CMristoas STORY
I ~T AKM E R BRO W N, Sirs.
j—/ Brown, and five little Browns
I were at dinner. It was a
V few days before Christinas
and the question which was disturbing
their minds was what to have for din
ner on Christmas Day.
A great deal of the talking was be
ing done l>y the five little Brownies,
as they were called. They chattered
and laughed, and quarreled, too, I
fear. Sometimes their father and
mother got a word in edgeways.
"Of course, we must have a turkey,"
said Mrs. Brown.
"And one with lots of wish bones,"
cried Brownie No. "so we can all
wish."
"Ain't we going to have any pie?"
chimed in the youngest.
"Well," said Mr. Brown, "I think
pumpkin will do. It is the healthiest.
This with a smack of his lips.
"Yes, it's tlie best, too." chimed in
the little Brown, who had asked for it,
in spite of a stern glance from Father
Brown, and a sharp "Hush" from his
mother.
"There's a big pumpkin in the barn,
that will make a dozen pies," said Mrs.
Brown, "beside, three smaller ones."
"Yes," replied Mr. Brown, "I know.
As soon as dinner is over we'll go out
WLA,' (osr\ MMIOMOI
'Jen prt#»« fcirt* iiiywwjflHi
Polly droned the dolly—then there Werj 9- r ?\ jT\">
112 * Christmas presents, «ome jomc qreat)
7 Itefry *ore the bicture-fcooK — then. »:rc W«r* 8. /'if® 1
SCT eoooftftoo Y'W' ''&
Christmas Presents; K.ot> al\d Dick and Lkvan / *"-"'---I*^- L
Together broKr the rocKinq-hcrse.— tfcrf* tl\ere Were 7- IsSp t^"£
WMsmsgr' ••••'••»•.* r 'so
KCVCN Cvwtmw (tucVCu. - iT^V
SR' jm cy«; M .sticky
..........
/ 1A CKriitm " Pr "^^ ; - Jimmy 4 iß
wir\d laleW his c»f> a\Vay— then there .W«ri
m :
CKriitmaa Presents; tKrovqK
M rK; pusay.kitten rail aWay ttM tK;r* Vcr( 4' £_|]sOT
'»••>" I ..........
|7OUR o'.riatma«, Presents. beautiful to see*
The enain? bur.*t its boi!cr— then there v/«re rj. U j i^-SLa
/jV\ o.soooorao. _ • —® A L\X
]T!Rte
' -•«* there Were 'J I .'
' oOOOaoOUO O ' J*Qc
Two
DicKy went to run, W« ate vb all the candy—'theh tKep« Was 0. frC^S
112 fell and imaVwd hia . 00.0'00.00 o
j| - alajA—then tHH wt>% 1.
.- .TKm wm ten CKH*<inaii iVwotti
wk,ix tlxe dawned U*ig»>»:
yfiffl'ji )(\ <fr~~ i? \Py^^'• \ Hot one of them v/a4 left on .iigl\t.
"Y .^' l " --*" '?) >a\ ' 000 0 o a a a » » yh-
£ r s- V; >
—Youth's Companion.
to the barn, anil see which one we will
need. That big oue is too large, I
think, but we will see."
As soon as the meal was over the
whole family, Mr. Brown and Mrs.
Brown, and the tive small Brownies,
all trooped out to the barn, to pick out
the pumpkin that was to be convert
ed into pies l'or the Christmas din
ner. Up the stairs they went to the
hay loft, where lay the four big, yel
low pumpkins, all ripe and mellow.
After a long discussion as to the
needs of the family in the pie line, Mr.
and Mrs. Brown decided to use the
biggest one, so Mr. Brown picked it up
and set it at Ilia head of the stairs,
JUMPING AND SHAKING HIS FIST.
where it would lie ready to bo brought
to the kitchen when wanted.
Then all the Browns, Mr. Brown and
Mrs. Brown and the live little Brown
ies, solemnly tiled downstairs—Mr.
Brown to see to the chickens, Mrs.
Brown to her sewing and the five
go)ail Brownies to play.
«««*•••••
As soon as the family had gone the
big pumpkin which had been chosen
Legau to tremble all over, "like a bowl
fi;l of jelly," as the poem says of San
ta Claus when he laughed.
Did you ever see a pumpkin trem
ble? No? Nor I, but this one was dif
ferent from the kinds that grow now,
for he trembled and shook like a leaf.
The medium sized pumpkin said to
the big one:
"I told you so. You were so proud
at being the biggest. Now you see
what will happen. You'll be made into
pies, like your brother was on Thanks
giving Day."
