" jul« W * ;••• j*. J IcV I EM through the .i»A# leafless forest a V\f The w " d wUld * * • "SBf rudely sweep; When snow is on the meadow, Where the violets lie asleep: When outward, drifting, drifting^ The Old Year goea forlorn, In the mystic hour of midnight The glad New Year is born. l.ast night I watched in sadness. The passing of the year, For It Viore from me a record That cost me many a tear. But a gentle voice has whispered That the past I must forget; Nor waste this precious season In useless, vain regret. O! the coming of the New Year Fills my soul with thoughts sublime. Precious seem the golden moments Onward borne by fleeting time; And a spirit stirs within me. Urging me to nobler strife, With an earnest, brave endeavor, For a brighter, better life. And with grateful heart and lowly, I thank the Power Supreme, Who extends my days in mercy That the past 1 may redeem; For ills loving hand that keeps me, For His voice that speaks to me, For the opening of the New Year— Though its elose I may not see. —Oracla Southworth, In Western Itural. KMONS? Well! J" whtre's your C nioiu, y f° r e,n Abel Tappan spoke sha.r p1 y 'I he thin, wizened little face across the counter took on an anxious look. "Mother, she couldn't send the money. She says if you'll please to charge—" "Charge!—charge! I'm siek o' that tune, you can tell your ma. You can skipper right home and tell her now. Wheu she wants lemons 1 cnlc'late she's got to pay for 'em same as other folks just alike, and even their little diinp'es matching! The little McKie girl was fat and well then, like your I?ecky." The letfions blinked their yellow eyes reproachfully. Mr. Tappan strode be hind the counter and swept them, with a succession of clatters, into the monev drawer, out of sight. He was mentally reviewing the items of l'age 46. He knew them by heart. How many, many of them were little unpretending lux uries that a little, peevish, sick child might crave! How few of them- her ring- now and then, and salt codfish or out meal —were necessaries! It had nettled him over and over again t. think of it, but now. somehow, 't touched him against his will. Yes. O, yes he knew they used to sny the little McKie girl—Love. Dove, what was her name? looked like lleckv His Becky! His little round, roly polv. happy Becky! After Mrs. Wyncoop's departure Al)-' Tappan took the big brow n ledger back to the corner desk still open. Dogged!v be turned the pages and went to work With quick steps the little N'ew Year was hurrying to meet the Old Year His light footsteps made no creaking CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1898. over the snow. Kleven—quarter past —half-past —how close they were, al most touching hands! A little voice roused Abel Tappan by and by—Becky's—but he had never heard Becky's voice from such a dis tance before. He seized the lamp and hurried upstairs, where he and his little Iwloved, motherless Becky and old Nance lived. The child was tossing on her bed, fret ting plaintively. Her little face, in tlie lamp's feeble glimmer, looked unduly flushed and thin. "My back aches so!" she whimpered. Becky's back ached so! Becky's lit tle straight —no, O! Lord have mercy, it was crooked! It bowed out pitifully against the little white sheets. Becky'* face was sharp with pain. Abel Tappan shuddered from head tn foot. The lamp shook in his hand un safely. Through the blur on his glasses the little tossing head on the pillow seemed strangely far away from him Was it his little, plump, rollickiup. dan cing Becky—his straight Becky he had been so proud of always? "I'm so thirsty in iny throat!" moaned the little crooked Reeky on ihe bed. He bent down unsteadily and kissed her. His heart broke in the kiss. "Daddy'll fetch you a drink right off,'' he faltered. But she thrust away the glass he brought her. "It don't taste good—take it away, daddy. I'm so thirsty in my throat!" "Yes. yes; daddy'll go get some nice fresh water, right out of the well. Yo'j wait, Becky." Becky lifted up her small, tangly head and gazed up at him reproach fully. "Take it away, daddy," she cried "Put lemon in—it don't taste good, i want a squeeze o' leinon in, an' sugar. I'm so thirsty!" Abel Tappan's grizzled head bowed it self beside the child's. "Yes, yes; daddy'll fetch a lemon riffht away and make it taste good," lie mumbled in an agony of prirf. against her cheek. "Daddy'll see to it all nice." Back in the store again, he could find no lemons, though he searched and researched with dogged insistence. Where could they be? There had been plenty of them, over there on the sec ond, right-hand shell', in a row. He moved boves and cans, he cleared whole shelves with a sweep of his arm. Becky's little wail sounded on. unceas ing, in his ears. lie must find them! lie could not go back to Becky without them. The yellow labels on some of the bottles mocked him and led him on to unavailing hopes. The dim lights twinkled their eyes and jeered at him. A merry party going past outside shouted and sung, and he shook Un tight fist toward them angrily. When could the lemons be? he asked himself over and over in dull wonder. If he had only remembered to look in the mom \ till? "I'll go down to the Forks—they'll have 'em at Denby's," he muttered. "It's a good mile, but 1 don't care if it's :-0! 