PAGE SIX
THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 19 12.
MRS. TOPHAM'S
INVENTION
A New Year's
Resolution
I By MILDRED JERNEGAN $
(OlSOOOOOOtttllKttl
The Toi'luins (,'rmv poorer every
year. On tlie 1st day of .Tannnry
Samuel '1'oplimn registered n solemn
vow tlmt on the very next day he
would set forth in quest of work for
the ensuing year work that would
bring 1dm in 11 steady income with
vliieh to support his prowliiK family.
On the L'd day of .January Mr. Top
hum usually had a brilliant idea a
brain splitting conception of a patent
dishwashing machine or a baby tender
that might take the place of a paid
nursemaid, or an automatic llnpjaok
Rrlddlc which not only would grease
Itself, hut would also tip a suspended
pitcher of bailer so that one might
have a continuous succession of well
browned iipjacks as fast as one could
remove them from the self greasing,
nonburiiing, self adjusting griddle.
Anything in the wny of a work saver
or labor eliminator appealed to the in
ventive faculty of Samuel Tophaiu.
As these ideas attacked Samuel on
the second day of the new year, of
course he then abandoned the idea of
peeking manual labor and devoted
himself exclusively to the perfecting of
this latest patent tinder these clr
cumslnnces It became necessary for
Mrs. Topham to llnd some means of
supplying her husband and seven lit
tle daughters with food and clothing.
This she did by home baking. She did
it cheerfully and without complaint,
for the Tophams, great and small, had
Infinite faith iu "pa's" inventions and
contentedly scrimped and saved so that
one day all of them might live sumptu
ously on the proceeds of his success
when It should really come to pass.
On this particular New Year's morn
ing Samuel had registered Ids custom
ary vow with more than his accustom
ed vigor.
"There's no use talking. Sarah," he
said, sinking heavily into a kitchen
chair ami looking appealingly at his
plump little wife from his prominent
light blue eyes, "I haven't got the
heart to see you go through another
year like the last. Tomorrow morning
I shall set out and llnd a job, some
thing that will at least bring us in
bread and cheese."
"You've said that before. Sam," re
turned Sarah placidly. "You haven't
got to worry about that. I'm making
enough from my baking to pay the gro
cer and butcher, and we can wear our
old clothes for a little while longer. 1
11m sure the automatic griddle will be
a mriiiey maker. Why, whenever I feel
extra tired I just think how easy we
will have it when that automatic grid
dle is on the market and you"
Samuel lifted a fat hand and shook
Ills head sadly. "I'm afraid that the
automatic griddle is not a succe.s," lie
announced in a hollow voice.
"Not a success?" Sarah Topham's
voice showed more genuine dismay
than it had done in the case of the
failure of the dishwasher and the baby
tender, which had been the last two
inventions of her husband's restless
brain. Now she removed her hands
from a bowl of Hour and surveyed
Samuel's gloomy countenance with a
severe look on her usually good Ma
tured face. "You have heard some
thing new'" she asked.
""es. I had a letter n most pecul
iarly worded letter from Mr. How
man," admitted Samuel, taking an en
velope from his pocket and surveying
the superscription resentfully.
"Well, what did he say, Samuel?
You know you asked him for a candid
opinion of its merits. He's your sec
ond cousin and ought not to be afraid
to speak right out."
"He spoke right out," muttered Sam
uel bitterly.
"What did ho say?"
"lie said," returned Samuel reluc
tantly, "that no one except an unmiti
gated idiot and a constitutionally lazy
and shiftless loafer would ever havo
spent a year of (iod's good time In
perfecting such a fool's idea as my
automatic griddle. I believe you might
call that a candid opinion."
"Why-the Idea!" gasped Sarah Top
ham angrily.
"I shall seek a Job tomorrow," went
on Samuel weakly.
He was surprised ot ills wife's
prompt reply. "It's a good Idea, Sam
uel," she said energetically. "I'm
afraid that we haven't capital enough
to wait until the griddle Is a success."
