HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times, 1920-12-23, Page 3the veins on the horse's shaggy neck,
eSt a'Cozne along, Macer:" lie cried.
.1.1ifillitedh'Gret
Mrw� P'l'irnothy, he had made a ter -
diet the
0 '01)10 mistake!
mistake! Ile had understood
that the• hobbyhorse, too, •was to be
13Y VIRGINIA ,SPANARD, leis, to take bene, acrid he believed
that if he only pulled hard ,enough it
a,,,,,eseata would move forward as well as up and
When the long, lighted train pulled
into Fanwood on phristnnas l!Ive,
Roderick Dale wag there to meet the
7ittae guests: who were coming to
spend the holidays with him.
Mr, Dale swung the children to the
Platform, "Five six—seven-eight,;'
he counted. her he 'hurried them,
tiut'to a big` sleigh :and tucked all of
them in under furry robes. The driver
spoke to the horses, :and away they
went, shaking music from their silver
bells aeross the snow.
When the sleigh reached the house
ten minutes later the children swarm-
ed up the broad steps.
Mrs, Dale met them at the top,
'"Ail eight of you here?" she asked,
"A11 but Rick Payson!" they cried.
"He couldn't come i" •
Roderiek's father stopped eihort.
'But I counted eight," he declared.
The children did not know how that
could be; they, had thought be was.
counting Roderick in, they said.
"I'll count them again!" cried Rod-
erick. So in .the light that streamed.
from the hall he counted his guests
carefully. Three Prestons, two Tor-
reys, a Morton and a Ray—that made
seven, Then he stopped short in front
of a dark, silent little figure that
stood apart from the net.
"Who is this boy?" heasked.
Sure • enough, who was he ? They
hurried into the lighted :h'all, and all
eyes were turned en the stranger. IIe.
was very small and Was bundled up
in a big• overcoat. Between his coat
collar and his funny peaked cap ,a
pair of large black eyes stared sol-
. emnly out.
"What is your nave?" asked 'Mrs.
Dale,
The little boy replied briefly that
it was Timothy.
"Timothy what?"
"Baxter. And I 'was going alone
to visit my grandfather at Bay -wood.
Where is my grandfather?"
hlrs. Dale turned to her husband.
"0 William, how did you get hold
of this child? His people must be
anxious!"
Mr, Dale looked worried. "The boy
must have thought the conductor
called 'Baywood,' " he said. "And
then I s.,-ooped him up with the rest
and didn't notice."
He hurried away to telephone to
the other station, while the children!
took off their wraps and began to
laugh and talk again, still casting
curious glances at the odd little
stranger.
"I've talked to his grandfather,"
Roderick's father said, coming back.
all right. There'e no other train
o -night, and so Timothy will stay
eer here with us."
'"cloth ate his supper e� slowlyand
} tiiIz , ' y 1 p �
after ,r ards withdrew to a corner,
where he „ .etched the other children's
games with wondering eyes.
"We shouldn't dare play -with him,"
they said. "He looks so solemn."
When it was nearly bedtime Rod -
k wandered into the sitting
Tooth. There was a frown on his face.
"I wish that stupid little old Tim-
othy didn't have to be here!" he com-
plained. "He is so funny and blg-
eyed :like an owl, And mother says
he's to sleepin my room. Nobody
asked him hero, and there's no nlaee
for him to stay."
Roderick's grandfather laid down
his book:
"This little Timothy's having the
same trouble another child had," he
said. "Only in a whole town He
couldn't find anywhere to stay."
"What ehrild?" Roderick inquired,
interested. "And what town? It
must have been a pretty poor sort of
place, I should think. Where did the
boy sleep, grandfather?"
The old man picked up his book
again. "In a stable, so the stony
runs," he said. "The name of the
town was Bethlehem."
Roderick's cheeks grew scarlet. He
walked. over to the window and Press-
ed his hot face to the frostyglass.
