Ho! all you giggling girls and boys, Gay dads and bachelors melancholy, Food mothers ‘mid domestic joys Aad maldens coy beneath the holly A startling tale my pen employs A truthlul tale and wondrous jolly. Last night when I had lingered late With fascinating Kit M2Donough, We paused a bit at Kitty's gate, And what d'ye thiok our gaze fell on, O°? Your old friend Santa up to date ~ A wiater-whiskerced fat Cyrano! WAT 17 CHRIST By ST=ELL me, dear soy evel , was th Buc a Ls re!’ Mildred a: nN RigFhied i threw herself upon a heap of cushions in the pretty oriel window, “What the mat- : ter!” said her mother, who was spending “‘blind man’s holi- day” in the glow of the Brelight. ““Has {his rainy day been too mi for my sun hiny danghter?” “Some woes will bear patching,” said Mildred, “but I don't even yon can mend this one.” “*It must be very bad indeed then,” langhed Mrs. Windsor, usually you think me an expert in that is see how ilne, In aunto-ear hie fitted by, His antiquated outfit =eorning; He Hifted, us Le caught Kit's aye, The striped cap his head adorning, Dehind him presents towered high The very ones you found this morning! Helgh-lio for days when drifts were deap And sieighbells on the retudeors tinkied; When dreams disturbed our tardy sleep, Aud Santn came with snow besprinkled. (I dare not guess what style he'll kesp When Kit and I are gray and wrinkled.) Frank Putnam, EAE nest dainty thimble for the industrious writer, a brooch, & pocket wonderful how came out of the pencil many ! was usefnl thin ings! When genial host arn. ben came \ “Now, paps, w to the library, w postscript fron IR } res miiall Herd Woe BLUR 2 Sauta Claus?” let na put on a bit of driftwood, and find a rainbow in the beautiful colo: ! Mildred slowly drew hersel went towards the fire. The ragged gray sticks did not look very {| promising, surely, but they j tossed, nevertheless, on the fire, while mother and dang awaited in silence the clieery blaze When the dainty dance about in glee, ag: backeroand, mother’s trouble. “It's abont ing to-others either, but our very own, our est ““It is all ve or whers little ¢ to a tree laden with pretties and good- ics. But what is tl make believe that big people are little folks again, and that it preparing for f up an bits « were hter Christm part, now to IY ¢ children can be bidden 1¢ nse of trying to is great { for two three people, where there are too few for a mystery and no one to sarprise? “We have but they so often have some excuse. “Christmas is nearly here; for or a can we do to make Christmas happy?” our own ten it out some way. of us? Beven, are there not? Why plans?” “There! me, mother mine. Leave the rest to me, and I will surprise you, with the mas yet." A JOLLY REPAST WITH PLENTY OF MISTLE- TOR. mystery hovered over her goings and comings, and reigned supreme behind the closed doors of her room. Christmas evening came, and with it the few guests for whom it had seemed so difficult to plan. The din- ner table was bright with holly and mistletoe, A tiny Christmas tree occupied the place of honor in the centre of the table. On it were baby- house candles, small flags, cornucopias, candies and mysterious little stock- ia filled with miniature bundles, right red ribbons started from a _ big ball of red and green, hung be- jt gpth the chandelier, and spread May- ¢ fashion to the edges of the table, tere they were fastened with knots holly. There was holly on the ictures, about the room, holly for Buttonhole bouquets —holly garnished he dishes, and gave a real rie vor to everything. After the nuts and raising, the tiny ree was lighted, and the wee stock: ngs were distributed, Twas on a merry Yul tide night An artless youth and mat , watched, while beneath rhe mistictoe 4 Their gay companions played; And he looked quite dis- usted, of Andy she looked half atra % id} youth, : "Most shockino stems to me!” “But 'neath the bags, comparing discoveries and thank- ing those donors who were present, Bags of bright colors were provided for the servants too: not one was left t out, and they were present to receive | them. Lighting the tree closed the cere- mony, and Mildred had the satisfac sion of knowing that her guests, though few, had been thoroughly en- tertained with the fruit of her own of the old ehiarms that make Christ- mas beautiful had been omitted, The Uncle's Lament, Backward, turn backward, O Timea in your flight, Ten or twelye years would be just about right, Make all ol my sisters young ladies again, Make all of my brothers young unmarried men Biot out all my nieces, tao, Till aftor the holliday season