16
m : sS^ LL *
4f > U H lIK stars were
)\j~) H bright, the air
Vf Ka was crisp, when
I from hls ann ' ,e
t■«. Good Deacon Jones
ftp walked down the
road, a basket on
his arm.
"While or hw shoulder carelessly a cedar
bush he liore,
And thus equipped he made his way to
Widow Nelson's door.
"I've come," he said, "—thank you, no
chair, It's gettin' pretty late—
To bring a little truck to help the chil
dren celebrate;
For Christmas comes but once a year,
and somethin' should be done
To make tor every livin' child the day a
happy one.
*An' lately I've been thinkln', an' the
thought has come to me.
When Christmas should come round
again how things down here might
be;
Of course, I don't pretend to say that
you can't do enough,
An' still I felt I'd like to just bring down
this little stuff.
"'So here's a pair o' skates for John, a
doll for Mary Jane;
For toddlin' Tim. to help him walk, a big
striped candy cane;
Here's nuts an' raisins, pictur' books, an'
1 can't tell the rest,
But take 'em all and tlx 'em up Just as to
you seems best.
"An' thin to make the Christmas day
seem like It used to be,
Along here with this other truck I've
brought a Christmas tree;
The child ran had one every year, for
which their father planned.
But now he's gone—an' they're so young
they might not understand.
"For Santa Claus is real to them, an'
they don't know that we
Provide the toys an' other things that
load the Christmas tree:
To them the reindeer team is real that
speeds from town to town.
An' re;|l the fairy saint wlfo climbs the
chimneys up an' down.
"An' that's the reason why I've come;
my gifts is nothin' great,
But just a little truck to help the chil
dren celebrate;
Tut, tut, no thanks, don't mention it, nor
tell 'em it.was me,
But lot 'em think 'twas Santa Claus that
brought the Christmas tree."
G. IS. Torrey, In Springfield (Mass.) Re
publican.
M R GENNISTERS
ISI I you a pleas
jfyJ ant journey," .Mr.
Cienni.--ter, and a merry Christmas!"
Mr. Gennister turned slowly toward
his new clerk—a fair, sunny-faced
young fellow —-with a cold and stony
stare. "I do not expect to have a
l>li' usant journey," he said. "And 1
«io not believe in Christmas."
Young Mortimer, the new clerk,
looked blankly at his employer and
«aid no more. When the door closed
behind Mr. Gennister's departing fig
ure, Tom, the oilice boy, laughed.
"Say, Mr. Mortimer, when you've been
with him as long a.s 1 have, you won't
be wishing him a pleasant journey—
or a merry Christmas, either!"
"I'll wish him both!" young Morti
mer said, sturdily. "And I hope he'll
have a merry Christinas, in spite of
himself."
Mr. Gennister's journey from the
city to the .suburbs of that small New
England town was no more pleasant
than he had foreseen. It was a long
anil tiresome journey, followed by a
cold drive through the darkness, for
it was nearly eight o'clock before he
reached the lonely, old-fashioned
house which once had been his home.
For some reason, Mr. Gennister had
never cared to part with this house,
whieli through the entire year was
left in charge of an old servant, who
kept it always ready for his immedi
ate return, though every year he
went back to it for shorter periods
and at longer intervals, lint lie had
chosen to come to it now on the night
before Christinas, to get away from
the annoyance of the holiday fuss
and the air of general festivity which
he disliked so much, and which for
fconie days would pervade the entire
city. It was a nuisance, a foolishness,
an interruption to business, und he
would have none of it! And the soon
er that Young Mortimer learned his
opinions about such tilings, the bet
ter!
As Mr. Gennister approached his old
home he noted with satisfaction the
Dare on the window panes, which told
of a blazing log fire in his particular
den. Hut liis satisfaction wnsiflarred
when he was greeted in the hallway
by liis old servant, all cloaked and
bonnetted and with a tearful face.
"How are ye, Mr. Gennister, it's well
ye. are lookin', sir. IJut to think of
yer havin' come home just when me
duty is eallin' me two ways I don't
know' what ye'll say to me, sir,—but
ine daughter over to Westley has been
took ill suddintly an' Loin has drove
over t,o fetch ine, an' is waitin'at the
back door this minute, sir—sol must
be goin' at once. I've set out yer sup
per, sir, an' yer breakfast, too—all
but the coffee—if ye'll just be good
enough to make that for yerself?
An' me niece, Ellen, will be over in
the niornin', sir, for I've sent her a
postcard in the mail, an' she'll take
care of ye an' the house, sir, till I re
turn."
