i I
OXFORD PUBLIC LEDGER, FRIDAY DECEMBER 17, 1909.
o, -V' v- ; -A
13
1 . alf' mmmgk. im jes. jm- -op
h. n a suit's- mm jC a - s 4 ,.- Tvi.si 9 uys ssvj;:?-. a my n.'' wto. n
5 tr j J ci til
-L FLETCHER was in the
('rawing riM:n v;jiM::i; far IJia
i ootiu'. Eida livrd with her
ts s.-c her oithor th i:rothors
i.r. -
: .-u were :a tue room,
:e w: s m-ver a ehaneo to say
a 4 U her ;!une.
st. however, his cpp,ortunit;r had
ir was fhe dav
ix'fnre Ch.rist-
a -id .Mrs. Sai'i'erd and the children
a aie to hor luother's for several
with I.ichi left at home with
11 unit 1 ij t
4 till evening. Fletcher couid say
; these tilings he had lcn iou
s::; bit which he could not
himself to write in a le'.ter nor
are before the assembled familv.
!i-Mh. after what seemed a very
waiting, some one was comim.
!;'. up and looked eagerly to
ll, e diorw;iv
The portiere was
' aside, and in walked Teddy- ,
.I-1..-. who. in Fletcher's opinion, was
: orst pili in the whole box as far
siayin- power and keen observa-
n were concerned.
lie. Teddy," he said, not very
iially. "I thought you had gone to
. i V 111 I-LliiiV li 11 La V Will lillIUUlu
"I didn't go." said Teddy.
T'o you expect a visit from Santa
'...us tonight V"
"Oh. I s'pose so," wearily. "I'd just
: o to see him, though!" His manner
:jv more animated.
'Why. what would you do?"
"i d tell him what I think of him."
And what is that?"
'Oil. that I think he's a fraud! Fre-
::dki he comes in a sleigh when the
;ad has been bare for a month!
1 ichif'.oer.s too! Who does bethink
to believe that? Why doesn't
"me on a bicycle?"
i .i fur overcoat would be rather in
. . sain l-:o;cuer graveiv. -.uiu .
I i
i
: i : ;
i i
a ci, aus stood c:-:foi:i: iiiji.
too, iiiid maybe does
re
h-.'-.v to ride, and, besides,
d ho bring the presents?"
: the use of presents, nny
vcver have anything that's
; vou have the blues today,"
:er.
thTi
did not
;.;:). though Teddy tiled to
i Olil.
mod to be in a brown study,
ir.g roused um till Lida came
ven !.;;eu lie did not say much
:1 oniv a sliort time.
tlm evening that a card
is in
i- ht to Teddy. On it was
anta Clans." Teddy's eyes
"Tell Lim to come in," he
.L-iiv.
unent -later Santa' Cl vas stood
him. a tall, fur clad figure with
hair and beard. Teddy shook
. -i . 1 l mmo rk !l!l
it good sleighing?" a
on find
d. "And how are the rem-
(
!
1 did, not come on runners, young
said Santa Clans. "Perhaps you
1 not know that there is no snow on
-round."
' ih-yoio?" asked Teddy.
"Sr.; i rame in a motor carriage."
' V motor carriage!" cried Teddy in
::! sislv. Then he ran to the win-
v and looked out. "It i
aw.
v t: in -
ing said excitedly, coming back.
: en an see it just as plain out un
Hie electric light."
I Pd not -bring you any presents,"
. Santa Clans, "as I heard you did
! care for them, but I would like to
nu- vou for a little ride, if your aunt
P! ao tof. I came early," glancing ;
the clock., "so that I can got back
m.d attend to the boys and girls wdio
e to have -presents."
"Of conr.se we will go." said Teddy '
promptly. "I hnve never been in a j
motor carriage."
2n a ft-w' moments the three "were on
i - till M SS''
H i!
