THE COURIER.
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A Girl's Christinas In a Paris Studio.
Miu Alice Rightcr has sent
Codrifr the following account
The
of a
Christmas she passed in Pari?.
"Well, it was three days before Christ
mas, and forty students boarding at the
American Woman's Club were feeling
decidedly blue. Most of us were
stranger to one another, with varied
tastes, interests, and up-bringing.but we
all had the same kind ot homesickness
as the holidays drew near.
"We were reminded of our distance
from liofu by the absence of the hearty
Christmas feeling in the air. The great
fete of the winter in Paris is Now Year's
day. On Christmas Eve some of the
children place their shoes by the fire
place for the Petit Jesus to fill with
toys, and there are chimes aftrr mid
sight mass at the Madeleine and St.
Bulpice, but England is the nearest
country with family parties, Christmas
tree, and visits from Santa Claus.
"One afternoon we were discussing
the different ways of keeping Christmas
in America. Four of us had been drink
ing rive o'clock tea in the studio room of
a young artist at tne club, and we were
helping her 'do up' the tea things.
' 'How did you have your presents?'
asked one girl ot another, gbomily pol
ishing a fpoon.
" 'We always hung up our stockings,'
was the reply, 'wo four sisters, and look
ed at our presents early in the morning
sitting up in bed. I wore red and white
striped stocking at the age ot seven,
and I remember exactly-bow mine look
el with a big orange in the toe and a
cane ot peppermint candy and a Bprig
at holly sticking cut of the top. I'd love
to see juat such a fat, beautiful bumpy
stocking again!'
'"Suppose we have one here began
our hostess, turning around kettle in
hand.
"'And give each, other presents, in
terrupted a girl, and we all four ex
claimed in childish vernacular, 'bet's!'
"Our after-tea chat day wa? along one
as we discussed details and resolved our
selves into a committee to speak to all
the girls about it, collect tivj cents a
piece fer refreshments, and decorate the
club reception room. Tin girl who hid
such a vivid meaaojy of the striped
stockings of her youth wa9 commission
ed to make one similar in style but large
enough to hold all the presents. Grace
o! form ia this case to be secondary to
strength.
-Of coaras if each stulant brought a
present each student could receive one,
the offering ot some other girl. A limit
ia price of one franc (twenty cents) was
recommsnded, but it just tha thing was
eeen costing a few sous more, it might
be purchased. The presents were all
to be securely wrapped up and given by
"5 o'clock of Christmas Eve to the mem
ber ot tie committee whose pleasant
task it was to fill the stocking.
"Did you ever attempt to secure con
certed action in any sshemj from forty
women folks? If so, your sad experi
ence will enable you to appreciate) our
rarpris) aad pleasure at tha cordial re
ception ot our little plan. All. from the
old girl' of sevaral years" sojourn to the
lonely new arrival of tha night before,
joined in with hearty enjoyment and
good will.
"Christmas eve arrived, and the blue
rcom pr3n ted a fe3tive appearance. A
bright fire burned in the open grate, and
the room was flxried with Foftened
light from many limps aad candles with
pink and cream colored shades. Above
the chimney piece and the doors hung
mistletoe und holly. Art junk of var
ious kiBds had been borrowed from the
studeste. A great braes milk can was
filled with holly, a quaint-, old copper
cftsh with piak aad cream rosee, and an
other on a high window Iede held a
mass of glowing" chrysanthemum. In
a comer were the refreshments; sweet
cider in green jugs of Holland peasant
ware and nuts and raisins in bowl) ot
the same. Between two windows hung
the stocking, big enough to have neces
sitated a separate journey of Santa
Claus' eight reindeer. It was made ot
Turkey-red cslicn with stripes painted
on it in Chinese white, bulgy and bumpy
with mjfiferious parcels and a bunch of
holly crowning it.