A big gold star was shining just
above the skyline. After a while he
turned away without a word.
A few minutes later the household
was startled to hear peals of laughter
from the playroom. Timothy, wander-
ing round alone, had found Rodexiicic's
hobbyhorse behind the door. It was
plain that he bad never seen such a
thing in all his life. He stood in
front - of it and .shouted with delight.
Then some one put him on the horse's
back, and he gathered up the, reins,
still shouting, and began to ride.. He
rode hard and fast until it was time
to go to bed.
Early the next morning the chil-
dren came creeping dowrssta rs to get
their stockings. They •gathered in d
joyful circle round the bright -fire in
the living room.
Suddenly the door opened softly.
Timothy Baxter stood on the thres-
hold, He was dressed in a snit of
'^• Roderick's night clothes, and his hair
j�
.stood up all orver his head; he gazed
6
with pleasure at the Half -emptied,
stockings,
"Whic'h is my stocking, please-?"
ei he asked in a clear, high little voide.
No one,answered, and so he spoke
again. "If you please," he repeated
quietly but firmly, a
The children loot uncomfortable.
cel. tnncomfaatable;
This was too bad. They realized
what had happened: in. the bustle and
eanfusion the u:nexpeeted ; ;est had
tor nee :seine, tivtrr}'K"at5i'"J" a04:4' wta , y#,„
been overlooked, They eyed one an-
other in dismay.
"Perhaps mine fell on the floor,"
Timothy suggested gently.
At that IRoderickscrataiblecl to his;
feet. "See he:e, Timothy," he said.;
"you run back to bed for just .five
minutes, and there come down and get'
your stocking."
As the door closed, he turneduick-
ly to the others. . "We'll have to
Make Op a stocking for him," he said.
"And there's no time to lose,"
When Timothy .appeared, five min-
utes later, he had his share with the
rest.
Right after breakfast a big shabby
sleigh drew up in the yard --dr ml-
ethy's grandparents had corm to get
him. •
Tho family went to look for Tim-
othy and found him riding the hobby
horse, He was decked out in all his
Christmas presents—ea red toboggan
cap, a druaia, and a horn slung over
his shoulders. When he heard that
his grandfather was ready for hint he
dismounted briskly and pulled a pair
of colored reins—another Christmas
gift—from his pocket. He fastened
down, Ito had even given it a name.
When he found out the girth, he bow-
ed his head with its gay toboggan
cap and hhlhis face in Racer's inane.
He did not cry; he only stood in dumb
despair. A bigger boy would not
have made such a mistake, but Tine
cthy was only five years eld.
"Mother," s�aicl Roderick, "let him
have the horse, Ile must have it.
Don't you see?"
"Do you mean that, Roddy?" asked
Mrs. - Dale.
Roderick nodded, . "R c,
de I don't want it
sa very much," he said.
So they lifted the horse into the
back of the big sleigh, while old Mr.'
and Mrs. Baxter looked on, smiling,
and the Dales and all thelittle guests
stood by to watch.
Timothy would tot stir until "Se
horse was firmly tied in with its head
toward the real horses' heads. Then,
when Mr. Dale started to lift him
sato place between the old people, he.
squirmed out of his hands and
scrambled over the side.
"I will ride Racer," he said in posi-
tive tones. •
No one could stop him. He s limbed
to the hobbyhorse's back and sat there,
clutching the reins.
As the sleigh drove slowly out of:
she gate, the hobbyhorse bounced up
and clown, Timothy sat erect, drum,
horn and all. It was a strange sight;
all the way doWwthe road people turn-
ed round and looked. Roderick stood
on the porch laughing. The last thing
he saw, as the team turned a bend,
was a spot of bright red bobbing gay-
ly in the Christmas sunshine.
And the angel said unto
thein., Fear not; for, behold, I
bring you good tidings .of great
joy, which shall be to all peo-
ple.—St. Luke, ii,, 10.