. '.'L ..':.'b i , : h"ri
is! j I JKS,-'V .v i
-; -1 . I Mi, v :
. ; : ;i j li :i
: ; i Mi I In
l iji m
W,!2 n, i !( tn 1 f-rtm
n!i, i'-.-t(i;; -h- 1 iv an a hundaneA of
liirs :r.-;d vi-a;-.s. There was no nioon,
iuit -li-'J' tlie li-huvl streets of tha
!nvn w r'.i.t the stars slue.ie down
t'l: iliein hrii'-h: ly.
Tt-iiay was wild with delight, and his
'n:.vi.:e ran on ra)idiy. At length there
'Vl11' O'-easionai pauses, then le.u-er
Mios iJiterrur-tod by disjointed remarks.
Finally there was total silence. Fletch
er Lent over so that he could see the
child's faeo; then lie lookcKl at Lida
r. ::d. smih-,1.
Tiiey went on for a little in silence.
riCtcner was tryin- to compose his
speech
'I don't know how to say it," he
hurst out desperately at length. "I
keep forget tins "ov 1 look, and if I
say it the way I want to it will be per
fectly ridiculous. And yet 1 must
say it, for 1 may never have another
chance."
She was looking: at him, her startled
eyes dark and luminous in the star-
"l-'erhaps you do not need to say it,"
she said gently.
"Do you mean that you understand
without my telling you?" he asked
eagerly.
"Yes." she-answered very low.
When they reached the house Fletch
er took Teddy in his arms and carried
him in. He laid him srentlv on the
couch in the hail and turned awav.
thinkin- the child still slept.
-i cau stop only a moR,ent.' Fietch-
er said. "Is it late 7"
At that instant Teddy sat bolt up-
right, staring about him wildly. He
eau - ht sisrht of his father in an nrl-
joining room.
"Oh. papa!" he cried, his voice ring
ing out clear and shrill. "Oh. papa.
Santa Clans is kissing Aunt Eida!"
Coston Herald.
THAT. CHRISTMAS . PIL :
Confession of the Sinner Who
Doctored the lyiinceiTisat.
It had been our family custom to put
h randy in all the mince pies and to
put in at Christmas sin:-; a sufiieieut
mount to eiu bio the partakers thereof
to detect that there was really some-
'.luv.z in it. it oil en went, so iar as to
deserve the remark of my grandfather
that we put mince via in cur bra ml v.
With this as the
in,nji;ie the co-nsier
:am:; y
avion '
nrccivivni
hen it was
.'.aroed that Eev
. Jeremiah ocroggins,
ami an avowed tee
mother's invita.
dinr.er. A vote was
i'y t:t !!' (we were a
!...?.' -.; i? if w is ili-
, na-i . jeca
Christ ma:
at the fan
. : t 11
noi.
. ol '
v would be on;;
i-h of us in hi !
from
1 !
' i
1 !
v -e tji
r one.
of b
a -.i.ly were aduc-d.
re
: ved t do t ne dec. i.
"it ; ; the b'g stone
reposed the rain 'O-
u vh:cn
no.;
l'W'ireu :.: wr.a c i luuuui
; a 'nrha ite qt:a!it!ty of brandy
wonder ful huv true is the i'.tlage
1 1 -
cut greti
n;.ij-:us running ii
similar
in.'
m; n
i 1 i,
. i i.
we
.'C!
of a
l a, n
t roi
hk-ii
v-." e
fosi
;rd
v; '
eat.
Jere:ni:i!i begin to
I actually shivered as
I went mouthwurd.
eat. i .kmwc
the lil'St lol'tN-.U
I The iirst luoiUluul was iulloweci by
second a;
iuL the second by a third.
i.-inoilr ho . o tiais.'ieii liie wuoie nor-
tion, ami he stiiad back in Ids chair.
We saw he was a bit embarrassed and
expected a real old fashioned temper
ance lecture right then and there.
