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I'Mowing tail am J uat atont l*ft»KirDd df tracts, wgfr wglfaii jfcjya* ii«* |OT|jiM(lkflttd-1 lie FttOte ' . ,rt'» a irAvdMl nojst • '•>;;#j$5 k nnd fa(ick>M«Uo«v and shy ;Jf • wf* Hinfte tie unniffliow*fe They'd f«t^rfrok her by and by. 1 , *>; £^ami», vH pWwanrcn. t«»a<; If rfch IHT ti«ui<j, (bought* will jlltiy; Fth* CIHII, "-1t mavn't. I* tti» -- W*t UioitM'iH, " But, tliett, it taaj!" n* KVP HIIB loop hail lain ' j ijtktiH oven, like owU-t'K nil ni'btwl tho fro»t«I iwne,^ «tared Into tl»e starry night. naw th« moon, laugh ronnd and clMjjr inkjf wreaths oft-loud. and we*, . Itk« branching horns of dwtrj -.. Tteaborp tree-shadow* oa tht snow. |wi>4)4 1iP cotter. tho jolly Saint MB everybody talked nboul? **1 Jti«7 yet, itnafa&u Jifw r UI should watch, 1 might find outlffs, fc< turned; feer (tiikm-wiUliy Upat; " Sbe'd tike to spjr-^tirtt Rhoulu she d Y«a! Pat, pat. |»at, with stealthy fee She pawed adawn the winding stair. mi hearth glowed: the grave off Cftt, •kpnmted, emerald tyea, thf e-ldmnfi.viwt: j to wear a wailing guise. The Andirons nhorn; the clock ticked prr go. **Perfe«,fw he inn't real at all-- But--if he «H--perhnjm he'll mind !" Jkatidtfau aoot-ftnkn rtianivd to fall- Sire Sad, and never looked Uelttad! 'D.. f r : w i sfeb flushed m*,'. 1 CHRISTMAS Sm and npemlar tiat H Waa probably a doth op a ofldoa^l lay fleiwugMla. - "I had aeamtlr talcen a inclining posture, however, when there waa a heavy splash in the water, on the opposite side of the boat; and a few moments later, tha little waft tip P*d percsptihly to that side, as if a ver^ heavy man had stepped suddenly,aboard. " Immediately, too, I hoard a grating, scraping noise, which begun on the side of the boat near the guard*, and passed up oyer the Iron sheeting of the cover OH if a big haw ser was being hauled athwart, us. The sound waked Mr. Lath, who started suddenly from sleep into a sitting position. "Owing to the moonlight it wan not very dark. He paused a moment, then saw me sitting ur., and whispered, 'What's going on outside?' '"Don't knew,'I said. 'Santa Clans, per­ haps; hard sledding in this country 1' "The fecraping, grinding sound moved for­ ward. ""It# Indians, I believe,' muttered Loth, 'trying to get a big line on us, and hanl us, ashore!' "Improbable as'this idea waa, there was yet something1 in the strange, grating noise that strongly suggested it; I heard. Sackett, or some of the others who had their bunks far­ ther Forward, reuse up, as if to listen. Then the Sound moved aft again. "Lath reached for his gun and then stepped to tiie window, but instantly Started back with- an oxclnnuition of astonishment or nlarm, and 1 saw what i took for an Indian's head and nec-k appear in the moonlit aper­ ture, as if trying to look in. "I heard ijith's gnn-eooks dick, and whis­ pered, 'Don't shootV for I thought, possibly this Indian is only peeping about for mere curiosity. " 'Don'tshoot!' sneered Luth 'Then shoot, yourself, and bo quirk! Why, Marin, don't you see that 'tin a tremendous serpent?' "Before his words were articulated, the creature's head was thrust in at the little window, darkening it. With that we both raised our pieces and 11red, and then by mu­ tual »inp<ilw ran around th«» engine to the forward end of the boat. Sackett was trying to light, his lantern; while the two gauchos, crying out, 'Culebra! culebragrande!' (snake! big snake !> threw down one of the shutters, and jumping into the water, waded ashore, followed by Lngar. the cook. "Indeed, we wen; not a little inclined to do the same t lung, for from the racket aft , it was evident that the reptile was aboard us, and tnmbling about among our bunks, and whether our shots had disabled it, we could only Hiirniise. It was thrashing around, and its tail hanged against the engine repeatedly. "At length Sackett got hislantera burning, and putting that on the end of a pike-pole, we thrust the light back toward the engine, to discern, if possible, where the snake lay, and get another shot at it. "For some moments we peered about, ven­ turing back a little way. but failed to get sijrht of it, thongh we still heard it moving. Suddenly Sackett yelled lhat it was crawling under the mess table, right beside us! Be­ fore we could back off, its head rose, all bloody from the shot we had fired at it, be­ hind the table, and its jaws snapped close to our faces! Q^'Luth and Sackettwhostood astephehind me. promptly leaped backwurds, and disap­ peared through the aperture which the gau- choshad made by removing the side shutter; and 1, obeying my first impulse of horror, sprang aft , around the engine. "Sackett had dropped his lantern, and the only light now on board was the dim moon­ light. that came in at theshutter hole forward and the little window through which the ser­ pent hud ereptin. I could hear the ophidian's long body moving slowly, and judged that itsheud was coming toward ine. " I would have given almost any price for a light just then! A horrid odor fliieii the airl Outside, Sackett and l.uth were shout­ ing to tn<> to come ashore; bu t for the life of me I durst not stir uow, nor answer them, lest the serpent might, strike at the sound of ray voice. I wondered whether snakes could nee in the dark! "Suddenly I heard its jaws snap again, on the port side of the engine--the very plftce where I had supposed its tail was! anu mak­ ing a frenzied jump, dnshed out forward and landed in t he tnntj and water. "•Are you bitten?' Luth cried out. He and Sackett then assisted me up the bank. "The reptile still continued tocrawlaround inside our deck house; and after listening'to fktare of the Chaco which, lie confidently pre- its movements for a while, we determined to i, is destined not long hence to become kindle a fire and secure a little light on this Hps throbbed with fright nharnc, Her pillowed head she closely hid ^ BH> said, "I don't believe lie came!" 8h« sighed, "Oh, dear--suppose he did!** --CSt. Nichttta®. A CHRISTMAS EVE VISITOR. ETWERN tha )**' allels of t wenty and twenty-seven de- greessou l.h latitude, territory nominally embraced wit hin the boundaries of the Argentine Republic and Bolivia, lies the Gran Chaco (Groat VUtnwn) whieh^ is probably, at pres- «Bt, the least known regioli of its size <HM earth's surface. Nor'is it a desert tnet, aa the reader might, at first conjecture, bat, on the contrary, well watered, remarka- %|y fertile, and rich in natural resources. That so broad an extent of country, com­ prising not less than three hundred thousand Iff"IIHI .IliiIII11 • should have remained unvisited aad oaknown for so long a t ime in ;!»