!s{■%»'*' "*■*"' t+'V /■"' a ''* Spirit °f Christmas. Fill
V
i\ \ 112 with newvand interesting things.
\/\ » y " ' Attune our ears to the general song
L. jffl /jj \| j °f good cheer and mak( our hearts
i JI |m vo ' ces responsive toil fiessage.
jMHuy I \ ' Let us know ia.jjs full n./asure the
I blessedness of the privilege both of
rv V ? giving and of receiving, the interchange
of the Christmas message of love and
ll\ Help us to put aside the fear, the
M\ \ \ \\\ worry and the petty strife of yester
>A day, and to face tomorrow with the
//j V(\. radiant face of those who have seen
l^e star ' n '^ e eas '
V I\ Ni X heard the angels* message "Glory to
' Cod in the highest, and on earth
peace, good will toward men."
Christmas Right
Bv tbeodosia (iarrijon
Sometimes T think that Christmas
night's the best.
Before the nursery fire, when we're
undressed
And all the toys are put away, except
Perhaps my engine and the baby's
bear,
Chen mother comes away from all the
rest
Downstairs to tell our Christmas
story there.
She takes the baby on her lap and we
Sit 'round heron the hearth-rug so we see
Che pictures in the fire, and then
she tells
About how Shepherds watched their
flocks by night
And what the angels said, and how the
three
Ulise Kings came riding - and the
big star's light.
Jind then she tells us how it showed
the way
Co iust a stable where the oxen stay.
Jind there they found him in his
mother's arms,
ft little baby Christ-Child—and he
smiled;
Jlnd that ishe says) is what made
Christmas day
, Tor you and me and every little
' child.
Before the nursery fire when we're
undressed
Sometimes T think that Christmas
night's the best.
-€»«rvfcOdv'l
& Cs -»
yj
XMAS BEFORE THE MAST
How a Crew Celebrated Merrily Off
the Coast of California in the
Early Days.
A good many of you may have read
Richard H. Dana's interesting story of
sea life, "Two Years Before the Mast."
Dana's vessel was collecting hides on
the coast of California, when that
coast was in a semi-civilized condi
tion. He thus describes Christmas
among the crew:
"As there were no hides to take
in, and nothing especial to do, the cap
tain gave us a holiday, the first we
had had except Sundays since leav
ing Boston; and we had a plum
duff for dinner.
"The crew of the Russian brig, lying
alongside us, following the 'old style,'
had celebrated their Christmas 11
days before, when they had a grand
'blow-out;' and (as our men said)
'had drunk in the forecastle a keg of
gin, ate up a bag of tallow and made
a soup of the skin!'"
Certain it is that Christmas is the
one universal festival the round world
over; and every resident of a Chris
tian land carries Christmas in his
heart wherever he may go.
Christmas Cheer.
"Old man," wrote the Billville citi
zen, "it was my intendin' to give you
a line present fer Christmas, but I
come short this year by the sheriff
levyin' on my cotton an' the govern
ment on my corn; so I kin only send
you a gallon jug of the last named,
•which ain't much as my ambitions is
fer you; but I'll say this, old boy;
There's enough in that jug to make
you have the jolliest time o' yer life
fer a day or two; ef you can't buy a
circus ticket, there's a whole circus in
six drams, an' a eternal movin' pictur'
show in 20; so make the most of it!"
—Atlanta Constitution.
Thoughtful.
Ella —I'm going to hang up my
.stockings on Christmas.
Stella—What for?
"By special request of papa and
mamma. You know they believe In
Jtyita Claus."—Life.
BERLIN'S CHRISTMAS
THE DAY NOT LIKE IT WAS FIFTY
YEARS AGO.
The Old Customs of the Burghers
Have Been Forgotten by the New
er Generation in the Modern
Hub of Empire.
/Cpvr —pMERICAN and English
a 112 newspapers at Christ
/xwyi J I mas time often have
IJ® picturesque accounts
I I the German Christ
l J mas, which conjure up
\ *Mk| gf&v a clear frosty atmo-
J sphere and re-echo the
song of the skates on
the frozen lakes. For
the Anglo-Saxon notion of the German
Christmas is drawn from those child
hood hours spent over Hans Andersen
and Grimm, and the sight of a Christ
mas tree brings to mind the wood-cut
ter tramping home through the snow
laden forest, trailing behind him the
fir tree for his family Christmas cel
ebration, while, in the towns, the
black quadrangle of the venerable
market place is picked out in lights
blazing on the trees in the windows
of the gabled houses.
Fifty years ago, before the young
German giant had awakened from the
sleep of centuries, this idea of the
peaceful German Christmas was cor-
rect, the Berlin correspondent of the
New York Evening Post says, nut if
one of the burghers of old Berlin, re
turning from making his Christmas
purchases on Christmas eve, were to
be transplanted into the roaring hub
of empire which his haupstadt has
become in the year of grace, 1909, the
good man would probably expire on
the spot.
Fifty years ago, when Berlin was a
dirty, unpretentious, provincial town,
with ill-lighted, ill-paved streets, with
a population renowned even in those
days for its surly manners and un
couthness. and with the iron hand of
militarism unchecked over it all, the
Christmas festival was the tranquil
celebration of which one has read. In
the Lustgarten, before the castle, a
Christmas fair was annually estab
lished, which the king and royal fam
ily used to visit to buy jumping jacks
and gingerbread for the palace Christ
mas trees, like any other German
family. The Lustgarten fair has
passed away, the king of Prussia has
become German emperor, Berlin has
developed into a fair and beautiful
city, and all that remains of thl>
Christmas of once upon a time is the
spirit—indeed, a precious inheritance,
that still holds the branches of the
myriads of Christmas trees which
rich and poor alike set up in their
houses on the eve of the feast.
Christmas Booms Trade.
"Christmas booms trades of all
kinds," said a statistician of New
York. "It is, on the whole, a bless
ing.
"Take groceries and fruit. A big
grocer tells me that where ordinarily
he sends out 100 tons of groceries a
day at Christmas time he sends out
130 tons. And of oranges, he sells
a million a week in December aa
against 500,000 a week at other timesi.
"Turkeys go from 6,000 to 14,00,'
in this firm's output, nutmegs frot/S
five to 18 tons, raisins from 2,000 id
9,000 boxes and cigars from 1,000 to
3,000 boxes.
"Wines and spirits, which are pop
ular Christmas gifts, sell 50 per cent,
better than in any other month. I
know a man who sold $225,000 worth
of whisky last December as against
an average of $125,000 for the other
months of the year."
A Way We Have at Christmas.
She looked at the little man archly.
"Hubby," she said, "do you know
you are beginning to grow rather
handsome?"
"It's a way I have,"he answered,
"as Christmas draws near." —New Or
leans Times-Democrat.
GAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, DECEMBER i 6, 1909.
!□□□□□□□□□□□□□□!
yiil Alibi
Santa
By Olivia Barton Strohm
!□□□□□□□□□□□□□□!
Copyright, 1900, by W. A. Patterson
At a clearing of the forest stood
MacGregor's store. It was'isometimes
called "The Crossing," but as the
branch had long been impassable be
cause ,of quicksands, these l&eral
mountain folk had come to crtll it
only "The'Store/'* Here Jlie mail.was
brought, from the railroad twice a
week by carrier. But it sometimes
chanced that somebody had an er
rand in town, and would "fetch" the
letters with him.
j This was just what happened the
eve before Christmas. MacGregor him
self, went for the mail—and a goodly
lot of it there was, too. Several post
al cards, at least a dozen letters, and
as many other parcels.
lie alighted from the wagon,
hitched the mules outside, and hur
ried to the door which his daughter
held open for him.
"My, Pappy, what a lot of letters!
Any for me?"
Her father put them on the grocery
counter, and, going back to the wa
gon, returned with a package of pep
permint candy—sticks of red and white
like small barber poles. These he put
in a glass jar, then noticed the girl.
"Hello, Mamie, what's in that there
writin?"
"Nothin'," was the terse response,
and Mamie slipped the letter in her
belt.
The man crossed to her with the
swagger of conscious weakness.
"Look'e here, Maine, if it's from that
pie-faced teacher down thar at the
Gap, it'll he the worst fer you and him,
too. Thar's lots of us ready to take
Bud Johnson's part."
Her face flushed to the color of her
Turkey red calico. "I'll never marry
Bud Johnson so long as I'm alive!
Shame on you, Pappy! It's all on ac
count of that 20-acre lot. It's for sale;
you are crazy for it, and you want me
to marry Bud because he's promised
to buy tiie lot if you make me marry
him. Promise! he has promised every
thing—from lhat land to a collar for
Pepper's neck!"
The tiny black dog snoozing under
the counter heard his name and crept
to her feet; she stooped and patted
him.
Her father paused in the act of pil
ing the good apples on top of the
barrel. "I know; it's all on account
of that teacher man. And what's he
done? Tried to get the mountain folks
to send our youngsters to him to be
larned how to work. Thunderation!
Can't we larn ye that ourselves? If
he'd give ye book-larnin', it wouldn't
be so bad, but —"
"That's foolishness, Pappy; there's
a lot of good in this new kind of study
ing that they call 'manual training.'
It's just because you haven't been
hearing it all your bora lives that you
object. Why, you won't hear to any
thing that isn't as old as the moun
tains themselves!"
