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PAKT THREE.
MERRY CHRISTMAS
ON THE RAIL
By HERBERT E. HAMHUX.
(Copyright, 1599, by Herbert E. Hambl n.)
Tha train was rejorted half an hour
late. We elcsed the cab windows and drop
ped ihe curtain. Harry put the blower on
a quarter of a tuin, to cairy off the gas;
we lit our plies, cocked our heels cn the
ioilr butt, ar.d listened in comfort to the
bowling blast .without. As I sat and putted
on my fragrant old brierwooJ, my gaze
became riveted on the only thing visible,
the seam gauge, 1 ke a spectral face sus
l ended in the teller of the uniform black
ness. The soothing hum of the blower, the
warmth and tense of cozinass, combined
with the hypnotic effect of my fixed gaze,
se. me ta dreaming.
To-mortow would be Christmas, .and
mother was with us. It was her first visit
since my marriage. Katie, her poor little
heart a-flutur at the ct of a visit
ir in ihat dreaded inspector general, her
mother-in-law, had slaved he:sa?f nearly
to death. Three-year-old Bob had nearly
wre ked h’s mother's wonderful pa‘ten e
by his persis ent efforts to render her la
bor futile, and I had "Uggered” on the
inns for a'mo.ith, to make sure of being
home cn this, the greatest Christmas that
ever wos. For a wond r, X had r.ot i-gored
in vain. Everything had come out exa- tly
as I had hoped it would. I would get tome
early enough for Christmas dinner, and
ia’e enough to preclude the probability
it being sent out asan before the next
day.
A curing wie.tth of blue smoke floating
across the face of the gauge arresied the
(•elfish course of my thoughts, and direct
ed them to the bey on the other site of
the cab. Harry Mervjn had been on the
road only a couple of months, most of
which lime he had been tiring for me. He
was bright, pka.-nni nnd willing. It now
occurred to me that 1 rather liked him,
but that I knew absolutely nothing about
him. It wasn’t so very many years ago
that I was a s.range boy on th S same
road myself; and this was Christmas eve.
I made a pretense of getting a lijht for
my pipe at the gauge lamp, and leaned
aorcss the boiler.
“Where are you going to spend Christ
mas, Harry?" I shouted above the not e
o: the gale and the slatting of the cur
tain.
The Are glowed brightly In the bowl of
bis pipe once, twice, before he answered.
He le ned against the bo * r on his side
so that I ecu and barely discern his feaiures
in the dim Itgnt. and replied cheerlessly.
"O, In Ihe baard’ln’ house, I guess.
Whire else? They're a-goin' to have roast
turkey an' cranberry sauce an' plum pud
d’n’, I hear,"
1 soon knew his s.ory—a stepmother
thrie months after his own mother's
(hath, and, I mentally added, a red-head
ed ftepson. He had picked up a general
i lea of firing while beating his way on
here fr m Wisconsin, and, happening to
arrive at our round house Just as a man
was urgently needed, h e caught on.
"They’re callin' u," he concluded, and
giving the bellrope a jerk, he stepped
down to hook up his Are.
When I got coupled up and he stepped
up in the cab again, 1 said:
“We expect to have a little time up to
our house to-morrow, Harry, and I should
like to have you come up and take din
ner with us.”
*Thank you, Alec,” he replied; "I will."
There was an inch of snow on the rails
when I got my orders to "run as an extra
keeping out of the way of all regular
trains.” But Davis, the conductor, sab!
he had a nice, light-running train, cars all
loaded with whisk brooms and straw hats.
I was glad enough to hear it, for there
were 175 miles of iron, slippery with the
failing snow, before old 18's pilot and
home. It I averaged the maximum of
freight train speed (twenty miles per hour)
I would arrive hotne by 9 o'clock in the
morning; but it was a bad night, I would
never be able to keep them going at that
gait, so 1 promised myself not to kick if
I got home by noon; a very liberal allow
ance.
It was a hard pu.it out of Tabor's Junc
tion. When the yardmaster happened to
he feeling just right, he would let one of
ihe switch engines get in behind a train
and give her a shove for half or three
quarters of a mile. But Davis was no cro
ny of his, so we didn’t get it.
It was a fearful night. The gale howled
and the snow drove horizontally like a
sand blast. The wind was on the fireman’s
side, which made it possible for me to look
out. But all I could see was an impene
trable white screen, mode visible in one
small spot by the headlight. I
had been easing the throttle when
she slipped—for I would need all
the sand I had before I got ’home
—until she nearly stalled. That wouldn’t
do, so I gave her a bare taste and leaned
out to hear the gratifying crunch of it
under the wheels.