« een- <•1 j of travel is due in part to its giMj^raplii- f«i position, but chiefly to the hostility of the ladian tribes that inhabit it. As indicative of the climate and general character of the region, it is worthy of note, that the Indians of the Chaco are of fine ••jniqnr warlike, and remarkable for their longevity. Thna far these savages liavesuc- "ly resisted the approaches of white ex- and travelers. Chaco is believed to be a paradise of and of wild honey, lor no less tlian varieties of wild bees have been found I flowery gtades. Deer, tapirs, eap.vharas, rpeccaries abound, also the armadillo, eattJe, wild horses, and the jaguar. The Mfitfle family is also well represented, as is •himII by the following adventure related by Mr. Wilbeim B. Marin, a young gentleman Who spent several months last season explor- llRfht course of the River Pilcomayo: Mr. Martin is an enthusiastic believer in the Ah! if my graceless nephew were only like him! Bnt Oaptain Llndsaj ts a gwitwuiwai and a soldier." "1 hope, papa, my cousin has done nothing to forfeit, his claim to the title of gentleman; ' and for the first time there was a touch of irritation in the girl's voice, "ftnd then 1 don't suppose that every man who wears « soldier's uniform is necessarily a soldier. When the Scots Guards went to face Arab spears in the Soudan, Captain Lindsay found it convenient to obtain a staff appointment, and remain to play the carpet warrior in Mayfair drawing-rooms. Trust me, if t'ousin Tom had worn a scarlet, jacket,, then a soldier's heart would throb beneath it." ' Hoity toity! Miss Vaughan, but you are an eloquent advocate for a scamp." "No, papa, but a woman's instincts must always rebel against the injustice of abasing a man when he cannot defend himself." "Like all women, Miss Lucy, you are illog­ ical. In the very breath with which you cry out against, injustice being done your worth­ less cousin, you are bitterly unjust to a bet­ ter man. But you may find his letter inter­ esting since he frankly tells me that he loves you, and asks my permission to speak to you on the subject; and seriously, dear child, there is no man to whom I would more wil­ lingly accord that permission. Well, Jane, what is it?" To the maid who entered the room. "The'Standard,'eh? Hello! what's this about Mr. Vincent, the artist?" he ex­ claimed, as he opened his favorite sheet. His daughter arose with a troubled look on her face as he begun to read the following double- leaded head lines: "Fatal accident on the Thames. An ex­ cursion steamboat sunk near Wolwich. Cow­ ardly conduct of the crew and male passen­ gers. Heroism of Mr. Vincent, the well-known artist. Helping to save the women and children, and standing alone by the captain while the vessel, sinks. Lucy, my child, my child." V For Lacy had fatten in ft heap at the old man's feet. . . . . tlwGandea State of South America. His ex ytoiatiaa waa effected by means of si small l--ach which he shipped to South hia sections, and set up at Asuncion, Paraguay Hirer, near its confluence Fftooaiayo. Both the Pilcomayo •anaejo are luge rivers, not less ..it hoadred or a^kousand miles in winch flowdownout of the Chaco and h the Paraguay and the Parana to fima the Rio de la Plata. The8tan!ey, as Mr. Martin named histittle •laaiiiM. ia honor of the great African ex- •larar whose deeds he would emulate in the SMth American continent, was a well-ap- aainttd little craft, but only about thirty •set ia length by eight fi*t tieam. To serve as at4M$hce if attacked, and to furnish a dor- aritory by night., an awning covered with •haet-iroa and white-wasliiHl was carried over the entire length of the deck, t he smoke stack •leae rieing through it. Wide shutters of aUtB iron closed in the sides, so that, the en- tin dctek could be converted into a single, iMg room, at will. By aight this snfRced admirably to keep Wft hoth wild beasts--when the little crnrt WW mooted to the bank--and hostile natives. Mwthlng could get aboard, save perhaps at the am all, hinging windows, one or two of *Aich were generally left open for ventila- Hoa. This odd deck house worked so well, that <he voyagen did not often feel it. necessary %> do gaard duty by night, being assured *hat the aoiae of an at t ack outside their irpn «uirid would rouse them in time to repel the •auMlauta. Theeogine waa constructed to burn wood •iaatead of coal. The party and crew consis- Mof Mr. Marin and a fellow-explorer, • i|r. •C. P. Luth, an American engineer, hired in Boeooa Ayrvs, whose name was Sacket. a '^QOkcalled Logur, and two gauchos of the «o«rboy stamp, natives of Rosario in the Ar- (•te country. These latter were wood- «it( ir», firemen, and meu of all work to the Thalattnch left Asuncion on the second day ••f December, which in the Southern hemis- j^treyCorresponds to June with us. On tii<i -4aybefoif Christmas, after various expert* i, jthe party reached t he foot of what Mr* a terms the Third Hapids of the I'ilco* *aMyo, which, however, the water l>eing sla<'k, Ihe little "raft was able to suriuonnt, by the >4M of a line and an improviiied windlass, for •ijkfcw hundred feet of the mo«t rapid current . .! The day before Christmas was thus cin- ••oyed; and late that eveniug they tied up in •e shadow of some lofty mauauma nut- tlwwj, to the bank_above the rapids, all being '•Inch fatigued from the hard labor. ?;The eight was warm and there was n bright oioon, the silvery radiance from which through the foliage of the branches of the at tree which projected out over the water. Indians had shown themselves during the iy,&od after a hearty meal the tired explor- " turned in. their arms, as usual, being set Jy for instant use both fore und aft. J *'We soon fell sound asleep." Mr. Marin re- •IfStes, '"into that overpowering slumber which <#©ases from heavy toil, and^vill hold a per- st|on in its embrace for teii hours without But not long after midnight. I a as goosed by an indefinite kind of noue which I "4jt first thought was made by the wind caus- tt branch to scrape the top of our iron ••over. _ " I w a s a b o u t d o s i n g o f f a g a i n , w h e n a r o n - 4*nerable bump, as of something falling on ij»u.