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& ® 7. a¢ "We have not come to play; we nover do here." be sail. in a clear. solemn litâ€" "What do you want?" demanded Sir Anthony, shortly, much amazed, and unâ€" easily aware that if the children were afraid of him, he was equaily so of them. "Look here, go away; you caunnot play in this room, you knowâ€"vanish," nJ' he pointel towards the door. But ‘ll;o-y, his sixâ€"yearâ€"old son and heir, had :::yhuned out his ranks, and they advi to the rug, to stand in line before him. * glected children silently regarded each other, while the bells rang on, now far, now near, vh.in’ for the Christ who said, "Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not, for of such is the Kingdom of God!" " Evidently the knocker preferred the former course, for as Sir Anthony rais ed his dark head the door slowly opened, and there entered, in an undecided manâ€" ner, abmost as if geatly pushed, three g children, two séraight and sturdy {:;:. lndinf between them a whiteâ€"rolâ€" ed baby girl, a vision of bobbing yellow euris, smooth, dimpled, pink cheeks, and wondering blue eyes, then the door closâ€" ed quietliasguin. Haliâ€"way up the room walked the pretty group; then as they met the sombre, almost fieree eyes fixed on them, they wavered, and stood hudâ€" dled together as if uncertain how to proâ€" ceed, motheriless lambs at whom the wolf was glaring. And so on this Christ. mas Eve, Anthony Amburst and his no "Who‘s there* Come in, cannoil you! he cried irritably, seizing the poker and making such an attack on the fire as to fill the room with light. Then as it was repeated, "Come in, I say, or take yourself off." MERER sc s 3+R TNE : sw Bs t ©Steme and .gnin'owopt round the old house, they brought with their the sound of church belis ringing forth the tidings of great joy, and then, as he sat up impaâ€" tiently, he became aware of a curious, uneven knocking on the beavy oak door ut the further end of the room. rever no more than ‘the girl!‘" "Don‘t you fret," the housekeeper would reply, shaking her head wisely. "The master hs dined three times lateâ€" ly at the Towers, and they say that there is a young lady staying there who rides to hounds beautifully. ‘Man is not born to live alone,‘ as the saying goes, and he will bear the sight of Miss Monâ€" jea well enough when her ladyship‘s place is filled againâ€"not that I ever expect to see her equal." "Nor you will. Her children have a .:rnthct over them, indeed!" was the jealous and ruffled retort, as filling her n with the evergreen and holly for m she had come, nurse departed with puckered . brow. S§o there he sat, brooding over his trouble, seeing no light in his cloudy sky, regardless of the Ligat that so long ago eame into the world that Christmas night when the star thit heralded our Lord‘s birth first shone in the clear blue eastern sky. As the gus‘s of v‘viml now "And he don‘t listen when I answer, as if she was worth no more than a chance word!" the old woman would deâ€" clare with trembling indignation. "As if he did not know that more than all them fine things they have, my laay, poor, pretty, would have rather that he took them in his arms sometimes and kissed them, same as other fathers, Masâ€" ter Tony notices, ‘Nurse,‘ he says, ‘your nephew Joe kisses his children, don‘t he? ‘He is a choachman, master Tonv‘ I answers. and he looked at ms DICCCA® CYCH as UNAL most precious one was fluttering out, he had never brought himself to see. In that stately houseâ€" hold it was an understood thing that the children were to be kept out of sight, nor dare his friends mention them to the widower. Yet he had promized Monica that they should boe {iu care, and he had kept his word aiter a fashâ€" ion. The oli nurse, whose charges they were, might have all she wanted, and was oceasionally summoned to his preâ€" sence to give a report about the boys. ‘Growing! Well, that‘s all rifbt,' was how he usually ended the brieft interâ€" view; and then perhaps a twinge of conâ€" science would make him add: ‘And â€"the girl, eh? true, when he had watched cherubs in Monica‘s slim w but the other, the girl, whos started even as that mos«t p was fluttering out, he had ne himself to see. In that sta hold it was an understood the children were to bo k sight, nor dare his friends m to the widower. Yet he ha Monica that they should ) and he had kept his word ai Lo .. LCC CB=O, UP HJ WAvcned the embers fall; it was the lot of others to be widowed, even as he had been, but whut was that to him, he reflected angrily, what consolation was he . to find in that, pray?