Newspaper Page Text
' - I ,[
Our Boys and Girls I
BETHLEHEM'S MANGER.
Away in a manger,
No crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus,
Laid down his sweet head.
The stars in the heaven
Looked down where He lay,
The little Lord Jesus,
Asleep in the hay.
The cattle are lowing,
The Baby awakes,
But little Lord Jesus,
No crying He makes.
I love Thee, Lord Jesus,
Look down from the sky,
And stay by my cradle
Till morning is nigh.
? Martin Luther.
THE TREE THAT GREW UP AND
TOUCHED THE STARS.
"Oh, mother," wailed Little Pine, "I do so
want a new dress like all the other trees.
What's Easter without something brand newt"
"Tut! Tut!" sighed dear old Mother Na
ture, "haven't I given you those nice little
new cone buttons to trim the cuffs on each of
your arms? What more do you want, poor
child?"
"I don't think it's fair!" wailed Little Pine,
"what are old cone buttons when Apple Tree
is all trimmed up with the ruffiest pink blos
soms, and Plum Tree is all one mass of adora
ble sweetness ! And here I am in my same old
.suit ? boohoo! Boohoo! I'm ashamed to be
seen, and all the other trees laugh at me ; really
they do. 'What's the good of having needles
if you can't sew yourself something new for
Easter?' they shout at me and poke their fingers
at me!! Oh, couldn't you give me a few frills,
mother, dear?"
But Mother Nature shook* her head: "Just
wait, darling! And whatever you do, hold up
your head, for some day you may touch the
stars."
"It's a faraway sort of wish," sighed Little
Pine that night, gazing up at the distant stars,
twinkling such miles and miles above her,
"and I want something new to wear now. I
don't want to wait."
But of course she had to! For Mother Na
ture is always obeyed, and down in their hearts
all her children realize that she knows what is
best for them. So Little Pine held up her head
in outward pride, but there was shame in her
heart that every other tree had such fluttery
ruffles and such good-enough-to-eat-daintiness.
The people that walked in the woods never once
noticed her, but went into grown-up, or youth
ful, rhapsodies over every other tree.
"Oh, look!" the children would scream with
delight, "look at the darling little maple
keys!" And they collected them to carry
home. Moreover theije were artists who came
with paints and paint brushes, and painted the
orchard; but they never painted Little Pine.
The farmers walked out in their "Sunday best"
to look over their estates, and they praised the
vines nearby and smiled at the orchards ? but
never cast a look at Little Pine. You really
can't blame her for feeling very old-fashioned
all summer in her heavy winter suit. It meant
little to her that the cone buttons were grow
ing bigger and browner. For what was brown
ness, when the apple trees were all one mass of
crimson applet and the patch trees made your
month vtmply water? ttrtn the ehestnuts had
amazing trimmings ? prickly pom-poms here
and there, and when they opened they were
full of dusky nuts. Amazing!
AH this was bad enough, but by October
maple tree changed her green dress for a red
and yellow one ? the most blazingly gorgeous
colors you ever saw. People came and carried
home great boughs for trimming their homes
but nobody paid the least bit of attention to
Little Pine. All she could do was to hold up
her head and gaze at the stars wistfully.
But about this time came tragedy to every
nearby tree. Great autumn winds came blow
ing briskly through the woods, and their crim
son-yellow dresses wera fastened on so poorly
that away they blew. Ah, me! Such a rust
ling of bare arms! Such a shivering! Little
Pine looked down at her old green suit with a
first little thrill of approval: "It's very warm,
and I've still got it!"
Then Mother Nature ordered great comfort
ables of snow, and tucked them all m bed for
the winter: and Little Pine was exceedingly
contented. "T really look nicer than any one
else just now," she thought modestly, for she
truly felt there was not much to boast about,
when her fortune was due to others' misfor
fortune in losing all their beauty.
Days and nights went by in snowy quiet;
then one day along came a man with an eager
look in his eye. He examined the woods anx
iously. but the" moment his eye lighted on Little
Pine he shouted to his companion: "Hello
there. Bill ! Don't look any further. I've found
the very tree. Come on over here!"
"What a beauty!" said this other person,
"as straight as a ramrod and as symmetrieal
as a pyramid. The very tree!" So he and the
other man carried our trembling Little Pine
away.