All the smaller pumpkins laughed at
this and the big follow grew white
through his yellow skin.
"Well, I'll make more pies than any
of you will," he replied, "and better
ones, too; that is, if I don't escape."
"Escape!" exclaimed all the others in
a breath. "Why," continued one fel
low with a lump on the side of his
head, "Why, you're so fat that you
can't even wollt, let alone run."
This settled matters for a few mo
ments, till a sound was heard on the
lloor below. This set the big fellow all
a-tremble again, for he was sure it
was the farmer come to make him into
pies. But it was a false alarm. It
was John, the hired man, talking to
his brother, Jim, the gardener. "Yes,"
he was saying, "we must have some
fun on Christmas Eve. Let's make a
jack o' lantern." The pumpkins were
all attention.
"The very thing," exclaimed Jim,
"and there's half a. dozen pumpkins or
so up stairs in the loft. I saw them
the other day when I was looking for a
rake."
"That's so," replied John; "one is a
big one, 1 remember. Ile'il make a line
lantern."
"Well, I'll go get a krife," said Jim,
"and you hunt up a pole to put it on.
We'll scarce the whole village; that's
what we'll do," and they ran out into
the yard.
Upstairs all was still as a mouse,
while the men were talking, but as
soon as they left a great commotion
sprang up.
"A jack-o-lantern." exclaimed the
medium-sized pumpkin to the big oue,
"not even a decent pie. Ila, ha, ha."
The others all joined in the laugh,
while the poor doomed oue could hard
ly contain himself. In fact, he almost
split with rage, jumping up and down
and shaking his fist at the others till
the little one hid himself for protec
tion.
"And what will become of all of
you:" shouted the big one, "if they
make a jack-o-lantern of me?"
The laughing stopped.
"Why, two of you will be taken to
make pies, and you'll be boiled and
mashed and baked and then eaten,
while 1 will enjoy myself scaring peo
ple, just as I am scaring you now."
In spite of what he said, he didn't look
j as though ht> would enjoy it much, but
he continued:
"Yes, If they make a lantern out of
me, I'll Just grin and bear It, and the
more I grin the more folks will be
scarwl and the more folks are scared
the more I will grin."
"If you grin too much," putin the
one with the lump, "your luouth will
meet at the back of your neck and the
top of your head will come off."
"Silence!" shouted the big fellow,
jumping up and down. "Silence, all rf
you. I hear some one coming."
Voices were indeed heard and the
farmer entered the barn, talking to
himself.
"Why don't you run," piped the lit
tle pumpkin, becoming brave, as ho
heard the farmer preparing to mount
the stairs.
"Yes, hurry and escape," said the
lumpy one, "why don't you run or
roll, as you say you can do so grace
fully."
This was too much for the big one,
who was in a towering rage, and was
jumping up and down like a rubber
ball. He was close to the head of the
stairs, and as he heard the farmer
.coming up he gave a big leap, and
missing his balance, down he rolled.
Bump bump bumpety thump!
Right onto the farmer's head he
went, and then fell with a smash on
tiu> floor, where he was dashed into a
thousand pieces.
The farmer was stunned by the blow
for a moment and couldn't think what
it was that had hit him. But lie turned
and saw the wreck of the big pump
kin that was to have served for the
Christmas dinner, lying about the floor.
"Dear me! dear me!" he exclaimed,
"there goes that biggest pumpkin all
to smithereens. This barn is getting
so old and rickety, I ought to have
known better than to have put that
pumpkin at the top of the stairs,
where it could bo jarred down."
"Well, then, there's nothing to do
but to take two of the smaller ones,"
and suiting the action to the word he
walked up stairs and carried off the
two bigger pumpkins, leaving the lit
tle fellow all alone, trembling with
fear, yet thanking his stars at his es
cape.
His joy, however, was short-lived.
An instant later the hired man came
upstairs.
WLen ho saw only the one small
pumpkin he scratched his head a mo
ment and then said:
"Well! well! So the old man has
loft only the little one after all. lie
must like pies! There were four here
this morning." So picking up the little
pumpkin, who was fainting from
fright, he carried him off.
The next day all that remained of
the four pumpkins were a doztu pies,
a jack-o-lantern and a lot of smashed
pumpkin 011 the asli heap.—Mortimer
I Forsythe, in the Brooklyn Eagle.
Decorations Last Till Twelfth Day.
All Christmas decorations, according
to the English idea, should be left in
position till Twelfth day, and a sprig
of holly should remain somewhere in
i each room till Ash Wednesday.
Scaring; Santa Claui.
You afmid of Santa Claus? Gocdness me,
I'm not!
I'm lots too big to let him make me
scared;
'Sides, a year ago I saw him, right on
Christmas Eve,
So now he wouldn't scold me if he
dared!
Yes, sirrce! He's big and fat, like his pic
tures are;
An' 1 was sitlin' by the chimblcy, too,
When he lit rizht on the hearth, shook
the snow flakes off,
An' turned to me, an' says: "Why,
howdy uo?"
Non T run back to the door—so's to lock
him in—
"l'm pretty well," I says, an' nen we
sat
An' talked a lot about his work, an' he
told me, he did,
'Twas hard to get around when you're
so fat.
Bimc-by I says,"l hope you won't forget
me Christmas Day,
Although I'm not the best of children,
'cause
If you should do so, I'm afraid I'd have
to tell the boys
That b'lieve in you "There ain't no San
ta Claus!"
My! Didn't he turn pale! He caught
holt o' my hand;
Says "Don't do that, please, for —I like
you,
I'll give you heaps o' things you want, 'f
you'll b'lieve in me.
An' let the other children do so, too!"
So wo made a 'precmcnt, aa' I will have
some things
At Christmas time, you bet! What's
that you Fay?
Don't b'lieve I ever scared old Santa
Claus? Well, now,
Jest a-k him, if you see him Christmas
Day!
Tlie UesMilt of Environment.
xi )
"1 tell you Santa Claus is tall and
thin."
"And I tell you he is short and fat."
TV '• i ■ sp.-< •t i n >1
the situation.—Judge.
What a "Yuletlrte" Mean*.
"Yuletido" is, of course, again to the
fore. It is a good enough word, ■eu
phonious and convenient. Hut there
is no use in investing in syllables with
too much glamor of medieval poetry
and romance. The cold, concrete fact
is that It means the time of yelling, or
"yowling," not to say caterwauling.
By all means let us have a merry yole
tide, but let us not "make Rome howl"
too much, nor let our yule festivities
become —as the name might imply—a
katzenjammer.—New York Tribune.
Cystcn on iht halt shell
Roast turKty. Atsfnur?lt'lting. Crinbtrry jiuti
nished pc'itad Crfamrd c«lrry Pt&i.
Chi:krn pi: CcAri'Vwrfl'potator! Turnip.-Squinh
jfhJtt. with Frtnth drrsnno. ,
Cracktrj &nd che«>« „/
flum puaiino . . cream.
Nutj r Bonboni
Collet t7jf> I
F
Tim 11.-injjn Wlien Nol In U«o.
In discontinuing the coal range foi
the summer some care is needed for its
proper preservation. It seems almost
trite to say that the last fire should
be dumped, and the ashes and dust
entirely removed, but experience has
shown that this caution is needed. The
ovens should be taken out and the
spaces in which they fit thoroughly
cleaned and greased. Greass the ovens
also and the range implements, shak
er, shovel, poker, etc., together with
the iron grates and such other parts
of the range as are liable to rust.
These trifling precautions will save
time and money when the range is
to be put into commission again, and
should be observed whether the house
is to bo closed or not.
Milky Water Ilacl, Too.
Milky water is one of the hardest
things to manage. Even a small
quantity daily fouls pipes and sets up
a moat evil smell unless the milky
water is followed by a flushing of soda
water moderately strong, with a lime
water flush about every three days.
The lime water is made more effec
tive by adding salt to it. Sea salt is
best. Put a lump as big as the fist
in an earthern or wooden vessel along
with twice its bulk of quicklime, and
cover with four gallons of not water.
Stir well and let settle. Pour the clear
liquid down the pipes and follow it
in half on hour with a flush of clear
water boiling hot. Thus every kind
of a sink may bo kept sweet and
fresh. —Washington Star.
Decorative Hanging Lamp*.
Among the latest novelties in hang
ing ornaments are the Damascus lan
terns now seen in shops where ori
ental bric-a-brac is displayed. These
dainty things are extremely curious,
and decorated with chains and jewels.
Another attractive bit of eastern arc
is the hanging doran, which is adorned
with shells and mirrors. These may
be used to frame electric lights if
preferred, and even such a modern
addition will not mar their thorough
ly Oriental effect. Russian candle
sticks, too, are most effective, and
have great originality of design. They
are les3 commonly seen than some
of the Turkish ornaments, and there
fore prove more attractive to those
who desire greater individuality in
their homes.
Time for Cooking; Vejyetable*.
Much depends on the age and con
dition of the vegetables, and also the
manner in which they are cooked,
fresh young vegetables requiring, of
course, much less time. A table can
give you only the approximate length
of time. Use judgment and common
sense, and w.ien the vegetables arc
tender do not cook them longer.