The Rev. Jeremiah Scroggins cleared
Iiis throat, and. turning to mother,
said: "Ah er my good sister, permit
me to com: limeut you ;.pon the ex
cellence of this pie. It has a most
delicious Cavor. I coiuess l
tasted anything bke it. w ouia you
think me cvutboki if 1 asked for an
Dther piece?" New York Mail and Ex
press. Esr.r Up Gracefully.
Don't take the tone that you are
Cnt up" if some one for whom you
nave nothing gives you a present. The
thing is not supposed to be a matter
of bargaining. Preserve a decent sem-
bin nee of a Christmas spirit and r?ay
the obligation, not by a tartly respond
ling gift, but m some otaor v. a;
: BOrae other time, if you want to.
j 1 .
at
5 r?k T?
I certainly this year
Shall break and burn the ancient
sled
And cook the ancient deer.
Those things are out of date for me ;
They're now a shattered dream.
Oh, I'm as happy as can be
About my brand new scheme.
IpTJLL soon across the boundless
plain,
Beneath the Christmas stars,
I'm going to travel on my train
Made up of baggage cars,
And they'll be simply stuffed with
toys
And other precious things
For little girls and little boys
For whom I spread my wings.
0
H, yes, in jigtime, down the track
I'll gayly glide along,
From home across the land and back
To fill all hearts vith song.
And to my agent at each town
I'll toss a bundle great
Each artless child with joy to crown
AwA make its heart elate.
H'LL run along on schedule time,
Through wind swept drifts of
snow.
My bell shall be the Christmas
chillis
J ; '
y.: -J-
?-
btevenson.
Iar-; ;j 's aiK'.T'L t iie stea ris:i si; !
Luboek unexpectodiy spent Christmas I
at sea in the year is-JO, but th-. fact j
that liobert Louis Bteveuson, the fa-
inous story writer, was among them
made that a most memorable holiday, j
A jO
Lubech was en route from Austra- j
11a to Samoa. She. boke a shaft and
limped along several clays under sail.
"Air. Stevenson," says the captain in
relating the incident, "cheered every
body up by telling funny stories that
were better, coming offhand from his
Hps, than most literary men could
write if they worked over them for
weeks. He knew, too, that it was only
a question of a short time before lie
would die of consumption and that he
could never again go home for more
i than a brief visit, -it was simply won
! derful what a difference that one man
j made among the passengers, and I
! cues; almost all of us won id gladly
i spend the time to make pott under
! sail, with machinery disabled, if wo
I could have a Stevenson aboard
1
A Polish Custom.
Peasant lads in the villages of Po
land have a pretty Christmas custom
which affords great flight not only
to themselves, but to the other vil
lagers. Tii is is called the procession
of the star. At Christmas time the
boys make a large hollow star, two
or three feet between points, lighted
from the interior.
This is carried
aloft at the end of a pole or staff. It
,. nfi.iAim.M T'.,.
S VIliOOUlt-S Lilt? s.ii ')L uciuit-criu, -l h
three wise men of the East Caspar,
Melchior and Balthazar are imper-
.,,.,fn,i 1a x lnV: Others in the narfv
, rjiiuiv.u ' - - -
bear a little puppet snow caoiner, in - A i imely cauticr..
which are performed the drama of the i Don't give any one bric-a-brac or pic
Xativity and other Scripture incidents , pares unless you are morally sure yo
appropriate to the occasion. From know his taste. Presents that must be
hoi;se to house around the village this displayed are apt to be a great strain
procession trudges in the snow at ! 0n the affections. No matter how the
night singing carols, and the villagers ' receiver may hate them, lie must fa
prescr.t the "boys with small coins as ther them and deface his rooms with
Christmas sifts. ' them or insult the giver. Now, a book,
O. IS
t ! c - - e crs P p P 3
ree
. y:V.::L L::,;"'I.fl iVti
a. ? ,m .-.fb-.t-n .on rfo P-
,S now 01 vi? 1 ..vi-.vv, w
Hour;
...... 1... ?., Irr moniT nortti
E'Ogianl on tire appie-trjs
1
i ! i ' . .f$te -
That sets all hearts aglow.