"With each new arrival a spontaneous
burst of applause greeted this noble
spectacle. When all had come the dis
tribution of the presents began amid
great excitement, each girl taking one
from the stocking as her name was
called out, beginning with an Abbott
and ending with a Young. You would
have beon surprised to Eee what a
variety of pretty trifles came out of that
stocking. Among them were little cuds
and saucers, for afternoon tea, cream
jugs, fruil plates of Breton ware, little
wooden sabots that could be used for
jewelry or matches, Japanese work
baskets, pencil sketching cases, candle
sticks of Rouen faience, dainty head
rests covered with cretonne, unmounte 1
photographs of Louvre paintings, tea
strainers ot silvered wire, and green
peasant jugs for flowers or water. A
Poiladelphia girl had put in one of thoEO
delightful hammers with a hollow
handle tilled with tacks and a cork in
the end. Another had found in the
Uallesone ot those pink-yellow splint
baskets, in sh ipe like a long cylinder,
that come from Spain filled with 'hari
cots verts. This was just the thing to
bang up by one's writing desk for waste
paper scraps. Bat best of all was when
a stout lady unrolled a little American
flag, and, waiving it high in the air,
called out:
"'"lis the Star Spangled Banner!
Three cheers, girls'. A shrill feminine
cheer rang out, while a few of the most
homesick girls furtively wiped their
eyes. When the stocking was empty the
cider, nuts, and raisins were passed
around, and the hubbub subsided to a
general chatter. The maker of thdstock
ing was overwhelmed with compliments,
and presaatly one of the girls rem irked:
"'My private opinion ia that it's one
ot hsr own, loaned for tha occasion.'
" 'Girls! I do believe she'll go in!' And
go in sh3 did up to her shoulders. Then
she was taken up by six strong students
and toted about the rooa.
"After this hilarious and undignified
proceeding, there wa3 bojbo dancing,
and then it was timjtf or those to go who
were to hear midnight masj at Sc Sul
pice or the Madeleine. Parting 'Merry
Christraasas' were heard on every sidj,
the talking of gruu?3 in Jha court, the
call to tne cjaciergj. 'Porte, a'il vons
plaitr and tne great door of tha Kue dj
Cnevreuaa closiag with a clang enrddJ
our Christmas Eva.
Tlie cocoanut crmu.
The cocoanut crab Is one of the odd
est specimens ot the whole crab family.
He lives in the South Islands, and
makes a diet of cocoanuts. This
species has a pair ot front legs ter
minated with a strong pair of pinchers,
and it is with these that he husks the
nuts and breaks through the weakest
portion ot the shell. The crab begins
by tearing the husk, fiber by fiber, and
alwr--s at the end where the eyeholes
of the nut are situated, that being the
weakest place in the shell. When the
husk has been removed the crab com
mences hammering the shell with his
heavy claws, and soon snakes an open
ing, through which he extracts the
meat of the nut. Mr. Darwin, writing
of this crab, says: "I think this is as
curious a case of instinct as I ever
heard of, especially in structures so re
mote from each other in the scheme of
mature as a cocoanut and a crab."
Twa aad Country.
He "Wouldn't you rather ride ia
the country than in the park?" .
She "No, indeed. There is nobody
.o look at one tn the country." Judpa.
The De-vll Himself
Knoics it Worth.
Last night I bad a wonderful dream,
Woulds't know what me befel?
I fear the tale, untrue w II seem,
I dreamed I wan in Hell.
The Devil opened wide the gata
When he heatd me ring the bell.
Strange sights I saw, and wonders great.
In this most boundless Hell.
The streets were lined with shadowy
forms,
And paved with slimy shell.
On every side were men with horns,
In this most hideous Hell.
Unto the Devil, then 6aid I:
Old man, I pray you tel1.
Where are the papers, for I hem I sigh.
In this most darksome Hell.
The latest Courier I fain request,
And a seat in younder deli,
Where I, in peace, may read and rest,
In this red-hot old Hell.
