-- -__ - „ -r-- _l
(Copsiigiii )
\ • j III-: GREAT hall clock, si i
t toned opposite (he fool of
the stairs, struck two.
From his bed the Littlest
Hoy listened with a sense
of awe. Never before had
he heard it strike so late an hour.
Once, Indeed, he had heard it strike
ten, but usually it had struck eight—
and when next he was awake it was
striking six and morning had come.
The Littlest Hoy lay and listened
The house was Impressively still. The
only sounds audible were the stately
ticking of the monitor clock below,
and the regular breathing of the Big
gest Hoy and the Biggest Girl in the
room adjoining.
The Littlest Boy's eyes were wide
opcu and paring Into the velvet black
ness close above bis face. When
he had gone to bed It had been Christ
mas eve. He was not fully certain as to
the line of demarkatlon, but it oc
curred to him that now It was Christ
inas duy! Then he began to blink and
think
He wondered If Santa Claus had
come yet. Before the grate-lire, down
In the library, were ranged three
chairs; a rocking chair for the Biggest
Girl, a straight backed, ordinary chair
for the Biggest Boy. and a huge, roomy
arm chair for himself. In addition, he
had hung up his stockings to the
mantel
He tried to picture to himself how,
If Santa Claus had been and gone,
that chair and those stockings must
"Hello!” Said Santa Claus.
look. At Intervals, as some particu
larly alluring fancy stood out before
hint, he gave an ecstatic wriggle and a
few blinks extra.
Oh. the red wagon! And the silver
napkin-ring! Supposing he got them
both! It did not seem to him pos
sible that he could exist without eith
er, and yet—and yet he mustn’t ex
act too much.
If he might take one peep Into the
library Just one tiny peep -to Unit
out whether or not Santa Claus had
been.
He felt that lie ought not to yield
to this temptation; and he sighed hard
and twisted. Hut even in the midst
of his struggle he did yield, for first
his disobedient right foot stole from
beneath the blue coverlet, and next
his disobedient left foot; and in a
moment ail of him. enveloped in bis
long, pink-flannel night-gown, wus
moving resolutely towards the door
way.
At the lauding the stairs turned
sharply. The Littlest Hoy also turned
with them to continue his journey.
Now there ahead of him was (he mon
itor clock, staring him in the face,
and ticking loud reproval. From the
library, off the hall, came the reminis
cent glow of the grate-tire with which
the Christmas eve had been cele
brated.
Down sped the Littlest Hoy, boldly
Ignoring the astonished clock, down
the remaining flight, and across the
square hall, whose rugs were soli and
comforting On the threshold of the
library lie stopped short, frightened
at what he had done.
He had caught Santa Claus!
Aye. there was Santa Claus, bend
ing over the big chair, which, the
Littlest Hoy glimpsed, was overflow
ing with packages and things.
1 do not know but that the Littlest
Boy would have heat courteous re
treat (although, of course, his farther
curiosity w as simply tremendous) had
not Santa Claus suddenly glanced up
and descried him—a small, pink tig
ure, made still pinker by the glowing
coals, framed, wide eyed, in the library
door-case.
“Hello!” said Santa Claus, not mov
ing.
"Hello!" responded the Littlest Hoy.
"I didn't know you were here."
“Didn't you?” remarked Santa Claus,
straightening up and slowly stepping
backward.
“No,” assured the Littlest Hoy. “Did
you get in through the chimley?”
During his w hole life—that Is, ever
sinew he could talk—the Littlest Boy
'rid been trying to say ‘'chimney;”
but, somehow, that "1,” being so slim
and h:.ti h> ‘ f,ii etl, nlo,iis nluibly
slitne-d in and elbowed out the "n "
"Old I get in through the cblni
bley! ' repeated Santa Claus; and then
lie opened ins mouth fin a silent
laugh. "Yes, I dumb down the chilli
tdey," he said.
"You say ehlnibley' and I say 'chim
iey; but my father says—says ch—
eh ehimnoley is right," informed the
j Mttlest Hoy.