And I shall call, and not in vain,
While stockingward I head
My mile a minute flying train,
"The Christmas Limited."
IHE train's made up. Already I
Am getting up the steam,
While piling in the cars sky high
The gifts of which you dream.
With joy I stand upon my head
And shout both fsr and near,
"C-oodby unto the ancient sled
Ail wn fl-v'"
II. K. I'lunliittrick in Success.
.'-vp
. - V
- '. , ... ., O
,OiOO
yon, and
an island
tha kind
:.3ae. on
or t:
An J.
Sit, i.
axi'.a o
'it
r
!.--- r.-,-- i !-. - t
i tho morrow all her
folks v-ouP! o.
Piaci a pahn t!:c
l : i
p:ir.
ate
their ariKk'tij o'er
(t)n tha liuaoul ro Ca:'is:::
ble. groan-
in;x vi.i: i;.; ioa '-. i i...:'o '."1 !
Avr'r.A'.iri'z Lir'Ps nat truihcs
ar.d ta-
j3 rat ":e.
l.ev "A
and
very
For iiis old
rCPy; "fa
L..c;:'re the
;et
Ml!
O.
oneK ;oe
Po oev-r
t!:-.ju
:an cai
i '-12 nose
so s'tay v ef.i
Thut or a i a::: Poo r.anpiraT oc:- ara tl;e
thnras for wnich t:'s tea?e-l.
1 on! 7 hope they've sot
the ttiir
Just one or
'V I. .' cost
aries raaae c.
, and a piece
i ! va-:;.
a toe ring
v.a.-uiii be iovel;
er cupper ware
wear around the
that i dec i re.
r.step make up ail
"Except, of course, some other things that
every girl receives.
Such as various Kinds of dresses made of
nicely ro-Mr-aed ieavus.
For surely," said the maiuen
' smiled a sc-ornful sm.le.
as she
'I'm not like tho.e American
iris who
alwaj-3 think of style. "
Chicago Ifecord-PIerald.
even if the receiver
1 for
instance,
doesn't like it and doesn't want it. can
Tllf,,.-t:i :i iL V .lUlv'ii-. v." - - a. yjj
r,fi forgotten, but an ugly vase we
1 - -
! hflCA Ti 1 W3VS .WllU US at lSUSL LiU we
can smash it.
!J fc ' fj IR i- ,'. v. tfi f ? M jaa S tt"
t-ri Kit9 $H v i a tta
ON"T think that you are too poor
i to l:eei) Christmas. You can't be
iL so poor as all that.
Don't spend so much on Christ
mas that you can't get even with the
hatcher and grocer until March.
Don't give presents that are a pleas-
are for ten minutes and a burden and
a worry for Ten years.
Don't, young women, buy neckties
for your men folk; don't encourage
them in being bigger guys than neces
sa. rv.
Don't give a drum to the children of
your enemy who works nights. A
watchman's rattle is just as good, and
it is cheaper.
Don't give your wife something she
doesn't earo for just because you want
it. yourself. This "don't" works the
other way just as well.
Don't forget that a basket of fruit or
a box of flowers is just as nice a pres
ent in many cases as something that
will last a good deal longer.
Don't try to find the price marks on
the gifts you receive. If the gifts are
worth having they mean something
above dollars and cents.
Don't forget the Bob Crarcbits and
the Tiny Tinas that is. unless you are
unregenerate Old Scrooge, in -which
case forget f ulness can be explained.
Don't put off everything to the last,
because you had better for the joy of
your friends give nothing than wear
yourself out and be as cross as twro
sticks when the blessed day comes.
Don't waste any of your pity on the
long haired youths who lie at the bot-
torn of the heap in football scrim-
mages, lou win neea an your pity ior
yourself in the rush at the holiday j
counter. ;
Don't check off each gift you receive !
against each present that you gave
and calculate whether you made or
lost. Christmas is not the time to be
any smaller or meaner than you can
ko!p.