"Of couiwe, Sarah, when you lose
faith In mo I must go to the wall,"
uald Samuel Topham with dignity, and
so, folding the frankly written letter
of his second cousin, the Inventor left
the kitchen and strolled Into the par
lor of the cottage, where his morris
chair was drawn before a glowing llt
tlo ulr tight stove.
From U16 window ho could see his
seven diminutive daughters coasting
down the hill that sloped from their
cottngo to the highroad. Ho sighed
deeply. If his wonderful schemes had
only carried out successfully these sev
en daughters would each be an heiress,
wearing rich fur coats and ermine
hoods Instead of bright little red caps
and cloaks fashioned by Sarah's busy
hands.
"Ha-hum!" sighed Samuel, filling his
pipe and reaching for the morning
newspaper. It was necessary for Sam
uel to subscribe to a New York dully
paper in order to keep track of the
latest Inventions of other creative
brains. "I must go out and look for a
Job of some kind tomorrow. If my
eyes didn't trouble me so much I'd try
bookkeeping, lint what's the uso? I
believe Sarah has a boiled dinner to
day. Well, I'm glad of that. If there's
one thing I enjoy It Is an old fashion
ed boiled dinner."
Evidences of the dinner of corned
beef and cabbage permeated the little
house from front to back. Mr. Top
ham leaned back In ills chair mill
smoked easily and read the paper from
beginning to end, not even omitting
the "want" columns, which were pain
fully suggestive of work.
In the kitchen Sarah Topham Hew
around from table to stove, to sink and
pantry and back to table again. There
was a high color in her cheeks, and
her blue eyes dashed strangely as she
went to and fro, preparing the good
dinner, lining in gaps of time with the
making of a cake or n batch of biscuit
for the customers who were only too
glad to buy her toothsome wares.
A knock came at the back door, fol
lowed by the anxious face of her near
est neighbor, Mrs. Morris.
"I'm In a heap of trouble, Mrs. Top
ham," began the visitor, sinking into a
chair, "and when I smelted your boiled
dinner I wondered If you wouldn't help
me out"
"What is it?" asked Sarah prac
tically. "You know wo never have dinner nt
noon on Satifrday; I always wait and
have it when William comes home at 7
o'clock. Today I only had n few sand
wiches for lunch, because I'm going
down to my sister's to dinner tonight,
and William will meet me there. Not
live minutes ago I had a telephone call
from the depot saying that my aunt
and her husband and their four chil
dren are passing through here on their
way to Westlake and will be nt my
house at dinner time; that's fifteen min
utes, and I haven't got a mouthful in
tlie house to eat, and they are great
providers and have regular farm appe
tites. Would you sell me your dinner?"
Sarah puckered her brow an instant
and then it cleared. "Yes, of course,"
she said sensibly. "Shall I dish it up
for you, or will you carry the pots over?
I've got a pot of potatoes boiled sepa
rately." "I'll take the pots over. Have you
got a pie to spare?"
"Yes," said Sarah calmly, bringing
the last pie in the house and folding It
in a clean napkin. "Want any hell)?"
"No, indeed. I've got time to run
back and forth. I'm a thousand times
obliged to you, Mrs. Topham. I'll bring
my pocketbook over next trip."
At V2-.W Sarah Topham called her
seven little girls in to dinner, and, as
this was the signal for Samuel to also
appear at the table, they all gathered
about the board together.
The little girls clapped their hands
over a great dish of boiled rice and a
huge pitcher of milk that formed the
principal dishes on the table.
The face of Sjimuel Topham was a
study in disappointment when ho sur
veyed the plain meal. Sarah avoided
ids eyes and poured out two cups of
tea.
"You've forgotten the boiled dinner,"
he ventured rather timidly.
"Oh, no; there isn't any boiled din
ner," returned Sarah calmly. "I sold
It to Mrs. Morris. She had unexpected
company."
"Sold the dinner? Are we to cat this
rice?" Mr. Topham's voice was elo
quent of disgust.
"Of course. It's very nourishing.
Samuel. You know the Japanese live
almost entirely upon rice and fish.
