SANTA BANNED BY
PURITAN FATHERS
No Christmas Festivities or
Gifts for Children in Massa
chusetts in Early Days
BAY JUST LIKE ANY OTHER
Condition Somewhat Better for Young
sters in New Amsterdam—Holiday
Observance Toyless in the Colo
nies in Seventeenth Century
In the early days of this country's
history Christmas festivities were not
generally observed and poor old "San
ta Claus," and all he represents, had
a hard time of It.
In Massachusetts the observation of
Christmas was utterly denounced as
an evil, ungodly and pernicious cus
tom, and any child daring to think of
as much as a plum pudding on that
day would make herself liable to re
proof by the authorities. All along
the stern and rock-bound coast. Oer
aldlne Ames writes in the Churchman,
the only Christmas trees In the days
of the Puritan domination were those
that nature had planted there and had
adorned with fleecy snow. The fires
burned brightly on the open hearths,
but as far as the children knew
Christmas was Just like any other day
in the calendar. Even after the Pur
itan reaction against the forms and.
customs of the old church had spent
Itself to some extent the children of
the seventeenth century still expected
no gifts In honor of the birth of Christ.
In New Amsterdam the outlook was
a little better for the children. The
Hollanders had brought with them
their St. Nicholas, and his birthday
was celebrated joyously by young, and
old just before Christmas, but Christ
*mas was also observed. Of course,
they had not many real toys as we
know them today, but in the shoes
that the little Hollanders set by the
fireplace In the shining kitchen, which
was also the living room, were home
made gifts. Many of these were of
a useful character, such as hand-knit
caps ami mittens, but now and then
a skillful Hollander would carve a
model of a boat such as that which
had brought them to New Amsterdam,
or a miniature chest of drawers, and
one can fancy the recipients showing
these with pride to the wondering
little Indian boys and girls when they
came to be on terms of sufficient am
ity with them for such conferences.
In Virginia, where the church of
England was strong and its adherents
steadfastly observed the holidays as
in the home country, there was always
more of the Christmas spirit and abun
dant cheer and merrymaking than
elsewhere at this season. Here the
Yule log held its place and here were
the games and the feasting that made
It Indeed the merry season of the year.
Later when New Amsterdam became
New York and the English came in
to power the character of the Christ
mas holiday was changed somewhat,
although the Dutch influence contin
ued dominant for many years.
Throughout the colonies in the sev
enteenth and eighteenth centuries
toys were an almost unknown factor,
but wherever Christmas observations
were not frowned upon by religion,
feasting and good cheer were abun
dant, and bond and free, rich and poor,
old and young, shared in the games,
abundant food and genial atmosphere.
In the eighteenth century toys began
to make their appearance in the col
onies. Some of them were brought
from over seas and had the enchant
ing quality of novelty. Little girls
who had helped to mother their young
er brothers and sisters were delighted
with dolls that were all their own,
to fondle and coddle. A toy was a
thing to he cherished In those days.
Some of the gifts were of real in
trinsic value, for the shipping and
trading were growing to be important
factors in the colonies, -and men
brought treasures of all kinds from
the far East to tlv- seaports, whence
they were distributed to other parts
of the colonies. The war for indepen
dence interrupted this and the chil
dren shared in the self-sacrifices and
deprivations that were undergone by
all the families living In the oolonles
at that time. When soldiers were
starving at Valley Forge there was
little thought in their homes off Christ
inas merrymakings and little «ut of
which to provide it.
After the war there were still lean
years, but by the opening of the nine
teenth century peace and plenty
smiled upon the land and Santa Claus
found it safe to resume his visits And
make his distributions.
Remember Old Friends.
"What? A holiday greetings card
with old Bill's name scribbled across
it? . . . Good old Bill! Why, lt'«
A 1 years almost since we saw each
other, and here he's not forgotten me
even yet! . . . Huh, Mary, you
needn't be so all-fired proud of that
scarf Aunt Susie sent you. This may
be only a colored postcard, but, by
George, it's from Fill! ... Well,
well—this sure is Christmas!"
The First Christmas Card.
The Christmas card cannot claim
to have been established so long as
other of our Christmas customs. The
first Christmas card came into the
world in 1846, when Sir Henry Cole,
an Englishman, sent Yulefide greet
!*■» to his friends.
! CHRISTMAS BELLS j j
•i*
Hark! Hark! I hear a distant bell.