1 don't care if I have to wake up the seven sieepers, neither!" Hut how long it took to find his great coat and get into it! lie tried to hurry. Heavy weights seemed to hang to his limbs and drag them back with dia bolical persistence. Would his arms ever go into the sleeves'? Was it go ing to take till crack o' doom to get his hat on his head? Big drops of sweat scurried down the seams of his hag gard cheeks. He set his teeth dog gedly. If the lemons in the money drawer had only jogged against the door of his memory! "I'll find one- —big one —steal one— anything!" he cried aloud. Hark! was that the little voice, muf fled by the folds of the thick comforter, still calling to him? Was it growing clearer, nearer? "Wisher Happy New N ear, daddy." Why, it was Becky said it herself, standing in the murky doorway? Reeky! Her voice shrilled out to him, triumphant and sweet. Abel sprang forward in sudden hor ror and caught her in his arms. Her little nightgown fell away from her bare toes, and he felt the chill of then against his wrists. "Happy Xew Year." he repeated, me chanically. af*?r her. He was hugging the little cold feet fiercely to his breast, and burying his face in the tousled hair. It wa>: Ilecky Reeky and her cheeks, against his, felt round and warm. And she sat on his arm as • traigLt and strong as a little ramrod! Then he had been asleep. lie had had a terrible dream. Thank (lod, he was awake now! He carried Becky back upstairs, feeling every step as he went, with slow care. Then he tucked her into bed among blankets and quilts, and kissed her. His lamp was flickering out, and he got another and carried it down stairs. The big book on the high corner desk lay open at page 46 — What! Abel Tappan could hardly believe his eyes. He took eff bis glasses and nibbed them on the lining of his coat. But when he put them on again, he could still see two wavy, criss-cross lines meandering from corner to corner of page 40. Mrs. Wyneoop's page, opposite, was clean and uncrossed "Well, now, who'd 've believed it!" he laughed, in loud delight, ilis heart felt light and glad. "I did it myself, instead o' crossing out Mis' Wyneoop's! And it can stay, too It'll remind me that I ain't going to press that poor McKie woman a mite—not a mite —not if she can't ever pay up. She's got a poor little spindling, crooked-backed girl, and the Lord knows that's enough affliction. That's more'n I could stand." With careful painstaking, he retraced the slanting lines, his pen splutterir.g tiny flecks of ink upon his intent face. "There!" lie breathed softly. "I guess they're black enough to remind me if 1 ain't stone blind! Now I'll turn over a new leaf." At the top of the clean, new page lie wrote, in his small, unsteady letters, the word "Lemons." "I'll send Beck,\ over with 'em first thing in the morning—if I can find 'em," he added, laughing again. Then he slapped his thigh in a sudden spasm of recollection. "Why, bless your heart! they're in the money drawer this minute, holding their sides, like as not. I raked 'em all into get 'em out o' my siprht." A sleigh load of belated revellers was crunching past. Their gay voices rat:g out, and their laughs chimed in pleas antly with his. He hurried to the door, unlocked it, and shouted alter them at the top of his voice, little Becky's "Wisher Happy New Year!"—Anr.ic Hamilton Donnell, in Country Gentleman. ANOTHER NEW YEAR. \«e Keeknned liy Inward Sinn* —Old Only an Our (irouth In tlnnly and Womanly Virtue Wonld Show. A modern author suggests that if all record and measurement of time by hours and days and years could be abandoned, we should gradually adopt fi newer and truer standard, and count our age by inward rather than out ward signs. If. by transformation of mental habit this introspective reckoning could slid denly be brought to bear, in what new aspect should we see ourselves and our friends. How old would many seem who are yet in the vigor of youth, and how youthful many whose brows are wrinkled and crowned with silver hair. We mitrlit not wholly separate time and growth, but we should meas ure time for mortals as we do for trees. l\v the indications of growth. Who does not know the difference who looks back and sees how the life- It ss years of his past lie half forgotten wliiie the life of the vital \ ears lias pow 11* still to set every pulse n throb 7 These years count, the others are ciphers. We are as old as their grand vitality inwrought into experience and ripened into character has made us. We are as old as our thoughts are high and deep; as old as our love is wide and warm; as old, and only as old. no mat ter how many our years, as our growth in manly and womanly virtue would show. The brain may have absorbed facts and theories and philosophies about goodness and the real self b* learning the alphabet of God's lesson of obedience and trust. These being the natural food of the soul, its real growth depends on the soul's power of assimilating what has b*en prepared by a Divine hand for its nurture. Yet on no amount of thought about obedience, or love, or goodness will the hungering human nature thrive. No careful analysis of foods will build up the wasting tissues or give new strength to the growing body, only that which enters into the life becomes part of fiber, and blood, and bone.