|d overhead, set me broad awake. , jf "My companions did not waken, however. # thought that it mifjht l»e some small, wild •fi^uuia! that, hud either fallen or leu|>edout of *fce branches which overhuug the boat, and «?. lay still, listening, for Some moments, *_!H..!l:g. too. ^vhat .hi odd Christ mus eve it and how different from anything I bad previously experienced. dark and scaly subject. The gauchos were afraid to go out far to colh'Ct. fire-wood, lest, as they said, the mate of the serpent mi^ht be in the vicinity. Enough was gathered up, however, to kijidle a considerable l«>nftro, by the light of which we approached our little steamer again and finally l«»arded her, gtan in band, in search of the snake. "A portion of its mottled body was then espied lying diagonally across the deck, just in front of the engine toiler. By way of stir­ ring up the creature, Luth fired a load of heavy shot into it, at which it squirmed slightly and crawled slowly for a few feet, but soon came to a standstill again. " 'He's about done for, said Sackett; and taking one of the pike poles which hud also a hook with the pike, lie went forward and struck it into the reptile's hard, shining car­ cass. Again it writhed a little; then all three of ns took hold of the pole aud thus were able to haul it out. " It appeared that onrfirst shotshad fairfy riddled its neck and head--otherwise ire might have had much more trouble in dis­ posing of the brute; for it was truly nr. ugly reptile to encounter. The thickest portion of its body WJIS almost as large as the thigh of an adult tnan; and 1 muy compare its flat­ tened head to a good sized water pitcher of three quarts capacity. It. was nearly twenty- four feet. long. " It was w hat the gauchos called asnenria- ba. or water boa, nnd it is said to be noctur­ nal in its habits. 1 suppose thnt. it had swung itself down upon the launch from the large nut-trees on the bank. "Our deck had been most shockingly de­ filed with its blood; hut the blood was mnch more easily removed than was the peculiar, disgusting odor which seemed to emanate from its carcass, and for a long time resisted the action of our chlorides. . "Alter that night'sadventure, we took the precaution to affix u net of tarred line to the outaid* of Our open window lights."' "The last day of t.hVdying year"nd, witli to-morrow, I, T. Vincent, shall begin to write a worthier chapter in a heretofore wasted life." The artist was stretched at full length on a sofa in Colonel Vaughan's library. Hie hands were clasped across lus forehead and hiseyes were closed as he gave audible ex­ pression to his thoughts, a habit he indulged in at times when alone. "That apocryphal prison-house they have modernized into Sheol is paved with good intentions it is said; boit, if it were only for Lucy's sake, there must be no mistake about my reformation. To think, she should have said 'No' to that military ex­ quisite Lindsay for a poor devil like me; and most girls are liable to be caught by the glit­ tering trappings of a guardsman." s The musical ripple of suppressed laughter disturbed his meditations und, opening hie eyes, he jumped to his feet "Lucy, is it you? Do not stir for a moment," and the look of admiration that flashed from his eyes was an honest flattery that touched her. She waa indeed a very pretty picture. Standing in the open French window, the dark walnnt casement forming a fitting frame to the Jfraceful figure, clad in a dark blue riding lubit, while the glory of a winter sunset fell caressingly around the pale beaaty of that pure face. "Well, sir, do you want to take my por­ trait?" she asked as she stopped into the room. "I've tried a hundred times and failed. -1 can dt-aw a likeness indifferently Hkp you, I suppose. I can even catch the delicate curve of that, matchless mouth, but I cannot paint your eyes, Lucy. Their every vurying ex­ pression and changing color are beyond my poor skill. They are blue, are they not, Lucy? And yet they looked almost black a moment )Uaht vots « of *-our f^yorlts ago. flowers, Tom. she said as he gently drew her to a seat beside him. " Yes, primroses in mid­ winter. 1 rode over to Chudleigh Manor, since that dear old Mrs. Challoner, who, like papa, is a sensible Tory, has t hem in her con­ servatory nil the year strand, for the prim­ rose, aa all England knows, was Disraeli's fit-. A CHRISTMAS EARTHQUAKE. • We little thought that, when those years were ovefc.«l)M» M4..W* to a remote Spanish nl^Jw¥e^,ire fame dnr liome for many yeawfc . A|i teceaAer eame <oa, 'cold winds wootd blow-*wiada tkrt eeeuied to pierce to the very marrow of your bones. Strangely attired figtiretf, with tassels hang­ ing abouv rhem, theatrical hats, very white stockings, and canon sandals, would appear in the doorway and offitr. itienn meats for sale--a little wjggs Jgoar, ft. hid, birds with pretty plumage, wnieh It seemed a shame to eat, turron, batatas from Malaga, honey from the Sierra, and what not. We were sit­ ting down to dinner one Christmas night, a large pnr^y, when suddenly a load rumbling was hea rd, as if scores of wagons were rolling down the distant strfef-t. Then the table rocked to &nd flro,onr chairs were shaken vio lent.ly. the floor trembled under our feet, nnd we knew, all too surely, that, a terrible earth­ quake had taken place, All rushed out into the courtyard and waited,but only the screams of those outside broke the silence. We went back and ate Our dinner with what appetite we had, and no sooner had we seat­ ed ourselves in the drawing-room than the scene was repeated, though with less intensi­ ty. No one but the children slept that night. The vibration was incessant, and about every hour or two. the earthquake was repeated. Bu* little damage was done to our town, though, its all the world knows, in the adja- cant provinces of Granada and Malaga hun­ dreds of victims died that, night, while towns and villages lay in ruins. For months after­ wards the shocks continued, and we always slept with our doom slightly ajar, and warm clothing and slippers ready at hand, should it be necessary to rush down to the court­ yard. Some of the Spaniards were so terrified that they slept out of doors in their carriages, while others had wooden sheds, one story high, built outside the town. Of all our Christ­ mas Days--and they, alas 1 are many--this last is the one of which we like least to think. Sir* TURKISH TRAGEDY, 1 It was upon a Christmas Eve •' '• { ^" When thoughts are pure and sweet, I read aud smoked and watchcd the fire Bright, burning at my feet; When in there stalked a monstrouSbird, And strangely me did greet. Be spread his tail and curved his BCCk, And made an awful roar ! , Such wattles red, such gleaming e$M ' I never saw before; - • ' Then sounded like a great, biggua^ j Why, I could swear he uwore! < He hit me with his powerful wing;?®1' 3 He pecked mc with his beak. He jumped upon my lap and tried To scra tch me on the cheek; • He treated me as no Turk should . A Christian mild and meek. ; - * Bnt when he vowed that I sltotildw ' i His dinner on the morrow. That he would roast me, served with all The berries he could borrow, And ask in all the other fowls-- - He filled my heart with sorrow, 'r- Then up I rose and grabbed that Turk, That Christmas bird gu|ore, And swung him thrice around myltead And fired him through the door, Said I: "You shall not strut (ft me And gobble any more!" Bnt when, next morn, I ope'd the dopr And to my office hied, . •'->* There lay a man; the bird I threw Vsjr Had hit him in the side, Who so despaired to eatch his brimfe * ; He 'aid him down and died. ; v ' . Alack, that T should ever see .jilx / So fateful a December! . ,v;£i Am 1 a murderer gazing n<fj^ Upon yon dying ember? No. my landlady gave me IttSfir ' ** 1: TO-night, as 1 remember! : -Shortly after, i heard a curious interatt- ttawt rustle and stir of the trees, which 1 knew --Id BOt be due to the wind; vet it sounded «• though ope or more large branches were •waying heavily. That a puma was in the tsedope over us. was my first surmise; and •Mill!, quietly from my bunk, I took up my 4pm and then peeped cautiously out at the j«tadow4ight which was swung' half back, to isrihait air. But i could distinguish nothing, MOW HE WON HE #*>w1 on Col­ onel Denton Vaughan's brow was portentous of a gathering storm as he loi­ tered the break­ fast-room with two open letters iahishand. The fair young Sax­ on beauty, who was waiting to pour out histett, glanced anx­ iously in hisfaee hs she kissed his cheek, and it was with a querulousness unus­ ual in the bluff old soldier that lie said. "Good morning.child; Rood morning " Nor was the Colonel's appetite t lie best that morning, and after a very lew minute* bep<t^ed hie plate aside and said abruptly : "Lucy." ; " Yes. papa." ^ ' • ' "Tom Vincent is an infernal scamp." " Poor cousin Tom." the girl almost sighed, • what has he been doing now?" f "Going to the devil headlong." snapped irate colonel. "The boos companion of a crowd of Bohemian blackguards, who call themselves men of geniuB. Genius, faugh! it is the synonym for everything that's disrep­ utable Here is this scamp, wlioshould have been a man and a soldier, sending his days in low taverns and the green-rooms of fourth- class theatres, when he isn't daubing canvas in an East-end attic." "Oh. papa, howcanyou say that when they have hung his last picture in the Acudemy this season ?"' '*> "See here. Lucy, since the fellow was the height of my knee you women folks have been doing your best to spoil him. His poor mother began it. of course, and 1 never knew mother's pet yet who didu't turn out neVr-do-tvell." " Yet that mother was your only sister .and for her sake, papa, you should think more charitably of Cousin Tom. He may be a lit­ tle foolish aud reckless, but listen to this Upe from Tennyson's later Locksley Hall: Nor is he the wisest man who pever proved himself a foolt "And, papa, when Tom marries, perhaps "When he marries--when Tom Vincent marries! Well, if there be a woman in this wide world, outside the walls of a lunatic asy­ lum, who would trust her happiness to his keeping, may the good Lord pity her. But I want, to forget his very existence. Here is a letter from Captain Lindsay. He accepts my invitation for two or three days* shoot- ower. ihrflllo you know, Tom, thait the dear old lady will never forgive you; not that you are a Radical or something dread­ ful in politics, but she once heard you describe her idol as a brilliant chnrlutun. And now, sir j you can have the bouquet, if yoU give me just one glance at your picture. " Presently, when your father returns. I've put the finishing touches on it this morning and decided oil a title. 'Good-by, Sweet­ heart, Good-by.' How docs S.hat strike you? But you will judge of its appropriateness when yon see the picture." An hour later a little grotip assembled in the upper-room, which Vincent had converted into a studio. " Well, sir," said the colonel, " we are ready to judge your work, and, lucky for you, we are not a hypocritical audience." A semi-darkened conservatory, rich in its subdued coloring of tropical plants and rare exotics; a half-opened door, revealing a glimpse of a brilliant ly lighted ball-room be­ yond. and. in the foreground, the portrait of an officer in the uniform of the Welsh fusi- leers, holding in his embrace the white-draped figure of a fair young girl. "Oh! Miss Lucy," whispered that young lady's maid, "if he haint gone and painted your picture in that old-fashioned gown." "Well, I'm bio wed. your honor." exclaimed the butler, who was the Colonel's servant in his soldiering days, "if that ere gent in uni­ form isn't your honor to the life as you looked that night before we started for1 the Crimea, and that sweet-faced lady in the picture is surely Miss Lucy, as she stood in her ball dress on the door-steps of that house down iu Devonshire a-bidding you fare­ well." The Colonel was still gazing intently at the picture, when after some few minutes' silence, lie spoke: "I suppose this is what you fel­ lows call the test of genius. A power to sum­ mon memories of u vanished long ago. and bring the tears into a rough old soldiera eyes." j "I hope yon like the picture, sir," tt» THE MISTLETOE BOUGH. The highly seasonable and not altogether unpleasant pastime of kissing under the mis­ tletoe is probably a genuine relic of Scandi­ navian mythology. And, after all, perhaps Ve ought to