Chilistraas is a .festlar'al tkwat
appeals t every one be:Ne se
every one .can understand it,
The source " sof the , fellowslaip
whieli pervades our common fife
is our common hare in the ;sifts
of the werid's greatest Life,
which was given to the whole
world,
The Year's Eztd.
To the Oliver .of .Ali blessings
Let our voices rise in praise,
For the joys and countless mercies
He hath sent to crown our days;
For the homes of peace and plenty,
And .d land so fair and wide,
For the labor of the noonday
And the rest of 'eventide.
;F'or the wealth of golden harvests,
For the sunlight and the main,
For the grandeur of the oeean,
For the mountain and the plain,
For the ever-changing seasons,
Azul the comforts which they bring,
For Thy love, Do grand, eternal,
We would.thank Thee, Our King.
"While Shepherds Watched Their
Flocks" was written by Nahum Tate,
who became Poet Laureate in 1690.
Charles Wesley wrote "Hark! The
Herald Angels Sing."
Where the patient oxen were, by the ass's stall,
Watching my Lord's manger knelt the waking
cattle all;
'Twas a little country maid vigil by Him kept—
All among the country things my good Lord slept.
Fair was Rome the city on that early Christmas
morn,
Yet among the country folk was my Lord born!
Country lads that followed Him, blithe they were
and kind, • `
It was only city folk were hard on Him and blind:
Ay, he told of lilies, and of grain and grass that
grew,
Fair things _of the summer 'fields my •good Lord„
knew
By the hedgerows flowering 'there He laid His
head—
It was in the country that my Lord was bred. •
When the cross weighed down on Him, an the
grievous road,
'Twas a kindly countryman raised nay good Lord's
load;
Peasant girl's of Galilee, folk of Nazareth,
These were -fain to follow Him down the ways
of death—
Yea, beyond a .city wall, underneath the sky,
Out in open country did my good Lord die.•
When he rose to Heaven on that white Ascension
day,
Last from open country did my good Lord pass
away;
Rows of golden seraphim watched where He
should dwell,
Yet it was the country folk had my Lord's
farewell;
Out above the flowered hill, from the mossy grass,
Up from open country did my good Lord pass.
Where the jewelled minsters are, where the censers sway,
There they kneel to Christ the Lord in this bearing -day:
But I shall stay to greet Him where the bonny fields begin,
Like the fields that once my good Lord wandered in,
Where His thorn - tree flowered once, where His sparrows soared,
In the open country -land of my good Lord!
Revels at Windsor.
Ever since, and long before Henry
IV., as we read, "kept Christmas
with the usual feastings and sports
at Windsor," Windsor's historic castle
•has been the scene of such Yuletide
junketings as no other castle in the
world can boast.
Unlimited good cheer has always
been the chief feature of the cele-
brations, and the boar's head and the
baron of ;beef, which still figure on
our Sovereign's table, were custom-
ary even then.
As to the sports and pastimes, they
were of a boisterous and sometimes
barbarous kind. It was at Christ-
mas that a "lord of misrule" was
elected as a sort of master .of the
Ceremonies; and one of tho special
diversions led by him was .called the
"Festival of Fools," in which was eee
acted a "mummery" that was Sin. ex-
traordinary jumble' of religion, pro-
fanity and buffoonery.
Queen Victoria spent many happy
Christmases at Windsor, . until that
terrible D'ecem'ber of 1861, which
brought with it an untimely widow-
hood. But it is worth rent'einbering
that ICing Edward VII, spent the first
Yuletide of his life there;
In one of the Prince Consort's let-
ters, he . tells ef the Christmas tree
lit up in one of the drawing -rooms,
and of how it delighted the Prineess
Royal, while the baby heir -apparent
was brought in to see it aliso, and
gazed astonished and open -eyed at
its many lights, as,.a babe of but
seven weeks might well do.
Christmas was abolished by Ant of
Parliament in the rein of Cromwell.