"Very well, then, go," said Mr. Gen
nister. "I'll get along. Well, what
else is the matter, Jane?" a.s lie saw
the tearful wofnan was not yet ready
to depart.
"I'm very sorry, sir, but there's the
bye! I wouldn't a hud it happen for
n good deal, for ye don't like childer,
I know. Jiut yer telegraph was de
la veil, an' I didn't know ye was coiniu'
till—with all I had to do to git ready
for ye, sir, it was too late to git the
bye home. An' ye'd never a knowed
that he was here, sir, if I hadn't been
called so snddent away. An' 1 can't
take him along wid me, sir, for over
to West ley all the childers is dowi
with the measles—"
"Who and what is he?" Mr. Gennis
ter demanded, sternly.
"Me son John's littlest bye, sir, go
in' on four year old—an' come over
afore I knowed ye was coinin' home,
to spind Christinas day wid his
granny. An', poor little soul, I've
been that hurried an' upset that I've
niver a thing to putin his stockin'—
which he'll break his heart over in
"OH, SANTA CLAUS, FILL UP MY "POCKING."
the morniiv whin lie wakes up an'
finds it inipty!"
"Stop rambling 1 and It'll ine what
you expect me "to do," Mr. Gennister
said, grimly.
"Nothin' in the world, sir, for he's
abed an' asleep, till in the mornin'
he wakes an' finds stoekiu' impty an'
bis granny gone! Then he may cry a
bit, but not for long, lie can dress
hisself—he's a smart little bye —an'
if ye'll give him jist a bite of bread
an' sup o' milk, he'll be all right till
Ellen gits over, an' then she'll know
what to do, an' ye'll niver dream, sir,
there's a little bye iu yer house. An'
I humbly hope, .sir, ye'll pardon me,
an*—"
"Yes, yes, good-night," said Mr.
Gennister, impatiently, cutting her
short and turning on his heel.
lie went up to his room to remove
the stains of travel. And before he
came down again lie had heard the
back door shut and a wagon drive
away, and he knew he was alone in
his house—alone, with the exception
of a strange child 1
Certainly Mr. Gennister was much
annoyed, yet lie was just enough to
see that Jane was really not to blame.
She could no .more have foreseen be
ing called away by her daughter's
sudden illness than that he would
telegraph her at the last moment be
fore starting, instead of on the day
before, as hitherto he had done.
He put on his comfortable lounging
robe and went downstairs to find a
bountiful stipper spread out on a neat
table before the open fire. Short as
her time had been ,la.ne had provided
amply for his comfort. She had not
neglected one thing which she knew
he liked, although she had found no
time to run to the village store for a
top for her grandchild's stocking!
By the way, where was the boy? It
might be as well to know in what
part of the house he was sleeping in
case anything should happen iii the
night.
So when Mr. Gennister had finished
his supper he arose, a feeling of an
noyance again coming over him, and
because the back part of the house
was usually cold, he put on a cap be
fore he took up the lamp and started
upon his quest.
lie had poked his head into three
empty bedrooms before he came to
Jane's, in the middle of whose ample
featherbed a wee figure was curled
up, fast asleep. At the bed's fuot a
limp little stocking hung empty and
forlorn.
While Mr. Gennister was looking at
it the little figure squirmed and sud
denly sat up. Two little fists rubbed
open two sleepy eyes and then the
small boy crept rapidly on all fours
to the foot of the bed and felt the
stocking —empty!
There was a surprised and pitiful
quiver on the lip. Then the child
raised his head and caught sight of
Mr. Gennister's short, stout figure,
clad in long lounging robe and cap,
and the boy no longer felt either grief
or doubt.
"O Santa Glaus, fill up my 'toek
ing!" lie cried, tossing up his arms.
I "Willie been g'ood boy!"
Instantly—for some unknown rea
son—Mr. Gennister blew out the
lamp. The silence was broken by a
sleepy chuckle from the bed as the
child snuggled back among the warm
.coverings. Then there was a mixed
up murmur of "Santa Claus— 'locking
—good boy," followed by a contented,
sleepy sigh, after which, with noise
less step, Mr. Gennister withdrew.
Back again in his warm sitting
room he sat staring- at the fire, lit—
lie of all men on earth—had been mis
taken for Santa Clans! He laughed
grimly—it was so strange a jolor!