"You don't mean it!" returned Santa
Claus, who, having backed to the win
dow looking upon the side porch, now,
j with his hand behind him, was deftly
| sliding it up.
Please don't go, Santa Claus," be
sought the Mttlest Hoy. We’ll talk
real low, so nobody'll heur. That is,
if you're not in loo big a hurry to
slay,” he added, politely.
"Sure,” responded Santa Claus.
"It's almost empty, isn’t it!" assert
ed the Mttlest Hoy. “But I s'pose
you've lots more up in the balloon
Had you got ail through with me?
My chair Is the middle one there,
and these are my stockings In front of
It."
"Well, I was kinder foolin' around
when you come in,” confessed Santa
Claus; "But I reckon I'm through
Them other chairs are your ma’s au'
pa’s, I take it?”
"Yes; mamma's is the rocker and
papa's is the other," Informed the Mt
tlest Hoy, hurriedly. "Did you bring
me a red wagon and a silver napkin
ring?''
"Aren't they there?" queried Santa
Claus.
"May I look?” asked the Mttlest
Hoy, eagerly.
"Sure," grunted Santa Claus, with
Ills favorite word
The Mttlest Hoy was not slow in
taking advantage of that permission.
In a twinkling he was at the chair,
and, oblivious lo the rustling that he
was producing, was burrowing amidst
its contests.
ilo did not have to burrow to And
the red wagon. Its two front wheels
wore sticking straight up against the
chairs back!
"Oooo-ee!" jubilated the Littlest
Roy, turning with sparkling eyes.
"Will its sides fold over?”
"You bet!" nssured Santa Claus.
Must bushels and bushels of thanks,
Santa Claus,” purled the Uttlest Roy,
rapturously. "I hope It's bigger than
my Cousin James’ is! Is it?”
"Sure'" said Santa Claus, "Now,
about tlu> ring? Ain't it there?"
”1 don't see It?" replied the Llttlest
Roy, rummaging.
"Mebbe It's in the stockin's," sug
gested Santa Claus.
And It was!—a beautiful, shiny, sil
ver napkin ring, all done up in tissue
paper!
"Ooooooeee!" gurgled the Littlest
Roy, unwrapped It. ”F bet It's the
very solides' ktnd!"
"Lemme see," demanded Santa
Claus. "That’s what 1 Intended it to
be, anyhow, an' I hope l ain't made
no mistake."
' Yes, It's solid, all right enough." he
said, weighing It in his hand, while
tlie Littlest Roy watched him, anx
iously. "Rut don't you think that that
there wagon an' this hero ring, both
together, arc too much fur a kid like
you?”
"I don't know," responded the Llt
tlest Roy, abashed. "I’ve tried to he
awful good. I've picked up kindlin'
and went on errands and brushed my
teeth and and gone down cellar
after dark, and and—and I've hardly
ever eried when 1 got hurt!"
‘Still, seems to me,” persisted
Santa Claus, gazing at the shiny ring
in Ills Angers, "that a wagon alone Is
good enough for one kid, besides all
them other things you've got in yon
chair and socks. I dunno but what
I'll take this an' give It sora'ers else."
‘Well,” agreed the Idttlest Roy,
gravely, "ir—If you can find some lit
tle hoy who ought to have it
more’n me, then you can—can take
it; and p’raps next Christmas—”
"God!" roared the Biggest Roy, like
an angry lion, leaping through the li
brary doorway.
With a slam up sped the window;
with an oath, out whirled Santa Claus.
"You've scared Santa Claus! You’ve
scared Santa Claus!” walled the Lit
tlest Roy, in despair.
"1 have, have 1!" exclaimed the Rig
gest Roy. gathering the waller into his
HI'IUM.
"Ami ho took my ling, farther la
mented the Littlest Hoy
He did, did he!” repeated the lion
— that Is. the Biggest Boy—in a com
miserating grow 1. “Never mind; we'll
get another."
“But I told him he might. If there's
some other little boy who’d ought to
have it more," explained the Littlest
Boy, truthfully. "Maybe he'll bring
me one next Christmas."
Here the Biggest Boy shut the
! treacherous window; and with the Big
I gest Girl, who by this time had ar
rived and was hugging and kissing
the Littlest Boy's two rosy feet, as
they hung down Inside the Biggest
Boy’s arms, close accompanying, car
ried him upstairs to bed.
What do you think! Evidently Santa
Claus repented, or else he had only
been joking, or else he could find no
other little boy who was more worthy;
for, after all. at daylight there was
discovered, lying on the mat before
! the side-door, that very same ring—
wrapped, it is true, not in fine tissue
paper, but in coarse brown paper.
However, upon the paper was
scrawled, in ragged but unmistakable
lines: „
“for the kid
"SANTY CLAWS.”
Happiness is increased not by the
enlargement of the possessions, but of
the heart John Ruskin.
1 1.7—
The Church’s
Christmas Present
Cv BYRON WILLIAMS
1 !-'.
(Copyriitl'M
Harrison Honeywell Hid. >n, de
votee of .Michigan avenue, worshiper
at tlie tlironp of
stardRnapolis and
favorite at Fash
ion's shrine, aw oke
one morning in
tiie hustle and the
whirl of Chicago
with a headache
Through the aeri
al window of his
club the clash and
clamor of city din
smote his throb
bing temples.
Smoke and soot
drifted familiarly
in, and upon the
indolent draughts
a faint, fetid smell
rode truculently.
"It a h , t h o s e
stockyards!” sniff
ed Harrison Hon
eywell Hickson,
grirplng his tem
ples and striving
to reach oblivion
by burying his
nose and ears in
the downy pillow.
' Always the smell
and the noise and
the clatter. Day
and night it is the
same noises, the same smells, the
same wines, almost the same women
ami no song at all worth hearing. 1
have a mind lo chuck It all and go out
Into (lod'a country, out Into the sub
urbs."
W ith Hickson to think was to act—
and this is how it happened that the
good people of Horton Hollow were
curious almost to a crucial point of the
the antecedents and personality of the
dapper young society man who came
among them so reservedly to superin
tend the construction of a pretty
Queen Anne cottage on Lake Shadows.
That lie was a veritable catch was
soon agreed upon by the spisters, but
how to break his reserve and teaeh
him to worship at the feet of Aphro
dite was a difficult problem. For, be
sides admitting to Amos Squires, the
'busman, that he was not, married,
Hickson had met the persevering ad
vances of the natives with a stern
frigidity.
"There ain’t a blessed woman that
kin git within gun shot o’ him,” com
plained Mirandy Hodges, "exceptin'
Marty Brown an’ she ain’t Interested
in nothin' but raisin' money fer a new
parsonage fer that new preacher an’
his stuck-up wife."
At last the cottage was finished and
Hickson selected his furniture and
fittings. On the 20th of Dooemb'r it
was ready. With it glad heart he rode
gayly homeward from the city, and
slipping the key into the lock, stepped
Into (lie nest that was to be the heart
of his simple life. The evening was
spent in gloating over his new toy
and even though it did seem strange
ly quiet and lonely, Hickson's spirits
were so light the joy bulb stood high
in the glass tube of pleasure.
But solitude wears on the best of
us after a time, and to Harrison
Honeywell Hickson, inured to clatter
and bang and the busy whirl of sooie
ty, the continued silence fell like a
pall.
"Of course, I could get married,"
sighed Hickson, as he sat on the edge
of his bed and pondered. "That would
help some and—no," shaking his head
determinedly, “no laces and tantrums
for mine!"
Satisfied in Ills decision, he lay
down to sleep.
Then, all at once there entered that
vacuum of stillness, strange and sin
ister, the cracking of a veneered
joint, the settling of a beam. As Hick
son sat holt upright in bed. he dis
tinctly heard a sound as of running
water. Hashing madly down the
stairs he found a leaking water pipe
and what was worse, he discovered '
that the hot-water plant was simply
boiling i(s head off. The servants had
not yet arrived, but Hickson managed
to mock the turtiace and turn oft the |
water. Then he'returned to bed
Suddenly a hoot-owl set up his weird
call, the soughing wind whistled with
sepulchral meaning, a misguided cock
mistaking the bright moonlight for
morning awoke and set up an unearth
ly din. while a pair of stray cats
meeting in sanguinary combat under
the west window, added to the hor
rible intensity of the night.
