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All the air with love Is laden.
Where the Yule logs glow and flame.
Hopeful youth and trustful maiden
Softly chant the Master's name.
Now, if there be any sad ones,
Bid their tearful eyes be dried.
Js'ow, If there be thoughtless glad ones,
Be that gladness purified;
For the bells of peace are ringing,
Chiming snthems of the free.
Earth and Heaven Join In singing
Of the glories yet to be.
Seek the boughs, so green and fragrant.
Let the waxen tapers dance.
Here Is hope for prince, for vagrant,
Christ of every circumstance!
Pile the leaping fagots higher,
Let the wide-mouthed chimneys roar
Clash the cymbals, twang the lyre.
Angels wait at every door.
Soft the Day of Peace Is breaking;
Gladdest day of all the year;
And sweet Flenty, want o'ertaklng.
Spreads a feast of love and cheer.
...OUJI
On the evening before Christmas,
In the year of grace 1894, Mr. Kufua
1'ell created a mild sensation at his
home by arriving with a parcel of huge
dimensions. He made sure that none
of the children were about the house
before he entered and, when he had
crossed the threshold he immediately
concealed the mysterious bundle in a
closet and locked the door upon it.
Mrs. Bell at once demanded an ex
planation, and her niece, Miss Rose
Mayne, seconded the demand strongly;
thereupon Mr. Bell struck the attitude
popular with candidates when they say
"My fellow-countrymen," and said:
"Ladles, I am but human, singular as
the statement may seem; but I am
nevertheless a being of ideas and re
sources" "We are always acquiring informa
tion," Interrupted Mrs. Bell.
"Rose," continued Mr. Bell, serenely,
turning to the younger lady, "as a
school-teacher you must have studied
juvenile human nature, and you must
Lave been shocked by the fuct that
children cease to believe In the good
old stories of Santa Claua and his rein
deer almost as soon as they are able to
walk; in fact, 1 have heard you com
ment upon this sad truth. What 1b
Christmas to a child, If the child doesn't
believe in Santa Claus? Where are all
the romance and poetry of the oe
.mon? My own children are skeptical
when 1 tell them the charming legend
of Kris Kringle; I have undertaken to
convince them that there is a Santa
Claus; I have deckled to let them see
anta Claus in person."
1 This announcementnaturallypleased
the ladies; and their excitement was
quite intense when Mr. Bell produced
a bundle from the closet and opened
it, producing a lot of ancient furs and a
bearskin hut that had probably been
used by u driua major 0 the town
band; to please the ladies he donned
his costume at once, and they voted
liim u perfect Santa Claus, as he cer
tainly was.
I "NowMie said, when he had resumed
Ills ordinary raiment, "I don't think it
uite fair to reserve this entertainment
or our own children exclusivlv, so I
iave invited a few good little boys and
girls of the neighborhood; and Mr. and
Mrs. Brewster will be here, and younff
Mr. Moon; I have let them into the se
cret. You will tell the children to hang
their hosiery in the north room, and In
form them that you have reason to be
lieve that they may see Fanta Clans if
they sit up and keep perfectly still; at
the proper time I'll ascend the roof and
slide down the chimney; it Is just large
enough for the purpose, And I guess
thafi all.? . i
Bogus
r I ' - . 'i l Hi.,.
Liwrn
Juring the balance of the evening,
until nine o'clock, there was a groat
deal of active preparation in progress in
the Bell mansion ; the north room was
tidied, and a scml-clrclc of chairs
placed for the expected guests, who be
gan to arrive at the stipulated time.
Mr. Bell was In a flue frenzy of excite
ment; ho declared to his wife, in a
whisper, that he felt like a boy again,
and uho replied that she was ten years
younger than sho was before, he tin
folded his delicious scheme. By hnlf
pnst nine nil the guests, large and small,
were in their places; Mr. Moon, a young
man who hnd been studying law for ten
years, and who hoped soon to be ad
mitted to the bar, sat next to Miss Ktso,
upon whose hand ho hnd serious de
signs, and his efforts to appear at ease
were amusing and instructive; Mr.
Brewster, who was small and timid
looking, nestled beside his wife, who
was massive and had a bass voice; si
lence brooded over the throng until Mr.
Bell, who was given to speeches, went
into another attitude, and said:
"Children, I have heard that you
don't believe there is a Santa Claus?
You have formed the unworthy idea
that your parents and friends fill your
stockings on Christmas eve, and that
good old fur-clothed Santa is a myth.
Now, I have here a letter from Santa.