Don't oppress children who are sa-
tlated to sadness with toys already by
ivin them more. There are other'
ways cf making them happy, or if
there are not it is because they are
spoiled with many pie.-isuivs and are
the most pitiful :a-s alive. In that
case Jet them try doing something
for poor eisi:l!--n. who are blessed in
powers of oiiji-ym-rut. and See if the
capa'aty w' '': pr . . ' ''.vx.
Dai't :::-v;:"C;, if y- a u:'; a woman.
r jay in a sio.-::
pp,. ha;aik"r.ppw
meet various p-eo;
lor. on.
Don't sc-t your
the : ':1a: : to
Christmas ime.
'people happy and
::'::.! thhias
:1 S "!-.!- I S !"!
i i.
u
!ik- to
with a reasonable
'i happiness up as
locked out I'm- at
ad forret yor.rself, then
'riscd to see how really
vou v.ili be
ir'-PPy y; f ai'e.
Don't aivo a bock to a man with a
,::.: library or a picture to the man
vi'iio makes a spociaity of the line arts
unless you know pretty well what he
wants. Ten to can- he'd rather do the
buying of such things for himself.
Don't writ?? your name or anybody
ei
' or. .i'! it' vo:i srowi them. AO
s on ca
in m .! a ict or sucn iruci-., a uu
' - .
i .
n I en
liiildy -onvenient just to
a: their travels to carry
:;d
Ciiristtna:
. i : '
,;o ot uer oe.-ioe.
: : .
prcs
iz rrz.
s rare,
i.e.
j P ; '.
us s-nionif t-an
.- ta.i-;at:r.i3.
p rpveth -joy n ah,
' y (JPriJ-t.u.as;
; ;;-h aral yrent or small
j in
Poor
ti.j.;
Christ :.us!
voices cat!
ho Lord of a!!,
will, to m an kind fall
y Christ mas.
Day wj
IP a:?--- o.
Ali'i !' '"'
On ever;
enod
Sard;1. C'.au- copies r.re alway
j-Pv'ei'v i nor; v (JPristrnas,
i 'indee:-. sar.s the sleigh
: 1h:i-j syu-- CPristmas.
IJere is !:eitia
r j'i o;:t nor snow.
.Here oat iilT-aiant trade winds blor,
pere is paradise below
And a merry Christmas.
Hawaii'
home?
-d forth today
Christmas;"
A merrv.
To the loved ones far away.
-A nappy, merry Christmas!"
May the God child's natal day
lie a Pappy one a: way.
From sorrow free and .-ery way
A merry, merry Christmas!
Paradise of the Pacific.
Fcr the ! cone clast.
Don't lot your li-tie ones into the se
cret that Santa C'aus is an impostor.
Let them figure out for themselves
how a fat man with a big pac
can
get into the parlor grate through the
j
chimney of a modern house heated by
; Tn,-,T'.,.f!-, t tnlitr fi.slr-
: cuuj. ii.,3l,u
able to cultivate.
ON
J ii ii ia
ia
NEVER shall forget our Christmas
dinner in a construction camp in
the year JGCO, said a former Colo-
radoan. "YYe were building a res
ervoir out on the plains about teni
miles east of Pueblo. We had 150 men
on the job, all white men.
We had a poor cook on the job and;
couldn't seem to find any other. As a;
result there had been men leaving,:
every day and constant grumbling alt',
the fall, and it came to a head Christ-i
mas day.
It was a beautiful, bright Colorado,
Christmas. Tlie men were to work1
in the morning, have a turkey dinner;
at noon and lay off in the afternoon..
The old man had bought three pounds!
of turkey per man 450 pounds. Tha;
birds had come out the day before. !