—-Washington llome Maga zine. HOW SIIK KNEW. Mrs. Cobwigger—How do you know your husband kept the resolution he made you last year to give up smoking? Mrs. Hillaire—l've the best of proof. 1 made him a present of a box of ci gn.rs and he hasn't touched one of then: the whole year.—N. Y. World. liellliiK Heady for Xew Vrnr'i Day. (Juizzer— What are you putting cot ton in your ears for? Wise- Don't «vnnt to be deafened b the sound of broken pledges to-moi row. —.V V. Journal. THE LATE FASHIONS, Some Pr tty Things That Are Ap propriate for the Season. One of tlie Mnoy Men* in Petti- COHIN—A Clirlntinn* filft 'I Inn Hoy lie Made at Home. it is quite wonderful how much an elaborate affair for the neck wili add to a very plain costume. But as these accompaniments to the toilet are ab surdly expensive, it is always better to see the design and make them at home. A very handsome salmon-pink T w ■ > PR I VITY <. X)LLA i;>, collar is made of soft silk,over a, stiff foundation. The collar fastens at the back with ordinary hooks and eyes. The silk is drawn over the collar, and fastens in front with small rhine stone buckles; between the buckles is a shirring of white chiffon. Two pointed pieces of salmon-colored silk, edged with lace, cover the neck completely beneath the ear. It would seem that Dame Fashion had carefully designed to have the new jackets so various in cut as to be be coming to all figures, stout or slim. Very long tight-litting jackets reach to the knees, and many are worn even ll ONE OF THE SIIOHT JACKETS. longer. These are especially stylish, made up in fur. Short jackets are also worn It is quite the rage to have dark fur jackets trimmed with wide lapels and cuffs of light fur. The high collar is also lined with light fur. The illustration shows a new French model developed in Persian lamb. It is very short and tight-titting. Over the hips it is cut into three scallops to ward the front and a short "pigeon tail" at the back. It is a very "chic" jacket and exceedingly becoming to a slight figure. There are never so many attractive Christmas gifts shown in the shop Ii ! i M4 1 § ' i $ 4' ,j ® SB ■ 1 ' Jj j 1 j| I AN EMBROIDERED BOOK COVER windows but one still has a desire to make something oneself. A pretty idea is an embroidered book-cover. The conventional design can be embroidered in one or several colors on blue linen. The cover is made on the pattern of ■j folding cardcase and is especially adapted to protect s Tiaidsotnely bound book from becoming soiled in handling. Although the book-cover by no means a new idea, it is too good a one togo out of fashion, and the book lover will find them an ever-wel come present. A charming dressing sack lor a young girl is made of pale pink cider down flannel. AX EIDERDOWN DitESSIiNG SACK. The turn-down collar is slightly low at the throat. The jacket fastens at the neck ami waist with two pretty pink satin rib bons. A dair.ty pocket ornaments each side of the jacket over the hips. The cuffs turn back. The entire jacket, cuffs, pocket, etc . are edged with pink satin ribbon about an inch wide. Odd as it may seem, it is always easier to find a pretty bonnet for a little girl, than an attractive one for a wee boy. However, a very stylish design for a boy's bonnet is a black velvet. The full, soft brim falls jabot-fashion at each side of the face. The brim is lined with pink silk. An enormous pink satin bow and a large pink plume ornaments the front. There is such a rush of new ideas in silk petticoats that it is a question to know which ones to select. A very handsome silk skirt is of, alternating stripes of pale green, black and white stripes garlanded with pink roses, 'l'he flounce is short in front and long at the back; it is trimmed top and bottom with a narrow plaiting of heavy black SOME LATE PETTICOATS. satin ribbon, which is quite a novelty. A very dainty skirt is of pale* pink taffeia. It is trimmed at the bottom with six rows of pink mousseline fie sole. laid in perfectly plain bias folds or tucks about an inch and a half wide. Above these are two folds of whffe mousseline de soie. The upper Told is slightly festooned and held in plnet by sofi rosettes of the same material. THE LATEST.