is through; Carry me back to those old days when 1 Didn't huve about forty-five presents to buy. my wee nephews, Backwarda, turn backward, O tide of the vears, little dears; | They "love Uncle Jack very much." i they do Christmas begins to loom up to thelr i view, But things of WaY, hard up pray backward shore, | Make me nephe erie | | When late haven't been coming my Iam at present, and therefors I swing sO Time, [romthe echoless eceless, till Christ. Chicago News, A Postal Santas Claus. A pestal Santa Claas visits the Bos- ton postollice every year during the week before Clhiristmas. Noone knows th who helps , L088 1 he that they have been iy 1 {AS name, ang 3W mailed packages every fo ¥ favre £93 40 8 - gO to foreign Hiries or an eC rea t full il of OON'TS FOR CHRISTMAS. What to Give and What Not to Give Your Friends, tree than you pay for the fruit, Don’t send your gentleman adorer # gold toothpick. He may have false teeth, Don’t send your pastor erubroidered slippers. ‘To travel the strait and nar. | row path requires hobnailed shoes. Don’t buy your danghter a piano land your wife a washtub, If you reverse the order, you will do justice te both, Don’t place your expectations of a Christmas gift too high. You may have to put your foot in your stocking to find anything in it. and be disappointed because he doesn’t give something. Perhaps yon have surprised him, Don't give presents to people not tell them not to reciprocate because | they can't afford to make presents. Be just before you are generous, Pay your debts before you buy pres. ents. Your creditors may consider that they have received an unexpected gift, Don't give your boy a drum ani forbid him beating it, nor your dangh- ter a horse and order her not to take it out of the stable without your per- mission, Quotations For Chirlstmas Gifis, The passing of the Christmas card given the selected quotation, which is pow made an important a ljunet to every Christmas gift. The of a quotation which is apps i and personal evidences the d the sender ing. The quotations given below f va to cur reader 3 some tritiin selection opriate GEeEITe of tO express a 1 greet Epecia With present, BShakes- to the i r office and the per intended $ * to the dead-leite it ' | sons for whom they are The postal Santa C postoffice and pays all pack witho AUS Calls he p stage mn these Yass sR ' | warded ata { thant lag vin IL0ont ieaving 3 $a oy » BBS COLNE Mistletor and Love and Kisses, Tne artless 3 with tiny caves of green; Up rose that artless maiden All with 4 solemn mien, ’ ’” Forth from the Shocking scene All silently she led hum Forth To the dim conservatory Then took that spri is And put it in her hair: C.F LESTER. At the library door | started in amazement. Therein front of them was a large screen artistically | draped with a fine flag; across the top were groups of small flags like a | standing fringe. | In acorner stood a bushy Christ | mas tree, bright with the usual glitter | and color. In front of the screen were hung mysterious bags of cambrie, one | for each color of the rainbow, When the guests were seated, Mil. dred took a small wand in her hand | and announced that, as Santa Claas | had 85 much to do that evening, he | bad left a bag for each person on eon- | dition that every one should claim | the right one, Waving her wand towards her grandfather, she naked him to. make the first guess. Alas! it was wrong. Once or twice she went around the circle before any one guessed the right bag. Then Mildred says the owner must prove a right to the bag before she could deliver it. So saying, she inanded over a small envelope contain- ing » card ou which were written a few lines of peoetry. More mystery and guessing! The guests began to wonder if they ever should earn their gifts. At last some one discovered the eclew: the envel- opes contained acrostios on the names of the guests, and great amusement was afforded by reading these aloud. One bag was long and narrow; the recipient was tall and slender; the color was that of his college, Another bag was the favorite color of the one for whom it was filled; its shape was very wide and stout. The owner of this In received the booby prize for being the last to guess cor- rectly, He explained that he had not been willing to select that bag sooner, in spite of his fondness for the color, as he feared to be thought greedy. The prize was a ridienious tin toy; the first prize was a toy watch and At last came the fun of opening i as an emblem of love, and believed that it typified the beneficent feeling { of their gods toward mankind. It is