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was such an un
kempt sad looking
creature when lie
presented himself
the back door
i a t Christmhs
morning asking to
something to ea
that Mary was
more than half in
clined to disobey
i the rule of the
Tracy household which stood good
at all seasons of the year as well
as at Yuletide and refuse his re
quest Before she could do so how
ever Mrs Tracy herself came into the
kitchen and with scant show of hos
pitality Mary allowed the tramp to
enter
She had always secretly grumbled
because Mrs Tracy would allow no
one to be turned away hungry and to
day there was no excuse for the fam
ly had just finished breakfast and
there was plenty of food left to give
the man a substantial meal
Goin to come and rob the house
to night likes not was Marys in
ward comment as she put the coffee
pot on the stove and she watched the
man narrowly to see if he were mak
ing a mental plan of the house but
her suspected burglar did not once
look up from the floor as he sat ner
vously twirling his hat
Hes young and able to work
Mary soliloquized as she bustled to
and fro putting eatables on one end
of the kitchen table Might be tol
erable good lookin too if he was
shaved and dressed up and washed
There she snapped setting a cup
of coffee down on the table with as
much force as she could without spill
ing its contents Your vituals set
The man scarcely raising his eyes
dropped his hat and hitched is chair
near the table
Just as he eagerly clutched the cup
of fragrant coffee a door opened- a
pair of merry blue eyes peered into the
kitchen and a shrill little voice piped
out Hello man merry Christmas
The man started shifted uneasily
in his chair but made no reply Un
daunted by his chilling reception the
door was burst open and a golden
haired little boy burst into the room
With the unquestioning confidence ot
childhood he walked up to the
stranger and said gravely I said
merry Christmas
Run Into the other room Donald
Mary put in hastily
The man shot a half defiant glance
at her but did not look at the child
I dont want to the little fellow
replied Hes company and mamma
said I could tain him I bringed the
new Mother Doose book dat I dot from
Santa Clau3 to show he and push
ing a chair close to the table from
It he mounted the end of the table
opposite the man and sat there like a
Bweet rosy cherub observing some
dark spirit -
The tramp who seemed almost
famished paused just long enough to
jp 75
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One star burned low within the darkened
east
And from a stable door an answering
light
Crept faintly forth where through full
hours of night
A woman watched The sounds of day
had -ceased
And save the gentle tread of restless
beast
There dwelt a hush profound The moth
ers sight
So holden by her Babe took no affright
When shadows of the beams that caught
the least
Of light seemed shapened to -a lengthen
ing cross
She only saw a crown made by a fleece
Of golden hair Npught presaged pain or
loss
To her the pivot of the swinging sphere
Lay sheltered in her arms so warm and
near
A mothers heart proclaimed Him Prince
of Peace
Edna A Foster
look wonderlngly at his strange litde
I companion and then gave his full at
tention to the meal
Dont you want to talk Donald
demanded
Im not fit that is er I dont
know how to talk to such a little kid
the man answered
All right I guess you want to eat
the child observed graciously I
guess Ill read to you opening the
book he was holding in his arms You
know Mother Goose dont you
The man shook his head but some
thing like a smile flitted across his
sullen features
Well Ill show you the pictures and
read you bout em This one and
Donald slid along the table as near
to the man as the dishes would al
low this one is about Blue Boy Ill
read bout him and in a chanting
high pitched voice he repeated the
rhyme of Little Boy Blue
Did you ever sleep under i hay
mow he asked suddenly at the con
clusion of his recitation
The -man frowned slightly at the
childish query bit his lip and nodded
Tils head
Was It nice went on his inter
rogator Did your mamma let you
The mans lower lip was pressed
cruelly by his teeth at this question
but a surly shake of his head was his
only reply
Oh was you naughty and runned
away the boy asked slowly
Had Mary been an observing girl
she would have seen under the
scrubby beard and grime on the hag
gard face a dull red flush spread to
the roots of his shaggy neglected hair
Didnt your mamma come to look
for you continued the little tor
mentor
She didnt know where I was the
tramp answered in a strange muffled
voice
Then you hided from her ex
claimed the child with blue eyqes wide
spen
The man was looking out of the
indow now forgetful of his good
reakfast
I was naughty once and runned
away Donald prattled on ana when
my mamma touna me sne was just
awful glad but she cried too wasnt
that funny And she said mothers
sa