: (Great excitement among the chil
dren.) "And he says that he will arrive here
at ten o'clock, coming down the chim
ney which you see before you. I must
leave you for awhile, as I must keep
watch outside; but you must all be
quiet and keep your seats, or Santa
Claus may become angry, and refuse to
enter."
' Ten o'clock was announced by the tall
clock in the adjoining room, and tho
mellow chimes of that ancient time
piece had scarcely died away before the
children heard other sounds. Up over
head there was a violent scratching and
tearing, as though a poorly shod rein
deer was trying to climb the roof, and
they distinctly heard tho silvery tink
ling of bells, and some of them believed
that they could make out the grinding
of the sleigh runners on the shingles.
It wns a moment of awful excitement;
Johnnie Bell, who had never quailed in
danger's stormy hour, did not try to
conceal the cold perspiration that stood
on his forehead; Amelia Grimm, whost
A PERFECT BANTA CLAUS.
xurage was generally unswerving and
uncompromising, tried to stifle a Bhrlek,
and only half succeeded.
.1.1 it the roof had been successfully
;i-cer.ded, they heard a great noise by
the chimney, as though Santa had just
r'.lgliied, and then they heard him den-end
the interior of the chimney; low
er and lower he came, until finally his
h gs were in the room, and they kicked
iuuvery human and pronalc way. After
they had kicked for awhile, and no more
of the visitor's body appeared, it be
gan to dawn upon everybody that Santa
vas in difficulties. The children and
the older visitors sat staring at the legs
for a few minutes, and then Mr. Moon,
who was a man for an emergency, gal
lantly rushed to the rescue. He seized
Santa's ankles and pulled with all the
force of a pair of gymnasium-educated
arms, but he didn't seem to make any
hendwny, for Santa yelled in a voice
that sounded like a doleful cry from tho
tomb that he was being wedged in
tighter thnn ever, and he implored the
company to do something for his relief.
The elders held a council of war. Mr.
Brewster mildly suggested that it
would be a good plan to send in a fire
alarm, but his wife crushed him with a
look, and said that the only wny she
suw was to take the bricks out of tho
chimney; and she added: "This comes
of a man trying to act the fool when he
ought to be thinking of the world to
come."
Meanwhile Santa groaned and
shrieked in a fearful manner in the
chimney, and protested that if he
wasn't soon released. Ua would ha .a
THE COLUMBIAN, SPECIAL HOLIDAY EDITION.
corpse. Mrs. Bell was fainting comfor
tably in her armchair, and most of the
children hud vanished. It was then that
Miss Rose approached Mr. Moon, wring
ing her hands und weeping beautifully,
"Mr. Moon," she cried, "you see the
sufferings of my uncle, and you stand
here idle. Can you not rescue him?"
"Miss Rose," snld the Intrepid youtij?
man, "I can get him out of that in five
minutes; it rests with you whether I
EVERYBODY CIIOWDED ABOUT Mil. BELL.
shall do it or not. The last timo I pro
posed to you, you refused me, as usual.
If you'll promse to marry me, I'll rescue
your uncle; if you won't, I leave this
town forever and your undo in the
chimney. His kicks are growing feeble
and labored; I don't think he can last
more than three minutes."
The young lady leveled a glance of
scorn at him that should have withered
him, but he stood firm. He felt that
his whole future was at stake, and re
flected that all's fair in love and war.
There was a stern, cold silence for a
minute or two. Meanwhile the vibra
tions of Santa's legs became desultory
and spasmodic, and his muffled groans
betokened extreme exhaustion.
"Wretch!" cried tho young lady, at
last, "rescue my uncle ! You shall have
the reward j-ou ask."
The wretch bowed with noble grace
und a moment later was on the roof,
with a rope In his hand; he let the rope
;lown the chimney, and called to Santa
Claus to grasp It and hang on. Santa
did so, and tolled upward while Mr.
Moon pulled; after IS minutes of dis
tressing work, Santa emerged from the
chimney, a poor, battered effigy of him
self. Mr. Moon assisted him to the
ground and into the house, where the
children and the other guests crowded
about him and laughed; for children al
ways will laugh when they ought to
weep.
When Mr. Bell was recovered suffi
ciently, he leaned against the back of a
chair he was too weak for an attitude
and said:
"Children, if you tell about this around
town, I'll have you all arrested and sent
to the penitentiary for life. And you,
Johnnie, for that titter I'll make you
uw a cord of green wood. I want you
all to go home and tell your parents that
Santa Claus is the biggest hoax of the
10th century, and I'll guarantee every
word you say."