Queer that even a child could believe
such nonsense. What fools grown
people were to teach them such rub
bish—or to countenance it! How
many children would be disappointed
i in the morning, how many heartaches
CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1901.
would be caused by that ridiculous
myth—that cruel deceit of "Santa
Claus." Now, there was that little
chap upstairs—
And Mr. Gennister felt sorry, felt
positively uncomfortable as he
thought of the bitter grief which
would come to that child on liis
awakening.
At last he got up and put on his coat
and overcoat. It was not a long walk
to the village and he felt, since lie had
given Jane such short notice of his
coming, that lie owed it to her to get
a few toys for it/e youngster who
was really in no way to blame for
being there. Hut Mr. Gennister did
wish that Jane had been less consci
entious and had attended to providing
for the little chap's Christmas even
if she had been obliged to leave those
fragrant mince pies unmade!
lie strode rapidly along and soon
reached the small block of gayly-light
ed shops, But he had not expected to
find so great a crowd of shoppers and
for a moment lie was inclined to turn
about and go back empty -handed—as
lie had coine. Then lie thought of the
child's delight when he—Joel Gennis
ter—had been so absurdly mistaken
for Santa Claus, and he went in.
Mr. Gennister submitted to the push
ing and hustling of the holiday-hu
mored crowd until he had succeeded in
buying a Noah's ark, a box of ten-pins
and a flag. Then to add to his discom
fort the sudden thought came to him
—suppose the child had awakened and
was screaming himself into tits? or
suppose a spark from the blazing logs
should set (ire to the house? There
upon he made his way out and hurried
home, feeling much relieved when he
had let himself in and found all as
quiet and as safe as when he had gone
out, an hour before.
And now he really had to do the
work of Santa Claus. Again- lie visit
ed Jane's room, and having possessed
himself of the little li in p stocking, he
returned to the fireside to till it, when
he discovered that •even now he had
nothing suitable to putin! It was ab
surd! What sort of things did they
put into stockings, anyway!
So he thrust in the flag, with its
stick extending far up in the air, and
he poked Noah and some other of the
ark's inhabitants into that seemingly
bottomless abyss, and then he took
back the still limp stocking to itsliang
ing place, put the ark and box of ten
pins near it on the foot of the big bed,
after which Mr. Gennister himself re
tired.
When he awakened next morning
Mr. Gennister heard vague sounds of
unmistakable delight, and presently
when he went over and looked in at
the door of Jane's room he saw a com
ical sight.
A very small boy in a flannel night
"Johnnies." surrounded by Noah, his
family and all his animals, was vain
ly trying* to stand on his head—pre
sumably for joy! But when he saw
Mr. Gennister he regained an upright
position.
"Gamma?" lie said, inquiringly.
"Your grandma's gone away, but it's
all right. I'll look out for you till El
len comes. You know Ellen?"
The boy stared hard. "Who is 00?"
lie said at last.
"I'm Mr. Gennister—t his is my house.
Say, can you dress yourself? Well,
then, get dressed and I'll give you
some breakfast."
The boy jumped up and down. "Mit
ter Dennitter, Mitti r Dennitter, Santa
Claus bringed Willie all dese!"
"Yes, 1 see. Ilurry, now; get your
clothes on and come downstairs."
Hut the child was too wildly excited
to be able to dress himself that day—
and Mr. Gennister actually had to play
the nurse!
Afterward Mr. Gennister played cook
and made the coffee. Then the two
breakfasted together with Noah and
his wife, for guests, standing between
theni 011 the table.
But it was after breakfast that the
fun really began. Evidently Willie
had never seen tenpins before, so Mr.
Gennister set tin 111 up and showed
him how to play with them. And Wil
lie enjoyed the companionship so
much that after that lie would not
play alone with anything!
As long as Mr. Gennister sat on the
floor and rolled the balls, Willie would
fetch and carry and set up the pins
and chatter in perfect delight, lint
when Mr. Gennister drew his chair up
by the fire and tried to read, Willie in
sisted upon climbing on his knee and
putting his chubby face between the
reader's eyes and the printed page.
Commands and persuasions were of no
avail, and at last Mr. Gennister gave in
and went back to his place upon the
floor, and so it was that Ellen found
them.
She was amazed, of ccurse, and
agliast that Mr. Gennister should have
been so bothered by "the bye." And
she immediately carried tlie child away
to her own domain—the kitchen. But
Willie had no mind to give up his new
found playmate, and watching his op
portunity he slipped away from Ellen
and reappeared at "Mitter Demit ter's"
side.
Mr. Gennister put down his book
and looked with some amusement at
the persistent child. But Ellen had
missed him, and quickly arrived upoa
the scene, whereupon Willie set up •
howl and clung; to Mr. Gennister with
all his force.