m
I k
I Q
t V
ae
was always glad when they got their
boys back even when they was big
and nunned awful far off strayed into
the Baths I forget just what that
part was but she said I must always
come Aback to her an an I dont
A DOOR OPENED
member any more but I guess If youd
go back to your mamma shed forget
the naughty and be glad Do you
think shed cry
The man cast one fierce look over
his shabby person Cry he ex
claimed bitterly Oh he tew
his breath hard between his teeth as
the sight of the baby face choked back
the oath that nearly escaped him
Isnt you goin to eat any more
chirped the little fellow with awak
ened hospitality noticing that his
guest sitting with his head on his
hand seemed to have lost his appe
tite The childs voice roused him
from his thoughts and seeing that
Mary had paused in her work and was
watching him curiously he asked
humbly Can I have some coffee
Meanwhile Donald was turning the
pages of his book Heres a funny
picture he announced pointing with
his fat little finger but its bout a
dreadful naughty boy Ill read bout
him and in a very solsmn and im
pressive tone he repeated tha tale of
Tom Tom the Pipers Son
Its dreadful bad to steal you
know ho commented gravely My
mamma says so and of course she
knows mammas know most every
thing dont they Once whatdo you
think I stole I didnt steal a pig
like Tom but I stole some little cakes
and my mamma talked to me a long
time and sho told me so many things
so Id grow to be a good man Did your
mamma want you to be a good man
too
The man choked on a hasty cup of
coffee but made no reply Donald did
not seem to expect one but chatted on
I was fraid my mamma did not love
me any more when I stole those cakes
cause sho looked so sorry but with
a happy little laugh seemed like she
loved me moren ever after But I
dont want to see her look sorry like
that again Did you ever make your
mamma look sorry out of her eyes
you know
A smothered groan from the
stranger and with a childs Intuition
of something wrong Donald sought
to cheer and console and said reas
suringly Well you just go an tell
her youre sorry an see if she dont
be glad and love you I most know
she will
The man had ceased eating and sat
motionless with his head bowed on
his breast until Mary approached and
curtly asked if he were done eatin
Yes he answered absently and
looking wistfully at the child he
reached for his hat
Is you goin to see your mamma
questioned Donald eagerly
Yes my little man came the an
swer in a clear ringing voice that
made Mary jump and drop a basin
Thats just where I am going But
first tell me your name
Im little Donald Robert Tracy and
my papas big Donald Robert
Good by little preacher Youre
the best one Ive ever heard and
just brushing the golden head with
his lips the tramp passed out of the
door and went down the street not
with the slouching hang dog air with
which he had approached the house
but with head erect and shoulders
squared he swung along with long
easy strides
Of all the ungrateful wretches
exclaimed Mary angrily to Mrs
Tracy who had slipped In through the
half open door He never even said
thank you Her mistress did not
seem to hear but with shining eyes
gathered her little son up in her arms
and as she pressed him closely to her
she whispered brokenly And a little
child shall lead them
A year passed and little Donalds
taining the tramp was forgotten
sj
YOU KNOW MOTHER GOOSEl
DONT YOU
by all save Mrs Tracy She often won
dered what fruit the good seed sown
by the innocent child last Christmas
morning had borne That he had been
Gods chosen instrument for working
out some great end her gentle heart
never doubted
It was therefore a great pleasure
and satisfaction to her to receive a
long letter from the man It was
written from his home in a far eastern
city and told in a simple straight
forward manner the story of his down
fall and how moved by Donalds child
ish prattle he had worked his way
back home resolved to begin life
anew how kind friends had helped
him and encouraged him and how he
was doing well at his old trade of
bookbinding
I was going from bad to worse thG
letter ran and nothing is easier for
a young fellow to do and the road
down to being a common tramp is a
short one when one gets started When
I came to your house that Christmas
morning I was bitter hard and des
perate No one living could have
touched my heart as did that little
blue eyed boy His little sermon with
Its text taken from Mother Goose
snatched this poor brand from the
burning Tell the little chap that 3
founi my mamma and she was glad
as he said
Accompanying the letter was a pack
age of Christmas gifts addressed to
Donald Among other things it con
tained a book a copy of Mother
Goose exactly like the one from
which he had read to the man to
tain him exquisitely bound in
white vellum On the cover in gold
letters was Donalds name and below
it From his grateful Blue Boy
Christmas 189
In England children hang their
stockings at the foot of their beds In
America the whole family suspend
their stockings from the mantelpiece of
the sitting room to save Santa Claus
the trouble of ascending the stairs and
entering each room to distribute his
wares
JJ S nriij twi rim
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The Diamond Bracelet
By MRS HENRY WOOD
Author of Eejst Lynno Etc
CHAPTER XVI
In an obscure room of a low and
dilapidated lodging house in a low and
dilapidated neighborhood there sat a
man one evening in the coming twi
light a towering gaunt skeleton
whose remarkably long arms and legs
looked little more than skin and bone
The arms were fully exposed to view
3ince their owner though he possessed
and wore a waistcoat dispensed with
the use of a shirt An article once a
coat lay on the floor to be donned
at will if it could be got into for
the holes The man sat on the floor
in a corner his head finding a resting
place against the wall and he had
dropped into a light sleep but if ever
famine was depicted in a face it was
in his Unwashed unBhaven with
matted hair and feverish lips the
cheeks were hollow the nostrils
white and pinched and the skin
around the mouth had a blue tinge
Some one tried and shook the door It
aroused him and he started up but
only to cower in a bending attitude
and listen
I hear you cried a voice How
are you tonight Joe Open the door
The voice was not one he knew not
one that might be responded to
Do you call this politeness Joe
Nicholls If you dont open the door I
shall take the liberty of opening it for
myself which will put you to the
trouble of mending the fastenings
afterwards
Who are you cried Nicholls read
ing determination in the voice Im
gone to bed and cant admit folks
tonight
Gone to bed at 8 oclock
Yes Im 111
I will give you one minute and
then I come in You will open it if
you want to save trouble
Nicholls yielded to his fate and
opened the door
The gentleman he looked like one
cast his keen eyes around the room
There was not a vestige of furniture
in it nothing but the bare dirty
walls from which the mortar crum
bled and the bare dirty boards
What did you mean by saying you
were gone to bed eh
So I was I was asleep there
pointing to the corner and theres
my bed What do you want added
Nicholls peering at the strangers
face in the gloom of the evening but
seeing it imperfectly for his hat was
drawn low over it
A little talk with you The last
sweepstake you got into
The man lifted his face and burst
forth with such eagerness that the
stranger could only arrest his own
words and listen
It was a swindle from beginning to
end I had scraped together the ten
shillings to put in it and I drew the
right horse and was shuffled out of
the gains and I have never had my
dues not a farthing of em Since then
I have been ill and I cant get about
to better myself Are you come sir
to make it right
Some the stranger coughed
friends of mine were in it also said
he and they lost their money
Everybody lost it the getters up
bolted with all they had drawn into
their fingers Have they been took
do you know
All in good time they have left
their trail So you have been ill have
you
111 Just take a sight of me
Theres an arm for a big man
He stretched out his naked arm for
inspection it appeared as if a touch
would snap it The stranger laid his
hand upon its fingers and his other
hand appeared to be stealing furtively
toward his own pocket
I should say this looks like starva
tion Joe
Someat nigh akin to it
A pause of and the
handcuffs were clapped on the aston
ished man He started up with an
oath
No need to make a noise Nicholls
said the detective with a careless air
I have got two men waiting outside
I swear I wasnt in the plate rob
bery Dassionatelv uttered the man
I knew of it but I didnt join em
and I never had the worth of a salt
spoon after it was melted down And
they call me a coward and they leave
me here to starve and die I swear
I wasnt in it
Well well talk about the plate
robbery another time said the officer
as he raised his hat you have got
those bracelets on my man for an
other sort of bracelet A diamond one
Dont you remember me
The prisoners mouth fell
I thought that was over and done
with all this time I dont know what
you mean he added correcting him
self
No said the officer its just be
ginning The bracelet is found and
has been traced to you You were a
clever fellow and I had my doubts of
you at the time I thought you were
too clever to go on long
I should be ashamed to play the
sneak and catch a fellow in this way
Why couldnt you come openly in
your proper clothes not come playing
the spy in the garb of a friendly civi
lian
My men are in their proper
clothes returned the equable officer
and you will have the honor of their
escort presently I came because they
did not know you and I did
Three officers to a single man and
he a skeleton uttered Nicholls with
a vast show of indignation
Ay but you were powerful once
and ferocious too The skeleton as
pect is a recent one
And all for nothing I dont know
about any bracelets
Dont trouble yourself with Inven
tions Nicholls Your friend Is safe in
our hands and has made a full con
fession
What friend asked Nicholls too
eagerly
The lady you got to dispose of It
for you to the Jew
Nicholls was startled to incautibn
She hasnt split has she
Every particular she knew or
guessed at Split to save herself
Then theres no faith in woman
There never was yet returned the
officer If they are not at the top and
bottom of every mischief Joe they are
sure to be in the middle Is this your
coat touching it gingerly
Shes a disgrace to the female sex
she is raved Nicholls disregarding
the question as to the coat But its a
relief now Im took its a weight off
my mind I was always expecting of it
and I shall get food in the Old Bailey
at any rate
Ah said the officer you were in
good service as a respectable servant
you had better have stuck to your
duties
The temptation was so great ob
served the man who had evidently
abandoned all idea of denial and now
that he had done so was ready to be
voluble with remembrance and par
ticulars
Dont say anything to me said
the officer It will be used against
you
It came along of my long legs
cried Nicholls ignoring the friendly
injunction and proceeding to enlarge
on the feat he had performed I
have never had a happy hour since I
was second footman there and a good
place I had and I had wished thou
sands of times that the bracelet had
been in a sea of molten fire Our folks
had taken a house in the neighborhood
of Ascot for the race week and they
had left me at home to take care ot
the kitchen maid and another inferior
or two taking the rest of the servants
with them I had to clean the win
ders afore they returned and I had
druv it off ail the Thursday evening
and out I got on the balqueny to be
gin with the back drawing room
What did you say you got out on
The balqueny The thing with the
green rails around it what encloses
the windows While I was leaning
over the rails afore I begun I heard
somehing like click click agoing on
in the fellow room at the next door
which was Colonel Hopes It was
like as if something light was being
laid on the table and presently I heard
two voices beginning to talk a ladys
and a gentlemans and I listened
No good ever comes of listening
Joe interrupted the officer
I didnt listen for the sake of lis
tening but it was awful hot a stand
ing outside there in the sun and lis
tening was better than working I
didnt want to hear neither for I was
thinking of my own concerns and
what a fool I was to have idled away
my time all day till the sun came on
to the back winders Bit by bit I
heerd what they were talking about
that it was jewels they had got there
and that one was worth 200 guineas
Thinks I if that was mine Id do no
more work After awhile I heerd
them go out of the room and I
thought Id have a look at the rich
things and I stepped over slanting
ways on to the little ledge running
along the houses holding on by our
balqueny and then I passed my hands
along the wall till I got hold of the
balqueny but one with ordinary legs
and arms couldnt have done it You
couldnt sir
Perhaps not remarked the officer
There wasnt fur to fall if I had
fell only on to the kitchen leads un
der but I didnt fall and I raised
myself on to their balqueny and look
ed in My what a show it was stun
ning jewels all laid out there so
close that if I had put my hand insiup
it must have struck all among em
and the fiend prompted me to take
one r didnt stop to look I didnt
stop to think the one that twinkled
the brightest and had the most stones
in it was the nearest to me and I
clutched it and slipped it into my
footmans undress jacket and stepped
back again
And got safe into your own bal
cony
Yes but I didnt clean the winder
that night I was upset like by what
I had done and I think if I could
have put it back again I should but
there was no opportunity I wrapped
it up in my winder leather and then
in a sheet of paper and then I put it
up the chimbley in one of the spare
bedrooms I was up the next morning
afore 5 and I cleaned my winders
Id no trouble to awake myself for I
had never slept The same day to
wards evening you called sir and
asked me some questions whether we
had seen any one on the leads at- the
back and such like I said as mas
ter was just come home from Ascot
would you be pleased to speak to him
Ah again remarked the officer
you were a clever fellow that day
But if my suspicions had not been
strongly directed to another quarter
I might have looked you up more
sharply
I kep it by me for a month or two
and then I gave warning to leave I
thought Id have my fling and I be
came acquainted with her that lady
Tr
i
and somohow she wormed out of me
that I had got it and let her dlspoao
of It for mo for she said sho knew how
to do It without danger
What did you get for it
The skeleton shook his head Thirty
four pound and I had counted on a
hundred and fifty Sho took an oath
she had not helped herself to a six
pence
Oaths are plentiful with the genus
remarked the detective
She stood to It sho hadnt and she
stopped and helped mo to spend it
After that was done she went over
to somebody else who was in luck
and I have tried to go on and I cant
honestly or dishonestly It seems all
one nothing prospers and Im naked
and famishing and I wish I was dy
ing
Evil courses never do prosper
Nichor3 said the officer as ho call
ed In the policemen and consigned the
prisoner to their care
So Gerard was Innocent
But how was It you skillful detec
tives could not bo on this mans
scent asked Colonel Hope of thb of
ficer when he heard the tale
Colonel I was thrown off Your
positive belief in your nephews guilt
Infected me and appearances were
very strong against him Miss Seaton
also helped to throw me off she said
if you remember that she did not
leave the room but it now appears
she did leave It when your nephew did
though only for a few moments Those
few moments sufficed to do the job
Its strange she could not tell the
exact truth growled the colonel
She probably thought she was exact
enough since she only remained out
side the door and could answer for it
that no one had entered by it She
forgot the window I thought of the
window the Instant the loss was meo
tioned to me but Miss Seatons as3er
tion that she never had the window out
of her view prevented my dwelling on
it I did go to the next door and saw
the very fellow who committed the
robbery but his manner was sufficient
ly satisfactory He talked too freely
I did not like that but I found he had
been in the same service 15 months
and as I must repeat I laid the guilt
to another
It is a confoundedly unpleasant af
fair for me cried the colonel I have
published my nephews disgrace and
guilt all over London
It is more unpleasant for him
colonel was the rejoinder of the offi
cer
And I have kept him short of
money and suffered him to be sued
for debt and I have let him go and
live amongst the runaway scamps over
the water and not hindered his engag
ing himself as a merchants clerk and
in short I have played the very deuce
with him
But reparation is doubtless in your
heart and hands colonel
I dont know that sir testily con
cluded the colonel
To be continued
Floating Button Factory
Taking the factory to the raw ma
terial instead of bringing the material
to the factory is an innovation just
put in operation on the Mississippi
river by a button factory and it is a
plan that has many practical advan
tages
This factory is about forty two feet
long and twelve feet wide fitted with
all the necessary machinery for the
manufacture of buttons and provided
with a three-horse-power engine for
its work
The principal material used by this
factory is mussel shells which are
found at nearly all points along the
river and one of the great expenses
in conducting the business heretofore
has been the cost of transporting the
shells Now the factory has reversed
the operation and will go to the mus
sels
When a bed of shells is found the
boat will drop its anchor and go to
work When the bed is exhausted it
will move on to a new location In
this fashion it will go from state to
state from Minnesota to Louisiana
passing along with the seasons and
always enjoying the most desirable
weather of the Mississippi valley
Bl
Automobile Poachers
A Paris correspondent tells of some
wholesale poaching of automobilists
who used their car as a trap for
the game and made off with enor
mous bags of plunder while the
gamekeeper slept The trick was so
clever that barring the feelings of
the birds who failed of being pre
served for the guns of sporting own
ers the automobile poachers must be
congratulated on accomplishing their
purpose They pretended to have
broken down while driving along the
high road and told the peasants and
the gamekeeper with many lamenta
tions they would be forced to remain
all night in the field adjacent The
gamekeeper though he says it was
against his will aided the men in
moving the car to a place of safety
until certain repairs could be effected
These repairs were made in the
dead of night by robbing the pre-
serves of nearly every partridge and
quail they contained and making off
with the booty
Nearness of Relationship
A little miss of five living in Wash
ington conspired with her brother age
four to save enough pennies to buy
papa and mamma presents A friend1
of the family noticed that mammas
present was much finer and more ex
pensive than papas and was impelled
by curiosity to inquire -why the bulk
of the savings had been expended for
the mother The little miss replied
Well you see papa is only related
to we children by marriage while
mamma is our relative by bornation
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