I SORROWS OF SANTA I t -*♦ »*4 »*♦ »* »*« »*« y »*« y •*« •'< ■*< * y . I CHANCED into Santa Clans' home one day. And tin se are the words I heard him say: ' Vh. me, the times, the manners, the men! It used lo be all so different when "I was a young man In iho long ago Anil sped with my rclndee. 1 over the snow. "Then every home In every land Gave unto me always a welcome hand, "And chimneys then in the days gone by Were not over small and not overhigh, "And the stockings they used were the old fashioned kind, All hung Inn row and so easy to find. "Then the gilts were .su simple and all in good taste, I'rom the gingerbiead man to the doll made of paste, ' But now it' so different. ll' iglio, hear me sigh! 1 mourn for the days in the l-and of Goneby. "For now I'm kept busy from early till late "n my earnest endeavors to be up to date. "I've trimmed my old I sard in the new Vandyke style. And Instead of a 1 nigh I've a simpering smile. V "I'VE CEASED TO WEAK AU, SIY OLD FASHIONED CLOTHES." "Yes, I've ceased to wear all my old fash ioned clothes. And I've got on long shoes with the sharp pointed toes, "And my reindeer and robes and my beau tiful sleigh With my gingerbread presents are all laid away, "For I ride nowadays on a bicycle swift And I'm puzzled to know what to bring for a gift "To the girls fin de slecle. and as for the boys. They've no use at all for my old fashioned toys. "And the houses have changed. In thosa things called a flat I :n kept busy guessing Just where 1 am at. "Kxeuse me now, please, if I speak very low; I've come to my last and my cruelest blow. " Tis th. v.-or-t. though what I have told you is bad: My v. it.- has acquired the new woman fad!" Ami ; hose wer« the words I heard him : ay hen I ehaneed lit Santa Clans' home one day. —Detroit New3-Trlbune. «N ODD BELGIAN CUSTOM. A !*!<*( nr<**<|tit k ProcoNNion oil <'hri*t man Kvf. In some old Belgian towns a beau tiful spectacle may be seen on Christ mas eve. Amid the sound of drum, cornel, eyml .- I and a whole orchestra of instruinetiis, with the chanting of caioK a long, gayly decked procession marches through the principal streets children < 112 all ages, each division dr< ssed in ii clal color (white, blue, pink or yellowi. and all bearing some badge or emblem or grasping some bright ribbon attached to shrine or crtteilix. rite effect of grouping and ' color is very artistic. Here and there I In the throng older, stronger hands i» .MI - aloft pr< eiotis relies, upon which | t!- si,, i tutors reverently gaze. Many hove features ci ,ic into view as the fpfoci -ion pa-.es along, but the pret tiest -ight is ii -I, 'in of beau l ifill c!iil > ut preferable to the more lumb rii affair;, tlmi are apt lo le a trifle t •» ornate for!'• .11 d >ll. . I I lie . .111. htlekN th> lr uro *ut I.' und uut H v i>.ami nd I May lt\ the clever ami industrious cut ' Iretor New York J our i ml. I A TROPICAL 1 I CHRISTMAS I I I How the Day of Days Is Cele- ♦ brated In Jamaica ♦ J- | CHRISTMAS with the mercury at i)o degrees in the shade and soaring away out of sight when exposed in the open! Tin* burning, almost boiling, rays of the sun boat vertically down from a deep blue dome of sky that is untieeked by a single li lin of cloud, and reflect ' back with added intensity of suffering heat from the parched, baked ami /•racked like a buffalo robe and the liter" 11... rltt of a blazing Yule lw ahtiii-i induces an attack of fever! 'i iu> pal :tdar i.iay insist that it is the 2."tli of I> c"inl (r. Lan to a stranger fmin tii M'tli. -ays a newspaper cor i" spondciit from Kingston, .lamaica. to wlinin tin' word "Christmas'' has a jli'gle or s'.-ighbeils and the sharp, keen rit.g of si ate blades on the Ice, there i t: r• 1 < 'lirist mas in the strange countri< .. of the tropics. In Km.ston, the capital of Jamaica, the preparations for Christmas begin several wed s before the event. The shopkeepers lay in extra supplies and provide special attractions, pretty much after the manner of the New York stores. Among other things they import large quantities of sweetmeats and candies from l.ondon, .New York and Paris, including chocolate creams and other . onfectioncry which New Yorkers ;i • accustomed to getting, "fresh every hour." Iji .lamaica you* are rca. <>uabi\ sure of getting these delicacies fresh every ('liristiuiis. Chocolate grows in great abundance all over the island, but it must goto London or Paris or New York to be manufactured into candy, or even into the preparations for breakfast bever ages. That is one of the expensive peculiarities of the country. The Christmas market is the great feature of the day, and almost the principal event of the year in a certain sense. Everybody goes to market on Christ mas day, and between the hours of 0 ajutd !) in the morning all the fashion and beauty of the island's capital are on dress parade through Victoria market. The stalls in the market are gayly decorated with flags, bunting, palm branches, colored paper. tinsel and an lip UNDER THE MISTLETOE. wig? DuY)AffHO KfcllU \KlflY)\/ Wood ami leather Novelties. This is the first time anything in thi> line, h uid-inade leather -oods has S|Bjk | IJ I Uql (LJJllj 11 UI li« ,Hl " <,is l'' a > Cf ' t,lis c °u»ty« Call and see the designs. w \\\ (i. 15.viK. 1 A "I'I'CSITK