And how a tiiime —they softly ring;
What joyful tidings do they tell
As back and forth they swing.
'Tis mid of night—who rings those bells.' !
Perhaps doves there nestling.
And while each little bosom swells,
And warm, they touch with gentle wing
The tuneful metal, and it feels
So incubated it would swing
To life, and wake the world with peals
Of gladnesr as for new-crowned King.
Those midnight bells, how sweet they I
chime,
The welkin vibrates with their sound;
To hearts attune they are sublime,
Nor spread they dread alarm around.
Lo! now 1 see, from East afar
A light shines through the steeple's
frame
'Tis brighter than the brightest star,
j It gilds th° bells with golden flame;
There, too, 1 some cherubs cling
Fast hold the ropes. How fair they be!
They sw ing the bells and sweetly sing
"This is the Christ's nativity.".
Wake every heart, join in their song
Of praise to Christ, our new-born King; [
To him our sweetest strains belong,
And his, our richest offering.
When wakes the god of day, and shines
Athwart the heavens, what of glee
Will wake as well? With box and pines I
And flowers gay, yon house will be
Adi,rned, "and while the anthem swells
With organ's voice, all Christendom
Will vibrant he as are those bells
That Christ's nativity has come.
—J. William Pope.
ANCIENT CHRISTMAS TOYS
Dolls That Delighted Children of Rome
and Greece in Early Days Re
cently Excavated.
Hag dolls are as old as the hills and J
so are dolls with movable arms and •
J legs, toy dogs, rocking horses and a j
host of other things that bring de
light to the children on Christmas
morning.
Recent excavations in the ruins of
ancient Rome. Greece and Egypt have
placed Hie British museum in posses- i
sion of an interesting assortment of |
these relics of early Christian days, j
some of which may possibly have j
been given to the children of the fol
lowers of Christ at a time when .the
observation of Clursinn.s day was an
| innovation.
In the nursery of a newly excavated j
house at Behnesa, Egypt, a fairly well ;
preserved rag doll was found with !
j arms and legs still intact and painted j
fnce. The doll is by no means a beau- j
ty and does not compare with the
Christinas dolls of today, but neverthe- j
less it must have brought joy, to a lit- i
tl" girl's heart nearly 2.000 years ago. !
The jointed dolls of long ago were
made to sit down, stand up and move
their arms, but they didn't close their
eyes or squeak "mamma." Among the
toy dogs, horses and donkeys are some
made of stone and baked clay and
) others carved out of wood.
A CONVENIENCE.
' - •
"So you think the Santa Claus myth
is a good thing?"
"Yes, it's a great convenience to
have some imaginary person to take
the responsibility when the children
are disappointed Christinas morning."
A Christmas "Suppose.**
We would not change the children's
Christmas. But suppose all the grown
up people were to say to one another:
"This year, instead of my giving you
a present and your giving me a pres
ent, let us club together and give our
present to some poor child who will
not have any Christmas. There are
hundreds of them somewhere. Or, if
\?c do not know of such a child, let us
give our present to a hospital for chil
dren, a home for crippled children, for
Incurables, for the aged, the blind, the
feeble-minded." This to be, of course,
in addition to what we usually give j
j to charities at this season. Why could j
we not try this as an experiment, and i
see what the result would be? —Chris-
tian Register.
Touched His Heart, Not Purse.
A very ragged individual invaded
the office of a millionaire one Christ
mas eve and started describing his
woes and sorrows in so graphic a man
ner that "the millionaire was more af
fected than he had ever been before in
his life.
At last, with tears in his eyas, he
rang the hell for his servant, and when
the latter arrived, said to him in a
broken voice: "John, put this poor fel
low out at once. He's "breaking my
heart."
Their Annual Resolve.
Probably the girls are saying the
same thing this year that they have
I said every year in the past: "Well, I'm
going to start making presents right
away for next Christmas,**
I ' I
il "A Soul Above |j
i:| Potatoes" p
| i;|' c***
il l By PAUL HAMILTON Jt j I
(Copyrifht, 1»19, by the W«Bt«rn News
paper Union.)
"You'll stay in Clifton, won't you,
j Harney?"
Mrs. Ross looked all motherly anx
iety as she addressed her son. With
them on the garden seat was Harney's
sweetheart, Alma Reeves, whose
bright, pretty face reflected the solici
tude of the older woman.
The son and lover affected quite a
lordly air. A week previous his uncle, !
