FORSflORTS
PyjLoirrfe
Dim/iam
OahfypLjt'n'
)\V, our baby had never
encountered a locked
door. The lovesome
pit pat of Ills busy feel
was herald at whose
coining every door In
the house swung open
and over thresholds ho
went Into assured wel
comes.
But we were plan
ning n tree. And the
library door was locked.
He paused In his as
cent of the stairs In
button In a button that
would not stay buttoned. It require,
loueli time and lie sat down on (he.
Btej) and with all his (on fat, wee An
igers labored Then, "lias a* doodle
b<n>, he objurgated himself as he
Teaumed Ills climb of the stairs, the
jbutton buttoned; "I)as a duryln' y It tie
jgentleman!”
He shook the J<nol). Waited, Jug
(glng on the toes of him and dlscours
Hiyf to Nloodemus.
The door remained closed
Two fat palms smote It wrathfully.
“Open,” he commanded; "pease
topon dla door,"
Nobody answered.
"P-o-o-r y It tie boy," lie wheedled at
keyhole; "sere ain't nobody loves
■*tm."
Nlcodenius yapped and made feints
at desertion when a dog harked out
Isldo. Fawned back, and licked III.,
fingers where bread and honey aroma
lugered. Fat up and waved an affable
jpaw nt him.
lie sat down on the floor and gath
tree! hla yellow dog Into his pinafore
nd hugged.
“ 'Cept Nltndemus an- mvssef," lie
(said.
Great grand ranie up the hall.
"Is you been a bad boy, dreat-dran ?’’
(he said. "Is you all abutted out?"
Great grand sighed.
"Seems like this horse Just will run
•away,” In doleful tone, "and I've got a
fbone In my foot and I can’t run after
|hlm."
In a wink he was after the rampant
iateed. Captured and mounted, rode
(It lordIIy hither and yon, ami when
|al last he came hack from the breath
Hess miles we had slipped down tho
pack way and al Btalrfoot waited.
Slowly, with dignity, he dismounted,
put his steed In stall, came hnck to
'stair-head, and. legs astride and head
ithrown back, surveyed us from the
'heights of remembered Injury. lie
(eldo him, perky, tongue lolling out,
fNIcodemus squatted.
Long legs gathered to his chin,
great-grand ranged himself on the top
■tep and twinkled.
"Yes, sirs," quoth great grand;
"shut ted up alt out!"
Our baby nodded confirmation nnd
iNIcodemus yawned In our fu-.s
“Me'n inys Nitodemus an’ tii.vs dreal
idran," lie gald. "An inys dreat-dran
Is dot a bone tn Ids foot an’ 1 needed
to kiss mys imivvi r."
But for three long days the library
ddoor remained locked.
And regularly, after each morning’s
breakfast, he mounted the stairs and
tried the knob and cogitated to Moo
demus, and poked broom straws under
the door.
Christmas eve we sat about a great
open (tre. Great grand loved to dig
nnd delve In the red charred logs and
Imprison the swarms of rosy bee
Fascinated, 1 would watch the swirl
ing upfled sparks, wondering what
phantasms of youth he saw nll-beautl
ful in them, what faces went past in
that rosy mirage (hat Ills own should
wear so tender an answering look
into eyes lie alone was seeing. Some
times our baby would come to stand
between his knees, head leaned
against hiH shoulder, ami from within
the encircling arms watch. Sometimes
be would straddle one old knee and
snug his head under the down leaning
old chin, gold hair and white hair com
mingled, and hand over the old hand,
help the poker that prodded and piled
the embers. And the wide eyes seemed
to be seeing with the old man's vision
Ing, so united he would sit.
Christmas eve we sat about the
great open fireplace. Great-grand sort
ed and piled his red-charred logs.
Grandmother was watching, lost in
idleness. Grand fat tier had gone down
cellar for apples and in my lap my
baby was telling me secrets. We
listened beyond the singings of the
flames; beyond the delicate soft sing
ing and the sighing and the laughters
of them, the wind in the chimney.
