wv & “ THE imperial child to whom ‘the wise men brought ' Their gifts, and worshipped in His ‘lowly nest, Gave no gift back. (It was Himself they sougs, _ And finding Him, were ‘sated in their quest. Their gifts, not expectation, but their joy expressed. “Now was the world's long i Now was the prize log Their gifts meant. love, unmarred by lust or ppide.\ Be it so with ours: our aim, not debts © pay, Nor any recompense “save” love to win.) Nor "any grosser feeling "to Than brought the wise men's gifts to Bethlchem's inn. Those rat we best that no return afford Save the pure’ sense of having found our Lord By E. 8. “convey ——— In the gathering dusk John thought he gaw a slender form run past the casement window. Then just as he had decided It was Imagination there enme a tap at the front door—a sudden ris- Ing and falling of the old brass knock. er—#0 slight a noise that it failed to call the butler, After waiting a moment John Pem- berton himself strolled down the ball and opened the door. No one was there, though the mark of a small foot was clearly visible in the snow on the docr-step. As he stooped to look at it he saw beside it a little square pack- age, directed In fine printed letter “To Colonel Pemberton, with a Merry Christmas.” “Eh, what's that?" said the old man, when John returned to the library. “Left on the doorstep? Perhaps it's some sort of a practical joke, though who would think of playing It I don't know. Open It, my boy, and let us see what it is.” John Pemberton cut the string and removed the brown-paper wrapping; Inside was the daintiest of parcels done up in pale green tissue paper and tied with ribbon. Wondering, he un- rolled the paper and found an old case of carved Ivory. As he put his finger on the spring the led flew back, and with a loud exclamation the Colonel leaned forward to stare at what wis surely one of the strangest presents ever made to a grim and gearred old Martin / satisfied | for possessed!’ ~From Harper's Wee ly. ¢ Colonels Christmas Git: By . (V\orearer Seymour Hall HEN the original John Pemberton came to Mas- sachusetts to fight In. dians and to enable his descendants to Dames and Daughters and Sons of all manner of things, it was in a way that little be tokened such future glory. to record such things of an ancestor, but as a matter of fact he was fairly smuggled in from Virginia, where a political difference with Governor Berkeley had led to his enforced re- tirement; and so little was his pres- ence desired in the Puritan colony that only because of his splendid mili- tary ability was he allowed to remain. For he, being by all accounts a spirit. ed party, gave the blue laws no more becowe attention than If they did not exist | and in face of indignant public opinion insisted on keeping Christmas after the fashion of their common mother- country. But with King Philip and the Nar- ragansetis waging war it was impos- Bible to spare one who was both a fearless and a skillful warrior; and be. Sides (so say the ancient annals) his sins brought their own punishment; 80 terrible a one that the most ortho- dox stood aghast, for his eldest son his heir and his pride—married a red headed witch, the daughter of a Dut h emigrant, who had died Just as his vessel touched port. There no doubt about the witcheraft. She wore gay garments of a strange cut, she sang. in an unknown tongue, of an unearthly sweetness that passers-by spellbound near was ngs her cabin; she*had wondrous skill in herbs and simples; and, lastly, to clinch the | But | the younger John, who had traveled. | matter, there was the red head. only laughed at the tales when he took her for his wife in defiance of the world, and of his father to boot, who, in spite of his own contumacy, desired no dealings with sorcery, and who cut off his son with a shilling. But one thing more went with it— namely, the old man’s sword: for the son, though uninvited, came to the funeral and took it down from its hook on the wall, declaring that of all the sons he alone, as eldest, had the right to wear it. And later, when he, too, was dead, his daughter, being frivol- Dus, as became her parentage, melted up the gold hilt and ran it into beads, and this deed added flame to the fami- ly feud, which did not die out, as do most feuds, but burned on for two long centuries. For in each generation the head of the one branch of the Pem. hs Ul | I i ns i A | ) A. “As mR PUT M8 vINGEN ON THR SPRING THR LID PLEW BACK.” bertons made a formal demand for the beads as a lawful and Just right, and fhe representative of the witch Pem. bertons, as they are called, as the eld. est line, scornfully refused; wo that the quarrel was constantly renewed, probably have flour. but that, through in eldestsonof either side was entered the same year at the same It is sad! veteran of war—-no less than a string of gold beads! The father, with the beads held in one limp hand, gazed with down-hung Jaw at his who in turn gazed with like astonishment at his father Then there was silence, for what time John's heart gave some two hun dred thumps against his ribs, and the Colonel stared into the open fire, un sOn, consciously toying with the strand of gold that had caused so much trouble | The old warrior knew when be | conquered. He was not one given to | half-way measures. He looked np at maris was a sight to see. By a strange run of fate every girl in that line is born with a red head, but in Damaris, when the sun shone upon it, it was a | halo of glory. And her complexion | his son. i " Her iYY re 5 y » the i | was dazzling, and her blue eyes were | “John” sald he, “will you order th | great stars, and her dimples came and | carriage out?’ | went; and, In short, if her ancestress | John did had been like her it Is no wonder that | A few a man threw up lands and money for {other word asking no questions minutes later, without being spoken, the held | | tiny | ~ Harper's Bazar, ber sake—at least so the living John thought, and so before long be told ber, and they agreed that the feud Was nonsense, and became engaged, her brother consenting. And then came the deluge. John's father, old Pemberton, near- ly went off his head with rage when John foformed him of the engagement. were In the carriage whirling the ugh the swiftly falling snow. Damaris heard them coming, oo within the house there were cardiac beatings as excited as there were without. She flushed to the soft color of a sunset cloud when they appeared before her, the father coming forward, and Jobn hovering about the door to “What,” fumed the Colonel, “my | await developments. The Colonel only son wed the daughter of that | spoke before she had time to say a wrong headed lawyer! Let them be- | word. “My dear lady,” he sald, with gin, in common honesty, by restoring | stately dignity, “I have come to thank thelr unjust gain and IN consent to | you for your generous and graclous hear more of them; but until this Is done, never! “Unless she gives up those beads, If you marry her I'll" The father left the sentence unfinished, but John read his meaning, from his hardening face, “I shall marry her,” John returned, briefly and firmly, “Very well” And the old warriors face grew cold, ed; and she took them. “And also I beg that you will honor me by con. senting to accept wy only son, and that you will come to my old house us ity beloved mistress.” John moved up to her and possessed himself of her hands. “Father gave you the beads, and you took them,” he said, softly, “And he also gave you me. Am I taken, too, dear? Damarfs raised her eyes, and crept closer; and John drew her Into h's arms, And so the old Pemberton feud came to an end on Christmas night.—Wom- an's Home Companion. | complain about polities, | mind BY AC WHEELER te | —_— $ fo! v 4 Sk £.¥ i | conduct I wonder how many old women ther ! were who baked and basted and then i wat for the sR frocks | kK on Christ the broods that never ame, Not walting In their black broods to come be ma many, I hop Chere vy a finer sor row was 1 { that was | ly always to coax her ol short on he the tired old ossed and with a white ribbon. Then he wondered why be did not grant | that poor little favor. If bh have the chance again he would eat all HH! and sing thelr praices to her crillers world. — Harper's Weekls aaw tied could only the i Nr . pv, ) “ gg v > 0 Sn ~~ Ra MNO” i ———— E—— : The Christmas Tarkey. If you were to set about to improve | pon your method of cooking a turkey you would probably do It in this wise You would put the turkey on the rack | of your fish-kettle, or on an improvised ! rack In a tiny washboller bought for the purpose, and you would Al the | vessel ‘up to a little above the rack with bolling water, and steam that | bird for two full hours. Then you | would rub it all over with the beat of | butter, dredge It with seasoned flour, | and put it in the oven to bake for an hour or more, according to Its sige, | basting every ten minutes—or at least i every fifteen—with the water over! which the steaming was done, which, of course, you would keep hot for the purpose. You know too much to begin the basting until the flour has begun | to brown, or to have too much bast. | ings In the pan at once, which prevents the possibility of good gravy-making, or to fall to tarn the bird Judiciously #0 that every part Is equally and even ly browned; In short, to be satisBed with anything less than a “pleture” turkey, ready to fall to pleces with original tenderness and rich with ac. quired julciness and flavor from per. feel cooking. Ella Morris Kretschmar, in the Woman's Home Companion, | the — NEVER TOO LATE TO MEND. There was a mald In our town As wise as she was fair, Bie went to a peroxide shop Aud bleached her raven hair, But when she saw her halr was like A plebald charger's mane, Bhe walked Into another shop And dyed It black again, =New York Commercial Advertiser. MENTAL INSBOLENCE. “Do you believe in natural selection and the survival of the fittest?” “1 do,” answered the eandid man. “I have to. I don't know enough about those subjects to give any reasons to my scientific friends why 1 shouldn't | believe In them.” — Washington Star, PREFERABLE, “Doesn't it make you nervous to hear | your husband constantly complaining | about the way political affairs are man- | aged “No.” woman, answered the “It's a relief to tired-looking have him It takes his off the ~-Washington meals,” Star, SECURING HIMSELF “That man says he 8 all the ad- to has want vice he can get on tl way he is the office to which Just been elected.” “That is shrewd In that way he Is pretty sure to get just kind of Then be can lay the responsibility on some else for he he very of him, ie desires advice One doing precisely as THE LAWYER'S ADVICE. Lady—A friend of 1nd now mar wealthy dol. hasn't a Then I'd advise her to i nice letter of thanks — ago Ne LE. WHY HE IS GLAD. “Here's a announcement of m of the bill of fare: *The jeer COMMERCIAL REVIEW, General Trade Conditions, R. G. Dunn & Co's Weekly Review of Trade says: It is most fortunate that the vageries of speculation are not always deleterious to legitimate business. Rail- way stocks fell sharply, yet full returns for ‘November show that earnings were 1.15 pers cent greater than in the same | month last year and 181 per cent. over those of 189g. Industrial and traction shares were even more violently dis- turbed, yet the manufacturing plants of the nation were never more fully occu. vied. Numerous labor controversies have been settled, and the rate of wages at the highest point ever attained. Retail distribution is of massive propor- tons. Raw material in the textile in- dustry has developed distinct firmness, Cotton not only retained the spasmodic gain that followed the Government re- port, but made a further advance, and indications of continued strength at- tracted liberal purchases by spinners. Western grain producers and dealers have expressed great faith in the future of prices, many announcing their inten- tion to hold supplies until spring, when the scarcity would be rharked and quo- tations reach a more profitable point Failures for the week numbered 273 the United States, against 240 last year, and 17 in Canada, against 26 last LATEST QUOTATIONS, Best Patent Extra, $4.40 Flour vill be glad to receive com. PY ~ lust the walters.’ A PRISONER v you guar H teed that sult not who stood In a SGI You solid me i the » and 10 customer, en he raln an » State Journal BION OF DIALECT LITER tm f po : & for not print ng publi. make This ances on not a specialty of dia country takes no letting the different keep acquainted.” Washing. lect stories, el pections ton Star A HAPPY IDEA. You know that sentence i which way Eternal Dauber boy does, Smearer patriot ' grand old begi: a this vigilance? Why, sure Every school Smearer—