Mark Leaton, dying, had bequeathed
him a neat sum in money and a j
grocery store he owned in the village.
"Tell you." pronounced the young
: man, almost grandly, "I've got a soul
I above potatoes."
"But, Harney, dear," intervened
Alma, "you know how pleased you were
at first with the idea of being your
I own master and running a business
for yourself."
"That's all right," acknowledged
this ambitious favorite of fortune, "but
I've met my old chum since then. You
know Ned Dallas came down to see
me when he learned of my big luck.
Well, he's a clerk in a broker's office
and he says that with his experience ;
of the money market, if I will supply
the capital, he will go Into partnership
with me and will make a regular Na
poleon of finance of me."
Before leaving Harney made an ar
rangement with Warren Doane, an old
; clerk in a local store, to place him in
i charge of the one he had inherited on
a basis of equal division of profits, j
The day after Harney's departure Mr.
1 Doane called at the Ross home.
"I ;tni iroing to surprise Harney," he |
told Mrs. Ross, who was an old friend.
"He has agreed to let me have full
swing with advertising and specialty
i wrinkles and I am going to build up a
grand trade. Alma. T shall need some
| one to take charge of the cashier's
j desk. Can I count on you?" and Alma
acquiesced in the arrangement and the
enterprise started out under most
promising auspices.
The young adventurer across the
j shoals of finance wrote almost daily
j the first month of his absence. He J
j was all anticipation, ambition., enthu- i
! siasm. Tfien he hecame less effusive
j In his epistles and during the second
! month of his absence only two brief
| letters reached home.
"We must not expect too much at
; tention from the poor hoy. immersed
as he is in business cares," Mrs. Ross
told Alma. who. in her faith and in
nocence. pictured "the poor boy" han
dling the monetary destinies of na
tions. The merest "All well —love to
all." about comprised the substance of
subsequent letters from Harney. Mean
while. Alma and Mr. Doane begrudged
no thought or care that would tend to '
place the despised grocery business
' upon a firm and growing basis and
i keep It there. The idea that she was
; doing something that benefited the
! business interests of her lover kept
I Alma animated and glad. How she
! worked, and planned, and hoped! She
had. however, received an inkling from
! something she overheard between two
; local business men that Harney "was
i cutting a wide swath in the city."
making daring speculative investments
| and going beyond his depth.
| It was one Saturday night and Mr.
! Doane had closed the store an hour
| earlier than usual on account of a
i rain storm, and Alma had decided to
' remain for an hour or so and balance j
the books and was engrossed at her
task when the knob of the store door
rattled, and then there was a quick,
sharp tapping on Its glass panel. Alma
; could make out the visitor against the
glare of the street lamp. It was liar
ney Ross and she uttered a cry of joy
as. unlocking the door, she led him
into shelter and clung to his arm, ut
tering fervent words of welcome. Then
as he came within the radius of the
desk lamp her heart smote her.
"I've tramped it from the trolley, ;
Alma." he said. "1 ran out of money
and I'm about famished. You've got
a neat and inviting layout here." and
he went over to a counter which held
a tempting array of cheeses, dried
beef, boiled ham and some pickle rel- 1
Ishes. on the way drawing a liberal |
handful from the cracker box. and set
about eating with an enjoyment that
both gratified and saddened Alma, for
this returning lover of hers dreadfully
I suggested fhe penitent prodigal.
• "This Is sure a land of plenty." said
I Harney, with a sigh of satisfaction is
| he completed a lunch sufficient for two I
men. "Alma. I've come back with
nothing but a hard, costly lesson
learned. Those city sharks took my
money away from me so easy. I won
der how they did tt. I'm through as a !
financial Napoleon. I'm glad to creep
home, humble and glad to come back
to the store, and mother—and you."
"And. oh ! Harney, ** jubilated Alma,
"such a business the store has done!
You poor boy. Indeed! How welcome
you are!"
"I had a soul above potatoes, you
know?" observed Harney with mourn
ful retrospection. "Well, if the flat
upstairs Is still vacant —"
"Yes. it is. Harney," nodded Alma, j
"Then it's a quiet wedding as soon
as you can get ready. And. after j
what I've gone through, it will be
paradise to settle down in the cozy,
modest little home.
"Even if it is right over the pota
toes !" laughed Alma, bestowing a kiss
that to Harnvy Ross was more pre- (
cious than all the money he had lost.