â€"they were but the wives of other men; and his lose was Monica. He had idolized her to the exâ€" clusion of everything else! his five years of married life had l]:;ued as a dream. Bardonically he smiled as ho reviowed the two years since shoe left him, the various forms of consolation offered to him. Well he knew how people were sayâ€" in{ that he should marry again, knew why certain aweet and pretty girls were dined out, and he went through these ordeals with grim amusement. Perhaps unce or twice, in sheor desperation and loneliness, he had tried to believe that he liked one of his dinner partners, but the deception would not work. Beneath his iron selfâ€"control was a nature rareâ€" ly faithful, and he dimly guossed that Monica, who wunderstood himâ€"laughing, sunmny Monicaâ€"had carried his _ heart with her to the ‘land of the Leal.‘ On his writing table lay numerous invitations to Yuleâ€"tide festivities, He glanced towards them with the same asmile. A merry Christmas, indeed, for one whom the Almighty had so sorely amitten and deserted. He was alone, for what were three small children in a distant nursery at the top of the house? The girl,‘ thi'sp al 100 'tilâ€"';;l "_,) 0_ THerming â€" old m, wi endless bookcases, its highly polished floor, and lighted ‘into vivid patches of color the ecarlet coat that proclaimed him Master of Hounds, showed hig Crisp dark hair turni grey un the temples, tbough he eo::fll not hl_v‘n been more than six and thirty. lwoymo.gothmoh.dnotbeenu grey hair in his head, nor would he have }:ep sitting desolats and alone. wonâ€" distan on h Vhâ€"r.--:‘,‘ Yet even so, y He bad walked moodily into hi tary, and wichout troubling to up the hl‘izbh, had flung himself ini c thrust his hands into E{eu, placed his much splashed :9 o: the curb, and with head om chis L.oss . ny, 1 answers, an minute very old. CR d he looked at m , and turns away he ever ealls herâ€" the girlt‘" ~T 4 ing into the fire 186 ite arms little lif to turn If into an into _ his 10 topâ€" sunk iceâ€"bound, & tall dark man would come quictly into the library at eventide, and after listening a moment to the distant | joyâ€"bells, wonid unlock a drawer in an | old desk, and stand motionlees before II& Yet there was very littie there â€"a bundle of letters in a girlish hand. a â€"__"[% PCOpP‘C said, indeed, that for them, And this remark was truer than much that poople s certain it was that every C Eve, when the snow lay thick wild winds swept through the b in the park, and frost held th iceâ€"bound. & tall dark man w _ o oy, * Sitt io toem yet in that quiet room; with her tiny daughter‘s soft brel&hi.ni close to his ear, surely he was keeping his promise to ber at last and finding that it brought its own reward. "I dine ai home on Christmas Day, and the children with me, evenâ€"Miss Moniâ€" ca," he said when nurse arrived for her charges, amd he looked up at her with &n expression aleent from his face for many a long day. . "A happy Christmas to you, good old friend; in truth, none beiter deserves one." From that Christmas Fesa S1.} #li%1° on It was alm had spoken 0: ugmmed face ativerâ€"framed the mtclfie« and was aim. ed very near room; with ] b“lflnni' clos keeping his p finding that . _"I dine at )h "Orâ€"we w One up the it." as in a flash was left to I Fony pre ay agair cent souls were a ‘heir ardent baby vinning. _ ... But for the pathos it would have been a comic scene; the man‘s face, as be took the proffered envelope, and drew a eabinet photo of his three children thereâ€" from; the children, as they watched him breathlessly, half to see how he would receive their gift, half to be prepared to beat a hasty retreat to where their frithful guardian awaited them, should this mighty personage before them show signs of wrath. Bui he remained quite still, sitting forward and gazing at the picture which Tony had thrust into his hand at arm‘s lanith _ For ha minsknil tle treble, his beant would so surely one of his handsome sin anxious frown,. "I brought you this," a came aware that he | thing towards him. hefl st he rea ha mstmas re Of seemed st'rangely easy relief. For she seemâ€" ne day be a repetition aire‘s, drawn sats an "But â€" we â€" have â€"â€" " and Sir Anthony beâ€" he was hoiding someâ€" xd that son newl the waters ian would come at eventide, and t to the distant te time that he king from the e sons to the »ly Monica on g*â€" ze yase InNO oned stupid labor, the lifting and toiling of daily life, is suspended for a while, and that for the next year energetiec work, the triumph of the soul over mind and matter, is to begin. I like to have a special remembrance of the Christâ€"mase every