speak a decisive word in its favor, being as it is, a lively and capital set­ off to the pnntomines which are tragedies, and to the time of the year when inventive faculties are at their lowest ebb. Ancient as is the mistletoe, a very remark­ able circumstance in connection with it is the olbscurity with which its first employment as a Christmas evergreen is involved. Very few, it any, allusions are to be found referring to the mistletoe at an earlier date than thoseven- tfenth century. SUakc9|»ear»> (in "Titus An- drontcus," it.,3, 95) only refcislo it once,and then disparagingly: . The trees, though summer, yet forlorn and lean, .. . O'ercome with moss and baleful mistletoe. Tus8er, writing hi the latter part of the sixteenth century, has the following: If tsnowe do continue, slieepe hardly that fare, CraVe mistle and ivie for them for to spare. About, a century after Tnsser, Coles, in his "Knowledge of Plants," alludes to the mistletoe us being "carried many miles to set up in houses about Christmas time, when it is adorned with a white glistening berry." Herrick ("Hesperides," Ji.) alludes, td it in connection with other.seasonable shrube, thus: •' Down with the rosemary, and so Down with the bales and mistletoe; Down with the holly, ivie, all Wherewith yo dressed the Christmas hall.'l The same delightful writer has another allu­ sion in "Ceremonies for Candlemas Eve," which may be quoted as having immediate relation to the foregoing: "Down with the rosemary and bayes, Down witli the mistletoe; Instead of holly, now tin-raise The greener box for show." artist mud, when the servants leftJ.be roonl, "for it Is intended as a New Years gift f<* yourself. "Do you mean it, Tom? Well, I shall disparage your talents again. Oaly I say, Tom, that when Nature made Vott genius, by the lord Harry! she spoiled, splendid light dragoon." " Uncle, when 1 painted that pleture, Lucy here was my one and only inspiration, for I hoped when it was finished and accepted by yon, her hand--the hand yon see her place, jn mine--would l»e my sweet reward." .V; J.- " Why, you infernal young reprobate, do you mean to say that " • • "I love your daughter, sir," Tom Vincent said very quietly. " Is this a conspiracy concocted and carried out beneath my own roof; and what h«s Miss Modesty to say to it ?" "That there is at least one girl in this wide world, outside the walls of a lunatic psylufn, who does not fear to trust her happiness to Cousin Tom's keeping." "So, youth will be self-willed," said the colon»l in a softened voice, "and since Miss Lucy has upset. all my calculations for her happiness. 1 suppose, Tom Vincent, 1 must forgive you for the way in which you won my daughter on this New Year's Eve." THE BE§T THINGS IN LIFE, Some of the best thfnjjs in life can be stored up only by the generosity which gives, ask- ing for nothing again. Such are warm af­ fections, kind feelings, benevolent disposi­ tions. Every service willingly rendered, every help gladly given, every effort to encourage the disheartened, to teach the ignorant, to lift the fallen, not only perform their intend­ ed work but even more surely react upon the doer, they jpay or may not. bring*him the love, respect and gratitude of those he be­ friends. but they Will infallibly bring bright­ ness and ' sweetness into hi* own heart, in­ creasing his desire und strengthening his power to do good, and storing up within him those dispositions which cannot fail' to bless nim while enabling him tp bless others. THE OLD MAN'S PRESENTS. Paterfamilias says they exchange presents in his home, and it is in this i?ay: He gives his wife a pair of diamond ear-rings, and she presents liim a pair of hand painted suspen­ ders. His gift to his daughter is a gold watch, and hers to hiin is a pair of embroid­ ered slippers. He leaves a check for f 100 on hisson s plate, and under his own he finds a collar-button. He says, however, they never esteem the giver by the value of the gift at his house, \ and thai they always pity him " bills on New IN THE BIG CITY 'Twas the night before Christmas, all over . the'flat j Every creature was stirring, including the cat, . , , .. ..j The sofas were littered, with bandies and boos, With dolls dressed, in satins, *nd others in . rags, Drums, trumpets and NoahVarks, kitchens ,. and stoves, , , While squeaking dogi| squeaked on their stands on all four*. Aunt Susan was fixing the tree to her mind, Sister Molly's young man was so helpful and , kind. ! ' Mamma sat directing. l)er mouth fnll of pi no, While papa stood around like a fish without fins. Dear Bobby and Johnny and Baby and Ned, Each dreamed of the morning, tucked up in , his bed. WELCOMING NEW YEAR'S. On New Year's Day hare feasts been heltJ by Chrinttaa, Pagan or wfaat not, so far as the chronicles of mea go back. Time was when the Romans gave gift* to their senators on the opening day of the year, and the day has been celebrated with more ceremony than Christmas, even in Christian lands. Christmas, as it is now knowu, a general feasting and gift-giving day, is a comparatively modern institution, udopted from the Germans, who still preserve it as their chief holiday. Indeed, while the rest of the population of this country are making preparations for the celebration of New Year's Day, German citi­ zens are taking down tho Christmas tree which has been brilliantly illuminated, and upon which admiring children have gazed fondly for a week. After Ctesar conquered Britian, forty-five years before the birth of Christ, the Romans carried their custom of celebrating the en­ trance of Janus with pifb-giving and festivals. Dates, figs covered with gold leaf and a small ?iece of money, formed "appropriate" New- ear's gifts. The Druids of Britain adopted the Roman custom, and gave branches of mistletoe cut with a golden knife in thesacred forests. Edward VI. was pleased to receive an orange stuck full of cloves, and the reformer, Latimer sent to Henry VIII., for a New- Year's gift, a New Testament, with the leaf t urned down at Hebrews xiii., which the lusty monarch of seven wives did not relish. James I. once received a canteen on which was engraved the sun, moon, stars and jlancts, said to have been the work of David the Scottish king, while confined as a prisoner in Nottingham Castle. Jan. 1,1859, Sir Francis Drake gave Queen Elizabeth a "fanue of feathers white and redde, the handle of golde, inameled with a halt moone of mothfer of pearles, within that a half moone garnished with sparkes of dia- mondes, having a picture of Her Majesty withiuit." . Health, my lord king,""the Sweet Rowena said; Health!" cried the chieftain to the Saxon maid; TKen gayly rose, and. 