HANK, I-MIKIKII'M. I'A. ARTIST AM. ARTOoOhS I.KAMiR. Z CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, i HURSDA\. DECEMBER n, 1902. A NATIVE DI'DE IX HOLIDAY I>I:KSS. abundance of flowers. A brass band occupies a prominent position in the market building and discourses music of great volume ;md variety and more or less melody. After the crowds fair ly take possession of the market the performance of the band appears to be mostly pantomimic, for nothing made by the hand of man can for a moment compete in noise producing capacity with the average .famaican negro. The West Indian negro's great weak ness is a love of gay apparel, next is a predilection for ecremoiiiousiicss, and the most prominent a Miction is garrul ity. In the crowd that surges past one through the market and the surround ing streets may be seen every variety of apparel known to civilized and un civilized man. The country people wear little or nofhing, the coolies as little as nothing, but the town negro wears everything he or she can put 011, without any regard whatever to the climatic conditions. They take their notions from the English fashion pa pers, and heavy woolen clothing is all the style. The writer has even seen sealskins worn in Kingston 011 a day when the thermometer registered 1(0 degrees in the shade. Here is a stylish saddle colored gentleman wearing loud check trousers, patent leather shoes, a striped flannel shirt of three colors, a crimson ai.d Kick s.ish around his waist, a blue English cricketing cap on iiis head. In his hand he carries an Immense cane, while screwed into his left eye is a circular piece of perfectly i plain glass, through which he glares I stonily 011 the throng. Not long ago ; the single eyeglass became very popu j lar among Kingston society darkies, but they could not get along with tho glasses that magnified, so some enter prising merchant imported a lot of cir cular pieces of plain window glass and all the dudes wore them, happily »nd idiotically. The C'aune of Ills («rlef. The danger of explaining all one's troubles is illustrated by an incident from Chums. A kind hearted old gen tleman had found a small hoy crying and stopped to see what was the mat ter. "Why are von crying, uiy little lad?" he asked. "Boohoo!"' said the boy. "Hilly Wells hit me, an' father iiit me because I let Billy hit me, an' Billy Wells hit me again because I told father, an' now father 'll hit me again because Billy Wells hit me the second time." A Sailors' Fish Test. Sailors have a very simple and what is said io be a very effective way of determining the edible or noncdible qualities of any new varieties of fish they may happen to run across. In the water in which the fish is boiled is placed a bright silver coin. If the coin retains its natural color during the boil ing process, the fish is good to eat, but if it turns dark the food is rejected. I No CiiiiHr For !lii»i lo Complain. "Set* hero!" remarked the tfiu»st to ' the new waiter. "There doesn't seem to be any soup 011 this menu card." "Oil. 110, sir," replied the waiter nervously. "I didn't spill it at this table; it was the one 011 the other siili or' the room."—Cincinnati Commercial Tribune. A I. on/A Wait. Physician (looking into his anteroom, where a number of patients are wait ing)— Who lias been waiting the lon gest ? Tailor (who lias called to present his bill)—I have, doctor. I delivered the clothes to you three years ago. When We Ileally (nn't niamo Them. Sometimes in our more tolerant and forgiving moods we don't blame people for what they do. At the same time we cannot help but feel that they ought to have bail more sense.—ludi anapolis News. Ilril nn its crumbling walls comes nearer than anything else to realizing one's ideal of patient res ignation V" "That's wiial it does," replied the young man with the camera. "I don't •know anything that will stand for be ing photographed half as often."- Ex change. \(i CnuMe I ''of Woe. Stokes—Speaking of mourning, if your rich uncle were to die, should you put on black? Bickers Certainly not. If he left me something handsome, why should I he such a hypocrite as to don the garb of woe? On the other hand, if lie left me out of his will, how could I consistently put on mourning for such a curmudgeon?— Boston Transcript. Kxtrn I.imited. Patron When was this chicken killed? Waiter We don't furnish dates with chickens, sir. Only bread and butter.— Pittsburg Press. G. SCHMIDT'S--'' —HEADQUARTERS FOR lIIP ''>• : : FRESH BREAD, || popular P ™^. 1 • " W CONFECTIONERY Daily Delivery. All orders given prompt and skillful attention. fp2S SHSHSHSH SHS"HSaS? SB 52 at, SI j|j You can look the counly over, and you (n will no', find a more complete, up-to-date n] (II line o( GENERAL MERCII ANDISfi. In "] Ol'R m jjj Fall and 1 | Winter | | Stock g is now in, and ready for your ril Oj inspection. ' "] Cj DRY GOODS, n] "] HEAVY ALL-WOOL SKIRTINGS, g] n\ READY-MADE SKIRTS. ft "5 nl iu LADIES WAISTS. ETC. lr Hr ul Our Notion department is rO [H full of new tilings, and lots [{] nj ofbargains. Wc have added K! « Qj MEN S, BOYS'AND YOUTHS' OVER [il r 'i m Ln COATS AND READY MADE KJ pj tn Jjj SUITS. jj. |j J. E. SMITH, p! 5j yl Sterling Run, *»a. ni i°SH aSHSHS-HS as ES ESH ST? TOE sai s" The Place to Buy Cheap S \ 18 AT } l J. F. PARSONS' \