° I <dkiral o
VARIETIES OF SMALL FRUITS
Ravages of Green Worms Given as
Reason for Neglect of Currants
and Gooseberries.
Frequent inquiries along this line
indicate a continued interest in grow
ing currants and gooseberries.
The chief reason they are not more
plentifully grown seems to be the rav
ages of the green worm. This greedy
enemy is easily controlled, but It re
quires prompt attention, and as the
attack is made In a very busy season
it is apt to be neglected until fighting
iS useless. All varieties of the cur
rant are most readily propagated from
cuttings of the new wood.
The strong and thrifty ones should
be selected, and. using a very sharp
knife, cut them into six-inch pieces.
The ground where these are planted
should be plowed deeply and well pul
verized. which encourages a good root
growth.j We must never (In horticul
tural operations) overlook the fact
that a loose and porous soil is neces
sary to a healthy root development.
Th? cuts should, of course, be set j
big end down, and it matters little If
tin y are set perpendicular or at an
angle of 30 degrees. But this is im
portant, only an inch, or one bud,
must be left above the surface after
the soil lias been firmed and settled.
The best time to do this work is the
last half of September. Then the
lower end of the cut will callous and
roots will start before freezing weath
er. It is then' necessary to mulch with
an inch of straw or hay or stable lit
ter. This will prevent the heaving out
by frost which is liable to ruin half
of the crop unless protected. But it
is also possible to grow good bushes
by taking off the cuttings in April and
r
~ • x
" -S
, Currants Keep on Growing for Years
if the Old Wood Is Cut Away.
planting as described above. But this
is not as sure as the fall planting, be
cause the callousing and rooting in the
fall is just so much time gained, and
if a dry period should chance to come
before roof;s have started only a small
percentage of the cuts will grow.
If you plant on rich soil and give !
good culture you will at the end of the !
first season - have sturdy bushes one !
foot or more in height and sometimes
two or three shoe's.
Gooseberry bushes are also frequent
ly grown from cuts as described for
currants. But this is not the best
method. By far the best method to in
crease the gooseberry is the hilling
system. This is early summer job,
say mid June to mid July, according
to latitude. Take a single bunch of
bushes or a row of them, as the case
may be, and bank them up with loose
earth.
Make the bank broad enough so that
each shoot may retain its natural po
sition and make it high enough so that
only three or four inches of the tops
will stick out above the bank. Put 4n
earth enough so that after it settles j
the situation will not be materially
changed. If this is well done and the
season is reasonably wet every branch
will send out roots and you will have
as many bushes as you have shoots in
1 the bunch.
These may be taken away in the
fall or early spring and planted where
they are to remain.
To make assurance doubly sure
make the bank very broad so that It
cannAt dry out. That is all you need.
Plenty of moisture and good, thrifty
bushes and you can g row gooseberry
plants by the thousand-
DAMAGE BY CURRANT WORMS
Often Causes Considerable Defoliation
Before Attack Is Noticed—
Spraying Is Best.
The currant worm, by its habit of
first attacking the lower leaves and
those on the Inside of the bush, often
causes considerable defoliation before
the attack is noticed. Three pounds
of arsenate of lead to 50 gallons of
water as a spray readily controls this
pest, and if one makes the practice, at
the time of making the first codling
moth spray on apples, to apply the
same mixture to the currant and
gooseberry bushes, getting the spray
all through the bushes, the worms may
be ignored. In case the injury is un
noticed until the fruit is well grown
use hellebore, dusted on or in a spray
at the rate of one ounce to two gallons
of water.
KNOWS NO NORTH OR SOUTH
Southern Doughboy Who Fought in
France Is Strong for the Appella
tion "Yank."
The monicker, Yank, is going to
stick, .lust read what this fellow, who
was horn south of Mason aud Dixon's
line, writes:
"I come from a line of 'rebels' who
boast that they did not surrender.
Until I was quite a husky chap I be
i lieved that 'd Yankee' was one
word and 'Republican' its synonym,
and knew the 'rebel veil' as a varsity
boj knows his college yell. Before
the war I wore a slouch hat, rode
horseback and shot squirrels. 1 still
say cawn bread, think Dixie should
be our national air. that Robert E. Lee
was the world's greatest general, and
Jefferson Davis, sub, the world's great
est statesman.
