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—<Well. 1 have been engaged
to paint an allegorical picture of that
sentence Now, can you suggest a
happy idea for “Eternal Vigilance *
Daunber—I can. Make a picture of a
man keeping an eye on his umbrella.
~Express Gazette
THE MODERN LITERARY MAR-
KET.
“Yeo,” sald the fair girl, “Adolphus |
Is perfectly devoted to lterature.”
“Is that the young man who pro-
posed to you? asked Miss Cayenne.
“Yes. He knows ever so much, and
he
absolutely correct and classic.”
“That's very nice, my dear. Bat be-
fore you trust your future to his keep
Ing you try him on up to date slang."
| Washington Star
A HORRIBLE EXAMPLE AT HOME
“Why is It, Mr. Blinkenham,* the
Jolly little match-maker asked, “that
yon have never married
"Well, I'll tell you,” he answered.
“In all my life I have never really
loved more than three girls, and al
though they returned
| 1134¢;
| =aBc. Chickens. — Hens,
| old roosters, each 25a30c:
has a command of English that Is |
: 3 FA
. "
— y “wy i”
= ¥ A .
dntntns 0,
“as
Car f Ne y a
Yams Virginia, brl, smooth
Provis and Hog Products
clear rib sides, oc; r sades, 9l4c;
shoulders, g%c: bulk clear plates,
c; bulk fat backs, 14 Ibs and under.
sugar-cured shoulders, narrow,
sugar-cured shoulders, extra
10}49¢; hams, canvased or un
12 Ibs and over, 12%4¢: refined
brls and so-Ib cans, gross,
cs 1
per
Western Maryland and Pens-
per dozen —azrc.: Eastern
we {Maryland and Virginia), per
27¢.; Virgina, per dozen, 26a
27c.; West Virgina, per dozen, 25a26c.
Western, per dozen, 20az7c.; Southern,
23a25¢.;
Butter, Creamery —Separator, 2627 ;
fithered Cream, 22323; imitation, 10820;
Md, Va. and Pa. Dairy prints, 21a22;
small creamery blocks, (2b ), 2%a
large Go Ibs.
: 37 Ths, 11 to
Jremics, 23 Ibs, 11%antdse
fa
Eggs
sylvamia,
Sh
lozen -
| 26¢; choice rolls, 18aigc
Cheese ~New cheese,
1034 to 11c.; do, flats,
Live
young,
oultry —Turkeys-—Old, 84a0c;
t, gandsie; do, small and poor,
ay Vic: do
do, you
good to choice, 8aBlic: do. rough a
poot, —ayc. Ducks. Fancy large,
a=; do, small, —aBe; do, muscovy
mongrels, Sage. Geese, Western, each
soabsc.
Live Stock.
Chicago, Cattle.—Good to prime, $6.00
a780; poor to medium,
stockers and feeders, $2
$1000450; heifers, §1.50a5.30; canners,
$1.000225; bulls, : 50;
$a Soas.28; Texas f
¥