From the end of the new back-log the
saps distilled, all the summer's rains
and dews and green growings in their
whicker w hicker. We had hated to
shut out the skies, so divinely neur
they closed in upon earth, with their
starry strands garlanding the rim of
hills. Our baby had seen Ills first me
teor—a feathered trail of ethereal fire
and a soundless splendor as the me
teor burst and blggened Into a globe
of Blysian azurp, and went out. And
the black violet skies seemed yet
deeplier black with that blue glory
memorled against them, and the stars
pallid and cold. And my baby won
dered If there might not be another
Christmas baby, in that blue glory. He
wondered whether, if we'd go out. we
might not find a few boys and girls
and babies that got left over, when
God forgot W'ho had asked to have
some left at their houses. He wished
he'd been there that night at the ox
en's inn, to see the little child. So's
he could have brought It home to his
own sef's house. He wanted a bnbv
so bad. And even Ills sweets freighted
babble picked up that bine sky-mlsterv
and wondered about it And Ins eyes
were wide and fathomlessly sweet in
the firelight, and tils hand clung all
the while to my face and deared It, :
and wove heavenly weave into my life
( in every least little touches of It lo
my lips, my cite, ks and in tiie com
ings home of It to slip into my bosom
and there nest
Then we told him that it was going
to he the Christmas baby's birthday
tomorrow, and because we so love
Hod's little son we give, year after
year, all life long, gifts to him and to
each other on that day. And the
llbrnry door, tomorrow, would lie un
locked. and a surprise inside for us
each and all.
"Gracious!" was Ills sole comment;
ami slowly the happy eyes slipped
from us behind their curtain-fringes,
j the little warm body lay heavy in my
j arms. Slowly Great-grand unbuilded
i the house of red embers, and coming
over took the little sleeper Into his
arms, rocked and crooned and hugged
and God blessed him. And with
grandmother's kisses on the wee feet
that never were still save In slumber,
and grandfather's proud look Into the
unwitting face following after, I bore
him away to Ills crib; ho loved, so
loved!
"Is Trismus turn?"
I wakened with the words break
ing the crystal of my dreams and kiss
ing themselves against rny lips and
a fat white body embracing my head
"Yes, sir," I managed to say through
the strangling arms of him. "Happy
Christmas, Bob-for Short! "
"Happy Christmas, Hob for Short!"
echoed from the doorway; and "Hap
He Had Never Owned a Kitten.
py Christmas, Unli fot -Short!” floated
In from beyond tho oust ami west
shoulders of preal brand.
He shouted, lie danced Never be
fore hail lie been met by all the fam
ily at crib side, lie jigged all over tho
bed, trickling blarney merits and
laughters at the three gray heads that
waggled Hi unconscious tune to tli« ,
prancing! of him.
Then, all his yellow body apant with j
haste, Nicodenuis hustled Ills f it self j
up the stairs Into tho fun he was i
missing, and In his wake, Katy from !
' her kitchen.
i And with a ' Happy Christmas u>
I ye7„ Mist her Politer Short." she set
| a gray kitten on the floor.
| We were all very still, as he slipped
I from the bed and approached the kit
| ten. He had never owned a kitten, lie
| eyed It In raptured silt nee. "Meou," ;
: said the kitten.
i Into his cheeks the red crimsoned.
"Oh!" he gasped; "wad you tail, titty;
pease wail you tail! And she wagged
her tall ami arched iter back against
his feet and cajoled him. and as he
gathered her into his nightgown and
the white fat hare legs ran with their
treasure, she broke into loud silken
purrings. And Nicodemus sulked and ,
j fell Into a helpless yellow bunch of |
i protest, when the gray kitten was held
to his nose for a kiss.
And we ail daw,lied until Katy's
bell rang third summons to breakfast. !
Ho went up the stairs alone Then
Nicodemus. Then Croat-grand. Then
I. And then the rest of his adorers.
He stopped at the door.
"Open the door, sir." said grandfa
ther.
"Turn on, mtivver," he said, reach
ing hand Into my hand.
• So we stepped over the threshold j
together.
The room was darkened. The fire
light dulled behind a screen. In the
center of the room a low, fair branched
young cedar tree gleamed like a great
jewel.