doubtless to this old Druidieal associ- ation of the mistletoe with love that the English eustom, which still ob- tains, of enforcing the forfeit of a kiss frou any female who ia caught under a branch of it at Christmas time, is traceable. The name of Christmas, assigned to the festival, was derived from Christ and the Saxon maesse or mass, and the two words were combined to de- note a special service in honor of the birth of the Son of God. The Peacock a Christmas Bird, The peacock was the favorite Christ- mas bird with our English ancostors. The preparation of his peacockship was elaborate and expensive, and could be done only by an expert cook, who usually sent the bird to the table with his comb gilt and his tail spread. A A BNO SA Johnny Was Anxious, Mr. Squiggs (reading)—*I see that Professor Wiseman, the prophet, has decided thet the eld would come to an end next Christmas.” Johnny Bquiggs—*‘‘Before or after dinner, pa?"’'—Baltimore American. i The Pudding of O14. It is estimated that if all the pud. dings made in England in honor of Christmas were rolled into one, the weight of it would be 7580 tons, For this, pudding 32,000,000 eggs were Romans Used Chelzisaas Greens, It odd that Christ shonid be so Lond up with esto and observation are but a sur. vival of superstition and rites, The use of evergreens, for in- stance, iz one of these, The Romans ornamented their temples with them during the feast of Saturn, while ivy was universally used by them in the orgies attending the honor of Bacchus, The ancient Druids hang green branches and mistletoe over their doors as a propitiation to woodland sprites, SOOT % ay JAN £005 LLB A Devonshire Belief, A belief was long current in Devon and Cornwall, and it is said to still linger in remote parts of the country, that at midnight on Christmas eve the cattle in their stalls fell on their knoes in adoration of the Saviour, as they are said to have done in the stable at Bethleherwy. Bees were also believed to sing in their hives at the same time, and bread baked on Christ. mas eve, it was averred, never be- came mouldy. A Christmas Plea, Don't look up the chimney, sweetheart, For Kris Kringle and his things; But leave your door a bit apart For Capid’s dainty wings. A Tip te Santa Claus, ~ 11 i ll Aa Lh illithy. df il Ep ¥ eh 7 Jimmy “There, now, ‘dat looks bully; I hope he'll take de hint an’ suything else.” NOTES AND COMMENTS. Our little submarine Holland has nade the world’s huge navies just so many interrogation points, The excitement over wireless tole graphy and liquid air seems to have eft the flying machine out of the tponnt, and that the gentleman is still wear hg it. American printing presses have ap- peared in Edinburgh, and ibe only sary, the income of 4,000,000 of these fam- and the incomes of nearly eighty per cent of the entire number are less than $1,000 each per year, The men and women who were rehearsing a play at a co-educa- tion college in Illinois had to be re- proved for the sincerity of their kiss. tng scenes, The reproof was proper, They should be reminded that mere reals art, Young In 1s not The Assistant Attorney-General for at Wash- last fiscal raud orders were f« the Post-office Department that for the { ington reports { wety-nine f i Year, ont of iy ni nine {| issued, i and 01 ir lotleries enterprises, indication that the lottery business bas Leen ueariy broken up. ! i . git an ing into cotton i 4 hiat rward TO0d {fo and Ore Drosperon f : wWenly vear tropical ntr es, American astnafactiurers have greatly improved the running qualities and Appearance of this useful but queer-looking ve- | hicle, —— | increasing so rapidly that, California | State, j while California's product was on'y | $15,637,000, For 1807 the figures were: Colorado $19,104,200, California $14,618,300. Furthermore, nearly all the rich new strikes made recently were in Colorado, Criminals today fear the public journals quite as much as they fear | the detectives and other officers of | the law, and in many inetances they | fear the newspapers most of all states the Philadelphia Times, The services of American journals in the exposure and suppression of crime have be- come so general that the public have little appreciation of them, but those who well understand the power of the publie press to halt the voeation of the eriminal have the most wholesome fear of America’s progressive journal ism, The London riding schools, we are told, are supplying women grooms, Instead of following “my lady" at a regulated distance, like the male at- tendant. the woman groom rides right up alongeide. Thus the