Our weekly papers are a sight.
They're sent here ':junt to Bell,"
We ve every kind "cept The Courier
bright.
In this infernal hell.
Too good for up, is this model sheet,
Etch demon would leave his cell,
Could be secure a paper so neat,
In this delusive Hell.
The Courier circulates far and wide,
And pays advertisers well.
Such worthy features wo are denied,
In this most hopeless Hell.
BY A TURN OF THE HEAD.
Missed His Wire and tho Theater ba
(lot Ills Dinner.
A city official, who supposes the epi
sode is a close family secret, arranged
with his wife to meet her at the office
last Friday night at 7 o'clock, says the
New York Herald. They were then to
have dinner at a hotel, and attend the
theater. He was prompt, but nis wifo
had not yet arrived, so he patiently
waited on the sidewalk with his eyes
on the door that she m.fcht not come
without his knowledge. He paced back
and forth, reading the bulletins, ob
serving the direction of the wind and
looking at the clock as it marked the
passing minutes; but he saw all who
entered the building. He heard a loud
clanging cl gongs, as a fire engine
dashed down 6th avenue, and turned
his head for not more than five seconds
to look after it. His wife was only a
few minutes late, as sne hurried from
a Broadway car and rushed into the
office, during the five seconds bis head
was turned. She had not seen him, and
Iras pleased to think that he would be
the one to be blamed for being late, as
ahe sat down to wait his coming. He
continued to wait and pace, as the
clock ticked off the minutes. Eight,
o'clock was near and he became very
impatient, as he realized that It meant
to either miss dinner or the first act ot
the play. When 8 o'clock was passed
he saw another act slip away. In a
few minutes more he had given up the
theater, and feared for the dinner. In
another ten minutes all of the plvis
were changed, and he determined to
go home. She was also discouraged
and hurried to the street to take a
northbound cable car. They met, and
well; the theater was given up, but
they bad a dinner and each promised
to say nothing about It
Peru's Desert.
In the long -coastal desert of Peru,
which is 2,000 miles in length, but
ouly 120 miles broad at its widest part,
the rivers disappear in the dry season
and begin to flow again in February
or March (wfcen rain falls in the Cor
dilleras. One of the most important of
these rivers is the Piura, the return
of whose waters is welcomed with great
rejoicings by the inhabitants ot Its
banks.
Air-Tight Compartments.
The airtight compartment tneory ot
building ships waa copied from a pro
vision of nature shown in the case of
the nautilus. The shell of this ani
mal has forty or fifty compartments,
into which air or water may be ad
mitted, to allow the occupant to sink
w float as he pleases.
CLAEKSON
LAUDBY
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South Eleventh Strmt.
TJaaerMwman
MERCHANTS' HOTEL
OMAHA, NEBR.
PAXXOir, KTDXRT DATOTFOBT,
Proprietors.
pastel atteattea to state trait, nrrt
- baralua Warnaaa atr t ala
jMna tlMteor to aasfrota all trtoef
IS TK OUT
ROUTE TO TIE SOIT0
Come and. See Us
S.O.Towif8zxrjf P. D. Cornell,
O.P.4T.
Agt. C. P. 4 T. Aft
Sf Louis. Ma
1301
UN
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2 GO TO
California
in a TourlHt sleeper
It is the RIGHT way.
Pay more and you are
extravagant. Pay less
and you are uncomfort
able. The newest, brightest,
cleanest and easiest
riding Tourist sleepers
are U6ed for our
Personally conducted
excursions to
California
which leave Lincoln
every Thursday at
G:10 p. m., reaching
San Francisco Sunday
evening, and Los An
geles Monday noon.
Ask G.W.Bonnell city
ticket agent, cor 10th
and O Sts., Lincoln
Neb for full information
er write to
J. Francis, G. P. A. Omaha, Neb.
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CHOCOLATE
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For Sale By
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