day; the children‘s celebration on Christmas morning; the service at chureh as the day goes by; some Christmas parâ€" ty of the old folks in the evening; the oratorio of the Messiah at least on both the Sundays; the Christmas tree for the Sllldl{l school and one for the Settle. ment House and one for the Union and one for the Association and one for the Industriel School,. and so on until you come to Twelfth Night, with its ring or its bean in the cake, and perhaps a good rourd dance or a Virginia reek before Twelith Night is over." Tablets. _ I have used i cccasions and know of equal to them in curing t] ments of babies and yo Sold by medicine dealers 25 cents a box from The BABY‘S OCWN TABLETS A LITTLE LIFE SAVER. strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, ean push aside that curâ€" tain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding. No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will conâ€" tinue to make glad the heart of childâ€" hood.â€"New York Sun. Virginia O‘Hanlan. 115 West Ninetyâ€"fifth Street. Virginia, your little friends are wrong, The yhave been affected by the scoptiâ€" cism of a sceptical age. They do not beâ€" lieve except they see. They think that nothing can bo which is not comprehenâ€" sible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether _ they Â¥e men‘s or children‘s, aro little. _ In this frent uniâ€" verse of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as meaâ€" sured by the intolligence _ capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowlâ€" edge. Papa says "If y it‘s so." Please tell me t Santa Claus? We take pleasure in answering _ at once and thus prominently the communiâ€" cation below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is mumbered among the friends of The Sun: Parents, think it over. In Ferrozone there is wonderful power for strengthenâ€" ing and rebuilding. Every child needs it â€"every boy and.girl will improve on it. Giet a few boxes, 50c each or six boxes for £2.50. Sold by all dealers. Winning, pensive and sweet, with deliâ€" cate grace and charm in every moveâ€" ment, but that lovely color that once shone so rosily has gradually faded away. lHer eyes are expressive but listâ€" less, that lightness of step and buoyancy of spirit which once were hers are gone. This girl is in danger. Her system deâ€" mands nourishment; her blood must be renewed. She needs Ferrozoneâ€"needs it badlyâ€"because it will bring back the nerve cnergy which rapid growth and study have exhauscted. New strength and oldâ€"time vigor return with Ferroâ€" zone. The delicate maid is energized and given the endurance and vigor that means health. FERROZONE HALE‘S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE, IS THERE A SANTA CLAUS? THE MAID AT SWEET SIXTEEN Editor,â€"I am 8 years old. _ of my little friends say there is ta Claus. says "If you see it in The Sun () SHMC NEEDS 1 Jablets have saved us little life. _ There is cine for children so safe its effects. ‘The Tablets and . bowel troubles, es, destroy worms, break revent deadly croup. And larantee of a Government is medicine does not conâ€" of opia‘te or narcotic. Mrs, @ Valley, Sask., says: "I believer in Baby‘s Own RYC used them on man» iring the common ail m The Dr. Williams‘ kville, Ont. e service at chureh me Christmas parâ€" the evening; the h at least on both stmas tree for the 1e for the Settle. ie truth: Is there a A thousand years nay, ten times ten now, he will conâ€" the heart of childâ€" young children." ra or by mail at no medicine "Sweet are the uses of quoted the Wise Guy. _ "P the Eimple Mug, "but lots care for sweets." I know the tale I tell will seem "The bascless fabric of a dream;" I tell of one who, Christmasâ€"time, Displayed a spirit so sublime, With unfeigned gratitude she took â€" zz Three pin balls and a needle book ; Four tfi:ilies. and a hairpin case, And two small tl‘l{l received with grace, She recognized, without a tear, The crocheted doily sent last year To a dear, absentâ€"minded friend, Who back again the gift did send, Without a frown, this angel took Two copies of the selfâ€"same book; Accepted, with a happy face, Three hatpin bottles trimmed with lace; She had no scornful tholrlf;ht or hard For a muchâ€"travelled Christmas card; And, greatest miracle of all; As she received her last pin ball Not even in her heart did say, "They will be good to give away." Then the pastor began, "I want to thank youâ€"" But she interrupted him. "Let me thank you instead," she said tremulously. "It has been an experience I could not afford to do without. I am ready to say now with the spirit and with