As many prince pies as you taste
at Christmas, so many happy months
will you have.—Old English Saying.
Queer Christmas Customs of Other Lands.
Throughout the Christian world the
Christmas season is celebrated in
much the sante spirit, though cus-
toms differ greatly, and in some lands
church -going is more general than in
Canada. In Italy, particularly, there
is much church -going, and the Christ-
mas tree is little known, though gifts
are. exchanged, and each family has 'a
great dinner, the feature of which is
a capon, which takes the same rank
as the Canadian goose.
The Russian working , people have
seized upon alwaysp Christmas as an
excuse for ceasing all work for a
somewhat lengthy period—sometimes
for a month. Before the recent revo-
lutian "Iiolenda" was the eelebratton
on Christmas Eve, when the peasants
gathered about the houses of •the
nobles, sang carols and scrambled for
the Coins tossed to their from the win-
dows. Then came a great masquel.:-
ade, wheft peasants of all ages dress-
ed themselves to, represent animals,
the --idea being to perpetuate the
memory of the lowliness of the Sa-
viour's birth in the stable.
In Rumania it is the custom bo
bless the Danube on Christmas, and
a procession of priests and people
dressed to represent biblical charac-
ters moves through the streets sing-
ing chants and so to the bank of the
river. The ice is broken, and a small
woodencross is thrown, into tho water.
Any one who can recover this cross
is regarded as extremely fortunate
and surto of good luck for the year to
A (paint ceremonial is observed in
Holland on Christm • r
H as Eve, At a nicl-
night the men of the towns and vi1-
la,gos, dressed in varied costumes,
meet in the public squares, One is
With tilt sicoa rsisttes fav it
ItiG„cient 0.11ttistittito
amt. a
Sops esu , goat,
er head.
selected and into his charge is given
a large illuminated star mounted
upon a pole, and with this star .is a
guide—gas the Wise men were guided
to Bethlehem—a procession winds
through the streets, the men chant-
ing the "Gloria in Excelsis." After
the parade a great supper is served,
and the Christmas Day has begun.
In Norway they have a pretty cus-
tom. Above every ridge pole Is hung
a sheaf of wheat, a Christmas feast
for the birds.
The Mexican Christmas is a
strangely nixed week of spor ,
revels and religious observances. The
"Passion Play" never fails to attract
great crowds, nor do the bull fights.
In the Philippines grand masses are
held in the churches in the morn-
ing, the buildings being elaborately
decorated aveth 'palms and flowers.
Great chains of flowers are carried
to the churches by the children, who
parade through the streets singing
Christmas songs, bands ,preceding
them. In the afternoon there is dan'c-
inig and merrymaking. In Sprain the
religious note is predorndnanrt at
Christmas and there are 'curious per-'
formances of mystery plays: In
France the Christmas eelebretion
lasts three days, and is the eeeasion
for much charity. In the south • t f
France there is a quaint custom of
blessing the Yule log, not unlike that
of England and on December 25
there is e great family tnptier.
IJa`f11.�..
Christmas " Dinner
r'a�ara,�, uldAl�'1.
Although I don't believe in having
my Christmas table laden with sev-
eral kinds of desserts and an out-
rageous variety of vegetables, I do
try to have sornething a little unasual,
I like to decorate my table prettily,
and plan cunning favors, so that the
eye as well as the appetite will be
appealed to. Carrying out some color
scheme makes the Christmas dinner
so much more attractive, and will
eause very little extra trouble. Red
and white, it seems to me, is the most
appropriate color scheme for the holi-
day season.
I serve my salad as an extra course.
It is much nicer and scarcely any
more trouble, There are many salads
that are inexpensive to make and yet
so delicious.
After a heavy dinner, suoh as the
Christmas feast always is, we like a
light dessert, and cake, or a pudding,
rather than a rich pastry, A chilled
dessert is easily prepared, and noth-
ing is nicer. We finish up, of course,
on raisins, nuts, and- eandy.