My hand forgotten, he circled the
l tree.
’Round and round And we after.
“Das a mo’ bu-tl-ful drum," we
1 caught the murmur as he inventoried
"Pas a ylttle ’tend horse." He paused
to Jog it and In ecstasy watch its tall
go up and down. “Das a yittle toad- j
frod in dat bid tumble. How you
s'pose It dot In?” He tarried to In
j vestigate, and set it rolling for the
kitten to chase. Nlcodemus thought
it was meant for him, and when he
collided with the kitten, cowed and
scared and muttering, he fled to a dls
i tance and yapped at ball and kitten.
And the inventory went on: "Das a
dold waths, vlke niys Dreat-drnn is
dot." He tarried to hunt a pocket, and
deposit his watch therein. But first
| he held it to ear. And the murmur
resumed: “Dat waths is def an' dum
j too. Das a plture-but an' das a piture- !
but an' das a piture-but. . . . Dra '
clous!"
And Christmas w as on for Bob for- j
Short.—New York Independent.
Christmas Day
To rule and reign with gentle
sway,
The King of Lome was bom
today.
No ualace walls enclosed him
round,
cBut in a manger ‘was he found:
That so the boastful world
might see
The greatness of humility.
He came, a child, in lovely
grace.
That so a child might seek his
face;
So poor was he, the humblest
born
Might come, without a fear of
scorn.
To all mankind he showed the
way,
And ushered in the dawn of
day.
And so, with grateful lomt
and praise.
We hail this blessed day of
days.
The children’s joy, the fxior
man's feast.
The star of hope to great and
least:
When holy angels come to
earth.
And sing anew a Savior’s
birthI
Give
SHOP GIRL 1
Her Due§U{
’^iu\)miVi'rpoVVgS(k
N an excellent short
story published not
long ago, O. Henry]
gave to his shop-girl;
heroine a colossal char-t
acter, emphasized that.
In her were combined,
the notable attributes]
of Hercules, Joan of
Arc, l'na, Job and Lit
tle Red Riding Hood.
And at this season o^
the year—“glad Christ-*
mas days”—it easily!
might seem to a less
s y m path etlc person
than the regretted (). Henry that tho
shop-girl most stands in need of tho
strength of Hercules, the heroism of
Joan of Arc, the truthfulness and oth
er singular excellencies of Una, tho
patience of Job. Think what It must
mean, from eight to six, or eight to,
ten, as the case may he, to face and
Serve the rattled throngs that are now 1
surging through the shops, think of
the strain on endurance and nerve, on
tempi r and manners. The wonder Is !
not that she often comes up to the de
(minds on her, but that she ever does.
Some of the veterans, survivors of
many hard-fought Christmas battle
holds, are marvels; may be sm n at
fag end of day still alert, though droop
Ingly so; still clear-headed, though
with conscious effort; still with cour
teous attitude In their serving, though
those the\ serve have lost the last
shred of any politeness with which
they may have started out.
Compare the manners of some
spoiled darling, some indulged, arro
gant child of wealth, with the dignity
and patience and sweetness often
shown by the girl behind the counter
The one self-centered, of most rdstrlct
ed vision, captious, petty; the other
self-effacing, far-seeing, charitable,
big Caleb In search of a wife might
well pursue his quest along the aisles
of the big Stores, ilnd womanly ideal
standing there behind the counter.
They are not all caricatures of fash
ion, with hair tortured into latest ex
aggeration, frocks cheap copies of
showy splendors; not all more given
to powder and rouge than to soap and
water. And In the attainment of the
so highly-desirable neatness and trim
ness heroism again has to come to the
fore, tt is no easy matter after long
hours of labor to labor more, take
pains for personal cleanliness, sew and
darn when eyes are heavy, back is
aching. Heroines every one of them
that make a good show.
I know a girl in a fashionable candy
shop that every other night washes
and irons that she may be*presentable
the next day. Her moderate wage is
the chief part of the family support,
there is riot enough money for enough
blouses to last the week, and so the
midnight laundrying Is done as a mat '
ter of course. But how pretty and
sweet and fresh the girl does manage
to look In her snowy white and well
brushed black; much better dressed,
she seems to me, than the woman of
fuss and feathers.