early morn- ing canter is no longer passed in si- lence, but in ‘‘cheerful converse,” which is supposed to add to the en- joyment of the riding *‘constitution- al.” Where is women's invasion of men’s established occupations to end ? With men being employed as cham- bermaids, while women are to be found at all eallings from barristers to barmaids and grooms, schoo! eom- missioners and mayors of cities, things are being turned topsy turvy. We may look forward to women judges on the bench deciding whether or not a dress fits or where the blame lies between a servant and her em: ployer, Boman Norway is Souday unique as a com- meroial Tin, ere is no other, mse OS | not evem Great Britain, that rivals ber in the proportionate size of her | ocean going commerce. Great Bri- tain, with 40,000,000 population, has 12,500,000 tons of shipping, or nearly one-third of a ton per capita. But Norway, with only 2,200,000 popula tion, has more than 1,600,000 tons, or nearly three-fourths of a ton per capita. And Norway, with only 2,. 200,000 population, is in tonpage only | 50 per cent behind the United States, with its 75,000,000, and 35 per cent behind Germany, with her 53,000,000, and actually surpasses France, with her 38,000,000, while is so far { ahead of all other maritime Powers as | to be beyond comparison with them. she The report of the capture of the Sritish Ninth Lancers by the Boers, { though false, brings up once more the | discussion in military circles as to the value of the lance. In the French {army the adversaries of the weapon are in an immense majority. They i ridienle the thing, and insist that it ‘should appesr only in museums, {among the relies of the middle ages | For ten years, nevertheless, the little group that favors the lance Las held out. Probably the pretty effect of a regiment of lancers on parade has something to do with the stubborn re- sistance. But the moral effect of the thing in actual warfare, as compared with that of blazing carabines in the hands of charging horsemen, who hold their sabres counts for little in the opinion of French officers. in reserve, In the German army it was abolished some time ago; but it was recently re- stored, Austria has thrown out completely, and in Russia if is pre- served only 8 few Cossack regi- r hand' in the which General unished himself, "ay near armed it Othe PA i : Oissiey Gistin General Graham's rps came ras i asserted re- inst the P Was utterly Amer- 10% The oan singul Wor Coan Fol thie unknowi on i this srning that in the i. Hs Mrs, Jun Carney, a name perfectly unfa- to thousands of ears. And yet pen woman came, many years ago, a Jingle which is, per haps, as famous as written. 1 refer to “Little drops of water, Little grains of sand, Make the mighty ocean And the pleasant land.” It is now nearly fifty years ago that | Mrs, Carney wrote these lines while teaching a primary school in Boston. Then she was Miss Julia A. Fletcher. It was while writing a little article on the value of moments in a life that to iHustrate her meaning Mrs. Carney unconsciously wrote the jingle de- signed to live for years. Without thinking that there was anything in the lines calculated to make them im- mortal, she sent them to an editor who asked her for “some scrape to fill cor- ners.” In a very few weoks the lines were copied broadcast over the land, the Boston schools introduced them into their books, children sang them and mothers taught them. Mrs. Car ney's identity as their author bas al- ways been completely lost. Today she clips her lines from papers with other names attached. Mrs. Carney is a widow, and resides ‘with her oldest living son ip Galesburg, with but lit. tle credit meted out to her as the au: thor of a jingle which has taken so strong a hold on the hearts of millions of children throughout the world. Boston Journal, by les NG 1 ARUBY oy ty of Galesburg. 1 5 in A liar of this from the ever i Forgave Mis Debtors. The last act in the life of Uncle Henry Bowen, a venerable citizen of Humphreys County, was the invoes- tion to “Forgive us our dobis as we forgive our debtors,” and he practiced what he preached. A messenger was despatched to summon all his debtors to the bedside of the dying patriot, and they came ninder the apprehen: of being called on to settle, but the old man gave each one the note held igninst him, and thas squared the ae ount., Seyeral thoussnd dollars’ ine debtedness was wiped out by his phi lanthropy.—Nashville (Teun) Banner, The California woodpecker will carry an acorn thirty miles to store it.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers