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The Wingham Advance, 1907-12-19, Page 711111111111[1.111111111 4 --'11111P""'" -7"1- A CHRISTMAS TRUST BY /IL= FAUBER BITVIZE, IN NNW YORK HERALD. "Aud I will mune Brother Wallis and —and Mr. O'beary as the eommittee to eecure our Chrietinas tree," said Sueer- intendent Foster. and. that filled all the eommittees and the meeting adjourned. The Lone Tree Sunday. School had a Christmas tree every Chrestma$ and ev- ery Christmas Brother Wallis was mim- ed as the one member of the committee on the 1:ree and ltlike O'Leary as the other. Brother Wallis to order the tree and Mike O'Leary to do all the work of setting it up in the Sundey School, Around the town of Lone Tree the great prairie stretched out for mile after mile with no tree on it, and even the tree that bad given the town its name was gone. Getting a tree was, therefore, an easy matter, for all that Was laves- sary was to order it of Tonsley and in due time it was sent 'out front Chicago hy a commiseion firm that Tonsley dealt with. There was none of the annoy- ance of going to the woods with a team and an axe and choosing one out of ten thousand or more that makes the tree eommittee's job a hard one up in ;Telaine. All that was needed was to go to Tousley and give him the length, breadth and thickness of the tree want- ed, and he did the rest. Tonsiey was the grocer. He was a middle sized man, with a severe cast of countenance and a greasy looking wig that he had used for a great many years. Brother Wallis ordered the tree from Brother Tousley. He ordered it in good time to give the grocer time to write to Chicago and for the tree to come. With it the grocer ordered the other trees, entailer ones, that were to be used in the private homes of Lone Tree. He or- dererl only as many trees as were order- ed of him, for there is nothing so hard to eell on the 26th of December as a left -over Christmas tree. A conple of days before Christmas Mike O'Leary took his team and went to Tousley's to get the tree. It did pot stand outside the grocery as the •trees and stood on previous years. Brother Teasley had taken it into the store, and it lay at full length, quite blocking up the aisle in front of the counter. The smaller trees were piled in and around "I've come for the tree, Mather Tous- ley," said O'Leary. "W'ud ye .be givin' tne a, lift, wid it V th' wagon?" Mr. Tousley looked at Mike O'Leary' eterely. He was reading some book, and he kept it open on his lap and did net offer to rise. He stared at Mr. O'Leary for a minute with a far -away gaze and then went back to his reading. sed hey come fer thl tree" re- peated O'Leary. "Ifer th' tree of tie Sunday school, for I am tle committee t' git th' tree an' V put it in tle Sunday 'Wheel." Mr. Tousley looked up again. This time Ee pushed his spectacles up on his forehead and frowned. "Get out!" he exclaimed. "Go away' I have no tree for you." "No ttree!" cried ((Leary. "And wl.at d'ye call that, then, lyin' there on th' floor? Is it a can o' tomatoes, ar is it a, Christmas tree fer tle Union Sure rlay school By all th' signs of it is is a Cihristanas tree, and th' one I am a- ster, Quit foolin', Mettler Tousley, and lend me th' help of a lift into th' wa- gon evid it." Mr. Tousley did not smile. don't believe in Christmas trees," he said, 'dryly. "I don't believe in Christ- mas. All nonsense or worse. I will not be a party to any such business." Mike O'Leary took a step forward. "Believe what, ye choose, Mr, Tous- leyl" he shouted, "an' say what ye loike, but that tree is the property of th' Un- ion Sunday School, of the town of Lone Tree, Misther Tousley, and I am here for it widene horses and wagon, and I'll !thank ye t' let me have it.' Arr. Tousley picked up his book slowly And eettled his spectacles on his nose. Tie heal lost the place where he bad been reading, and he hunted it .slowly and caref "Now! Now!" *he said, in his tantal- lzing drawl. "We won't quarrel, Mr. O'Leary, we will let it pass. I tell you I don't believe in Christmas trees, and I won't help any one to have them," He smiled kindly at O'Leary, as one would smile at a well meaning, but mis- guided child. "I have been reading about it," he explained, "and. I don't believe in Christ- mas trees. Now, go away. I have had enough trouble with these trees already, and lose all I paid for them. I'm out of pocket." Mr. O'Leary took another step for - _ward. His first impulse was te ta,ke 3.2r. Tousley by the neck and throw ihre out on the walk in front of the store, but be did not. He turned and walked out and up- the street to wherei the jather member of the committed on ftrees was half soling a shoe in his lit - (tie shoe shop. "And the rascal of a beggar of th' world," said O'Leary, excitedly, as he ended hie recital of the strange notions of Brother Tousley, "he w'n'd mot let ifte; have th' tree. 'Tis clean crazy he Pane gone, dunno!" Mr. Wallis was not excitable. He was el, German and the best natured of men. Ile laid down the shoe and took off the leather -apron. "It is somedinge funny in dot," he !Said, shaking his head, "I can't make aoddings out mit dot Brudder Dousley ?AY he Should der tree not give you. Myr' ho said, "when he dati'dt give der tree he loses moneys on it. Such flings man does not. Nobody loses mon- ey von purpose." They walked over to Mr. Tousley'e and found him still reading his book. He nodded to them when they entered, but that was all. "So," eaid Mr. Wattle. good natured- ly. "What kW Mister O'Leary iss make a mistages, yeet It iss, nodding,' aboud not giffing up dew tree. no?" "I donk believe in Christniae trete' maid Mr. Tousley, calmly. "I think they are evrong. My conscience is against them. It won't let me help any such thing." "Yea, so?" 'laid Mr. Wallis', heartily. "But der tree we can take mit us, yet? ise to yon no good, no?" said Mr. Tousley; "it ain't any tise to me. But can't let you have it, 1 don't think it ie right. and 1 will not go egailist nly eonseience. tree Tree will have to get bees some- selose else this year. It tan't have these." "But," argued Mr. Wallie, "you lose all what you haf paid for der trees. Peoples don'dt .pay fer trees and. lose on dem. 'Such, Is not sense." Mr. Toneley pushed his wig baek little and smiled meetly. "All right," he said, ealinly. "I'll lose on them. I don't eare for that take that into account too. I take every. thing into mount. Nobetly tan have aty of these trees." Mr. Tousley hita merely gone back to tbe ideas of tie Puritan aneestere. They had not belieeed that Christmas was a 'proper feetival for good people to eele- brate and Would have none of it, apa Mr. Tousley had. been studying the ids. tory of the Puritans and his naturally dissenting spirit had led him to light upon the observation of Chrfstatae as a fit subject for opposition. Once his decision was made no consideration could turn him front following hie consicience. He had added one thing after another to his list of things a man should not do and this was but one more, end no one in Lone Tree would think it strange, but this time bis new belief had been taken at a bad tiane. He had. every tree in the town in his •store, and it was too late to get any more in time for Christ- mas Eve. Mr. O'Leary and Mr. Waffle retired. to the shoe shop to consider the matter. They' met a$ the Committee on Tree. They felt the responsibility that rated on them. Union Sunday School had appointed them to get a tree, and they had failed, There was but one thing for them to do and that wee to get a tree and there was no tree to get. "Th' trusts," said Mr. O'Leary, "is th' ruin of th' country. They be mak- in' all tle throuble there is. There be Tousley, now, wid a monopoly of th' Christmas trees of th' town of T.,one Tree, and him that graspin' he will not sell one fer love nor money. 'Tis Christmas tree trust be is, and was there a law ferninst trusts wa w'u'd soon git th' tree from him. But there be no law, and tie old rascal of a mon- opolist wid th' greasy wig V him will not give up th 'tree. 'Tie me idee th' explanation and meanin' ' of it is be w'u!ld be bauldin' the trees till th' price goes V the top. 'Tis th' way wid th' trusts, as hey been readin this many n day." The idea seemed to appeal to Mr. Wal- lis. It explained everything. It made clear the reason why Mr. Tousley had seemed to ignore so good a thing as a profit. He suggested that they go and offer Mr. Trousley more than they had agreed to pay for the trees. They went, and they offered. They began with a small advance over the agreed price and advanced to twice and three times the amount. Mr. Tousley was unmoved. If anything he rejoiced to be tempted in this way, that he might reject the temptation. When four times the or- iginal price had been offered the commit- tee withdrew to the shoe shop again. "Such a man iss crazy, yet," said Mr. Wallis dejectedly. "When man will not for money do somethings, iss he sure crazy. What for will all such, poor tee- the •childrons do mit no trees by Christ- mas? What ways iss it to bust a trust yet? I like me to bust dot Christma,s Tree Trust. Toll me how iss dose trusts busted and I bust me dot one, O'Leary." "I dilute° how t' bust th' trust, Wal- lis," said O'Leary, "but one thing I do know and that is we are th' Commit- tee on Tree of the 'Union Sunday School and a tree we must be after gettin', one• way or th' other. Mebby whin tie po- pulation of Lone Tree that has ordered trees of Misther Tousley finds out there is none of thim allowed t' hey trees by tie conscience of Mister Tousley they will smash th' head of him end eelebrate tie day wid a funeral." When the news got around public opin- ion was aroused, but although there was some talk to the effect that Mr. Tous- ley ought to be tarred and feathered, no one seemed to take the job. Instead, those who had ordered trees went to Mr. Tousley's store and talked to him. It made no more hnpression on him than the Committee on Tree had made, and it looked as if there would be no Christmas tree in Lone Tree that year. "Tim." he said when he met his friend Sullivan, the town Marshal, on the street the day before Christmas, 'fie there no way th' law kin grab onto th' tree in ould Trousley's store? 'Tis but a few hours yet till th' kids will be in th' Sunday school room lookin' for th' tree evid tie poppycorn in sthrings an' th' candles and all, and th' ould sinner and grins out of le side of his face at oufs; Tousley sets in th' store of him "Sure, 'tis a pity", agreed Tim "but the law has nawthing t' say V on tle question of Christmas trees. "An' if I was t' steal thim trees," said. Mr. O'Leary tentatively, f'w'ld tie mar- shal of th' town of Lone Tree, and him me own cousin, be afther arrestin' Ole?" "He w'u'd," said Tim Sullivan unfeel- ingly. "'Tis no sin break a trust," said O'Leary. "But 'tis agin' th' law t' break one of tle Tin Commandments," said Sullivan, "an' stealin' fer tit' good of th' Sunday school is no exception t' th' rule. Christ- mas trees or no Christmas trees is all one t' th' constitution of th' United States an' th' government of th' town of Lone Tree, represinted by Tim. Sulli- van. "There be but one way t' steal Record - in' wid tie Declaration of Indepindence as set forth by the Pilgrim Fathers and guaranteed by th' Fourth of July to tie citizens of th' United States, and that is V formulate together into a trust, which is 11, legal occupation. A trust can do no wrong," said Sullivan, "as haS been proved once and agin, but ap- plication of a trust to th' Christmas tees in Tousley's store come under none of th' rules of tit' trusts, for Tousley has got ahead of ye there, Mike. He has made a trust of himself and created monopoly, and projueed a corner in tle Christmas tree business." "And him wid tli' sign over his coun- ter, 'No Trust!'" excdanmed O'Leary, angrily. "I will organize me fiat into a trust," he said. shaking it in the air, "and combat tle legality of th° right of his nose t' occupy th' cinter of his face, will." "And th' answer is twinty days in th' jail," said Sullivan. "Let be, Mike. 'Tis no use. But 'twill be th' sad Christmas fer Lone Tree! I have me own trou- bles." "An' what is titbit?" asked. O'Leary. "Old Finnerty," said Sullivan, shaking his head sadly. "Ile does nawthin' but weep and wail th' day and complain a th' berrd heart of th' law." "'TM curious," said O'Leary, "for by this time Vied be thinkire he whed be used t' th' end feel at home in it." that he do be cemplainin' of/! said "for 'Os a fine. jail and good and warm), and the best home old Finnerty has had for manny a long year and lie broge ids heart is to be turned out. And Sorry am to turn him out, but tit' law hi plain on th' game. Th' teounty of Fremont is rttnnin' no free hotel for th' benefit of old man Fin- nerty, and tie town of Lone Tree le for. bid by law t' pay tie board an' lodging in th' eounty jail of anny one whin tit' I term of his sintince is run out. So out he must go, poor feller! 'Twill be , intrel Christmas for old man Finnerty, and him turned out of jail and th' weather so cold l" O'Leary's eyes sparkled. "Poor folly!" he staid, "and whin does he emu opt?" Sullivan sighed. "T ant on The way t' the' jail now," lie said, qtfi tlifirlOStleSS him out. An' wieh divil had no 4PlY and not Thtt Sullivan." . Mr. O'Letry turned in the opposite direction and let Mr. Sullivan proceed alone to his painfel task. Mr. O'Leary ' went into the shoe shop of Mr. Wallis, who looked up inquiringly. ""ris a sad thing, Mr. Wallis," said Mr. O'Leary, "t' put temptation in th' way of tle young. 'Tis not tle proper thing for a mimber of a church V do. And if sherd say what I think of Misther Tousley for (loin' that same it We'd be harrd worrds." Mr, Wallis opened his eyes very wide. "So?" she said, with an upward inflec- tion. "Ise Mister Dousley such dings doing? It iss not goot of Mister Dousley such doings to do!" Mr. O'Leary shook his fist in the air over Mr. Wallis' bead, and then brought it down on the small pine counter with a bang. "Is he dein' th' same, do. you ask, Misther Wallis?" be asked violently. "And 16 nat trrust Ile has nutde V control tie entoire supply of Christmas trees of tie indepindint town of Lone Tree? And is not th' growth of th' trrusts th' people of tle nation to vinlent measures t' protect th' liberty and badepindince of th' worrkire man? Th' greed of tle trrusts (helves min t' crime," said Mr. O'Leary, "in th' pro- tection of their families, and 'tis Worse if they have none, for they git afraid t' have army. And tie man wid no family cares not a hang what he does." Mr. Wallis was trying hard to under- stand some part of what Mr. O'Leary was saying, but he was only able to make a guess at it, He nodded, however, for he saw that Mr. O'Leary was speaking hie, anger with Mr. Tousley, and with this, at least, Mr. Wiens agreed heartily. "There is Tousley, now," said Mr. O'Leary, "propitgatin' himself into a trrust, an' eausin' a walwin' of th' ehilder of tle town by his hand heart, an' the lawless ilimint this minute belie Jet loose from th' jail in th' form of old man Finnerty an' ready t' raiee th' hand of violence ag'in tie trrusts or army thing else that will get him back 4a jail agin while th' cold weather halve on. 'Tis horrible t' think what th' lawless ilhuint 'We'd be alther doin' if army wan was t' him of th' trrust Toueley has, an' th' opportunity in it t' git back into jail by breakin' th' trrust." Mr. Wallis nodded, "Finneety will be wild wid. rage when he hears of th' poor Sunday school ehil- der beat °Jut o' their tree, an' some of them goin,' t' Sunday sehool fer three weeks ahead. fer nawthire elee but t' be on lists whin th' prisints is handed off the tree," said 'Mr. O'Leary. "Fin- nerty will act anarehistical. Finnerty will say, 'T' th' dickens wid th' law; th' trrust mnst be bust, for I VIM rather be in jail than out, an' then Finnerty will bust into Tousley's store to -night an 'take out all th' trees an' hide thim convenient fer thnorry night." This Mr. Wallis understood, for e.e grinned itt aVT. O'Leary. Me. O'Leary turned to go. Mr. Wallie arose. "Id vould be bad ie dot Einnerty gets up 80140 riots," he laughed, good net. uredly. "Vhere you go now?" "I aan goin' t' thry t' calm tit' pas- sionate boost= of ould man Finnerty," answered Mr. O'Leary. "I trimble fox th' laws of my adopted country whin I think of th' rage he will be in. .1 em goin' t' thry V persuade' mild man Fin- nerty V respect th' Tin ,Cimmandanenes, an' t' refarm him. I am goin' argue wid him an' put in a good worrd fer tie rights of th' trrusts, but," he said., with a wink, "knowin' the oudaeious spirit of ould anan Finnerty an' th' lawlessness of him, I fear fer tie worrst. am gale presint tie side of law an' order V him," he added, "and .explain t' him how th' Ohristmae trees come V be in the shop of Mather Tousley, an? th' inevit- able results eliould some one be th' name of Finnerty steal th' trees this evenin' whirl Mr. Tousley had gone limn° V bed. 'Tis me duty." enow was falling lightly when Mr. O'Leary approached the jail, and. an the front eteps of the small one -storey struc- ture he saw old man Finnerty amt Mar- shall Sullivan standing. Old Finnerty was slight of figure and bent of shoul-' ders, and Sullivan was tell and stout, but the younger and stronger man was using nearly his entire strength in the rdruggle he was making to Ipush Fin- nerty down the Steps and away from the As fast as he pushed Finnerty down the steps the oblanan pushed, him- self back again. He was making a val- iant fight against being 'evicted from the jail, but the marshal had both strength and the law on his side and the victory was sure to be hie eventually, for the iaw gave him the right to call on all the eitizens of Lone Tree, if need be, to help put old man Finnerty out of jail. le fact, Finnerty had no chance whatever. "Finnerty," said Mr. O'Leary, putthig his .haed on the old man's shoulder, "I Wied epake a worrd wid ye." Finnerty looked trp. When he saw who was speaking, to him he drew back. Finnerty had a team and did teaming, and Finnerty thought he saw a "job of worrk" lurkuig in ,O'Leary's eye. Ile did not want a job of work, and he listened to what O'Leary lied to say with suspi- cion. It took O'Leary quite an hour to explain that, it wee merely a little job of burglary that was wanted •of him. When this was made plain and O'Leary had agreed to arrive on the scene of the burglary' in time to catch Finnerty at it, and incidentally to do the heavy work of carrying away the trees, Fin- nerty Was mere than pleased to fall in with the idea, of busting a trust, There was only one other stipulation he made, and that was that as soon ae possible after the burglary he should be turned ever to Sertlivan, for he wanted, to get back ieto the jail as soon as he could. When O'Leary told him that the sen- tence for burglary was apt to be a Meg one he almost in:Meted on kiesing in the Gallic 'manner. The night was dark and of a cottony silenee, The new -fallen snoW deadened soinids, and the one gasolene lemp that be: ted the streets of Lone Tree wits di, trued by the falling flakes. It never was much of a light, nnyway, but Mr. O'Leery bad provided for that by bringing a lantern. It was abont night when the Committee en Tree of the Union Sunday School, Marshal ,Sub livan, of the town of Lone Tree, told old maa Finnerty drove up the main etreet exiett4y.stopped before mr. Tousloy's tife' O'Leary, Wallis end .Sullivett sat hi the 'wagon, while Finnerty pushed open the grocery door and entered. Ail toon as he WaS weBinside they followed him in and Manilla Sullivan arcked hint. "Oh, hal" saki Sullivan, eithibitieg great surprise, "so, kis. you, ia it, Pet Finnerty, arid you but to -day out of Vought you Vag be back at ye old tricke when let ye out this Merit. in` and 'twee Agin me will / let ye loom t' break fit' pew th' town. 'Tit fine I watelied yet But thie teinee I caught wid th' geode on, for tame,. What was re Atter ttetilin' now?" Old man Vinnerty looked .at him with wonder in Itie eyes. "And didn't O'Leary tell ye?" he ask- ed, reproaeltfully. "None o' that, nowl" cried the Mar- shall quickly. "Stich talk is forbid by th' stettitee, made and proVided, and if hear ye corrupthe tie name of a respect- able citizeu agm, dang if let ye go tat lei], after ttli, Speak vp now and tell What ye came here t' steal." Finnerty looked 'About him in a dazed Way. "Why," Ito saiu, "twat tit' Christmas trees, was it not/ If 'twee not, I dun - no what it was. I was tould 'twits th' Cliristruas trees." "Sthop Med Sullivan. "That will do ler yez! O'Leary an,L you, Wallis, 1 command ye in tit' uame tie law V lend me a haed, This man llae come and bruek into this shop V steal Ivry one of these Ohristines trees, Here be th' robber and there be th' ividenee, Lind a hand and take th' ividince out th' wagon ye have happened V have BO haudy, by providential luek. niver do to risk tle loss of th' ividince th' case." While Sullivan held his willing prison- er by the shoulder Wallis and O'Leary carried out the trees and piled them in the wagon, and then all four of the men drove to the jail. At the door Finnerty Jumped down and, ran Into his cell. He went to •bed with the happy feeling that he had earned several months' board and lodging by a few minutes' work. The trees the other men carried in and stood in the largest room. The next morning, when Mr. T atsley discovered his loss he was wild, It did not take him long 'to discover where the trees had been taken, for O'Leary and Sullivan were quite ready to give him a full account of the burglary, and they even ehorned his thanks for the prompt and skilful manner in which they had made the arreet and had. hustled the burglar to jail. "But those are my trees," said Mr. Tousley, stubbornly, "and I want them. You have no right to lock them up in the jail." "Shure I have," said Sullivan, bland- ly. "They are Exhibit Number One in th' ease of tit' State agin Finnerty, and 'tie me duty t' keep thim safe." For the better part of the forenoon Mr. Tousley vainly tried to arouse public eentiment in his favor, but vainly, for he had trifled with. the inalienable right of American3 to have Christmas trees on Christmas, and people hate a man whose conscience sticks out so far that it in- terrupts the traffic on the main travelled roads, After dinner he went up to the jail, and he was so angry that a dozen or more persons of . leisure, who liked a dog fight or any other break in the monotony of Lone Tree's usual dullness went with him to see what would hap- pen, for he went with the avowed pur- pose of getting the trees. Sullivan met him at the jail. Sullivan lied a shot-gun—not loaded—and as lousley and his escort came up he ad- dressed them. "Feller citizens," he shouted. 'Halt! There ain't goin' to be no lynchin' while I am marshal of this town and. yez had best stop where ye are." The men stopped. They were much surprised to learn that they were a mob, and that they had intended lynching anyone. "I know yez," said Sullivan severely. "I recognize yez, everyone. I yez I will not have Finnerty took out and lynched." Mr. Tousley backed away. He had not had the least thought of Fienerty, and he wanted only to get as far as pos- sible from Sullivan and the gun. "Sthopl" shouted Sullivan, pointing the gun at Mr. Tousley. "Friends, I call on yez t' arrest tie ringleader of this mob, the bloodthirsty ouId reprobate, Tousley. He is guilty of insultin' the dignity of th' law, gittin' up a mob, pro- moting a riot and impedin' tie traffic of GO main street. Grab hould of him!" They grabbed. Tousley was too dazed at the turn affairs had taken to make much resistance, and his fellow citizens pushed and pulled him into the jail and Sullivan locked him in one of the cells. Ile was safe there and not likely to in- terfere with the joy of Christmas. "O'Leary," said Sullivan, as soon as the door was locked on Mr. Tousley, "'tis in a pretty fix I am. Th' jail is full and sieu'd I git anny more male- factors of th' law I have nowhere V put them. 'Tie outrageous V clutter up th' jail wid foliage and grane verdure when anny minute some wan may need to be put in th' roont they take up. What V do I dunno. C'u'd I. be borryin' th' loan of th' Sunday school room, d'ye think, t' store th' biggest wan of th' evidinces agin Finnerty in till afther Christmas?" "I think ut c'u'd be arranged," said O'Leary, "if ye •wint tie proper au- thorities. Th' wan V see is th' Com- mittee on Tree of Union Sunday School of tie town of Lone Tree. Wait here a bit and I will call him." He walked around a hitching post and presented himself to Sullivan. "As wan o' th' Committee on Tree" he said, beg t' advise ye, Misther Su). - liven, that ye kin sthore tit' biggest wan of tie evidences in tle case of th' State agin Finnery in the Sunday schoolhouse, subject t' th' use and abuse pine tree gits annywhere on Christ- mas, and I have arranged wid some of th' law-abidin' eitizene of tie munici- pality that hey kids to sthore th' little trees for ye." "Thank ye kindly, Mr. O'Leary," said Mr. Sullivan. "'Tis se& as ye make tie work of a marshal !eight and comfort- able. I'm much obliged t' and eo is UV Governor and th' Praasident of th' 'United States." The mob cheered weakly, It was a lazy mob, and not at all the kind to get up great enthusiasm, but it saw that it was the time to °beer, and it cheered. "Sullivan," said O'Leary, in all under- tone to the marshal, "phat will ye be doin' wid Tousley? 'Tis shame t' lock up a man .over Christmas." Sullivan laughed. "Let bel" he said, lightly. "'Tis tot a man he is. 'Tis a trrust I have got in eell, and divil a bit do I care .phwat happens t' a trust that wsu'd elude th' childer out of Christmas. Tit' audash- usness of UV trrusts, riprisintid by Teusley, makes me almost wish was an anarchist," • The Chrietuies Shopper. (Detroit Free Press.) Untidy now the house :wears, iinswept the floors remain; The table new she never clears And through the window pane The sunlight has to fight its way Through dust and dirt mid grime, The home is (mite in disarray, And will be for it thee. For site's an early shopper and know the world will understand. Cold mettle aro served to me at night; ‘Nre never get roast; The morning mend is always light, Not heavier then tenet. need it button on my eoat, The lining needs repair; Bot, oh, she never seems to note The tattered elothes I wear. POI, site's an early ahopper now, And must get along eomehow. 111F- In the Life was .itiways pleiteant to little nettie, bid evening brought the cream of the day. Then the door 'between tne kltehen and the tiny slop was, opened, •-e ^elides; mid hes ebildren gathering etound the dim, ocieriferotts lamp, the hop leaning thoir lessons te the petient eleelen of thelr fathee$ hammer, . "Gaily nine days before Chrietnues," ehe announced, 11.1i she sat down by Jack's wadded chair. "Jack, do you allppOSe '4anta Claus has got my letter yet? Do yea think he'll ;tend ue the Christmas tree 'I" "If we're too poor to buy a tree, why !met yeu go get one, Bettie?" asked rem, holding a dripping pen euepended above hie :wee. "Get one? Where?" "Why, where the grocerymau gets hie," Tom answered ,easily, pretending ot realm° work. "Oh, Tom, where doer he' get them?" "In the woods, I (suppose. There's lots of 'em growing there, just for the ask- ing." "Not real Christmas trees, Tom?" "Sure! Heaps of 'elm Dandies. Big fellows and little, pith pink and red pop- corn and candy and angels on the top. And at night they're all lit up. Oth, puled!" and came more Tone ,with the skill of an artist, applied himself to IXT- ithinetie. "Who plants 'em? Who do they belong to?" asked Bettie, imagination overcom- ing her doubts. "Goosey! Santa Claus, of course." Men, made bold by the Astonished be- eef confronting him, he added with rel- ish, "Oh, it's a grand sight to see the 'oltd gentleman trotting around his trees, hanging on dolls and candy and lighting a million little candles." Bettie was a long time 'falling to sleep that night, for her active brain had been fed too eoyally, But the bewitching etory Was completely swallowed, and an over. whelming longmg had raison to eee for herself the forest of trimmed Christmas trees. * * * « * * * .13ettie was supremely happy. Six pen - mos, shaken rather guiltily from her eherrehed china pig, were tied securely in a cerner el her 'handkerchief. The ear was not full, and she had ventured to kneel upon the seat, to enjoy to the extreme the unusual excitement of a ride in the trolley. It was all a highly enter- taining panorama, but the little girl was anxious for the monotonous rows of dingy brick houses to give way te the open Iota, and finally to the fields and woods, foe which she was bound. Her reverie was interrelated by the conduc- tor's demand of "fare." "Coin' far?" eked. the conduceor Beteie Dave htim her three pemties. "Yes, quite a ways. Out there" And the child waved her hand vaguely toward the place where the tracks seem- ed to meet, pointing to the land of 'pram - lee. "Sure you know where you're to git off?" "When we reach the woods." "Oh, Brown's Woods'," and the conduc- tor looked relieved as he passed down the aisle. Humming to herself, Bettie 'watched the housee, now