'mid the concourse wide Kissed her pale lips and placed her by his side. At the toft scene, such gentle thoughts abound, That healths and kisses 'mongst the guests went round. From this the social custom took its rise; We still retain, and still must keep the pros. , DELUDED SPOONS. " "And what shall I get my little girly-girl for Christmas?" he asked, stealing one arm around the little girly-girl's waist and other­ wise misbehaving himself. "Oh, anything, George," she whispered, any simple little gift, coming from you. would be precious to me." "My darling!" he gasped, with both arms now in use, "I wish that I might lay all the jewels and beautiful things of the world at your feet; the gift then would be small." And when he went out into the night she softly murmured: Well, I think 111 get *-diamond pin if nothing else." And he--? "Well," he said on his way"home, "I think one of the foliar ac. half picture cards or a box of bon-bons will let me out there; she's the kind of a girl to have." "*J IUTIWIWOB iwr vwo or mree aaya snonr,- . -I-* ui. lag down ben, and will arrive to-morrow, j W'. Day. EVERYBODY CELEBRATES IT. There is a charm in Christmas. We hove all read of the old miser.. Scrooge, who was carried by three spirits on Christmas Day, as oil the wings of the wind, and in all the strange t ransit the influence of the day was seen and heard. Not only on the streets of pomp and pride, but. in the nurrow: huts on bleak moors, up and down in the mean, cold tenement houses, there was a glow nnd heart of sang. Among men digging and delving in the pit, to force from old mother earth her riches, men transformed into the active pick, axe and spade, was a new breath­ ing, a day as the days of other men. On shipboard, as the bark sped on the black nnd heaving sea, a Christmas tune wat hummed, and every man on board, good oi bad, had a kinder word and a kinder look foi his fellows. And even in a solitary light­ house, "built upon a dismal reef o*f snuker rocks, some leagues or so from shore, or which the waters chafed and dnshed the wild year through," the solitary watchers, joining : their horny hands over the rough table, i wiihed each other a merry Christmas. Bnt the star that shines in Bethlehem - Shines still, and shall not cease; And we listen still to the tidings. Of glory and of peace, r ;• --[Adelaide Prootor. Christmas comes! he comes, he comes Ushered with a rain of plums. . : ' 1 Hollies in the windows greet him; . , Schools come driving home to meet hlfB; Every mouth delights to name him; < • Wet nnd cold, and wind and dark, . , Make him but a warmer mark. ' -Leigh Httt& t A JOYOUS CHRISTMAS. "I don't suppose they make as much of Christmas out West as we do here in the East, do they?" asked an Eastern tourist of a Deadwoojfl girl. "Oh, mercy, yes I" was the enthusiastic re- >ly. "Why, I've known my pa and my jrother Dock to win as many as twenty-nine pigeons and ten turkeys at one shooting match, to suy nothing of going to two lynch- ings in the evening. We always lay ourselves out for a Jolly good time, Christmas, u Wf ; ;--; <r -s • f The poor will many a care forget, 'The debtor think not of his debt, But. as they each enjoy their cheeri Wish it were Christmas all the yeaj --[Thomas Gift giving still prevails In France, but in England nnd America, despite the dictum of Fashion, New Year's I)ay is devoted to call­ ing and social festivities. The present custom of colling by gentlemen upon ladies liegan by the setting out at can- dle-light of six men together. They called and sang convivial songs, iu which they demand­ ed that if their friends loved them they show it by giving them to drink. This soon de­ generated into a begging scheme, and to this day boys are particularly importunate in their requests for gifts, so that "A happy New Year, sir!" is hardly more thau a beg. gar's plea.- ; With gentle deeds and kindly though | And loving words withal, ' Welcome the merry Christmas in ; And hear a mother's call. \ --[F. Lawreaos. A FRIEND IN NEED. Time,Christmas Eve--Patriarchal Tramp- Hush! Not a word! Don't you know me, little boy? Why, I'm dear old Santa Claus. and I'm kinder cold. Just hand me out them two overcoats in there and I'll fetch 'em back when I bring your Christmus tree to-night. TRIAL OF SANTA CLAUS. I've heard thnt there lias been a vote, The question. Is he fit. to live? Some voted yes I Tho others, No I The latter freely I forgive. I do not know what I have done That I should now be treated so; I've been their friend, their fathers' Aud fathers' fathers', long ugO. If 1 must die, my dearest, friends, One favor only will Ixitk: Fill all those little stockings full, 'Twill be for you a loving task. If I should see on Christmas morn 1 . Some little one from, all apart, With empty stockings iu her hand, Grieving aloue, 'twould break my hearfu Look! look! at that vast, surging crowd Of children. All are shouting, a veI Thank God! their little hearts are true; Old "Santa Claus is not to die." Anna was making Christmas presents "Oh, dear, this don't look nice!" said she Little Helen, looking on, remarked, in a syn* pathizing tone: "Oh, well, aunt,ievyon can givo it to some body who is uear-siglitcd." Rejoice, our Snvior he was bom Oa^hristmas Day. in the morning., --[Washington Irving. Aunt Matilda--I dew declare them false teeth Mary give me for Christmas is at least a size to small. That's what comes o' trying to surprise folks with presents. Susan Maria--It's too bad, bnt. Annt Ma­ tilda, I wouldn't look gift teeth in the mouth. The bupftmtion o inr« .. The New Ta«t»men!