About ten minutes after noon I heani!
a kind of ah angry roar outside. L(
never heard anything like it before.)
and it made me jump. It meant trou-t
ble of some kind. I hurried out andj
saw a surging mob at the door of thel
cook tent. The men were all shaking;
their fists in the air and yelling with
one steady, hoarse, prolonged yell. I
went around behind the tent and slip
ped in. There stood the cook raging,
righting drunk, brandishing a meat at
and emitting a steady stream of pro-
fanity. In front of him surged the
mob, just out of reach of the meat ax,,
crazy mad. I didn't blame them.
They had come off work with theiri
mouths all made up for turkey, and:
not a table was set, not a spark of fire
in the stove and 430 pounds of turkey i
scattered over the section of alkali1
plain which formed the floor.
The battle was short. The men rarv
j jn behind the cook, tripped him andj
; the minute he was down had a ropai
around him.
"Hang him. hang him!" they roared!
anci started off with him to the meat!
p0le.
jn an mv nfe j never was so seareda
ns I was that day. 1 didn't care iu
the least whether the man was hang-
ed, drowned or died in his bed. Yet1
civilization rose up in me. and I knew
I had to save him. I ran like a deer
to get around 1 lie crowd and reach tins ;
meat pole lirst, and ail the while I'
f)
him if you want Jo, but ou'ii have t.
.Noiv go ahead
1
a ted.
!t:t uo one stirre
vrere phudv o
l Ji'uti-i 11 W-.a crowd.
but
no ''-ne vn-is r
dv to un'b'rta.io th
iob
ive that-ui on
a
man that hold the rope. "Untie him."
He did it. "Cot out cf hen-,' I sail
to the cook. The fellow got up. white
as death with fear.
Then I turned to the men and asked
if there wore any who had ever dona
any cooking, who would heip me. Half
a dozen volunteered. We washed me
turkeys and put them on to boil. I
never worked over anything in my
life as I did that Chrism-'s dinner-.
The men wore still silent a;.-'l sullen,
and I didn't know but they'd hang m
if the dinner didn't suit th:
desperately to remember a
ing I'd over seen my mot:
thanked Co 1 when I m
of the men couid mar p
-m. 1 tr.el
11 the e- P--eT
do. a::d
d tnat or:;;
os and au-
. e'ep,ck W.y
other r.cda biscuit.
had the best dinner the camp '-onM
turn out, b
turkey
hoi a
canned squash, canned corn, cam-cL
,.,. drt;.d nn:le
pie,' hot
j.wv-o. ei---
and coffee. New York I'ress.
5 n f pan
Lo.'l . - i .Vp-.n '.ij
-r-: v 4
I I C . ' '' on
i " . . v!r ' : : -f
! : " f
I ', . -." -P '" ' PP ' T - S
; - . ; : c ' i
i ' ' '' K: " W X y j
V'x "v " ,'.i- - i y ... i
j -'?,; j ' ,' . ;p ,;
1 o . ' 'v.. '":1- t
! ;-?r,.v ; . y---y
yy" -y -y- v. - y i i
la.ANLOSIiiNO A MET AX.
ran 1 was cursing :!; i-o!-:. V.'hrn
they got T" the n:eat p ne t;.oy louu.l
m-- on a box fadug th:-m - ;'h a mm.
"What do you v..-uiL?" h;p roa.i-.-d. '
"Cet quid," :-;.:ii.t I.
Those in iront -al!od -UP "Si u.t opP
VP?on t!)--y u ere slih i saio: "IP vs, i'm
sorry this thing has ha; ponr-d. It's
;,:y laiPt ft. r not w;jb--::.i:g ' !ls i '''!
I and have a g"c- i :i::::.n' ;. t if
seine of ;. ;;'; turn h; and : "P- no.
'I'i: y aren't hurl any. As P r P . ' f
svum of a cool:, 1 don't cm re any m-.-r-j
;i!;out lilm than you do. Jb:t Ih.i hi
ch; rge here and 1 can't loi him be
.hauled. You can tro a'iead and nang