scattered over dreary lots where goast end children. played on Christmas Tree Forest " BLESS ME, WHAT'S HERE?" the great ash heap,s, until, gill farther from the city, the car began passing pleasant little homesteads, displaying at their windows wreaths of 'holly and of evergreen. • "Brown's Woods! Here you ,are, little girl!" the conductor shouted. Bettie, trustful and happy, meld elty "goodby" 60 the man es he helped her off with a playful warning not to "git lost." Brown's Woods seemd to be a general store and a few wretched houses. Bettie looked about her with a sinking heart. The woods, dark but promielng, were quite a distance beyond the settlement, but the child bravely set out. As elle became tired her' feet grew numb, for in spite of the stout half' soled shoes the cold had struck through. The poor ehi:d was tenrified and for the first time began to think of home. She had found not even a solitary evergreen tree, but she still believed them to 'ee there, and as the Christmas. eve settled down over the gloomy woods she TO- heaxsed to herself all the details of Tom's wild story, this time remembering his eaving clause, that only old peelpe could see the wonderful vision of Santo Claus stepping from tree to tree, trimming the swaying branches and lighting the little candles. 'Bettie listened, painfully intent. Then, with a sob and a shiver, elle stumbled on, She put her hand in hee pocket for her handkerthief, but she had lost it. The distance eoveeed by the trolley, reality several miles, was far greeter te her childish imaginatien. She felt herself to be at the North Pole of the earth and lacking 'the three cents which had the wixard's poWer to bring her home again. The despair was pitiful. She imagined she was retracing her steps, end groping desperately in the unknown dark she hurried on, often knocking against low bough and some- times falling over half buried roots. Fin- ally she tripped, on a fallen limb, and, bruised and half frozen, the poor child was too tired to rise, When she opened her eyes she wee staring at a light, distant and twinieling but bright and reassuring. She was spell- bound, no other though occurring to her than that it was a lighted Christina's tree. She rose like one hypnotized and made ber way steadily toward the light, as though deawn by a magnet. The woods were more open now, and fear and cold were forgotten as the child was conscious of nothing else in the world but the tree, which she expected to see any moment below that guiding light. After walking much further thau she knew she stopped—for she was within reach of a real, trimmed Chriet- Mae tree. Not the great, glimmering one of her imaginatien, but a small tree, blossoming with all the strange fruit of the eeitson—popeorn, red, white and pink; striped candy canes and baskets, shining balls and angels and little red candles twinkling from the tips of the branches. ' Not until there was a sudden epening of an inner door and a merry burst of childish laughter did Bettie realize thad her face was premed aiptinet a window, her fascinated eyes gazing into a room glorified by the tree of Christ, whose far reit:bine? light had led her from the dark woods to this cheerful little re- fuge. Only half comprehending what she SAW she watched the laughing children fas- tening gifts on the loaded tree and hang% ing eteekinge over the flgo Owe. Fru - ally, after a last look al adoration, the children reluctantly obeyed a imminent; to bed, By and by the fetther opened the front door and came out to ihut the blinds. As he reached up he stumbled over a little figure huddled in the snow. "Bless me, what'a here?" he ex- claimed, bending over the half - frozen child. "It's me," murmured Bettie, drowsily. The rnan swept a puzzled glance over the little girl Alien gathered her up and (Allied her into the luntee, He placed her on a lounge and he 'and his aston- ished wife began chafing the numb hands. "Where have you come' feolif Vat are you doing out this time of night?' "I waa trying to find the forest of trimmed Chrietmas trees," whispered Bettie. The husband and wife exchanged an alarmed glance, for they thought the poor child was wandering, but the WO. Mail caught the motherle,ss child from the sofa, holding her close in her arms. "You've found the Christmas tree, my lamb. Now 'tell me all about it while we get you warm and fed." It was not a very intelligible tale, but the mother nodded and smiled, looking at the child's neat clothing and her hon. est eyes. She seemed to be able to fill all omissions in the story. "If only Jack could see that tree," Bettie murmured, as sbe fell asleep. . • * * * * * * * It was Christmas night, and the lit - tie kitchen back of the shop was full of happiness. Tom, °hastened and thank- ''''-'1 ful, hovered around Bettie, while Jack's eyes never left the little girl. The farth- er was content to hear her voicee and to forget all the anxiety of the preced- ing night. The good man into whose hands Bettie had fallen had not return- ed alone from his errand to her trou- bled family, for the frantic father bad :accompanied him and sat by Bettie, eleeping serenely in the strange bed. i rap at the outer door summoned Um father, who left the kitchen, care - felly dosing the door. The children were in hi spirits ,and it did not seem long before 1,:heir father returned. He lifted 701 Jack in is arms, and soberly turned. to Tom arid ettie: "I need this room for business. You children muk go into the shop." He threw dpen the door as the little group reatheCthe threshold. . There Was a .1).T0fUOd silenee, then— "Jimmy I" yelleA. Tom. "Is it real?" whispered Bettie, while Jack asked if God ha.d. sent it. No wonder. The cluttered little shop was transfigured, for in i e 'stood a beautiful tree, the branch'. ,. „a,' ne almost to the walls. The goor t Y who had smuggled it into the room