peaco.
Our, Gifts.
Aa the Magi came bearing gifts, bo
do we also gifts that relieve want;
gifts that aro sweet and fragrant with
friendship; gifts that breatho lovo;
gifts that mean service; gifts inspired
still by the star which shono over the
City of Onvld, nearly two thousand
years ago. Kate Douglas Wlggln.
e-ife
Bu III '
fill
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'ifa? ornwrK-"wYwwmpiW( tthng aoo
Some aro an-hungored, some athhrst,
Some are borne down with heavy woe,
Some are of sin and shame accursed,
But in the Eve-star's heaven-glow
All are befriended, each has heard
Messages that bid him rejoice.
We are the ones that speah. the Word
Brother, my brother, it is His voice.
We go a-shuddering to the door
Sorrowing over all the want,
Giving the gifts brought of our store
Into the hands by pain made gaunt
Nay, 'tis not ours that find the way
Into the darh. and noisome street,
Bringing the cheer of Christmas day
Brother, my brother, it is His feet
Child lips to laughter alien-strange
Show us a miracle in this while,
When over them there comes a change
When for the once they Know a smile.
Baubles we bring are jewels fair
Found in the distant wonderlands.
Thinh. you 'tis we who bring them there?
Brother, my brother, it is Hi's hands.
Pulsing to us through the centuries
Murmurs forever in one deep Keyi
"As ye have done it to one of these
So have ye done it unto Me." "
Give as we can, and. gladly, too
Out of the soul does the impulse start
What is the throbbing in me and you ?
Brother, my brother, it is His heart
EARLY CHRISTMAS DAYS
Quaint and Interesting Customs That
Prevailed When the Church and
Festival Were Young.
In the early .days of the church, It is
said that 'tho bishops used to sing
carols on Christmas day among their
clergy, and around tho sixteenth cen
tury tho well-known practice observed
by children of going around the neigh
borhood singing Christmas carols be
neath the windows of the houses, was
commonly observe!, usually tolling
place on Christmas morning. One of
tho oldest and most beautiful of the
Christmas carols that has come down
to the present day open with these
words:
"Ood rest you. merry gentlemen,
Let nothing you dlmay,
For Jchub Christ, our Savior.
Wan born upon this day.
To nave ua all from Satun'a power.
When wo wero eono astray.
O, tidings of comfort and Joy!
For Jsua Christ, our Savior,
Was born on Christmas Day."
It is sometimes more appropriate to
sing tho ChrlstmaB carols on Christ
mas evo than on Christmas day, al
though thoy nro sung at both, times;
but In England tho choir of the village
church used to go around to the prin
cipal houses In tho parish and -sing
somo of tbeso simple hymns on Christ
mas evo regularly.
Frequently tho singers were ac
companied on some Instrument and
often the picture presented was a
pretty ono. The figures of the group
of singers, only visible In the dark
ness by the lanterns thoy carried, and
the sweet melody sung and played,
made tho observance a Btriklng and
beautiful one.
Sometimes in England, the carols
were also sung in the churches in
placo of tho usual psalms and hymns;
although it was' more customary for
tho clerk ,at the closo of the sorvlco
In a loud volco to wish ull tho congre
gation a merry Christmas and a hap
py New Year.
ON
(03lin
III
fo-fkifclq&
FRIGHTENED BY SANTA CLAUS
How the Dear Old Saint Carried Con
sternatlon Into an African Mis
sion House,
An amusing story of bow Santa
Claua frightened tho black children at
a mission station when he first ap
peared to them a few years ago, is
told by tho wife of a missionary sta
tioned at Ballunda, Africa. They had
celebrated Christmas at Ballundu be
fore, but they never had had Santa
Claus, so Mr. Stover, the, missionary,
dressed up as good Saint Nick.
"He had been padded and powdered
and packed until his own mother
would not have known him," Mrs. Sto
ver afterward related. "Prcsqntly wo
gavo the signal, the door flew open
and In walked Santa Claus. But dear
mel What consternation I He was
greeted with shrieks and groans and
criea of 'Let me outl It is tho evil
one. It is the day of Judgment I '
"The urchins, catching the infection
of terror from the older black people,
lied to their bedrooms, fell down upon
their faces, crept under chairs and ta
blesanywhere to hide thomselves.
Poor old Santa ClaNis never had such
a greeting before. As Boon as ha real
ized the panic he had caused, he toro
off his tall hat and white cotton board.
Then from the bags on his back ho
bogan to throw gifts right and left
una 10 ten wno ne was.
"Iteassured once more, everyone
was soon laughing and chatting,
munching the great 'red breads'
(doughnuts), tasting their fruits or
nibbling at the sweets from tho famll
lar little bags.
"It seemed as though everyone tried
to talk louder than his neighbor as
they examined the costumo or Santn
C aus whom they now no longer fear
ed. Ono man Bald that ho thought it
was John the Baptist, another that It
was Elijah returned. Yet another
thought it was Satan himself, 'and all
my sins rose up before me;' while a
fourth, confessed, 'My only thought
was to hldo myself.' "
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