They whipped the Russians, you
know."
"I know. But I'm hungry, Sarah."
"If you eat rice enough, Samuel, I'm
sure you can get along. I've been
thinking thnt we would live entirely
on rice until the automatic griddle Is a
success. Rice is cheap, and we need
all I can earn to"
"Oh, very well, Sarah, you needn't
explain nny further," said Samuel, with
great dignity, and forthwith attacked
his rice and milk gloomily.
All the ufteruoon he spent In moody
cogitation before the air tight stove in
the parlor. He did not see his wife
slip quietly out of the side door and
hasten down the street and turn Into
the wide driveway of Moses Bowman's
handsome home. lie did not see her
when she returned with flushed cheeks
and resumed her work in the kitchen.
"Rice for supper, too?" he asked dis
mally at (J o'clock that night.
"Yes, Indeed. I'm greatly taken with
the Idea, Samuel," cried his wife en
thusiastically. "Let us live upon rice
and milk until one of your inventions
is perfected. I'm sure the children un
willing to do It."
Mr. Topham said nothing at all In
reply, and when the meal was con
cluded he put on his hat and left the
house, it wus significant that he, too,
turned into the Moses Howmun place.
At i) ho returned to find Sarah darn
ing stockings before the lire.
"I've got a Job, Sarah," he said In
a heartbroken voice. "Moses Bowman
says ho will give aie a life job in his
aillco as assistant bookkeeper. I've
taken It and go to work Monday morn
ing. I can't live on rice and milk
whether tho world loses flapjack grid
iles or not. I don't suppose there ever
will bo nn Invention to equal that one."
"I don't know about that," said Sa
rah Topham to herself as she broiled a
steak she had secreted to celebruto this
anticipated event. "I don't know about
that. I've an invention of my own
that would make mo a millionairess If
I could get It on the market, but I
guess I'll havo to give It to my daugh
ters for wedding gifts some day. I
jrucss I'll call It 'Sarah Topham's Au
tomatic Genius Cure,' for It certainly
will mnko a man work when nothing
else appeals to him. Starvo 'em out,
Mv. That's my Invention!"
CHRISTMAS REUNIONS.
How many families whose
members have been dispersed
and scattered far and wide In
the restless struggles of life are
on this dny reunited nnd meet
once again In that happy state
of companionship and mutual
good will which Is n source of
Biich pure and unalloyed delight
and one so Incompatible with
tho cares nnd sorrows of the
world, that tho religious belief
of the most civilized nations and
the rude traditions of the rough
est savages alike number it
among the first Joys of a future
condition of existence provided
for the blest and happy! How
many old recollections nnd how
many dormant sympathies does
Christmas time awaken!
Charles Dickens.
RIBBON REMNANTS.
Short Lengths of This Make Attractive
Holiday Remembrance.
Very dainty powder rags may be
made of short lengths of Dresden rib
hon fringed nt the ends. A bit of cham
ois Is stitched to the under side ol
the ribbon, and It is with this the pow
der is put on. Such toilet accessories
will bo much appreciated by most wo-
THE LEGEND OF
THE MISTLETOE.
THE hanging of the mistletoe at
this coming Cln-lstniastide In
vites tho usual tour across the
mystic, musty p-iges of the
past. This branch of the holiday's
decoration treasures within It sweets
that to the young people are most
tempting. It was the same ten centu
ries ago, and so it will bo for centuries
to come.
Whllo their ladyships woro waiting
And their lordships were debating
There were other Benullectlons going on. i
It Is hardly worth whllo stating
That acoustic osculating
Baptized that British Christmas before
dawn. j
The sacredness of the mistletoe has
always been respected, particularly by
the Britons nnd the Scandinavians. It
was a part of the religion of the 1
druids, nnd they regarded It with the 1
utmost veneration, but restricted their
worship of It to tho plant when found
growing on tho oak. The oak was the 1
favorite tree of their divinity. Tutane, I
which the books say appears to have ,
been the same as the Phoenician god
Baal, or tho sun, was -prayed to under
different names by the early pagans.
At tho period of tho winter solstice,
which was about Christmas time, a
great festival was celebrated in honor
of Tutane. When this anniversary ar
rived the Britons, accompanied by
their priests, tho druids, went forth
with glorious pomp and jollity to gath
er the mistletoe, which they believed
to possess wonderful curative powers.
With them they took two white bulls
and sometimes human beings to be
sacrificed.
Upon finding tho oak with the mis
tletoe clinging to it tho chief druld,
clad hi white, the emblem of purity,
ascended the tree nnd with a golden
knife cut the vine. As it fell it was
caught In the folds of tho robe of an
other priest. Then tho bulls nnd some
times tho humans were offered to Tu
tane, and various festivities followed.
The mistletoe thus gathered was cut
Into small portions nnd distributed
among tho people, who hung It over
the entrances to their dwellings to
notify the sylvan deities that they
were welcome to shelter during the
season of frost nnd cold.
These rites were retained throughout
the Roman dominion in Britain and
for n long while under the Jules, Sax
ons and Angles.
The most beautiful legend regarding
tho mistletoe nnd the one from which
It derives Its mystic powers Is of Scan
dinavian origin. Balder, the god of
poetry and eloquence and second son
of Odin nnd Trejn, had n dream in
which it was intimated thut he would
be killed in battle. Ho communicated
this dream to his mother, who was
very fond of him, nnd she, to protect
him, Invoked tho powers of nature fire
earth, air nnd water us well as anl
mals and plants nnd obtained an oath
from them that they would do Balder
no hurt. With his Invulnerability as
Eured, as ho thought, he entered the
combats of the gods and was very suc
cessful In slaying nil who came for
ward to engage him. They struck him
with their arrows, but ho plucked them
out nnd derided his antagonists as
they fell mortally wounded before him
It was about tlmo for Ioke, his arch
enemy, to chnllengo him or suffer the
Ignominy of cowurdlce, but Loko was
a schemer.
He disguised himself ns an old wo
man nnd, determining to discover the
secret of Balder's Immunity from
death, called upon Preja. Do address
ed the mother with complimentary re
marks upon tho vnlor and good fortune
of her son, nnd tho goddess replied
that her son was safo from harm, as
nil the productions of tho world had
sworn not to Injuro him. I,oko wbp
very much discouraged and was about
to go away when Freja added that
thero was one plant sho did not con
jure because of Its Insignificance.
With well feigned Indifference I.oke
Inquired tho namo of It, and Preja said
It was tho mistletoe.
Tho designing Loko procured n shoot
of tho mistletoe, mddo nn arrow of It
and then sought tho assembly of the
gods. Thero ho met tho blind Ileda
and concluded that tho humiliation of
Balder's family would bo moro com
ploto If Raider should bo killed by 0
flightless god. So ho asked Hedn.
"Why do you not contend with tho nr
rows of Balder?" Ileda replied that
ho was blind and unsupplled with nr
rows, whereupon Loko gnvo him the
ralstietoo arrow nnd said, "Balder is Ju
front of thee." Hcda shot, and Balder
feu pierced and slain. Cincinnati
qulrer.
nmnoN rowDEn raos.
men nnd are gifts that are Inexpensive
yet useful.
Two bits of fancy ribbon thus fring
ed may lie stitched together to make
sachet covers.
Tlie dainty colorings nnd charming
varieties in these Dresden ribbons sug
gest numerous uses for such odds and
ends nt tlie Christmas season.
Such a simple thing as n package of
good plus can bo placed in an attrac
tive holder Take a piece of ribbon
five inches wide, fold it in half and
then fold the edges back on them
selves. .Make this case a little longer
than the paper of plus. Fasten the
edges at the corners after fringing
them and place a bow of narrow rib
bon at each end, allowing for a short
ribbon handle. This cau bo made to
match the bureau trimmings and cau
be hung at the side within convenient
reach.
MERE MAN'S CHRISTMAS.
The Offerings That Women Friends
May Prepare For Him.
In selecting a gift for a man a girl
is limited to articles for his Jesk, sofa
cushions, calendars and bits of em
broidery. A man will like this attractive case
for brushes, which is made of very
( dk
kk Jti ! 1
&&&&
nuusii CASE.
wldo ribbon In a novel blue and white
and pale green figured design. It la
lined with green china silk and is
fitted with separate compartments for
tho different brushes. The back of the
case may tie made over a frame of
cardboard, whllo the front can bo
stiffened with canvas. A narrow
dark blue nnd gilt braid ornaments the
edge, binds the two sections of tho
case together and gives body to the
flaring bow of ribbon along whose face
it is run.
Do not forget a round bag for col
lars. A circular disk of stiff cardboard
sis inches in diameter can bo cut and
covered with linen. Measure off 11
strip six Indies wide ami as long ns
the clrcuinferenco of the circlo. Sketch
some simple design on It, repeating the
motifs three times and embroider.
Attach rings to tho upper edge nnd
whip on the straight piece after join
jug at the straight edges. Ruu ribbon
through the rings.
Last Minute Giving,
Tho only Christmas spirit evolved by
last minute preparation is a cynical
disgust for a holiday thut should bo
attractive. It Is like a worker who
nays she can work only under pres
sure. Before long sho nnd tho "work
suffer.
The Christmas List.
Do not think of Christmas giving as
compulsory. Examine your list cure
fully nnd blue pencil each namo that
Is not necessary. Tho Instant a Christ
mas gift becomes a burden it Is as
poison to tho Christmas spirit
8 JBHIj
fVW J N
m
BsSrai
ALCOHOL 3 PF.Il RPNT
AVcgelab!clTcparalionroris
sfmilaiing (hcRjod andRcdula
ting (lie Stomachs nMDowcls of
Promotes Digeslionflieerful
ncss and RestContains neither
Opiunt.Morphinc nor Mineral.
Not Narcotic.
jUiiSmna
IfimStrd
CtanfltdSmr Yfattryim tlanr.
Aperfect Remedy for Consflya-i
lion sour aioniacn.u im 1 ijw
Worras.CoiTvuisioiis.retnsn-
ncss andLoss of Sleep.
Facsimile Signature or
NEW YORK.
TORIA
For Infants and Children.
The Kind You Have
Always Bought
Bears the
Signature
of
1 wtaii w mmm
Exact Copy of Wrapper.
r Jp In
(if yse
W For Over
Thirty Years
C ASTORIA
nr.
THC CtNTAUR COM PA NT H IW YORK C
ABSOLUTE SECURBTY.
Sa
1H
auk
HONESDALE, PA.,
41 YEARS OF SUCCESS
BECAUSE we have been transacting a SUCCESSFUL
banking business CONTINUOUSLY since 1S71
and are prepared and qualified torenderVALU
ABLE SERVICE to our customers.
BECAUSE of our HONORABLE RECORD for FORTY
ONE years.
BECAUSE of SECURITY guaranteed by our LARGE
CAPITAL and SURPLUS of $550,ouo 00.
BECAUSE of our TOTAL ASSETS of $3,000,000.00.
BECAUSE GOOD MANAGEMENT has made us the
LEADING FINANCIAL INSTITUTION of
Wayne county.
BECAUSE of these reasons wo confidently ask you to
become a depositor.
COURTEOUS treatment to all CUSTOMERS
whether their account is LARGE or SMALL.
INTEREST allowed from the FIRST of ANY
MONTH on Deposits made on or before tho
TENTH of tho month.
OFFICERS :
V. It. HOLMES, PRESIDENT. II. S. SALMON, Cashier.
A. T. SEAULE, Vice-President. AV. J. WARD, Asst. Cashier
DIRECTORS :
T. D. CLARK.
E. W. GAMMELL
W. P. SUYDAM,
II. J. CONGER,
W. B. HOLMES,
C. J. SMITH.
II. S. SALMON.
J. W. PARLEY.
P. P. KIMBLE,
A. T. SEARLE,
1 7l?a
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