By careful nursing Mr. Bell was re
stored to his normal health in a few
days, and his first act was to have the
old chimney taken down.
One day in March Mr. Moon led his
bride to the altar; he held his head high
and his eye sparkled. After the cere
mony there waa a dinner at Mr. Bell's
residence, and Mr. Bell himself wns ra
diant wih good humor and hospitality.
He called the young couple aside, and
indulged in an altitude and a speech:
'My beloved ones," he began, "the
morning of life opens radiant to you;
sunlight glimmers upon the waters,
there are blue skies overhead, and cr
the robin redbreasts are twittering on
the boughs. But dark duys of tempest
and storm may come; rolling waves
may threaten your bark, and then re
member that If you need a helping hand,
you may call upon Rufus Bell."
Mr. Moon looked dreamily out of tho
window.
"May I ask a favor pf you now?" he
asked.
"A hundred of them, my dear boy."
"Well, I seo it's snowing, and there's
enough on the ground to make sleigh
ing. Will you lend us your reindeer
and sled for awhile?"
8nnta Clans' Htoi klngs.
Bald fianta Claus on Christmas eve,
In lolly, good, fat glen:
"To judge by nil these stockings here, '
They've t uniuU the hose on uie."
liii
Xi'HMnWiWWll'HM WWImWPlmiintWWw:rff'T"' ' .
I
LARGEST PIECE OF GOQD TOBACCO
EVER SOLD FOR THE MONEY
"He that works easily works sue
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clean house with
SAP O
B. F. Sharpless, Pres. N. U. Funk, Sec, . C. H. Campbell, Treas.
CBLOOMSBURCO
LAUD IMPBOVEMEHT COMPAKY.
Capital wStock, $30,000.
Plotted property te in the coming business centre of the
town. It includes also part of the factory district, and has no
equal in desirability for residence purposes. s
CHOICE LOTS are offered at values that will be doubled
in a short time.
No such opportunity can be liad elsewhere to make money.
Lots secured on SMALL MONTHLY PAYMENTS-
Maps of the town and of plotted property furnished on ap
plication. Call upon or write to the Secretary, or J. S. "V00d3, Sales
Agent, or any member of the Board of Directors.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
B. F. Sharpless; "J, L Dillon.
C. V. Neal, A. G. Briggs, Dr. I. W. Willits,
Dr. II. W. McReynolds, - N. U. Funk.
11-19-
Iow ftiizji knd Gfaod Woifk.
For the finest and best stoves, tinware, roofing, spouting
and general job work, go to VV. W. Watts, on Iron street.
Buildings heated by steam, hot air or hot water in a satisfac
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I have the exclusive control of the Thatcher steam, hot
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tllA lll&RlcHmlth1 hAini al.nvnu -....1
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THE MARKETS.
I1L00MSBURG MARKETS.
COKKICTID WIIILT. BB'TAIL PRIOBi.
Butter per lb f $ ,ja
Eggs per dozen a4
Lard per lb , to
Hani per pound i2
Pork, whole, per pound .06
Beef, quarter, per pound, .. . .07
Wheat per bushel.
Oats " " "28
Rye " " 50
Wheat flour per bbl 3 50
Hay per ton 13 t0 $14
Potatoes per bushel, .30
Turnips " 1$
Onions " " .5
Sweet potatoes per peck a 5 to .30
Tallow per lb 41
Shoulder " "
Side meat " " o7
Vinegar, per qt ,07
Dried apples per lb .05
Dried cherries, pitted. , ..... .10
Raspberries 2
Cow Hides per lb ,jl
Steer " " oS
CalfSkin .go
Sheep pelts , .75
Shelled corn per bus .60
Corn meal, cwt a.oo
Bran, " llo
Chop " I10
Middlings " iilo
Chickens per lb new ,03
" " "old I0
Turkeys " " ,xo
Geese " " IO
Ducks " " 08
COAL.
No. 6, delivered
" 4 and s 3 S0
"6 at yard a.aJ
" 4 and s at yard 3.15
E. A. RAWLINGS.
DEALER IN
All Kinds of Meat.
Beef, Veal, Lamb. Mutton,
Pork, Hams, Bacon, Tongaes,
Bclogna, &c. Free Delivery
to all parts of the town.
CENTRE STREET,
BLOOMSBURC, PA.
"Telephone connection.
PATENTS
pintath. a,nd Trale MarkB obtained, and al
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luetetroin WashlLiftoB.
tinawrdJ'!,?r8Tin8 or Phot. with desortp
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TE, ' f not dutt till patent Is secured
entn.. . 0w,oAlnI,atenta, with refer
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