the understanding also , "It was the singing that did it," the poor woman said, holding fast to the firm white hand that did not shrink from the contact. "I could have resisted all the rest, but not thatâ€"toâ€"dayâ€" Christ‘s birthdayâ€"and mine." The voice sank to a whisper, but the hard faco glowed with the light of Christmas. Miss Martin and Mr. Niles walked through the heavy gates together, hearâ€" ing the clang that shut them out and those others in. * rra'yed for should make it known, many hands were raised and yearning {fmecs were uplifted, as if Tendlng for help. But the woman on the front seat did not move nor take her steady gaze from the benutiful girlish face by the organ. She sang againâ€"a message of peace on earth, good will to men, and as she finâ€" ished the black eyes dimmed suddenly, and the set lips whispered, "Oh, sing again!" She began at once, without an accompaniment, the Gospel hymn, "Boftly and tenderly Jesus is calling." Every sentence thrilled with entreaty as she sang, "Come home, come home! Ye who are weary, come home!" As she finished the hardened face sudâ€" denly melted, and a broken voice sobbed out, "Help me! oh, help me! I do want to be good." On the stone floor they knelt, and there, with deep penitence and earnest prayer, at last one sinful soul found forgiveness. Presntly Miss Martin sang. _ Those walls bad"ne\'er echoed to sounds more sweet, for her heart was in the messago as she sang of Jesus‘ birth, his love and pity. The black eyes did not leave her face, but gave no sign of feeling. At the request that those who wished to be On the front row sat a woman not more than thirtyâ€"five years _ old, but with a seamed and har({ened face. _ She stared with sullen glittorirax eyes at Mr. Niles as he read and prayed. Many heads bowed, _ and sounds of stifled sobbing came from differont ?arts of the room as the sweet story of the first Christâ€" mas was read, but this woman sat like a staiue with compressed lips, On all four sides wound iron stairâ€" ways leading to the grated cells four tiers high. _ At the front of the hall stood a white pulpit, a emaill organ and several chairs. Doors were locked and windows barred, inside was misery and wretchedness, outside the blessed freeâ€" dom of Giod‘s pure air andâ€"Christma». Fo it came about that she was one of the little group that filed into the peniâ€" tentiary hall that afternoon, and stood facing thoe rows of women sitting there in prison garb. The organ was pealing and its deep tones were reverberated among the huge pipes. The service moved on smoothlyâ€" the anthem, Seripture lesson, hymn and prayer; and then her soloâ€"the event of the morning to others than the singer. The audience sat through it as if spellâ€" bound and many were in tears when the last note died slowly away. It was over at last and she passed out, only pausing to say to Mr. Niles, "I will go with you. You can count on me for this afterâ€" noon." noon to the woman‘s ward ol the peniâ€" tentiary to hold a Christmas _ service with the inmates, Could you, would you go with us and sing for them?" Her face faded. "Oh, Mr. Niles, how dreadful!" she exclaimed, with a shiver. "What is dreadful?" "The whole idea. The penitentiaryâ€" ugh! and this day of all days to visit such a ghastly place, but 1 will consider it." words of praise swelled in her h Had she not struggled _ up thr many trials to her present high pia the musical world? Now that su was hers she should enjoy it to the She unrolled her music and softly t a bar or twoâ€"not because she nc further preparation, but from very of being able to warble like the h Just then Mr. Niles, the pastor, « into the anteâ€"room behind the grea fan. tated ;A Christmas _ ; i Experience. | (Our Dumb Aanimals.) As Miss Martin passed in at the side entrance that led to the choir loft she overheard a murmur from a growp of people, "That is sheâ€"our first soprano that 1 told you about. 1 can hardly wait for you to hear her glorious voice." A slight flush mounted her fair face and a feeling that she deserved the words of praise swelled in her heart. ‘With my voice I‘ll gladly sing, For the glory of my King!*" Elizabeth Price. Miss A Christmas Fairyâ€"Tale G. Davis, in Harper‘s Fazaar Martin I want the # W nses of adversity," uy. _ "Perhaps," said but lots of us den‘t e full. trilled Don‘t decide to abstain from > ; Ave just because you cannot afford exf sive preseats," _ The thoughtfulness your gift, the interest you take in C to whom you (give. 4"* the princi Don‘t give because others expect you to. Give because you love to. 1if you cannot send your heart with the gift, keep the gift. Don‘t give too bulky articles to people who live in small quarters, unless you knowâ€" that they need _ the particalar things you send them. s Don‘t wait until the last minute to buy your presents, and then, for lack of time to make proper selections, _ £!%* your better judgment condemns. _,_‘,,‘ Don‘t make presents which your friends will not know what to do with, and which would merely encumber the home. Don‘t give because others exnect van Don‘t let Christmas giving deterio into a trade. & fike Don‘t try to pay debts or return obliâ€" gations in your Christmas giving, Don‘t give trashy things. Many an attic could tell etrange stories about Christmas presents. _ _Don‘t let money dominate your Christâ€" mas giving. | _ e t Don‘t leave the cost mark on your presents. _ ye ts t _ _Don‘t embatrass yourself by giving more than you can afford. The graceful blus epirals that slowly ascend To epread o‘er the celling in soft rolling cloués, > Or with shadows of twilight fantastically blend, It is then I forget all the sorrows of life, Its ‘hurfiu and worries and jangles and Jare, And crb all the gifts roerry Christmas can ring, The best to my mind is a boz of cigars. How soothing to watch by the light of the When the worry and work of the long day is o‘er. And its cares are shut down with the lid of my desk, Then I love to recline in my easiest chair And give ‘a free rein to my . fancies grotesgue, With my knees to the blaze, and my gaze on the coals That emoulder like rubles through redâ€" glowing bars, Oh, the castles I build and the dreams that 1 weave From the silvery emoke of those fragrant clzars! There were photograph frames, there wore muffliers of #!!k, And neckties of colors most weird to behold, And handkerchiofs, scarfâ€"pins, and books by the score And lln‘:v.ch'boxu, gunâ€"metal, sliver and o And dr::dng-m erimson, and purple, and ue, And Cbristmas cards twinkling with spangles and stars, And things rigged with ribbon to hang on the wall, But nothing I liked like the box of cigars. (Mina Irving in Leslie‘s Weekly.) The day after Christmas my little rear room Showed plaisly Kris Kringle had lifted the latch, And generously emptied the half of his pack To brighten the den of & lonely old bach. It looked like the pick of a fancyâ€"goods store, Or a loot of a dozen or more of bazmars, With the pillows, and slippers, and headâ€" rests, and steins, But what pleased me the most was & box of cigars, To take God‘s innocent creat In every child a friend, And on our faithful kindness Eo fearlessly depend. How eweet that they should remember, With faith so full and sure, That the children‘s bounty awaited them The wholso wide country o‘er‘ When this pretty ?ofy was told to mse, By one who had helped to rear The rustling grain for the merry birds In Norway, many a yoar. Only one "BROMO QUININE" That is LAXATIVE BROMO QUININE. Look for the signature of K. W. GROVE. Used the World over to Cure a Cold in One Day. 25. I thought that our Hittle children Would like to know it, too, It seams to me «o beautiful, Bo blessed a thing to do. And meet the eyes of the children, Who cagerly looked out, With cheeks that bloom like roses red And groet them with welcoming ebout Or They perch upon roof and gable Or porch and fence and tree, They flutter about the windows, And peep in curiously. And then through the frost There happens a wonderful The birds flock north, south, For the children‘s offering Of a sudden, the day before Christmas The twiltering crowds arrive, And the bitter, wintry air at once With their chirping is all alive. A tal All the stalks by the reapers forgotten They glean to the very l»ast, To save Ull the cold December For the bird‘s Christmas feast, And wh Through all the land the children In the golden fields remain Till their busy little hands have gleaned A generous sheat of grain. Aud the food for come The tolling peop When at last the And the barvest In the farâ€"off land of Norway, Where the winter lingers late, And long for the singing birds and flowers The little children wait. Dodd‘s Kidney Pills are all the medicine 1 want," The woman who has healthy Kidneys will never know the pains and weakness that make life hardly _ worth living. Dodd‘s Kidney Pills always make healthy Kidneys. nd which are the happiest, truly 1: would be hard to tell; be birds who share in the Christmas cheer Or the children who love them weli! After Suffering for Twentyâ€"Eight Years From Pains and Weakness and Sleeplessnessâ€"Dodd‘s Kidney Pills the Only Medicine She Wants. Cottle‘s Cove, Notre Dame Bay, Nfld., Dec. 14.â€"(Special)â€"Grand news for sufâ€" fering women is Athat being scattered broadcast by Mrs/ Elizabeth i‘. Richards. of this place. For years she suftered from the terrible weakness and those agonizing pains so many women know. the has found relief in Dodd‘s Kidney Pilis and she wants all suffering women to know it, "For twentyâ€"eight years," says Mrs. Richads, "I euffered trom Rheumatism, Kidney Trouble and Neuralgia. It goi so weak 1 could not do my housework. bleep was out of the question except for a few minutes at a time, My â€" back ached so 1 could not sleep. 1 tried aill kinds of medicine and had come to the conclusion there was no cure for me, when reading advertisements led me to try Dodd‘s Kidney Pills. 1 now sleep well and rise refreshed every morning. Dodd‘s Kidney Pills are all the medicine Mrs., E. P. Richards Tell How Dodd‘s Kidney Pills Cured Her. GRAND NEWS get o geaient TA e us é@ is griract STAd oi prrgigne CHRISTMAS IN NORWAY CHRISTMAS DON‘Ts. jJoyous Christmas morning, nt of every door, pole, crowned with clustering grain the birds before. A Box of Cigars e win FOR WOMEN summer ripens, s gathered in, the bleal., drear days to quesuon except 1of t a time, . My l-:wk, t sleep. 1 tried @ll )j id had come to the| s no cure for ime,| , isements led me to| Pills. 1 now sleep| p, hed every morning.| y are all the mwlimuu‘ f. creatures see years," says Mrs trom | Rheumatism Neuralgia, 1t goi do my housework ‘-lllll-â€""' the l::i“o;' ncipa! ;:en‘d f _ll 1u | tenc from giving | g19. t°=‘ Cella Thaxter locked countrr expen you}"" ‘In_ MV fular crlull"l- Un . | formed by hi a to | toct her in 1 k of | snare had de. give Christmas tw Eaving this feeding its !â€"= "I have ma "I went to the lamp guarded by the angel with the white wings, who looked at me sorrowfully; but the angel with the black wings still whispered in my ears. 1 saw nothing; I did not wish to see anything. I plucked a feather from the wing of the black angel and dipped it in the brightly flaming lamp and took from it the oil, drop by drop, and pourâ€" ed it into mine. My flams became glitâ€" tering and red as b‘ood; the other palâ€" ed, but preserved still the brightness of a star. But when the drop of oil was left in it the angel t!utdnudod it spread his white wings and would have stayed me; but an “fld with pearl Wi:fl and bearing a goiden sword cul denly appeared. "Let this human being do lccordinz to his willâ€"God will judge him, 1t ««aid. erv « vlol\ids. Vaults followed upon '::ulu in | Christmas in the Philippines. millionsâ€"extending, ever extending. Unâ€"| 6 der these vaults lt;ung little n“guldm ‘ k Although they are dwelllers in & trop lamps, swaying gently. It would have ital country, wherse the environments taken years to count them. Some of | differ greatly from those in their own them l;::llu'd l";igi'“."- OUK'"} were °X®â€" | land, the Americans now in the Philip tinguis suddenly. Home shone with | | . a ks io eioient â€" glare,. Pthers »Aickered » and | pine Islands will celebrate Obristmes sputtered a long while before they went | With quite as much zeal and in nearly out. lthe same fasbhion as the people of the ___"Some of the these lamps were guardâ€" | Slates. 8e far as the soldiers stationed ed by angels, white and beautiful as | there are Concerned, the autborities at beauty itself, Other of the lamps had | Washingtor have done their share to ange‘s, black, ugly and malevolent, who | make the day a pleasant one. What is scemed to wait impatiently the momâ€" | said to be the "Jaurgest Christmas dinned ent when the flame should expire. | said to be the "largest Christmas dinner "‘What does all this meant" I asked | was shipped recently from San Francisco my conductor. to Manila, on the transport Bherman. "‘All those lnm?ll are human souls,‘ he | The good things thus characterized were replied. "Those which burn so brightly | intended for the military men in our are the souls of newâ€"born infants; stainâ€" | Asiatic possessions and their families. less ange‘!s guard them. Here mare the Every"member of the little army in the souls of those who ure at the age when, | Islandâ€"ncluding, also, it is to be bhopâ€" some think, the Spirit of Evil and the ed, the native constabularyâ€"is to go Spirit of Good contend for them; but, at ) supplied with a regular Christmas meal the supreme moment, the last breath alâ€" ' of the Occidental kind. For this p\l.l‘cu most always returns to the Spirit of | the Bberman carried from the Golden Good.