THE GIFTS OF THE CHRISTMAS BELLS.
The silver frost is on the pans,
The snow is on the lawn,
And Bethlehem®s star begins to wane
Against she rosy dawn,
As from the stesple Sivinging wide
They greet the golden diy,
The joyous bells of Christihastide,
And this is what they ay
“Oh, great and small
In hut and hall,
A merry Christmas to you alll
“Fair maiden with the chooks aglow,
Yours be a lover trug,
Dut widow in the weeds of woe,
How shall we comfort vou,
Save that to wish above the dead
The snows may Hehtly rest,
And nightly in your dreams his head
May lie upon your breast!
But great and amall,
In hut and hall,
A merry Christmas to you alll
“To yonder preacher, bent and old,
The hlessinge of the Lord
And soldier in the blue and gold,
To vou a bloodless sword:
Forgiveness to the souls astray,
The lambs with spotted fleece;
To all the cities time to pray;
To all the nations peace;
And great and small,
In hut and hall,
A merry Christmas to yon all!"
Minna Irving.
THE NORTH WINDS
CHRISTMAS TOUR.
9 0
Q nY &
09005503000 0000000000008
the
E 20033030 200000000000
Q
JENNIE WiITE
T was last
month of the
vear, and the
last half of the
last month, the
very busiest and
perplox-
well
most
in As
in-
and
time
of the year, be-
g, 8
most
teresting
delightful
the
cause it brings
with that day of all days—Christ-
mas.
The Christmas bustle and stir were
in full tide all cwvar the globe, and
away up in his far northern home the
old North Wind was making ready for
his December tour around the world,
“Bless me!” he blustered, glancing
at his eslendar—the sun — “the year is
almost ended and Christmas will be
Le
ver the snow to
we go,
the earth
band are we,
driven along by
Claus strony,
merry
we're
Santa
our prancing feet to the
music sweet
the Christmas bells keep
pace,
the earth
of mirth
recicless,
On on
midesion
our headlong
chase
heart, rec in =o
glowing apot
hot,
con] inside:
thie toys to
Loyes
our fearful
burns Hike
ite Ho!
the girls
we bring
©
for
ond
or
ride:
the shout that
onll
for
we'll moon ut
the walting throng
the shore
From
on
Or cheer
the sphere we
Svery year
tes the
more !
thim time
And
Onoe
here's varth
wT orm Masson.
~
here in a few days I must harry or |
I'll not get off in time to help Santa
Clans with work, and he an- |
usually busy this year, I understand,
and needs my :
Now it would have surprised some
people, who consider the North Wind
a cold, gruff, boisterous old fellow, to
hear him talk of part in the
Christma stivities, and in the role
of helper ti yd old Santa O
too; a very matter-of-
fact
parations J
thongs a Christmas tour and hel
Santa :
his is
help.’
taking
« fo
laus,
3 1. 9
he ke in
but
tone, an it
on with his pre
ns ourn
ns
in
oy t
3 JUst
Clans were
conrse
ae preity cuts
make good time,
a fow more snow
ff Jit i
’s
iS ong ¢
oak,
a long train
Wier sup
> ry ns lune
of 18 lungs,
nd stowing zzard or two in |
ig pockets “Bi think I am equal
he conti: ] “I'm
vs
eliow
g 1 ld
> 1,
preity
risk vet, for an old f like me
pel as youn
g up his
vely it
££ AN §
And pucker-
w hiistled an air so
the
thermometers drop
twenty degrees, and all the men har-
ried to get into their fur
and all the mamas gave their little
folks an extra dose of whale oil to
keep them from taking cold and hav.
ing the croup.
“Well, I'm off,”” said the old fellow
at last, his preparations completed,
and with a whirl of hia coat-tails that
sent the snow-flakes flying in every
direction, away he like the!
whirlwind he Up hill and down,
throngh the valley, over lake and river
and pond, past field and village and
town, he sped, filling the air with fly
ing snow-4akes and covering the earth |
with ice from his frosty breath,
“It will make Christmas so much
merrier for the children and young
folks.” he roared to himself for he
was going at such a rate and making
such a racket, pufling and blowing
and wheezing, that he had to roar to
hear himself think. “And I noticed
that the older folks like a bit of snow
aud ice too at Christmas, to say no-
mercury in
Greenland
overcoats,
went,
is,
Widow Jones Christmas morning
Those young ones of hers have good |
hearty appetites, and the widow's so |
1gh-spirited a body can’t do muoh to |
Bat cold snap "ll
be a good excuse, and she ecau't object
Christmas present.” And
:
the house to consnit
this
tO he
went into with
“truck”
to the
happiness because of
“Pretty good trip,” he murmured
himself, f his al ackened pace
it,
to for
made it possible for him to ba less
noisy, aud his former roar was now a
) will
murmar ‘Santa Claus fit
11
SIROOLN aver if SRDOW, An
ROME O been taken
ap by other hands,
#0 he i
much to attend
Qn Al opening
that's good
snaely. We
] , Snowy
the
rist
ins
weather is worth »
to me. 1 can afford
and chil iren a pretivy g
tits time, thanks to
len came the thong
hom Christinas bron
chiear axospt as of
it, and going to hi
a cheok for iifty doll
the committee who wer
Christmas for the
neglected of the city.