What little mothers they are, a lot
of them, simple affectionate, domestic
creati./** — though so often character
ized ns vain, shallow, foolishly am
bltlous, thinking only of dress and
'Mates." I know one girl that worked
In one of the department stores which
keep open evenings at Christmas time,
who the night before Christmas did
not leave the store until midnight, I
then after traveling an hour on the
street cars to her home stayed up
hours to trim a wonderful Christmas
tree for the children of the family, the
bunch of little ones the poor seem a!
ways to have with them. I know an
other glri that Rt this season goes
down unusually early mornings to ar
range "stock,” comes home unusually
,afe evenings; but after dinner cheer
fully dons kitchen apron and helps
with giant plum pudding and other
Christmas preparation that yearly Is
repeated in honor of old England and
the home left behind when there was
made search for fortune in the rich
land of' America. These are just two
instances, the one quite commonplace,
unheroic, but you may pick up a few
for yourself by eavesdropping a bit in
vour shopping; observing among the
buyers the many shop-girls purchasing
toys and silver "pusher,” children’s
gloves and sweater, or gray dress for
mammy, muffler for daddy.
Of course there is any number of
pert, Incompetent girls that wait on
hapless customers, rattier keep hap
less customers waiting, but they have
been pictured with enough frequency,
this sort repeatedly held up as typical,
thereby obscuring the virtues of the
many worthy ones following the pro
fession of "waiting on." For some time
past I have been gathering data, ma
king experiment; and have found it
the rule rather than exception that
courtesy meets with courtesy. "Soft;
and fair go far In a day," not only on
highway tint In the miles of space in;
a lingo department store.
A man said to me recently; “How1
little of church Is brought into tlie.
Christmas of today.” And how sadly
true tills is—“church" in this c.onnec
tion standing for whatsoever tilings are
lovely, whatsoever things are good, of
full Import to all religions. And bully
ing and bullyragging a shop-girl at;
tills season seems about as far from
"lovely and good" as one may wander.j
Put yourself in her place, remember
ing previous failures of your own;
when bodily weariness snapped;
strained nerves, broke down poise.
Ye gods and little fishes, in what
condition is the shop-girl to "enjoy”'
Christmas! I nin sure if I were she
all I would ask of good Saint Nicholas;
would he a dark, airy room far, farl
away from people (from man, and es-|
pecially woman); a great, soft bed!
where I could stretch out long andj
wide; silence ami sleep forever and.
Sew and Darn When Eyes Are Heavy.
forever. No dreams to disturb that
sleep; no vision of past haggling, no
vision of wearlsonr* "exchanges” to
conic.
Hut the reality Is a long way from
lids that I woiM ask. Do you suppose
such a proud wage earner as sliu
would be content to let Christmas day
go by without displaying wealth and
power? No, every dependent in tha
liom-ohoid must partake of her bounty,
every pensioner tie given good proof
of what it means to have her dress up
ami go'down town ever} day. Noth
ing of niggard Is the shop-girl at
Christmas, she is as much a Lady
Bountiful as any millionairess of them
all.
What a creature! A “Hercules, a
Joan of Arc, a I’na, a Job" and a
Lady Bountiful on eight dollars and
less a week!
(Copyright. 1910.)
THE IDEAL WORKSHOP.
CHRISTMAS TIME.
1 have often thought of Christmas
time, when It has come round, apart
from the veneration due to Its sacred
name and origin, If anything belong
ing to It can bo apart from that—as a
good time, a kind, forgiving, charit
able. pleasant time.—Charles Hickens
All Nebraska Women
Uphold Puritan
We strictly The die
guarantee tinct flavor
Puritan Flour. - the whole
Veu may use some taste of the
half a sack or "bigger, whiter,
more and if it does lighter loaves’’made
not reach yourexpec* From Puritan F lour has
rations if it li st not brought about its exetu
make the very 1>< t bread, 81 ve use in the best Ne
rake, biscuit or pie crust that braska homes. So great is the
you ever baked if it does demand for our Hour that we
not do all this, bring the rest have g-iwn in a few years from
of the sack back and your grocer a 200-barrel-a-day-mill to our
will refund you your money. W present output of 2,000 barrels. I liat
want you to try this flour at our is putting on the ciphers fast, but the
risk we are just that positive of largest increase is yet to come. There is
your approval and steady patronage there- hut a one-word reason for this exceptional
after. success—QUALITY.