had been quicker than lightning, for the tree was well laden. "Oh, Jack! Jack; Isn't it lovely? It's as fine as the tree last night!' cri Bettie. She cocked her small head an narrowed her eyes. "I do believe," ehe said slowly, "I do believe it's the very same tree! ' ' Mother is It was the day before Christmas. There were, however, no preparations—as far as any one could see—in -the home of the Noxons. Mrs. Noxon was in bed, In fact the bed had been her place of abode for some weeks. For the first two weeks she had been quite sickee-very near pneu- monia—and had had a nurse. At pres- ent she was very weak and nervous. "What y•ou need," the doctor had said, "is cheerful company and rest of mind. You worry too much, my dear Mrs. Noxell." "Who wouldn't worry?" was her ques- tioning retort, "with such servants as I have what is the comfort of living?" And, to tell the truth, there Seemed no prospect of "rest of mind." As for "cheerful company," that was conepicu- ous by its absence. Mr. Noxell was at his office the greater part of the day, and when he returned home tired after a busy day, he, too, felt the need of "cheerful company." But be did not have it. The house was it lonely place nowadays. His wife's usual greethig Was 801110 recital of domestic vexation, and he often found her crying. His lit- tle children, Grace, aged tire, and Bert- ram, three, were eared for at the home of a friend of the family. Mrs. Noxon could eot emlure the noise and confus- ion of children in her present condition, And yet on this day before Christmas her longing to see her children grew in- tense. Mr. Noxon had gone iiway the previous day "on business," but lie would be back before Christmas. It was lonelier the never with him away. Mrs. Noxon nursed her grievances all day long. She decided that life was not worth living. The doctor said that she should have nourishing food mid plenty of it—well cooked. "It's easy enough for Dr. Swift to say things," was her dis- couraged. thought when Betty brought in her lunch at one o'clock; "I wish he could see this." "This" meant the tray of food. Betty, the waitress and chambermaid, had pre- pared the tray, and Sally, the cook, had prepared the food. There 'was a piece of beefsteak sa rare that the blood ran from ,it and yet the outside was badly scorched aittl black as the stove. Time was some burned toast—floating in a sea of greasy looking milk and some lukewerm tea. To make the tray look mote uninviting, Betty had "slop - pod" the tea on her wily to the eiek room, The pepper and 'salt cups ,bad not been properly eared for and Mrs. Noxon's nitpkin looked its if it might have done out in the kitehen. The wo- Mall who needed "nourishing food" took but ,one small taste of the burned eteak. ethe lay back on her pithily, weak and faint from want of food. During the al. Oman she thought often of the coin. ing, Chrietnuts find of the hot one, trqr own mother had died when she Was toe young to remember, but last Christinne her mother Noxon bad been acre. In fast her mother Noxon had lived there ever sinee their marriage, until there Wild been mime hard words and then there WAS ,ft parting. Mother Noiten, had gone back to her lonely old home the country. "Martin hat never been the same -gime hie mother 'went away," she said to her-, «elf sorrowfully; ,"he bits .elways mid she was sUeh good and devoted moth- Ite is an only 'child, Martin is, and his mother is a widow." Over and over the words repeated themselves, "an only child and his moth- er a widow." "It was more my fault than hees, any way," she admitted to herself regret- fully. "I wish I'd been more patient and ing, expectant. She cried herself asleep, The short winter afternoon was drawing to a close when the slaniming of an miter door awakened her.. She sat up in bed, Wait- ing ,expectant. "It. must be Martin," she said to her- slef. "Pm glad he has come," Presently she rang the bell premptor- ily, and Betty appeared. "Mr. Noxon came, did he not?" she said. "Yes, ma'am." Wondering why he did not come to her as usual, she tithed where he was. "It's awful stormy and cold ,out," was Betty's answer, 'and I guess he wanted to get the chill off of him before he eame in here. He's a warmin' himself in the hall." A little later he entered the room. Kissing her, he said iMerry Christmas, my dear!" "Oh, you're too early," wae hcr re- sponses, "besides there is no nee in wish- ing me a 'Merry Christmas,' there'm no hope of my having it," and there follow- ed a recital of the day's worries ending with the description of the rejected lui4cIti, is too bad,” he said, with ready sympathy. "I hope there will be some- thing you can eat to -night." "There will be nothing that will taste good," was her anewer, but she Was takem Not an hour later Betty came in with the tray. Mre. Nowt looked at the girl in surprise at her neat appearance. rine ally she was so careless alma her ap- pearance as to be a source of constant vexation, but now her hair was smooth, her white apron spotless, and her maid's cap neat. She set the tray down elt a small stand by the bedside, inel 'Mrs. Noxon looked at it as if faseinated, was revered with a Clean napkin, a ece- ona clean napkin lying on one side. The soup and teaspoons and forks and "pep- per and salt' all shone. There was a lovely dish of pink china full of steaming oyster soup, the heart of the crisp bead of celery, some dainty wafers, a pink china cup of hot tea and on one side of the tray lay three beautiful cane- th'1'1\11,8:110 sent it in, Betty?" she -asked. "No one," said Betty. "It was prepar- ed. right here in the kitchee," end she smiled. - 'Then mother is here," site aid, out, • jtooyno0710y. "I thought so es soon es I saw this tray. I recognized mother's Mr. Noxell appeared in the doorway. Ilis fftee wee aglow. "01, Martin," his wife mid, "I know mother is here, bring her in." "Eat your seep," fie said, laughing, "and hunt her up." 