Pepper dropped from her arms as
she towered over her father. "How
can we grow? How can we amount
to a row of beans if you keep us in
the same old rut? Only to-day 1 heard
you tell Bill Dawson that you were
sorry we were having such good
weather. 'lt don't seem natural for
Christmas,' you said, 'it don't seem
like old times.' Old fiddlesticks! Just
because the nasty wet fog is what
we're used to this tinm of year, you
don't want the sun to shine. Looks like
you don't want the Lord to improve
on his own weather!"
A customer came in and got a nick
el's worth of candy for his baby's
Christmas stocking.
"I hear you all air goin' to hev a
celebration to-night; I'll be along and
fetch the young uns," he said. "Who's
goin' to play Santa Claus?"
MacGregor looked at his daughter.
"Dunno; Mame's fixed up a rig and
says she'll find some un to wear it;
some un to play Old Nick and give
the things off the tree."
AM this while Mamie was slyly re
reading the letter.
"Your father will not permit me
tog 6 to you, sweetheart: but rail you
come to me? By the pollard willow, at
twilight to-night?"
Mamie glanced qut of doors; the
shadow of Mason's, bluff was already
empurpling the valley; it would soon
be dusk.
She dived behind the counter, took
out a suit of red flannel trimmed in
white cotton, a peaked cap and mask
with long, white beard attached. With
this costunie ~wrapped in a bundle she
was waylaid at the by her fatlyT.
"AVhar ye goin'?" he demanded, sus
piqiouisly.; j - t % ) i
"To iind on'fc of the neighbor boys to
play Santa Claus; then I'm coming
back to fix the tree," and snatching a
shawl from the forkedsJimb of a plhe
which served as hat-rack, she slipped
out.
Tho. air was fresh and frosty; al
ready there was promise of the dark.
"At twilight," his note, had said,
and she started off toward the bridge
at the Gap.
Kace to the ladies and back to the wall;
Take a chaw o.' terbackur and balance all.
The rafters of the cabin shook with
the ehufliing feet, tho laughter of the
dancers, the calls of the fiddler and
the uncertain strains of "Old Dan
Tucker." The fireplace smoked just
enough to wrap the ceiling in
picturesque Christmas swaddling
clothes.
Coal oil lamps fitfully illuminated
the tree at the far end of the big room.
There was a sudden commotion at
its base, as without warning Santa
Claus stood on a tar-barrel, holding
aloft his bundle.
"Promenade all; seats," roared the
fiddler, and the dancers and the chil
dren gathered around the tree —but
not too close, for Mamie, as mistress
of ceremonies, waved them away from
the magic circle. As he, in a thin,
disguised voice, called out the names,
the owner would step up and claim
the parcel.
"Who is he?" one man asked, but
MacGregor nudged the speaker.
"Hush; it's one of the Jimson boys,
most like; don't matter; we want to
fool the youngsters and they think
it's Old Nick himself.','
"Malcolm MacGregor."
Now, it was not often that Mamie's
father had heard himself thus ceremo
niously addressed, and the canny Scot
blood leaped in veins he thought long
dead to pride.
Somebody said: "Well, Mac, I
reckon that's you," and he shuffled up
to the tree and took the slip of paper
Santa Clans proffered. It was a sworn
promise to buy the 20-acre lot adjoin
ing MacGregor's place, adding that the
mysterious donor had stopped by the
owner's farm and taken an option on
it in favor of Malcolm MacGregor!
Below the business form were the
written words: "The one and only
consideration therefor, to be the hand
of his daughter, Mary, to be mine, to
have and to hold from this day forth."
MacGregor tottered to a chair,
where he sat gazing at the precious
paper. In the hubbub nobody noticed
him; the children lingered about
Santa Claus, sniffing at his empty bag,
longing to touch the hem of his robe.
He waved them away, signifying to
Malcolm to follow him out of doors.
Here, at the edge of the clearing, he
awaited the man and his daughter.
When they came he said, still in the
disguised voice:"May I hope, Mr. Mac-
Gregor, that you will accede to the
plan—?"
"Put her thar, Bud," aud Mac Gregor
grasped his hand.
But he reeled and leaned against a
blasted tree for support when Santa
Claus, throwing off the cap, revealed
the smooth-shaven, square-jawed face
of the teacher at Rabun's Gap.
"Thank you, Mr. MacGregor," and
the teacher moved to Mary's side.
Her father rallied to swear and say:
"But I thought—"
"You thought you were swapping
your daughter for a 20-acre lot, —and
you were not mistaken; the only mis
take is in the identity of the party,
and that will scarcely matter. Or,
perhaps, you prefer to let your friends
know that —"
But nobody ever did know, and the
identity of Santa Claus was so well
kept that to this day the children be
lieve that lie hid in a cave, and the
spring freshet rushed in and drowned
him. Anyway, he has never coia<»
back.