"But. speaking for myself and a
not overly small bunch of fellow 'reb
els,' I am exactly satisfied with the
honest, hJ!rd-fisted, tirm-jawed ami
seemingly inevitable nickname of
Yank, and say, with one of the papers
back home:
"'Let Yank he the official battle
nrine of our boys, and the "rebel yell"
their official battle cry.'"
In truth, the South and the North
are welded. —Stars and Stripes.
Cutting the Nation's Tire Bill.
"Forty makes of motor tires were
submitted to the bureau of standards
by the office of the quartermaster gen
eral," writes Thomas 11. Uzzell In Ev
erybody's. "They were given labdfa-
I tory 'durability runs,' after which they
were autopsied by the rubber special
ists. Their carcasses' were cut up and
ihe pieces boiled, roasted, stretched.
The results were discouraging. Even
the best of them seemed to suffer
from improper 'toughening.*
"So inio their little rubber-mill went
the experis. with notes furnished them
by the tire manufacturers, and pro
ceeded to make up some tire rubber
which had the proper degree of tough
ness." They succeeded. They passed
out the word: 'The trouble is that you
makers :>re not sifting your zinc oxld
before mixing it with the rubber eotn
i pound.'
"The makers began to sift. Better
tires resulted. Some $30,(X)0,00o were
saved v;> the government. Ami today
you are enjoying a cut in your tire bill
by getting better tires —a result of
that experiment with zinc oxid."
Successful Woman Trapper.
Trapping predatory animals Is
scarcely the kind df occupation In
i which a woman might be expected to
distinguish herself, even with the great
extension of the range of feminine ac
t"\" < to which wo have Ween accus
tomed lately. Mrs. Ada Tingley of Ida
ho, is reported, however, by the North
western division of the United States
biological survey, to be so successful
in this employment that her male ri
vals are finding ItJiard to keep up with
her records. Her victims are mainly
coyotes, bob-cats, wolves, lynxes and
mountain lions, 8:30 every morn
ing" Mrs. Tingley mounts her
and rides off to her traps, of which
1 she runs six lines, of HO each. She us
es a fish bait prepared by a secret
formula. <*n occasion she can use a
.32 caliber rifle with almost perfect
accuracy.
i
Make Big Gun by Shrinking Liner.
| In making a 12-inch gun at an east
! ern arsenal the liner tube, .'iG feet
long, was finished and rifled before
being shrunk into place. Customarily
the liner is fine-bored and rifled after
the shrinkage operation, and this is
declared to be the first time a gun of
| such large size was ever assembled
after the tube was finished. —Popular
Mechanics Magazine.
Johannesburg Now Metropolis.
Johannesburg, with a population of
263.274. is the largest and most cos
mopolitan city in South Africa. Tb€
tastes of the people are varied, rang
ing from the simplest requirements on
the part of the natives to the most
cultivated wants. Music of some form
is of the means of satisfying these
LOOK TO SARDINIA FOR CORK
World Turning to That Island for Pro
duction of Material So Much
in Demand.
Cork has probably passed olive oil
as the leading export of Sardinia, and
i Commercial Attache A. P. Dennis
states that recent production has been
so stimulated that a large factory at
Templo is quadrupling its capacity.
The bark is stripped from the tree
once in nine years. At the Templo
factory the dried bark Is first thor
oughly steamed and flattened out by
hydraulic pressure; it then remains In
piles about 30 days, when It is taken
out covered with blue mold, and is
carefully scraped on both sides and
cut Into widths varying according to
the lengths of the cork stoppers de
sired. The strips are cut by hand into
cubes, a process requiring highly skill
ed labor, with much care in picking
out defective pieces. The corks have
been rounded and tapered by high
speed cutting machines, but a new
abrasive process is claimed to reduce
the waste of this finishing from 20 to
80 per cent. Before the war the fine
dust sold in Germany for unknown
use for about $9O a ton. At Terranova
the cork is differently utilized, the
best being baled in sheets for- ship
ment, while the inferior is coarsely
ground and used with a magnesium
surface for walls and floor coverings.
The war demand was for cork trench
mattresses, which were both light and j
afforded protection from cold and '
moisture.
1, -♦•(r-f--i-f ... .i- : *
i|| Making His |j
LWay il
r>-r» I
By VICTOR REDCLIFFE ||
(Copyright, 1113 bjr the W«ittr» Ntw»-
pap«r Union, y
'•You will give her up?"
"Never! Less now than ever. Uncl<*
Reuben, do not cro.-s me in the desire
and duty of my life. Within a month
Lois Newton has lost her father, who
has left her penniless and homeless.