Bake potatoes 30 to 45 minutes.
Steam potatoes, 20 to 440 minutes.
Boil potatoes (in their skins) 20 to 30
minutes. Boil potatoes (pared), 25 to
45 minutes. Asparagus (young), 15
to 30 minutes. Beets (young), 45 min
utes. Corn (green), 12 to 20 minutes.
Cauliflower, 2o to 40 minutes. Cab
bage (young), 35 to 60 minutes. Cel
ery, 20 to 30 minutes. Carrots, 1 to
2 hours. Lima or shell beans, 45 min
utes to 1 1-4 hours. Onions, 30 to GO
minutes. Oyster plant, 45 to 60 min
utes. Peas, 20 to 60 minutes. Pars
nips (young), 30 to 45 minutes. Spin
ach, 20 to 60 minutes. String beans,
30 to 60 minutes. Summer squash, 20
to 60 minutes. Turnips (young), 4 >
minutes. Tomatoes (stewed), 45 to 60
minutes.
When vegetables are served with
boiled salt meat they must be cookked
in the lhiuor from the meat after it
has been removed.
/*#< HSC/PsS
\ ° '* °
Wonders —Beat one egg, add a
pinch of salt and enough flour to make
a stiff dough. Roll out on a floured
board until as thin as a wafer. Cut
with a large round cutter. Drop into
hot fat. Drain on paper and dust
with powedered sugar. Serve with
syrup or any delicate pudding sauce.
Tomato Force —Put a layer of
canned tomatoes in a baking dish.
Season with salt and pepper, then
sprinkle with bread crumbs. Then
pour over more tomatoes, and contin
ue until the dish is full. Mix some
bread crumbs in a little melted but
ter and spread over the tomatoes.
Bake in the oven 35 minutes.
Almond Cuts —Cream one-half cup
of butter; add one cupful of granula
ted sugar, two ounces of finely chop
ped almonds, rind and juice of half
a lemon, one cup of sifted flour and
two eggs; mix well, and roll out on a
floured board; roll one-lialf inch thick;
bui>ter a pan; cut the dough in strips
and lay them in the pan; brush with
white of egg and sprinkle almonds,
cut very fine, over the top, and sprin
kle sugar over the top.
Pone —Pour enough boiling water
over one pint of Indian meal to scald
it; when cool rub in it one tablespoon
fill of butter and one-half teaspoonful
of salt. Beat, two eggs until light, add
them to the meal, then add one-half
cup of sour milk and beat until tho
mixture is smooth. Dissolve one tea
spoonful of soda in one tablespoonful
of water; add it to the batier. Turn
it into a greased pan and bp.ke in a
moderate oven 40 minutes.
THE GEEAT DESTROYER
SOME STARTLING FACTS ABOUT
THE VICE OF INTEMPERANCE.
Brink and Commerce—Why tlie American
Workingniun IK Said to He Superior to
the KnglUli and tierman Alcohol
Dulla the llraln and Prevent* Precision.
The article given below has appeared in
papers in Belgium, France and England
and ivas sent from this country for publi
cation in Europe by M. Rudolph Meyhof
fer, who came from Brussels as an inter
national delegate to the Young Men's
Christian Association jubilee in Boston.
He stayed long enough to study industrial
and educational conditions in the leading
States, including the question of Ameri
can trade supremacy:
England and other European countries
are anxiously asking for the causes of the
commercial supremacy of the United
States. A recent number of the English
edition of t'he ''Review of Reviews says:
Cassier's Magazine (an English periodi
cal) contains an interesting series of short
articles by tome of the most prominent
engineers and business men in tlie United
States upon the question of American com
petition.
Most of the writers agree in saving that
the American workman is the chief agent
in enabling American manufacturer.* to
take first place in the world. Wait IT
MacFarland, of Pittsburg, gives one im
portant reason for this. He says:
"It appears that the American work
men are much better timekeepers and far
less given to dissipation than those in
Great Britain. One of the best firms of
British shipbuilders recently stated that
there is a loss of time amounting to nearly
twenty per cent. due largely to drunken
ness. If anything approaching these
figures is true generally, there can be no
surprise that (English) firms open to com
petition from well managed American
■works should have a hard time."
In inquiring as to the cause of this
greater sobriety of the American, the fact
appears that twenty years ago business in
terests in tl-o United States paid no at
tention to the effect of the beverage me
of alcohol or of tobacco on working abil
ity. About that time the now almost uni
versal study of phvsio'.o v. which includes
•with other laws of health those which re
late to the nature and effects of alcoholic
drinks and other narcotics, began to bo a.
legal requirement for all pupils in the pub
lic schools of this country.