Meanwhile the North
arranzing
poor
feast
Wind, still
the warm sonth lund, where
ble Fever Spectre had
high carnival for
men, women and children
been
weeks, seizing
and
them upon beds of suffering and pain,
and in many death,
the homes of the land
row and filling all heart
dread
“Aha!”
he saw the state
where I'm needed. Ii
ead to this. A pretiy
they'd have hero if this wont on
cases
gloom and sor-
a
wi
£
of
ge
the land so
y that
esitated and
whirl, he rashed
fiercely and determine
Fever Spectre, who had
faltered in his work of
the first icy breath of the North Wind,
now dropped everything dnd fled in
terror and dismay before the indig-
nant old fellow's terrible
over
]
h
ing poor victims pale and weak, bat
happy and thaukfal enough over his
departure and their escape from his |
¥A BOY, LIGHT OF WEIGHT AXD SWIFT OF
{ FOOT, CAME TO His HELP.”
thing of how much easier il makes
things for Santa Claus and his rein.
deer.” And on he rushed, chuckling |
10 himself as he went,
———— —
. “Hello! Guass we're going to have |
| a spell of weather,” said the farmer, |
| ing out over his brown meadows, |
“Mighty glad to see this snow, 100, |
Ths wheat needed it, and crops are |
always better when suow sels in at
! Christmas. Regular norther we're |
‘baving,” he added. “Guess maybe |
I'd better take a load of wood and |
| some potatoes and truck over to]
4
i
returning from his
frost and snow will effectually end the
right Merry Christmas yet.”
*“There!” panted the North Wind,
chief, “‘that finishes my journey, and
now I mast get back home in time for
my own Christmas dinner,
pretty good time,”
his
tributed all the snowflakes, and turn-
ing his pockets inside ont to see tuat
no lazy blizzards were shirking work
by hiding there. “And I need not be
in such a harry going back. I'll have
time to look around and attend to any
little matters that may have escaped
me coming down,”
So saying, he filled his lungs anew
with warm southern air with which to
make amends for any nnwonted sever-
he added, shaking
first visit to it, and facing about,
started merrily northward, well
pleased with himself and his efforts
Nor was he any less gratified as he re-
traced his steps over his former course
and saw the resnlts of his work,
Everywhere he heard exciamations
of delight at the Christmas snow and
ice, and sax that the preparations for
the great Christmas festival were go-
ig the fold + open
ng it hastily
y Santa m
t
pos little follows
hounsa
“A
of those
hat big, forlorn
I suppose I missed it when I
went this way before, and now it's to
it to
for him to attend
id examini letter
some
@
sSants
“oman un! RUBBING
EYER ‘I STAYED TOO LOXG.'
home to-night before he starts out on
his trip. I'll just have to look after it
myself
All this time he was twirl
SAID XAN, HER
IT
ne
3
the hit
ly and tossing ii from one hand to the
other, But now he caught it ap,
to the window of a pleasant, comfort:
where it fluttered, fell, and rested on
the broad window-aill,
“Oh, mamma! what's that?” ex-
claimed a young girl sitting in an easy
chair close to the window, as the little
letter danced before her, ‘‘Open the
*“Yes, dear,” said her mother, smil-
dear mothers are, to do anything in
laid it in the outstretched hand of the
little girl. who eagerly unfolded it and
read:
“Deer Banty claws plese cum to
our hours and bring us som orismus
gifts, and we will lov you,
“Roney and Mivxiz Brows. *
“Oh, mamma,” said the child. **1f
wo only knew where they live, we
could send them some Christmas gifts,
There's the doll I dressed, and the
scrap books I made; and Ihave enough
peuise to buy something for the
ittle boy, if we only could find them,”
and the sweet voice was trembling
with excitement and regret, —
“Well, dear,” said the mother,
smiling again at the child's eagerness,
“I think we can find them, for on this
of the children's letter is the
name of the street and the number of
the Las evidently
begnn a letter and got no farther than
at. But this all need and
en Aunt Alice comes I will get her
You wih ont and
side
house Some one
sk
wil
in wo
wh
ile 1 go
little proteges.”
exclaimed the
r her hands jovously.