Mourning Millinery
By JULIA BOTTOMLEY.
TWO lovely examples of mourning hats are pictured here made of the two
materials most favored for mourning wear, crape and silk grenadine. The
hat of English crape, shown in Fig. I, is a perfect example of the millin
er's art using this exquisite material as a means of expression. The en
tire hat is covered with crape, the brim made of narrow parallel folds. The
crown has wide folds for its covering also a drapery of crape with a large
buckle of dull jet, serve as a mounting for the pompon of down feathers?and
aigrette mounted at the left side.
In shape, this hat is graceful and of a kind that will not soon be'out' of
style. Such shapes should be selected for mourning, as good mourning fabrics
are very durable and will outlast the accepted periods of mourning,, if well
selected. English crape should be chosen, as it is manufactured "to ftithfetand
moisture which is ruinous to crapes not protected against it. In this particular
fabric, the English excel all other manufacturers and the great modistes who
specially design mourning use this crape. It is the most beautiful of the
fabrics used for mourning.
Silk grenadine is equally popular, although not universally recognized ae
first mourning. There is much latitude in the selection of fabrics, however,
and many persons prefer grenadine to any other. The hat and veil shown in
Pig. 2 are of this beautiful fabric. It is also of English manufacture, although
the English send to various parts of the world —including America —for the
materials necessary to make and dye both crape and grenadine. Thlg mate
rial is manufactured waterproof. This is very necessary in order that the rain
or snow may not spot the grenadine. One can easily test the material by
immersing it in water. If properly made the dye will not run and the fabric
will remain unchanged. Crape should be subjected to the same test. The
crimp is not affected by water and its color remains unchanged.
VISITING DRESS.
This elegant dress is carried out in
champagne suede cloth, and is a iit
ting princess, tucked und,er the arms.
A band of braided cloth trims the low
er edge of princess where the mate
rial is slightly draped, below this the
skirt part is plaited, the plaits being
stitched down a few inches. A hand
some braiding design surrounds the
yoke of tucked silk, which is also
trimmed with braid and small buttons.
The sleeve is long, tight-Iltting, and
trimmed to match.
Hat of black beaver, trimmed with
a feather mount.
Materials required: 6% yards cloth
48 inches wide, 4 dozen yards braid.
% yard tucked silk.
Twenty-Inch Rof.e at Pearls.
The lasnion in length icr a string of
pearls has changed. K was once 14
inches, then 16; now tht correct string
mi'st measure 20 inches.
NOW THE RGBIN HOOD HAT
Jtyle That Divides Favor with What
Is Known as the Prairie, of
Felt and Suede.
Millinery is one of the most impor
tant features in the toilette of the
woman who wishes to be well dressed,
and to-day the cult of the plain hat Is
as carefully considered as the elabo
rate, the subject being as inexhaustible
as the budget Itself. The craze for
beaver still continues, but it is safe
to predict that as the winter ap
proaches black will lead the van,
C*orned with cinnamon and royal blue
ostrich plumes for visiting and velvet
for morning wear. The Robin Hood
hat is the latest shape to make its de
but carried out in this charming ma
terial. As will be remembered, the
hat worr. by the famous outlaw of this
name was turned up on one side, had
ratbwr a high crown, and was trimmed
with two long quill-like feathers. The
smart mondaine, although retaining
shape, has substituted a rosette of
thisel and a tuft of breast plumage
| for the feathers. For traveling it will
divide honors with the prairie hat,
which is fashioned of felt and relieved
with a band of suede of a contrasting
shade. —From the Tatler.
0
A Golden Feather.
It can be made of an old quill from
which the battered feathers have been
stripped.
Gold lece is sewn as a scant ruffle on
each side, the end being slightly
pointed.
You have no idea how effective this
is on a fur turban. From this idea a
departure into the realms of silver,
bronze or jeweled lace can be made,
j and at little cost.
This quill, with a band of braid or
lace to match, will furnish sufficient
trimming for a velvet or fur toque.
Shadow Lace.
This is new, and because of its un
-1 obtrusive pattern can be used in great
| quantities without fear of overdecora
( tion.
The pattern is woven in such a way
[ that an uncertain shadowy effect ia
produced. It is especially lovely in
; black and cream. The black shadow
lace is used over black net and a
! white satin underslip. The cream ia
effective over pale tints in evening,
gowns.
Gobelin Green Again.
The hats of this winter will again
112 show that entrancing shade of greeD
' known as gobelin. It will be used
; in thick, short plumes and thick long,
j ones, but not in ribbons or moire.
21