I usually plan my dinner so I won't
have to prepare It all in one day. I
make the salad dressing and cake,
and prepare as many of the vegetables
the day before as- possible, for I do
not like to be hurried with this din-
ner. Most of us who do our own
work know that this preparedness
makes things easier.
Here are a few recipes I have
found especially popular with my
family:
Duchess Potatoes.
Two cups cold mashed potatoes, 1
egg, 'h cup hot milk. Mix the mash-
ed potatoes with the beaten egg; stir
in the hot milk, season, and mix thor-
oughly. Place in a buttered baking
dish, and brown in the oven.
Escalloped Corn.
One can corn, 3 teaspoons butter,
% cup milk, % chapped green pep-
pers, 1 egg, salt, ria cup crumbs. To
the coins add the .beaten egg and milk;
add butter, season, and mix in the
chopped green pepper. Cover with
crumbs, and bake in a buttered bak-
ing dish.
Stuffed Celery Hearts.
Take small celery hearts, clean and
let stand in cold water. Mix up
cream cheese with chopped pimento,
and add enough eream to make soft
cheese. Season the cheese, and stuff
it in centre of celery stock. Chill
and serve when firm.
Peer Salad,
Drain and chill canned pears, Placo
on a lettuce leaf, garnish with nuts
and chemic$, and serve with whipped
cream dressing. A. email portion' of
cream cheese may be added to salad
if desired.
Red Apple Salad,
Si:. apples, 2 cups sugar, ria cup
chopped celery, it cup chopped nuts,
1 cup water. Wash, pare, and core.
the apples. Mabe :a syrup of sugar
and water, and add enough coloring
to make a deep red color. When the
syrup comes to ;a boil, drop in the
apples. Tarn apples over and over,
and let cook until tender and oft.
Take out of syrup and chill, Place
the apples on a lettuce leaf, and stuff
with celery. Serve with whipped
cream dressing, and garnish with
nuts,
' Cherry Sponge,
One tablespoon gelatin, 1 cup boil-
ing water, 34, eup lemonandorange
juice, 14 cup cold water, Ma cup
cherry juice, 3f cup sugar, 8 egg
whites, Swell the gelatin in' cold
water and dissolve the sugar in fruit
juices and remaining water. Stir in
mixture, cool until it thickens, beat
thoroughly, and add beaten egg
whites. Place in wet molds. Serve
with whipped cream, and garnish
top with cherries.
Steamed Suet Pudding.
Half cup suet, Si cup mollasses,
salt, r/2 teaspoon cinnamon, r%t tea
spoon crloves, % teaspoon soda, 1/s.
cup raisins, 33 cupsour milk, 1 cup
flour, rf cup currants. Chop suet
fine. Wash and dry the raisins and
currants. Cut the raisins; sprinkle
suet, raisins, and currants with flour
to keep them from settling. Thor-
oughly mix the molasses and milk,
then add fruit and suet. Sift the
flour and spices and add to milk.
Pour into buttered molds, and steam
for three hours. Serve hot with
hard or cream sauce.
Date Pudding.
Half pound dates, 5 egg whites, 1
cup sugar, 1 pound nuts, 3 teaspoons
baking powder. Stone and chop
dates. Shell and chop nuts. Beat
the egg whites until stiff and dry.
Mix the baking powder with the egg
whites, and add the sugar. Fold the
chopped dates .and nuts into the mix-
ture. Pour the mixture into a shal-
low baking tin, and, bake for twenty
or thirty minutes,
Ye Christnnasse Logge.
In "Merrie England" the Yule log
—never called that, by the way, but
the Yule Oleg, the Christmas Batch,
or Block was a great institution.
The "clog" was laid in soma time
before Christmas, was generally of
birch, barked and dried, and of no
meagre dimensions. It was lighted
on Christmas Eve, and what was not
consumed by Christmas night was
saved and burnt en Christmas Day.