iv
I shall have a
Christ I could
every Oing
or me and I not doing anything
thin
have iv d &03
hildren's let
Innghed
Jourmey. “No
ny uneasiness
“The
have a Merry
ire kelp from
briskly on
muttered, “and I
ng home; bunt there's
wore matter I must look after,
takes the rest of the day.” And
gathering up cloak with a de-
Brown
Christoas
me,"
“Time's fi
must be
just one n
.
f
if 1
his
FORTUNE HID IN A COIN,
Check for a Million
Five-Frane Sliver Pleew,
If you happen to have in your pos
session the particular French coin
known as five-frane piece, you may,
nnwittingly, be a millionaire. Buch,
at least, is the belief shared by hun-
dreds upon hundreds of
Frenchmen and Frenchwomen, many
of whom spend most of their spare
time destroying quantities of five.
franc pieces in the hope of realizing a
fortune,
Dr. Marco Leonardo Nardez, the
well-known numismatist, and
the recognized authorities on coin lore,
speaking of this curious condition of
affairs, said: “It is quite true that
balf of France still believes in the ex-
istence of great wealth hidden in five-
many numis-
matists hold that the fortune in ques
franc pieces, although
tion was long ago discovered
propriated by one of the
family,
“The story of the strange five
fortune legend may be briefly told,
five-franc piece, to be gi with, 15 a
in about 81.
Napoleon I. was very anxious to make
and ap-
loth: child
1
#ilver coin, and worth
the coin a popular one, and with this
nd i be circu
France
the sil
mint a
1 view he caused it to
everywhere throughont
at he had inserted in one of
ver pieces before it left th
bank order for 1,
these same five francs 1. @
(HME (M0
e
Inte
th
@
(M 0.000 of
. ! 1,-
Whether he really did thisor
the
to
manu-
note
or
but
of wou ad
In
1 anoirs of the Due
~N
apoleon's mini of
pressily stated that the
wWelgrht evidence geen
that it was done the
wer
ther, partially remin
a Leap of simi)
it off down
d the corner at a great rate,
The gentleman followed as quickly
, carried
1
the North Wind, and
given up the chase in
boy, light of weight
came to his help and
wonld
and swift of foot,
helper, and noticing
his clothing for such
day, was prompted to ask his name.
When the boy gavs the information
asked, gentleman
hesitated, then asked where he lived.
the
We
were young, and I haven't seen her
I thought she was living in a
Take me to her.”
And as the rich, prosperons man
went off with the poorly-dressed boy
find his sister, the North Wind
laughed with delight
April breeze,
“A good day's work, and now for
home,” the North Wind said, settling
down to a steady, even pace, “I
confess I'm a trifle blown, and some-
what warmed up, and shall be glad to
have a chance to cool off and get my
breath.”
As he drew near to his own comforta.
ble quarters, he met Santa Claus just
atarting out on his Christmas Eve
tour.
‘Many thanks for your help,” shout.
od thut jolly fellow, *‘and a Merry
Christmas to you.”
But the North Wind's work was not
complete until he had presented him-
self to his Master and made his report,
When he had finished the Christmat
Angels gathered about him and sang »
beautiful Christmas carol to his praise.
But the Christ Child, whose birthday
is the Christmas Day, and who is the
Master of the North Wind and Sant:
Claus and all the Christmas Angels,
smiled approvingly upon him and said,
“Well done.”
And the North Wind was conten!
and happy. Ladies” World,
A man’s cyneism is bounded on the
by bis on,
l
ese coins Nepoleou took with him
Boulogne,
enroute, even
n a bag when he
dd
went to
11
istributed lavishly
ropping some of them out of his car-
ge windows, In this way it wasim
rossible to keep track of the lucky
“The
ned
sed into immedia
news of thisodd lottery 8] read
five-franc
favor,
wide, and t! piece
From
that day to this mutilation of the «
in
izer-
has
inl A Belgiun
been common in Sw
Voar thi
to make good scores of
a vain search for the five-1il
2.21%
stories deal
are many
x ft
mt theory that some
money which enabled Napoleon
reach the imperial throne was
the lug ky silver piece,
Queen Hortense,
wonnt states that Baron de
quietly
every
get, and his
preserve and
a
collected five-
he could
ite were notified to
ward to Paris every five-franc piece
hx reached them in Europe, Axia,
America, In his office the
Baron kept three trusty men hard at
work Some
Ins, i SAY
that
ing 0 together again, =o as to
detection; others maintain that he
melted down the silver and sold it to
the government. The wr rk was colos
sal; but in the end the baron’s system
is said to have conquered. He found
the note for 5,000,000 franes, having
t nearlya million te obtain it
The order was duly presented at the
3ank of France, and, says the tradi
tion, eashed by that institution,
““Plausible as the narration may
the great mass of Frenchmen
» credit it, and go on, year af.
ter year, splitting open their five-frand
pieces to look for Napoleon & note, It
is certainly a tantalizing thought that
somewhere in the world a check for
81,000, 000 is knocking abont, hidden
in an ordinary silver coin worth barely
$1. Jy possessing and opening that
coin the man worth just five francs
may in as moment become a million-
aire." — Washington Star.
frica or
bisecting the o
be bad invented a plan for weld.
the: defy
spen
Been,
refuse {
EASILY DONE. .