‘ | Gate not less than 35,000 pounds of tus "I then asked to be shown my own | key, five hundred gallons of cranberry lamp. |uuce, big cases of homemade minceâ€" "‘Come with me,‘ said the strange beâ€" | meat pies, and hundreds of tins of plum ing; and, leading me under innumerable | pudding. In order to convey these deliâ€" vaults, he made me traverse a great | cacies in safety and good condition to distance. At length, stopping me abruptâ€" | their destination, en immence iceâ€" box ly, he eaid: ‘Bebold! there is your soul!‘ | was especially constructed to contain "I was petrified with terror! A single | them, The fowls were all raised in Caliâ€" drop of oil remained in my lamp; and | fornia, and were of the finest quality. above it an angel with black wings blew | This generous contribution by the '.ov- upon the flame to accelerate its extincâ€" | ernment to the typical observance of the tion. 1 was seized with dreadâ€"overâ€" | great religious holiday is expected to Kut taken by cowardice!" _ said the Duke, {"nclo Bam‘s fighting men in good huâ€" trembling in every limb, mor and to lessen to some extent that "Listen, Robertâ€"listen! Beside me | "homesick feeling" which frequently atâ€" burned a flame of purest light; that | tacks the exile. The personal friends in lamp of gold, protected by an angel with | this country of the soldiers have also wings of spotless white. The Spirit of | taken a hand in ndd-i:s to the latters‘ Evil whispered in my ear." contentment, by forwarding to _ them The old Duke stoppedâ€"as if the voice | multitudes of gifts of various kinds, were speaking to him again. His eyes beâ€" | Nor wil Ithe American civilians there be came bloodshot, his hair rose on his head | forgotten by the relatives and friends with horror, his teeth chattered with | from whom they are separated so far.â€" affright, and when _ he continued his ’ Lealie‘s Weekly, voice was almost a shriek. L _A ardarkscll, distance. At length, stopping me abruptâ€" ly, he eaid: ‘Behold! there is your soul!‘ "I was petrified with terror! A single drop of oil remained in my lamp; and above it an angel with black wings blew upon the flame to accelerate its extineâ€" tion. 1 was seized with dreadâ€"overâ€" taken by cowardice!" _ said the Duke, trembling in every limb. "Listen, Robertâ€"listen! Beside me burned a flame of purest light; that lamp of’gold, protected by an angel with wings of spotliess white. The Spirit of Evil whispered in my ear." "Some of the these lamps were guardâ€" | ed by angels, white undp.buutiful as beauty itself, Other of the lamps had ange‘s, black, ugly and malevolent, who scemed to wait impatiently the momâ€" | ent when the flame should expire. | ‘"That same nigbh* . was transported in dreams into an immense gallery . of clouds, Vaults followed upon vaults in millionsâ€"extending, ever extending. Unâ€" der these uulunfiung little _ golden lamps, swaying gently. It would have taken years to count them. Some of them burned brightly, others were exâ€" tinguished suddenly,. Home shone with a violent glare, others flickered and sputtered a long while before they went out. ammi then 1 invented an infamous trap! "Listen, Robertâ€"Jisten! 1 caused the stones which supported the window to be loosened so that it should w way under her and she wuld be dashed upon the marble pavement of the courtyard below, It was Christmas, the night of that evil deed; and ever since 1 have slept in fear of God. sent to such an outrage, My son im El«'red me but I remained incfixible. My lazon would have been swhattered by such a shame! 1 was wroug, childâ€" I was wrong! Never be arrogantly prond, it is a mortal sin!" Bobs stified the old Duke‘s voice, But presently he went on: "The girl was beautiful and virtuous. I offered her gold; she ref=sed it. Then I had her abducted and shut up in a tower of the chateau,. Months passed ; my son remained faithful to his vows. 1 faithful to my pride. 1 therefore reâ€" solved to kill the girl. To that end I sent her secretly a message, advising her to escape. A @ilken ladder was conâ€" veyed to her. with minutelyâ€"detailed inâ€" veyed to her, with mini structions as to how «h it to her window. She amd then 1 invented an spuke to the master, Alone, the young C grace before the lord old Due de Kerberzoff At the moment whe mences, Robert was a old man, who, with J\ eyes, and marks of f«c lures, sat in the grea tening to what the spe I to bim. epoken. The sepul« great hall; gave out & Count felt 1 hand son a young, wed her: in the fields, "Christmas! Christ sounded the church bells. Then drawing himsel{ up, spectr he said: "Listen, Robert: listen‘" pain By burn with w hiie ®ORAONAAAAAARAATAAA NRA 4ib AARRARTRbRRRARRRRAHRet s toesreoerrt The Chateau de Ploerneuf was the | At that moment the belis of the chaâ€" terror of the Rretons. On passing it the ! taau l'"_ll‘:““"x‘ ‘“hd the 'Iiomrd of _;‘:" peasants made the sign of the cross and | *!NECrs in the church were heard. M murmured under their breath: _ "The ’;‘::L".o‘f"t:.c.h“"l‘ .