> in fact, is the 4iz^ inapimiloa of t&e new Christmas literature, as It was of the old, bnt in a far wider, higher, and more luminous sense, with implications infinitely mpre significant* This literature does not mock at gifts and alms for the holiday season or any other, but it warns us that they are provisional merely, expe- diential, temporary, and that the prac­ tice of charity in this form is not incon­ sistent with the hardest selfishness. "rIt appeals to no sentimental impulse, but confronts its readers with themselves, and with the problem which it grows less and less easy to shirk. Turkeys to the turkeyless, with oelery and cran­ berries galore, and nourishing wines to the sick-- yes, them are well, and very well; but ineffably better it is to take thought somehow in our social, our political, system to prevent some future year, decade, century, the destitution which he now relieve. This is what the new Christmas literature says to us, beginning with Lyof Tolstoi, that voice of one crying in the wilderness. The whole of his testimony is against the system by which a few men win wealth and miserably waste it in idle­ ness and luxury, and the vast mass of men are over-worked and underfed. lArom the volume called What to Do, dealing with the poor of Moscow, to tho latest utterance from his seculsion-- which he calls Life, and in which he rises to the question of how a man shall save his soul--be bears perpetual wit­ ness against the life that Christendom •io now living--the life that seeks the phantom of personal happine*3, and ig­ nores the fact that there is and can be no happiness but in the sacrifice of self for others. Whatever we may say of hip o>«mnlfl w; nor\*int. rlony fKat Kit* in­ fluence is increasingly vast, and that multitudes hear him who will never fol­ low him to the work of the fields. His audience is, rather oddly, made up as yet chiefly of cultivated people, who have been surprised into the attitude of listening by the spectacle of a man, noble, rich, brilliant, like Tolstoi, re­ nouncing their world as of no worth. They hear with heartache and trouble of mind, and many think it is a new prophet come to rebuke them; but Tolstoi himself constantly reminds them that it is Christ who has spoken the truth he tells, and bids them hear Him. Christ and the life of Christ is at this moment inspiring the literature of the wofld as never before, and raising it up a witness against waste and want and war. It may confess Him, as in Tols­ toi's work it does, or it may deny Him, but it cannot exclude Him; and in the degree that it ignores His spirit, modern literature is artistically inferior. In other words, all good literature is now Christmas literature The old heathen­ ish axiom of art for art's sake is dead as great Pan hixnaslf. and the best art now tends to be art for humanity's sake. It does this sometimes unconsciously,and would be defiant of the supposition that it was working with an ethical purpose; but there is nothing so sanative as truth, and the literature that shows human na­ ture as human wilfulness and error have made it is fulfilling a "mission" to men's souls, in spite of all theories and pro­ fessions to the contrary. Yet the inter­ esting and consoling fact about so many masters of our time is that they are conscious of a duty to man in their work, and they do it with a sense that it does not begin and end in themselves; that even art does not compass it all, and that to amuse or thrill their readers is no longer enough.--IF. D. in Harper's Magazine. , . 4 Lncky and Unluckyi "* What men are fond of calling luck is frequently dependent, not so much upon chance occurrences as upon their own actions. The Spectator has a few sensi­ ble remarks on the subject. It says: "One of the unluckiest men we have ever known was even conscious of his ill luck, and declared that, somehow or another, the off-chance always hit him. It was partlv true; but the intimate friends who knew amd loved him under­ stood well that there was in him this awkwardness, this redundancy of angles presented to fate, in a very high degree, that, being at once a good man, a thoughtful man, and a highly cultivated one, he always in critical moments con­ trived to do precisely the wrong thing. This capability of being incapable* is by no means unusual, and the first Koths- child was probably right from his point of view when lie said that he never would employ an unlucky man. On the other hand, the lucky man is usually the man who fits his fortunes, who, whether apparently able or stupid, can do just what his especial circumstances require Mm to do. Very stupid men are often ready men, armed with a readiness as of dogs when they twist from under a cartwheel unhurt The 'fool who makes a fortune' is usually a man with just the foresight, or the judgment, or the intuitive perception of the way things are going--a faculty like long sight of keen hearing and inde­ pendent of intellectual power--requisite to make large profits quicklv. In fact, the fortunate man is usually the man who, in consequence of some hidden quality in his nature, deserves fortune. Nevertheless, there is* a residuum of true personal good or ill luck of men to whom things happen so unusual, and so little explicable by their acts or any­ thing that either is or can be in them­ selves, that the world, despairing of in­ terpretation, considers them either thp favorite* or the victims of fortune.* ,.j- Hew Probabilities. When you see a man going home at 3 o'clock ia the morning, and his wife ia waiting for him, it will probablj turn out stormy. When a man reoeives a bill for gooch his wife has bought unknown to him, look out for thunder and lightning. When a man goes home and finds no- supper ready, the fire onfc,. and wife visiting the neighbors, it ia likely to be eloudy. . When a man promises to take his wife to a party and changes bis mind after she is dressed, you may expect a shower. When a man saves his cigar money to buy his wife a new bonnet and the chil­ dren new shoes, it indicates t spell of sunshine. When a man dies and leaves a nioe widow with plenty of money, and yon see her walking out with the executor on Sunday afternoons, a change is immi­ nent. ' SHB had been hanging about |h<vli- brary for some time, but seemed timid about going up to the desk and making known her wants. Finally; when the room was cleared of applicants for a moment, she sidled up and whispered to the librarian: 44 Say !have you got 'Po- Essay on Man?