During the last ten or fifteen years the?
children have been carrying from the
schools to the homes of the 75,000,000 peo
ple of the United States the story of the
evil nature and bad effects of alcoholic?
drinks and other narcotics.
As a result of the diffusion of this
knowledge the railroads of the United
States now almost universally refuse em
ployment to men who drink, whether on
or off duty.
Carroll D. Wright's Labor Bureau in
vestigations show that more than seventy
five per cent, of the employers of skilled
labor in the United States renui'-e total
abstinence of their empolves, and fifty nor
cent, of the employers of unskilled labor
demand the same. The. > requirements,
the cord'al acquiescence in them by the
employed, and the commercial supremacy
which this knowledge helped to secure to
the United-States, have been promoted by
the truth taught by the school that alco
holic drinks injure working abilitv.
The different reception given by work
men to the employers' demand for absti
nence where scientific temperance is not
tauirht in the public schoo's is well illus
trated in the following incident:
The manager of the Borsig factory it
Germany recently post"d an order forbid
ding the workmen to bring into the fac
tory beer or other spirituous liquors, or
to drink the same during working ho-jvs.
The workmen, numbering over 11)03. b'-ld
a meeting, and objected to this order.
The next day they conspicuously carried
in their beer.
Curing the exoitemen: caused by the or
der a nanvihlet appe red. by an old factory
official, who affirmed that the use of aleo
holie drinks was detrimental to the labor
ers' own interest. ll<' referred to the clev
erness and sobriety of the American work
men. which makes them able to do very
exact and precise work, which he says is
not possible in German industry, because
of the drinking habits of the laboring
classes.
The American workman does not resent
the employer's demand for abstinence, be
cause lie has learned, often from his child
in public school, that alcohol not oniv duds
the brain, but weakens that nerve control
of muscle that is necessary to the precision
essential for fine work.
The nomination for knighthood of Sir
Hiram Maxim, the American born inven
tor, for his work in England, was one of
the last official acts of Oueen Victoria. In
an article in the World's \\ ork Sir Hiram
furnishes indirect testimony to the same
point. While describing the results of the
English trade unions, he says:
"The English workman spends a great,
part of his earnings in beer, tobacco and
betting: he h«s no ambition." Oi course
not. for beer in dulling the brain (lulls am
bition. "The American workman." he
says, "wishes to get on: he accomplishes
a great deal more work in a da- than ar.y
other workman in the world."
England is beginning to see the differ
ence in results between occasional talks
by temperance advocates to school chil
dren and the svstematic graded public
school study of tlvs topic required by law
in the United States.
Drank Up His Fortune.
M. Courtinaud's uncle died in April an.\
left him Delighted with so much
money lie considered various plans of
spending it. He was afraid to place it in
the bank, and he had no confidence in
commercial ventures. Not fond of racing,
he finally decided to drink it up. And at.
the end of five months succeeded. His av
erage was iJS a day. At last he bought a
bottle of alcohol for forty cents, drank it
and then shot himself. He left a request
to be buried in a cellar at the side ot the
barrels. —Wcsleyan Advocate.
Alcoholics Not Always Drunkunli.
It is not necessary to carry the use of
alcohol to the extent as to show the phe
nomena characteristic of intoxication to
produce the effects of alcoholism. Aleo
holies are not necessarily drunkards. I lie
latter are incorrigible, excessive drinkers,
but their number is after all quite insig
nificant when compared with the immense
multitude of tho«e whose systems get pois
oned by the daily consumption of moderate
quantities of liquors of which alcohol
forms the basi3.
A Noble Work.
The Christian home for intemperate mcrv
in New York recently celebrated its twen
ty-fourth anniversary. During the past
twenty-four years it has cared for 7000 in
temperate men. of whom it is declared that
fully onb-half are now living sober and
honorable lives. A new and larger home
is to be erected at Mount Vernon.
The Crusade In Itrlef.
Sunday closing is strictly enforced
order of the Mayor at Hampton, A a.
According to insurance statistics teeto
talers mav expect seventeen years more
life than drinkers.
The averagt stature of the Swedes, the
tallest people in the world, has steadily
increased sinl-e 184). The cause is be
lieved to be pyrtly due to the decrease in
drunkenness.
lowa school teachers, assembled in State
convention, have petitioned the Legislat
ure to prohibit, the sale of liquor within
live miles of any institution of learning
6upported wholly or partially by the State.