'While be Was gone she ate the seep, whielt was delicious. It rertched the right spot, she declared to Betty. In another moment Martin .eame in with his mother,. a meet -faced woman, with tenability beaming from every fen, Uwe. Wife and mother met lit a close entbraee, after Whiell tile former said, , ere. "Then that was your business, Martin, to bring mother to us?" and he answer- . ed "Yes, I couldn't have said 'Peace on earth' toeneerow if mother 'weren't 1 ere." "Neither could I," said Ids wife, Christmas dawned, the storm was over and the sun shilling. ti0y reigned at the Noxons. Little Greco and Bertram were home again, Grandma Noxon having de- clared that it would be joy to look af- ter them. There were gifts for all. As for the dinner, with Grandma Noxell to superintend, it, it could not be excelled. Three years have rolled inte the past since then, but no second break has come. Christmas again! The turkey is browning: in the oven. The coal fires are dancing in the grates. Martin Noxell is walking (with his mother on one side of him and his wife on the other) up a.nd down the library waiting for Betty to announce dinner. 11 18 right arm is ar- ound his mother, his left around his wife. "The two best women in the world," lie says, joyously, "and you are mine." "If I am good," say:: his wife, laugh- ing, "I think I must have turned from black le white that happy day three years ago when it, suddenly dawned up- on me that mother was here. It seems to me that I still smell Otero carna- tion.; and still taste the soup." "Dinner is served," announced Betty. --Helen II. Farley, in Christian geneer. THE FORGOTTEN GUEST. There was owe a family who bad a guest staying with them, and when they found out that lie was to have a birthday during Ids visit they were ell delighted with the idea of celebrat. Mg it. Days before—almost weeks be- fore—they begam to prepare for the celebration. They cooked and stored a large quantity of good thines to. eat, and laid in a, stock of gooethings to be cooked and prepared on the happy day. They planned and arranged the most beautiful decorations. They even thought over and made, er selected, lit. tle gtfts for one another; and. the whole house was in hurry and confusion for 'weeks before the birthday came. Everything else that was to be done was postponed until after the birthday, and indeed many important things were neg- lected, Finally the birthday' eame, the room evre all &mated, the table set, all the Little gifts arranged, end the eateets from outside of the house had all ar- rived, Just after the feetivitieis had eliegun a little ehild said. to its another: "Memma, 'where is the man whose birthday it is?" "Hush! hushl" the mother said. "Don't ask questions." But the ehita pereisted, until finally the mother saidw: "Well, / am sure, I do not know, my dear, but I will ask." She asked her neighbor, and the neighbor looked surprised, and a little puzzled. "Why," she said, "it is a eelebration. We are eelebrating. his birthday, and he is a guest in the house." Then the mother got iittereeted aud curious hereelf. "Bat Where is the gaesti Where is tate man whofte birthday it ief" And this time she asked eue of the family. He looked.stertjed at first, and then in- quired of the rest of the family. "Where is the guest whose birthday it is?" Alas! nobody knew. There they were, all excited and trying to en- joy themselves by celebrating his birth- day, and heeeeome of them did not even know who' e out and forgotten. When they I wondered for a lit le while they -immediately forgot again and went on with their eelebrations—all ex- cept the little child. He slipped out of the room, and made up his mind. to find the man whose birthday it was, and finally, after a hard search, he found him upstairs in the attic, lonely and eiek. He had been asked to leave the guest - room, which he had occupied, so as to .'ae out of the way of the ,preparations for his birthday. Here he had fallen ill, and no one had had time to think of him, excepting one of the humblee eervants and this little child.. - TheY had all been so busy preparing for his birthday festival that they had forgot- ten hint entirely. This is. the way it is witli most of us at Christmas time.—Leslie's Monthly. 41.-- A Christmas Prayer by Edward E. Hale. Dr. Edward Everett Hale, who in the declining years of his long and noble life still clings steadfastly nly to the tenets of his reli but also to his wonderful eve of min contributes the following Christ prayer to the December number di the Woman's Home Companion: Father of Love, Father of Life, Our ra• flier who are here, We thank thee for everything, For the glory and beauty and wonder of the world. For the glory of springtiree, For the glory of summer, For the gldry of autumn, Ear the glory IndW of winter. Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and forget not all His benefits. On this Christmas Day we bless Thee, For thy Son well beloved, Who saves us from our sins, And gives us life more abundantly. ITe is our Miteter, and all we are breth- ren, We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we thank Thee, For peace on. earth and Good will among men. And our Christmas prayer is, that we all may be one --that we may be made polled in one. limy us and bleu us hi onr Christmas prayer. The Christmas Scheiners. (Atlanta Constitution.) De chillun pittile all so good Dey incivility stop en say; "I sorter Wald (le Angels Gwine take 'um all away. Dey des so still arcane de bowie— So 'sweet dar ,iley play!" Bat sv'en she study 'bout it Site knowt reason vvityl De sorter see de ChrhenThs lights Twinklin' in de sky, En de song dry hearts is singing' Is Chris mus by en byl" *11, During the last ten yeam has killed more people in Were Saerifieed in all thr time of Napoleon.