How a Bliceyele Girl Got Rid of an Annoy.
ing and Peristent Wheelman,
She was youngand pretty and alone,
Her Licycle costume was meat, trim
and becoming, and mounted
wheel she floatedalong over the smooth
paths and roads, the cynosare of many
admiring masculine eyes and perhaps
the envy of many feminine. She was
enjoying the pleasures of an afternoon
spin on Belle Isle The exercise had
tinted her cheeks with a pink glow of
the kind that never saw the inside of
a drug store, and that always will
baffle the art of the chemist, and her
eyes were glistening with the exhilara-
tion of health.
She was riding up Central avenue,
and had reached a point about midway
between the Casino and the Zoo, when
she met with an annoyance that ladies
riding alone sre frequently subjected
to, but which this young woman dis.
posed of in amostrefreshing and novel
manner. The annoyance manifested
itself in the form of a dudish young
man of the masher species. He rode
a bicycle, wore golf hose, a pink shirt,
2
|
|
i
had his hair parted acenrately in the
middle, and was possessed of assur-
ance largely in excess of his stock of
“Beg pardon,” said he, riding along-
side, and lifting his cap with a smile
sistible, ‘but haven't we met before?”
Bhe answered him by throwing him
a look that wonld have withered any.
thing less fresh, and moved over to
the further side of the avenue. Noth
ing abashed he followed suit, and with
another bow and
Chesterfieldian as a mounted bicycle
will permit, said
“I hope 1 am
smile that was as
not intruding,
“You are intruding, sir. I do not
know you and do not wish to talk
you.”
“Well, if you don't
get ae
ip
it
to
Know n iet us
You know
16,
juainted
kening her speed, she had sud-
ng
examine
denly dismounted, and, leani over
her wheel, began to carefully
one of the pedals He was off his ma-
chine in 3 instant,
‘
‘Allow
Ora ala
e point into the res
By the time he ha
there was
+} 4
i th
el
ered
Wrong w
Working as
skill and bieve
Cowhells,
One of the comparatively fe
that the hand of improvement has
whbell, which is made
now just as it was fifty, a hundred and
more i
same peculiar clanking sound as ever,
are made some of
years ago, and has now just the
copper,
but
fir
of a ¢ omposition meta
most of t}
ISN Are made Of ron ana
ished
ot :
metal which
riveted
made
isrange thr
ever,
Are s0id in Lhe
and the West, where farms
3 » 3 mite
fol and callie
There are
untry
less likely we under fence,
ikely to
1 those parts of
dozen
Are more siray
i “
ten
G0
cowbells
the
every
Fast Au
ted to the various
o Aus-
in
Ss Aare ex)
“we .g ts
of Sonth America and t
erican
intries
New York San,
“Prrinking’ Oysters,
biggest ovster deslers at
market, New Yo
week
One of the
Fulton
three weeks ago in one
said that
1.CO0. 000
k.
oysters passed through Lis scow,
“The season this be said,
‘has been very good, and the ovsters
year,’
;
we are getting are supenor to Any we
have had for years. Most of the ovs-
ters handled in this market are what
we call ‘sounds.’ There are grown in
Princes bay from seed taken from the
and Staten Island sound.
They take a’
and are the best for general
use. Many of
Western trade.
“We wholesalers disti
rieties
iat three vears to mature,
all around
these are used in the
the va-
of oysters by the shape and col-
«hells When
brought to market here first we put
ugh an operation known as
They are taken to
Richmond, Island, and
off the sloops into floats
They remain in these
duriag that
time absorb or ‘drink’ enough water
to give them the correct taste. The
water in the floats is much fresher
than that from which they are taken
in the first place. The water of New
York bay is just salty enough to flavor
oysters just right. After the oysters
have gone through the floats it would
be difficult for the most expert con-
oveiers are
ile 9 Hn
Slaten
taste, and he could only tell the name
of the oyster by seeing the shell.”
A New Eyelid by Sargery.
A surgical operation of great deli-
cacy was recently performed at the
Dublin Ophthalmic hospital — the
grafting of an eyelid of & recently
killed pig on that of a man. The pig
was stuck in the usnal way, and as its
blood poured out at the throat the
doctor with a swift stroke of the lan.
cet cut off an eyelid. The edge of
the patient's eyelid, where the attach-
ment was made, bad been cnt already,
and quick as thought the doctor
wheeled around while the pig was still
living and attached its evelil to the
man’s eyelid. The piece was made
fast instantly by stitches. The report
says that the operation bas been most
sucoessful so far,
-