"There, there—leave him with me,
Ellen. He'll be good in here, and you
go get the dinner," said the master.
And the maid departed,marveling.
Oh, but Willie had a time that
day, and Mr. Gennister imd some good
exercise—and some new sensations,
too! They dined together as they had
breakfasted, with Noah and his family.
And then, after Ellen had everything
washed up and put away, she appeared,
all cloaked and ready to take Master
Willie home.
It was difficult to persuade him to
"be good bye" and go; he evidently
was well content to stay where he was.
Hut finally the idea of showing all the
beautiful toys which Santa Claus had
brought him, to "monimer, popper an'
the chiller" prevailed, and Willie con
sented reluctantly to have them packed
up and to go.
"Goo'-by, Mitter Dennitter; Willie
come soon aden!" was his shrill fare
well. Then silence settled on the bach
elor's home, and with a sigh of relief
Mr. Gennister picked up his book and
settled himself before the fire.
But somehow he could not fix his
mind on what he read, and his eyes
would wander from the printed page.
"Hello! there's poor old Noah or
one of his family! 1 wonder if you feel
lonely, too?" he said as he picked up
the forlorn little figure and set it be
fore him on the mantelpiece.
"Welcome back, Mr. Gennister, and
I hope you've had a merry Christmas!"
was young Mortimer's greeting to his
employer upon Mr. Gennister's re
turn.
Tom, the office boy, laughed silently
and looked up to see young Mortimer
"annihilated;" but to his amazement
Mr. Gennister. after his first habitual
frown, smiled and actually seemed
amused.
"Well, most unexpectedly, I did
have, rather!" was the enigmatical
reply.
Later in the day lie said to young
Mortimer: "You have children in your
family, 1 imagine?"
Young Mortimer laughed.
"Well, sir, there are nine of us, and
I'm the eldest of the lot!"
* "Ah," Mr. Gennister said, thought
fully. "that explains it. That makes
the difference. I see now why you
think so much of Christmas. I never
had brother or sister—T grew up with
out having any young companions.
And 1 see now that I have missed some
thing out of my life." —Judith Spen
cer, in Springfield (Mass.) llepub
lican.
JOY OF CHRISTMAS.
Spirit That ArraiKjinnieii Ilie I.lttle
<aift* Tluit llringr <■ In<l im>m« to
the Heart.
A good part of the joy of Christ
mas consists in the thought fulness
and self-sacrifice that go into the
preparation of the gifts for that hap
py day. If you could look into hun
dreds of thousands of homes this
week you would see fathers and
mothers, and brothers and sisters
planning how to make the gifts that
will gladden the hearts of those dear
to them, says the Boston Watchman.
More often than not the expendi
tures that parents make for these
purposes involve self-denial on their
part. They have to give up some
thing they would like to have in or
der to make the children happy. And
how the little ones who have man
aged to save a trifle during the year
calculate upon spending it to the
best advantage. "Oh, dear!" they
often think to themselves, "how
many presents I should like to make,
but how hard it is to make the dol
lar go around." Some of the gifts,
however, that bring the utmost glad
ness to a parent's heart are the little
things wrought with love by the
hands of the children—the book
mark, or the crochet work, that the
girls work on in secret, or the tool
box or shelf that the boys make hi
their spare moments. Such gifts fre
quently have a quality that- the most
costly presents lack. The aroma of
some gifts cannot be bought with
gold.
[Published by Permission of Judge, New
York.l
A TRAP FOH ST. MCIC,
'i
nf
Young Mechanic—"Yer see, it's a
tr;ip. li jes' fits our chimbly, an' Sandy
Clans kin git down allriglit; but when
he climbs back he can't git out, an'
1 gits all his pack."
Ili« Siberian Hivcr.
The Irtish river, in Siberia, is 2,20(
miles in length, and draius 000,000 miles
of territory.
|BETHLEHEM
Words by FRANK. B. WELCH, Author of "An Easter Anthem," Etc.
Music by PAUL P. ARMSTRONG, Composer of "Salvation,** "Light of MyLife,** Ltc.