"Good-bye! Good-bye!" she called to all
the others.
"You lucky thing!" they called after her,
"this is what comes of being sonsihle all the
yoar round!" And in spite of leafy blankets
and snowy quilts they shivered with the cold.
But Little Pine was not shivering. Not a bit
of it ! For the two men carried hor indoors,
and she thrilled with pride over that. (For
only the very best trees ever get indoors, you
know.) All night long she leaned in the cor
ner where she had been put, and the air of
that house was as balmy as June !
"This is the most delightful experience,"
she said to the Mahogany Chair nearby, "im
agine feeling warm in winter. I see that you
belong to the "Wood Family, but you have a
very curious shape. I think T never saw any
thing like you before. You make me wish ? "
"Oh, no," sighed the Chair, "on Deeember
25 every stick of wood in this whole house
would rather' be the little pine tree, so don't
tell me what you wish. Be content to be what
you are."
"Correct," muttered the Desk ; "once T grew
in the forest, too, and although the nicest kind
of things get written on me day in and day
out, I declare I'd rather be the little nine tree
that always stands in the corner on Deeember
25."
"Same here," said the Sofa.
"Second the motion!" chuckled the Mantle
piece.
"Third it!" laughed the Table.
"Fourth It!" ^Tinned the Book-Ca*?.
Indrpd, It wh *11 v#ry IUtt?rlng .to LittU
Pine; for just to look at these descendants of
the Wood Family you could tell they were ex
ceedingly high class. "I don't know what it's
all about,*' thought Little Pine, "but I feel
sure it was right of me to hold up my head."
Morning came, and the loveliest things hap
pened : A lady and gentleman came in with
great boxes of various sizes, and out of those
bexes they dressed Little Pine as not a tree in
all the woods had ever been dressed ! Glisten
ing ropes of silver tinsel were hung round and
round her, huge shining balls were hung here
and there like monstrous rubies or tremen
dous emeralds. Strings of popcorn like pearl
necklaces were laid along her arras, and gilded
figures hung from every branch. Little Pine
hardly dared breathe for fear some of this rav
ishing beauty might fall, and when little col
ored candles were placed at the tip of every
arm she felt no higher glory could come to her.
But it did ! Oh, yes, indeed it did ! For on
the very tip-top of her slender straightnesa
they placed a dear gold star. It was something
unbelievable !
"I've touched the stars!" she whispered,
"oh, at last! At last! I've seen you shining
over me, all year, but I never dreamed that by
holding up my head and making the best of
my old suit I should actually touch a star ! And
please, what star are you, anyhow?"
The Star whispered gently: "Oh, Pine, I'm
the Little Star That Came and Stood Over
Where the Young Child Lay!"
"I have heard of you," the little tree an
swered, reverently, "Oh, how I pray I may be
be worthy to have you rest on top of me this
night. I did not realize before that this was ?
Christmas."
"And you are a Christmas Tree!" said the
Bright Red Packages; but before they could
say another word the door was opened and the
children scampered in: Timothy, Bill and
Peggy, with their mother and their father and
the good, old Agony.
"It's the boo 'fullest little twee that ever,
ever was!" sighed Timothy, in ecstacy, his
hands clasped in high excitement.
"It's so straight," said mother, approvingly.
"And I love the way it holds the star," said
Peg*y.
"We knew when we saw it that it was the
only tree in the wide, wide world for us, didn't
we Dad?" asked Bill.
"I reckon it's the Christmas-iest l'il pine tree
what ever done stand in dis here house!"
chuckled dear old Agony.
And Little Pine touched the star in cheer
fullest thanksgiving!
KEEPING THE SECRET.
I have a secret with Santa Claus,
And he will never tell,
He knows so many secrets because
He keeps them all so well.
But oh, dear mother, if you could guess
How very surprised you'd be!
But nobody knows the leastest thing
But Santa Claus and me.
I wish I could tell you, mother dear;
I'm sure you would love to know,
Can you wait till Christmas, do you think?
The days are so very slow!
It's something you need for your dressing case:
I made it ? it's all from me;
It's square, and pink, and covered with lace,
And its name begins with C!
You musn't know till Christmas Day.
Oh, my! aren't secrets fun?
And 1 can ktep thstn, can't 1 mamma?
1 navsr would whiiptr ens.
? -^riofsnw Prut,
?