(.]tlb:':l.d.tn l;:: '::’ Chateau of the Accursed!" _ Brambles | i m s grew about its boundary walls, which | ul.lgndent with Yieghu. the infant Jesus no li\iufi soul dared pass, The valets ; l“-‘,“l"""_"" bed of straw, appeared moved abont within like shadows, nevâ€" ! "ld"‘"‘t with celestial ll") @r raising their voices, No one ever| The old Duke fell on his knees before The BDuke ‘Christ mas the fields 11 MOOM“WMW‘ & ding the A Christmas Story made comiession, St @EuUET, now die, but will God forgive sinall . lous s the young Comte Robert found in the great ducal chair what the spectre of terror mif lord, are you in greater 1 Robert, tenderly. shuddered â€"listening «till. t (Christmas!" sang voices . "Christmas! Christmast" the lord of the manor, the xerberzoff, his uncle, ment when this recital comâ€" Translated from the Fremch h« mt when Uhis recitai comâ€" _ was at the feet of the with livid face, glittering upon wolde 1; listen!" the old man i rnrph.\'ry column, i lamp, ornamented into the flame of Four(-d. minute by . In the ald man‘s ladder was conâ€" itelyâ€"detailed inâ€" e was to fasten amp is this" 1| oor flame that | 1 the voice reâ€"| on all his ) to cease 1 * / Love will ride with Liim my beart bles Joy will outâ€"step him across ‘..h- be added, | What matiers the greet white lonsliness i4 Invaken When we bar the cabin door? A virtuous. ‘ 9 L it. Then | X" up in a 1X x p“.'d; '('11 his vows. th refore reâ€" i('.f mat end I If«l Then negro lik not feaâ€" lisâ€" #aid .. _~Wius thears. in The Christmas Glste, But dot Fer We An‘ marl Ez fair Dear Santy: I‘m the little boy At number fiveâ€"sixâ€"four, In front you‘ll see my black pupâ€" The name is on the door Please bring me loads an‘ !** Wmfinll rome®s this ‘Cause I have had the m***‘** A risin‘ in my *4" An‘ Banty, if A Bring_toy® | Couse I am t An‘ Jess ‘@0 "In just about the middle of the Pac ifile Ovean is the 180th degree of long litude, and when that imaginary line is reached the weetward travelier drops one day out of his mlender for the year, That line crosses the antipodes, or point on the earth‘s eurface whach is pre cisely opposite to Greenwich, Englaund, the place at which, by common consent of all nations, the counting of time be gins, At noovday, when the eun is dir ectly overhead ai Greenwich, at other points to the westward the time will be earlier by one hour for each 15 de grees of longtitude, #o that when 199 degrees is reached it will be midnight. "T welve hours have thus been gained, and the Junrne_vbutouml (hol globe were completad. No by universa m December 25 would be dr«m.u navigators reaching the fatel line on the previous day, and traveliers would be cheated out of their Christmas at the fl place on the earth‘s surface where # a thing could huppen."â€"Montreal Star. |__ The old Duke fcell on his knees before | the infant Deity. | _ "Mamn," «aid the voice of the priest, | "Jesus was born to suffer, and died for the redemption of sinners, _ You have sinned, you have suffered, you have reâ€" pentedâ€"God forgives you, Your soul pass from you in peace." Then the old man turned his eyes toâ€" ward the lamp, above which an ange!l with white wings was hovering. That angel he recognmizedâ€"it was the guardâ€" ian of the bmlhnt lamp. k The Christmas hater may be made bappy. ie can bave his wiash and "go somewhere where there isn‘t any Chrisi mas." Hhe will not have to die 10 do it, either, but e will have o be m goou samor in order to fully enjoy his pai adise, which is not on earth. 1t is on water, let him start on hissearch from Vancouver, iB, C., on December in the cirection of the Urient, As the days pass und he comes nearer and nearer the z5th wre yesterds The Little Boy Fools Senta Claus * 1as Story | Bernharadt. * * by Charles Houston Goudiss. T *# QMOQQMMOO Qe The ange! emiled 7a;'e§tly nnd' took within his wings the expiri lame, with which he flew henv:rva::. The Duc de Kerberzoff was dead FLACE TO MISS CHRISTMAS y it you‘ll be ®0 ©000â€" y # OIJO‘Il‘h for two, am twin®, dear Banty Claus, 5 ‘an ‘Ab won‘t do. ‘ bring more ‘an one alike, kin swap, you #eeâ€" ‘em "Billy"â€"1 will ‘vide ez fair kin be. M. Talbot, in The Reader. ~lay rolled long weves of ge » burpished blue of the #ky, 6 sea les mtill and oold, r wind blows by. Prairle door all day, eves grow wors and red and bright, vwindow pane trail toâ€"night comes this year, the measles w ww l nggn @AY k â€" bull