It was deemed very lucky to pre-
serve a piece wherewith to light next
year's clog.
There was a eustoin that so Iong
as the Yule clog burned the servants
had a right to demand ale at their
meals. This may or may not account
for the supersized clogs. One old.
writer says that they burnt for eight
days!
The ecclesiastical authorities of the
past did not look kindly on the burn-
ing
urning of the Yule clog. "The blazes,"
in their opinion, were "foolish and
varine." But their fulminations had
no effect. Yule clogs were' burnt until
coal fires and smaller fireplaces gave
them a mortal blow.
But in remote rural parts of Eng-
land a big lag is still set aside for
Christmas, and in the North a big
lump of coal. In Lineelnehire the na-
tives still refer to the "Gule.biock,"
and "oldest inhabitants" provide a
link with the past by dubbing any big
piece of firewood a "gullet"
Some of the learned folk who go
deeply into these matters say that
the burning of the Yule log is a relic
of paganism. Others, more prosaic,
say the log wasmer1.y to provide
extra light and warmth and cheei,lul-
ness.
Grandpa's Advice.
"Grandpa," said a email :girl, "1
ned your advice. I have only seventy.
five cents to spend on Cousin Ethers
wedding present, and I want to give
something that looks twice ae much
as it is. What do you: suggest?"
"Well," he replied, "in consider,a-
tian of the high cast of living, I should
buy seventy-five cents' worth of are
and boil ii"
"There seems to be a magic
in the
very
name of Christmas.
h mass
Kindly hearts that have yearn-
ed toward each other but have
been withheld by false notions
of pride and self -dignity are
again reunited, and alias kind-
ness and benevolence! Would
that Christmas lasted the
whole year through (as it
ought)," Dickens.
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The Christmas Tree.
The Christmas tree is the most
widespread and most delightful ef all
festal institutions. While many eoun-
tees have their legendsclaiming for
them the honor of having given the
Christmas tree to the world, the ma-
jority of authorities are of the opin-
ion that Europe is responsible for
this never-ending joy to both young
and old, and that the holiday ever-
green is a remnant of the pageants of
the Middle Ages.
There is a pretty Iegend whieh as-
cribes the origin of the Christmas
tree to Martin Luther and tells how,
after wandering about through a pine
forest one Christmas Eve he con-
ceived the idea of setting up a pine •
tree in his home to represent the Tree
of Life, and decorating it with candies
as an image of the starry heavens
from Width Christ came down.
The Christmas tree has come to
occupy a place in the hearts and
minds of Canadians, unequaled• by
any other custom conected with the
holiday season. It almost outshines
old Santa Claus in its universal adap-
tion,
"Peace on earth, good will to men,"
is heard all over Christendom on
Christmas morning, but closely asso-
ciated with this, and intimately con-
nected with that spirit, is the ever-
green of antiquity. Though there may
have been invented Christmas cele-
brations which are "evergreenless,"
in recent days, yet to the Christmas
tree do we turn for fondest memor-
ies of the holiday that our childhood
days knew and loved so well. y
Encourage the chlIdren to play
Santa Claus to some •me who may
not otherwise have much Christmas
cheer.
What constitutes the happi-
ness of Christmas? The fact
than for one day in the year at
least, a larger proportion 'of
mankind contrives to forget
self, and give a thought to "bhe
ether fellow" than upon any
other day. In other words, on
one day of the year we con-
sciousiy allow the pelnrcdples and
rules of 0hrist4an cilia -tient to
sway our conduct; for one day
in the year we look en the world
as the Master of Christmas look -
eel upon it, with 'eompasslon,
mercy, and clove. We say: "It's
Christmas," and we make a
genuine effort to conform to the
spirit of Christmas.
And what is that spirit? It
is the spirit of peace on earth,
which is the inevitable outcome
of good -will .others g men,
1
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