HI >
Rffigioao li. _ '
»»re thy walls And swe*t thy sa cre-1 name; Froin
Great i» thy §flo - ry, wide thy fame, Thy name's In all tho earth. To
Joy to the world from thee han come - None greater »• <f was known-- It
thy rude stall to *av e the world The Great Be - deem er - eame On
sin - - ful man it* light cut Found Pro claim* a Sa - viour'a birth; Each
lilt* from hlii the nor row - lug ( lone to Jo - ho - vuli'h throne; In
all thy hills in gio - ry beam*d The bright and morn ing star And
ro - - cess of thy hal - low'd hills Each nook thy ro. ks a - m<>nff, <»iv« s
pence a-bides each mor - tal hero Whose lips a - tune thy palso. West
\ ay '
C zk 4_L y ~
to in gates ..ii bend • «<l knee Came sages from a far.
hack to us mi cell - .. of A res . c ued s .n - net's hoii*.
c ,t y —of the ba - vlours birth Thy name we love ul - ways.
J Jy. J 1 J 1 * j j
O Beth - l«? hem! O Beth -le - hem! HlcHt be thy sa-cred name; —— Froii
A.
thy rude stall to save tho world Tho Great He - deem -er came.
Some Memorable Christmas
Seasons in American History
. —!,!<■ ■■■lW ■ ■— ■«■■!■! IiWMB I I'm , ■ !■ Mil | I Ml I I '
tHRISTMAS, the birthday of
the Prince of Peace, has, in
many ways, been a remark
able day in American liis
-1 tory. Not that it has been
a day remarkable for its
history-making events, for almost any
other holiday of the year would proba
bly show a greater number of impor
tant happenings to take them through
out the historical period of the Ameri
can colonies and the American nation,
but the historical events of Christmas
have helped to make the peace history
rather than the war history of our
country.
In our hundred and a quarter years
of existence as a nation we have had
our full share of war, but through
out all of our wars we have fought
scarcely one battle, that might be
called an important engagement, upon
Christmas day. Of the few Christmas
day battles the most important one
was the bombardment of Wilmington,
S. C., by tlie combined forces of Ad
miral Porter and Gen. Butler, on De
cember 24 and 25, 18G4. In that battle
the attacking force was repulsed.
Beginning away back in the early
colonial days and following the his
tory of the day down to recent years
we liutl many incidents that mark-
Christmas as a day of peace, a day cele
brated by the American people in keep
ing with the life and work of Him for
whom it is kept, and whose birth it
commemorates.
The Pilgrims at Plymouth did not
land on Christinas day, but four days
before Christmas, in order that they
might better keep the holy festival
and give thanks upon that appropriate
occasion for their arrival in the new
land to which they had come. They
were a peace-seeking people; they had
crossed the ocean in quest of peace,
and it was at the Christmas season
that they first found it in the new
land.
Another memorable Christmas sea
son in American history that pro
claimed "peace on earth, good will to
men," w as that of 1783, when on Decem
ber 23 Gen. Washington reported to
cougress at Annapolis the completion
of the task assigned him. and surren
dered his commission as general in
chief of the American armies. It was
the final aci in that long struggle for
our Independence, and it came at ati ap
propriate time, at a time when the
thoughts of the world turn naturally to
peace. Significant and impressive as
was the simple ceremony in which the
great soldier and patriot figured as
the central figure, it was made the
more so because of the time of the
year at which it was enacted. Peace
came as a blessing to the nation, and
it came virtually upon the birthday of
the Prince of Peace.
In the following year, in the same
state of Maryland, but at Baltimore
instead of Annapolis, came another in
cident in the peace history of America
when on Christmas day was formed
the Methodist Episcopal church in the
United States. Previous to that time
the church had been represented by
ministers of the Gospel scattered
throughout the different colonies, but
they had no central organization. It
was this organization, an organization
that has since carried the message of
"peace and good w ill" to nearly all the
nations of the world, which was per
fected December 25,1514. It was an ap
propriate day for such an event, and it
was an appropriate event for the day.
As the surrender by Washington of
Ms commission was practically the last
incident of the revolutionary war, so
did the signing of the peace treaty at
Ghent, Belgium, mark the close of our
second war with England. The second,
like the first, came at an appropriate
time, December 24, 1814. Thus two of
our great wars closed just as the
Christmas bells were proclaiming to
the world.
Practically the final aet of our great
civil war was the announcement of am
nesty to all those who had waged war
against the government. President
Lincoln had issued two proclamations
of amnesty that restored but certain
portions of the members of the south
ern armies and the southern govern
ments to citizenship, and the final, and
general one, came from the hand of
President Johnson on December 25,
ISCS. It was an appropriate observa
tion of the day, and an epoch marking
event in American history.
And so it is that Christmas has been
to us as a nation a day of peace as it
should be for all time, and to all the
world.
WKIGHT A. PATTERSON. I