\--Burlington J Press. * TH® Japanese propose to ereot a HMD* went te Gen. Grant at Toklo. * ? //*< •' A ensATTHttKa monkey--A harttnga*- outang. IT ia considered vwrr bad .form for ballet girls to pad VMVwkly. ALTHOUGH IM* Mkatttv at all the oyster is a plwnl ---npanrTi at dinner. . A Yotmo lady who mfiisia to w-- w beau is very ungrateful; ska much she waa " was a baby. ONE objection to the entrance of wo- men into politics is the&ottliat, in nail­ ing a lie, they would be always smash­ ing their thumbs ' -Bosfcm Transcript "DBJ he have organie trouble "Yis, sorr. The hythin dagoa al^fad *Swate Violets' under the vudvirn mornin/ an' I believe they hilpea f Idol him."--- New York Evening 8tm. AKHIIII gooduamlbL A kiss ia as good m • smUt Bat four pointed kiags Are th* beaatifal things ' Tbst mn good for th® othsr nun's pit*. . ; CANINE fail dress: Sport--I sa^'S' dog m full dress to-day. Claybrain-- For goodness sake, when is a dog in fnll dress ? Sport--When he b«y» on hts- eollar and pants. --T>rakjt Magazine/^ "PA," said Johnny to Ids father, who was an estate agent, "why does the earthquake?" And his hskm replied, "On account of the size of the gronad rents, my bqj.n--London Tidr Biis. "I SAW a cool deed this morning," re­ marked Fang-le at tha supper table. "What was it?" asked his wife with deep interest. "The title to an ice- bouae," replied the wretch.--Exchange. CUSTOMER (to head waiter)--Here, sir, this clumsy fellow hw spilled over half of my cup of tea down my back. Head Water (to clumsy waiter, sternly) --Bring this gentleman a full cup of tea instantly.--New York Sim. ^, ETHEL--Mamma, is it proper for ma to sign my letter "your obedient serv- f ant? Mamma--It would be in En­ gland, child, but here in America the $ obedient servant is merely a myth and a memory.--Terre Haute Express. f NED (at the club)--Where's Tom ? Ha is generally here at this time. Fred-- Tom will be away for some days. He bought a bicycle yesterday. Then h» ̂ thought it would be "such a pleasure to % be able to ride." Now he writes that'it i would be "such a pleasure to be able to walk." • | MAGISTRATE (absent-mindedly' to 1 prisoner)--Stand upl You hereby sol­ emnly declare, in the presence of these witnesses, that you will love, cherish, Sj and protect this woman untill death do 4 you part? Psisoner badly frightened-- s Wlia-what's that, your honor? Magis- jj trate (rousing himself)--Oh, I beg par*., don. It's ten dollars or thirty day*.-- LSfe - - ' YOUNG LADT (haughtily disengaging " | herself)--By what right, sir, do you presume to put your arm around my waist? Young Man (humbly)--None,! confess; but I thought you would not object. Young Lady--Know, then, sir, • that I do objcct, and most emphatically. But that, of course, need not deter yoa from persevering.--Binghamton Re­ publican. STRANGER--Fd like to have you pub­ lish this article about the seandaf in­ volving Miss de Howls, the emotional actress. Editor--Who are you, an en­ emy of hers, or a rejected suitor? Stranger--I should say not! I'm her regular photographer, with about five hundred of her pictures in four different costumes, and if we can get this thing published they'll go off like hot cakes.-- ^Detroit Free Press. "HERE'S an article headed 'Marvekras Escape of a Distinguished Citizen from a Horrible Death'" remarked the duti­ ful daughter, who was reading tbe morning paper to her invalid father. "The friends of Mr. J. Alpheus Bram­ ble were shocked on learning a few mornings ago that " "Jane," inter­ rupted the irritable parent, "before yon read any more of that voull oblige me if you'll look about half way down to the bottom of the article and see whose patent medicine it's advertising.--Chi> cago Tribune. THE PTO I MADE. Tbe poa I msd« that ratMd thvMaf *> -,"5 , Was-pointed--pithy to thecore; . No doubt it ca N BED tbolr aides to UH%. ' And rotund sides to swell and LT»K« _ ' A* they had sliakea ne'er before. All laughed--the WIT, the SAGE, tbe BOR^A*.' AFID some one said, "encore, OU'HIRE!" • And so voice cried, "the I>evU take" Tbe pun I made. I mnat repeat it o'er and o'er To folks, a dozen or a acorn. "Til thus when yon a ban mot state; : Vou'd like to hear for laaghtesfr« •JKsr n», I quite forget--who swoce ' The pan I made. °J% The True Spirit of Christmas. .The open house and hall which tha Christmas ballads celebrate are symbol­ ical. It is the day on which nobody shall go starving or cold, because it ia the nativity of the Teacher who tells us i to feed the hungry and to clothe the | naked. It is the day of fraternity, and j, perhaps before it is over, before the | vassail-bowl is wholly dry, and while a ̂ few forfeits yet remain to be redeemed, it may occur to some of ns to ask, if the open house and hall are symbolical, whr £ should not Oliristmas itself be symbol- I ical, and since it is a day of fraternity, r why should not every day be a day of Is fraternity ? " •• The effervescence of good feeling which sparkles and rustles through Dicken's| Christmas Carol; the spirit which melts old Scrooge not only into human sympathy, but into a hilarity which makes him whisper something to 1 the old gentleman, his terrified debtor, that causes the old gentleman to say, "Lord bless me P as if his breath were taken away, and then to add, "I don't know what to say to such munifl --"; the spirit which stirs Scrooge to give Bob i Cratchit a dig in the waistceat and to | announce that his salary is about to be | raised--'Til raise your salary and en- | deavor to assist your struggling family, and we will discuss your affairs over a 5 Christmas bowl of smoking bishop f, Bob"--this is the spirit of Christmas in | its largest sense, the spirit not of a day i only, but of a life, for it is good-will to man .--Harper's Magazine. The Wiggles of Wakefulness, Lillian had an unoomfortable way of waking before light and expecting *016 family to rise with her at what ttiey considered an unbearably early hour. "Lillie, you must lie still and try to sleep," said her mother one morning, when the early bird began to chirp. "I'll try," said the child, and so she did, but it was to no purpose. In five minutes she was sitting up in bed play­ ing with her little toes. This time her mother growing impatient, as sleepy people have been known to do, sum­ marily extinguished her under the bed­ clothes, saying in despair: "Lillian* I told you to fay onoe more to go to sleep!" "I know it, mamma,* said truthful Lillian, "and I did try, bnt the wake wiggles in me «o I oanftkeep still!" j J;