Wells-Abb jtt-Nieman Company
The Pu ritan Millers—Schuyler, Nebraska
C. A. Heck
Buy Watertown, Wisconsin Rye Flour, Gold
Coin Flour. Get some Tankage for your hogs.
I also have Oil Meal, Rock Salt, Barrel and
Sack Salt. Give me your order for
Coal and Wood
1 also handle Feed, Baled Hay and Straw and
all kinds of Grain. Give me a trial.
C. A. Heck
Exhibits from every western state, showing
un.u is grown uu.i now to grow it. Inhibits
irrigation ami drtV funning methods, ixxnibits
, showing how to raise more corn—wheat—- .1
: oa,ts aliaiia and potatoes. Good roads ex
! hiUil alld lectures -how to prevent hog ehol- I
era. Moving pictures and illustrated lectures
— Kood music and clean entertainment Ad
mission 25 cents.
$i
Come to the Omaha Land Show,
USE OF WORD “SCALAWAG”
In the South It Does Not Carry Re
proach of Dishonest Character—
Old Political Term.
A New York woman talking with a
southern woman mentioned a well
known lawyer, a native of Virginia,
but now a resident of New York.
"Yes, 1 know him," said the south
ern woman. 'Tie was a scalawag."
"Oh!" gasped the New York wo
man. “Surely not. At least, 1 never
have heard a word against him. Are
we talking about the same man? 1
always have understood that the one
1 mean is a man of unimpeachable
honor.”
The southern woman smiled, ‘les,
we are talking about the same man.”
she replied; "but 1 see we do not at
tach the same meaning to the word
‘scalawag.’ Evidently with you it
means something dishonorable, or at
least reprehensible. Did you never
hear the southern use of it before?"
The northern woman shook her
head. "1 never heard it used in any
way except to indicate a man who
would resort to trickery, or even ac
tual dishonesty, to attain an end."
"I never have heard it used that
way in the south. There it is an old
political term. It originated Just be
fore the war. Down in Virginia, in
those days, a man who had originally
been a Democrat, hut who became a
Republican, or at least a Union man,
was called a ‘scalawag.’ ”
"Oh—same as those we called ‘Cop
perheads' in the north."
"I think so. I'm not saying there
was no reproach implied by the word
in war times, but not the reproach of j
a dishonest character.’’
Wonderful Dog.
Jess is an Irish setter belonging
to Henry Crouchley, a paralyzed
watch repairer at Islington. When a
constatilo came with a summons to
pay ihe dog's license .less took It to
her master, who cannot move about
Mr. Crouchley said to the constable,
“I cannot get on without h«r; she is
my only friend, companion, servant
and messenger. Every morning she
fetches the newspaper to my bed di
rectly it falls through the letter box.
Letters she brings in the same way.”
A note was put through the letter
box and was immediately fetched to
the bed by the dog. “Jess help me
greatly with my work," said the in
valid "She knows the names of all
my tools and brings them whenever 1
need them. She goes out and buys
my food and tobacco.” Lord Tenter
den heard of the case and paid the
license.
False Hair Supply.
Most of the best true false hair
now worked up on such a grand scale
comes from the southeast corner of
Hohemla. In this hair-raising rpgion
the human hair market Is a too com
mon sight, and the getting ready of
'he stuff for the white world market
Is a big and diversified business. The
supply is helped out by cargoes from
China, and large quantities of China
hair it takes, too, at that. It comes
packed In straw In bales averaging
130 pounds in weight. Chink hair, as
everybody here knows, Is u bad black,
intensely so, and in such color Is no
use or value at all. So the first thing
to do is to make It a missionary blond
by bleaching it in a pretty strong hath
of peroxide of hydrogen and ammonia
This kills germs and makes the hair
pretty safe.