She Is the only woman I ever loved..
I have made her my wife. Surely—•**
"Go!" Old Reuben Morely rose to
his feet, pulsating with fury. lli*
trembling finger pointed to the door,
his eyes glared, "Go!" he shouted,
and his lists clenched. "Out of my
heart, out of mv home —forever!"
Walton Blair bowed his head in
silence. He hurried his steps to escape
the anathemas hurled after him by his
1 seltish. irrational relative. The dis
missal meant penury.
It was sweet and soothing the sol
ace he received from the bride of an
hour. The very fact of his great sac
i ritice of home, position, heirship, en
j deared him double fold to the modest,
unassuming girl who was ready and
willing to go hungry, roofless, accept
the heaviest burdens of toil so that
she had him by her side.
Reuben Morely, though now recov
wlth his Independent nephew. As to
Lois, no claims of preference held her
to her native village. Her aunt cared
for them in her humble way during
the week that they devoted to mapping
out their future. Walton had no trade
or profession but he had done some
cbnctil work for his uncle and was
capable of filling the position of the
average office clerk. There was an
old friend of his dead father named
John Allen, who operated a large man
ufacturing plant at a town called Lup
ton. Walton left Lois with her aunt,
to be received nt Lupton with full
consideration and the kindly tendef of
a position in ihe bookkeeping depart
ment of the great works.
Just ;is Walton was looking around
for modest living quarters, sit a criti
cal moment he "saved the two little
children of the wealthy manufacturer
from sure death in an automobile ac
cident, but sustained the serious in
jury of a broken arm, and the attend
ing surgeon told him that he would
not be able to use his right hand for a
year to come.
"1 have sent for your wife on my
1 own initiative." Mr. Allen told Wal
ton. as he lay under hospital care. "I
1 have also planned to show my lasting
gratitude toward you in a way that
cannot offend your sense of the fitness
of things. You have probably noticed
that little oasis of house and garden
at the edge of the mill site. It was
where I and my family passed the
i happiest year of our lives. I am going
to fix up the place and rent It to you
nt a nominal price."
"But I shall hi- unable to pay for it."
remonstrated Walton.
"So? Hardly. You may not be in a
condition to do any office work but. if
you will accept if. you shall heroine
our night watchman. Ten to five you
i make hourly rounds of the signal
boxes and see that all is safe. And if
I do not mistake, that charming little
wife of yours will riot be too proud to
sit In the timekeeper's office nt seven,
twelve, one and five and keep tab on
the Incomings and outgoings of the
workmen."
"Oh. this Is Ideal!" exuberated Lois,,
when two weeks later they were in
stalled In the home John Allen had so
generously provided. It was in the
enchanting garden surrounding the
bouse that they passed many hours of
the day. restoring its former brightness
as far as they could. Mr. Allen died
and they lost a good friend but his
t son-in-law. who succeeded to the busi
ness, accepted the old provision made
for the Blalrs as a sort of obligation
of honor. and for fivp years the happy
and contented married pair remained
on duty in their respective positions.
A little golden haired cherub came
to them and tin* pretty home became ft
haven of delight when Dorothy was
old enough to get around. It was .Inst
after her fourth birthday when there
was a collision on the trolley line that
ran directly past/the house. Several
I were Injured, among them an old man
who with the others was carried Into
the Blair home, which afforded fhe
nearest shelter. Tt was found that he
«vas only stunned. When he recovered
consciousness he was lying on a couch
and little Dorothy, whose father and
mother were away at the time, was
fanning him and looking startled, but
sol Id tout.
"Who are you? Whose house ia
this?" The old man almost frightened
Dorothy by starting up suddenly and
fixing his eyes upon a framed photo
graph on the wall. "Who are you?"
he asked more gently, scanning the
child's face closely.
"I am Dorothy Blair," replied the.
little one, "and mamma and papa are
away, and that picture you stare at
so Is Uncle Reuben, who is going to
come «nd see me some day, papa
says."
"He has pome alrf-ady. dear child!'*'
pronounced Reuben Morely in broken
tones, and he was holding the little
one on his lap when Walton Blair en
tered the room.
Reuben Morley, though now recov
ered. still lingered, and wh»*n he went on
his way it was all arranged that they
were to come to his hom«* and *tay
there permanently, and cheer the life
.>f the lonely old man with sunshine
of tenderness and lose.