When lie bounded out of bed. Hick
son was a determined man. He looked
at his watch and then at his time
table. Thirty minutes later a dark
form scurried through the shadows of
the shaded street and dashed madly
up to the three o'clock train as it
puffed and snorted at Horton Hollow
The next day, Martha Brown, sweet,
white-haired, motherly Martha Brown,
received a letter. It said:
Mv dear Miss Brown: I have deckled i,.
surprise you by making your church
Christmas present of my Queen \i - -
cottage. My man will deliver the keys
to-morrow. It Is furnished complete and
I hope that sweet-faced little wife of the
preacher will not And an old bachelor's
tastes too broad for her sanction. 1 hate
always wanted to do some good in the
world—and by presenting the cottage l
am tneremly gratifying myself. Please
accept the gift without demonstration
1 beg to remain humbly yours.
HAItRlSON' HONEYWELL HICKSON
That night on State street Hickson,
a howling swell, walked gaily in the
glare of the lights, in the heart of the
din, and was glad!
Davies & Owens
Reliable Jewelers and Opticians
Wc Welcome You
Whether you come as an intending purchaser or as a visitor. We welcome
the stranger, as well as the regular patron, and any and every article we
offer you will be just as represented. Following is a few of the many
things we have to offer. They will bear the closest inspection.
Diamonds $5 to $250
I We have a very fine line of Diamonds in all the desirable sizes, at prices
ranging from $5.00 to $250. Nothing is more appropriate and nothing
more appreciated than a fine Diamond Ring.
Elegant Line of Watches
All Standard Makes and Sizes
Ladies’ O size, with Ely in or Waltham
works; 7 jewels, in 20-year ^1 A g/V
guaranteed yold tilled ease..
Ladies' 0 size, with Ely in or Waltham
works, 7 and 15 jewels, in 20 or 25-year
yuaranteed ease, for SO.05 (hi / OCT
to.1 o.oj
dent’s 12 size, with 7, 15 and 17 jewel
works in 20 and 25 year yuar Q
anteed eases, tor SI 1 to. ip Jl U«v v
Gent’s 10 size, with 7, 15 and 17 jewel
works in 20 and 25-year guar- AA
anteed cases, for #10 and., .. U
Gent’s 18 size, with 7, 15 and 17 jewel works,
with 20 and 25 cases, *7 H
#8.00 to.
Remember we carryall standard makes and
sizes, and cannot fail to please the most ex
acting individual who desires something
extra good in the watch line.
In the Jewelry Line
Our jewelry line consists of Ladies and dent’s Charms, hobs, Rings and Lockets,
Ladies' Brooches, Neck Chains, Hat Bins, Cuff Pins, Cuff Links, Thimbles.
For the Man
Centlenien’s Charms, Cuff Links, Scarf
! 1 *ins, lie Clasps, etc. All the new ideas
at the right prices.
For the Woman
Hatwear Novelties of the latest designs
in sterling and plated.
A Nice Present
Umbrellas make a most appropriate gift.
We carry a good line in gents' and la
ladies Umbrellas, mounted in sterling
silver and gold filled. Here is a line of
goods that ought to interest both la
dies and gentlemen. Our line is exten
sive and there is a variety of qualities
and prices to suit all purses.
i •
Cut Class, China and Silverware
for Christmas Buyers
Exquisite Cut Glass Pieces and Sets
Lovely Novelties in Silverware
Elaborate Toilet Sets, great variety
Military Brushes, various patterns
Cloth Brushes—always appropriate
hat Brushes, in great variety
Handsome Manicure Sets
Embroidery Scissors
And Many Other Useful Articles in this Line
A visit to our store will convince the most critical person that we have
The Right Goods
The Right Prices
The Right Quality
Davies & Owens
Reliable Jewelers and Opticians
1st DOOR S. RICHARDSON CO. BANK FALLS CITY, NEB,