Harry gripped my shoulder and shouted;
“Merry Christmas!”
I wished him the same and many of
’em, and noticed that it was Just 12 by
ihe engine clock. She hadn't slipped since
1 gave 'her the sand, but was puffing
along with suspicious freedom; for we
were not up the grade yet. I told the
brakeman to go back on top of the train
and see if the caboose was coming. He
went off growling, but he went, which was
the main thing. From the hack of ihe
o-nder he gave me what I expreted and
dreaded—a signal that the tiain hal
broken in two. I whistled the flag back
to protect the rear and kept on.
I ;ook the cars I had to ihe next siding,
four miles away. X had two more cars
than the siding would hold. I backed them
oil in hard against the stop block. Then
1 out the two head cars off, pulled them
out of the switch, and backed down the
main track with them, until the engine
was behind the two head cars In the sid
ing. I had the brakeman cut tins; two
off, and 1 "stoked” them out on the main
'rack ahead of the engine. I ran ahead,
until the two cars behind the engine
were over the switch. I backed them In
on the siding, leaving the other two out
on the main track. Then I cam- out
with the engine and went back after tne
rest of the train.
I had a four-mile back up In the ted h
of the blizzard. I couldn't see a thing,
and never knew where I was. I didn’t
dare go fast, for I exp.-cted every minute
to hit the train, and I couldn’t force my
self to go siow enough- to stop without
punching a hole In a newspaper. Snow and
ioml dust nwlrled up under the foot of the
curtain, Minding us. and the boiler might
l ave been an ice cream freezer for all of
tin effect on the temperature, I tried to
Invent a suitable reward for the yarJmuc-
Ir at Tabor's tor not giving me a starve,
only u> i,mewls r that • nglnoeri sand m
"v# a chance to gat square.
The crew had lied a red lamp to the
take rod of the head car and gone back
” fie caboose. Dong before I get bock
l“* tamp waa transformed into a mime-
fpje Jitating fflietogl
I ! ure , but I dkin't happen to hit
hard enough to smash anythin*. We
found the dfawhead of the other ear hang
ing to this one by the link and pin. We
got it up in the tender, after a while, and
coupled it. I called the flap:, and Davis,
nearly frozen, climbed aboard. He said
there was no flag out. the tall lights be*
ln * in l ),ain steht from the yard, and he
commenced to criticise ray solution of
the recent difficulty, saying I should have
hacked the whole tmin down Into the
> ard, and demanded the service of n
pusher. There may be a time for all
things, but that didn't eeem to me to be
Ule _ Ume to listen to switch-shanty rail
roading. so I shut him and drove him back
io his dog house. By the time they got
the draw-head back into Its place in the
car and we got away from the siding, we
had been four hours coming a little over
tour miles, a magnificent beginning, truly.
Our turkey’ll be cold, Alec,” Harry re
marked, Jokingly, after we had started
again.
“Froze." I replied, slowly.
I couldn’t get them going over twelve
miles an hour, and from that we ran
down to about Ihe speed of a slow walk.
She didn't steam very freely, which was
to be expected. The weather would have
chilled a boiler Jackeled with a foot of
asbestos. She kept calling for more water,
so -I was not surprised, when, while oiling,
I discovered her flues to be leaking badly.
After that I never passed a water plug;
and the plump vision of my Christmas
turkey faded in inverse geometrical ratio
to my progress.
Daylight showed us a white Christmas
with a vengeance. The storm was still
raging with urdlminished fury, the sand
• ike snow continuing its endless horizontal
•drive.
Seventeen would be due in half an hour.
There wasn’t time to get to ihe next sid
ing ahead of her. but there was a cross
over switch a mile ahead, where I decided
to back over, and let her pass. My flag—
the head brakeman-had gone back to the
caboose; a trip over the tpp of that train
that I would not have taken for a con
trolling interest in the road. I commenc
ed whistling for the switch as soon as I
got to it. Ten minutes after 17 was due.
Davis emerged from the whirling snow,
seeking Information. His faculties seem
ed to have become henumbei; X had to go
into ali Ihe details before he could un
derstand that I wanted to carry Die
brakeman out ahead to protect us when
crossed over.
I carried the man out half a mile, gave
him a bucket of flre.and told, him to burn
fence rails or an.vthin-g he could get ho and
of to keep himself warm, but undtr no
circumstances desert his poet until called
in.
After a lot more whistling, fuming anl
fussing. I got the train backed over, we
closed the cab tight, and at our lunches.
While gnawing at the kiln-dried hoarding
house sandwiches and laughing at Har
ry’s nonsense about “white or dark meat.”
17 came puffing along, almost noiselessly,
like a polar bear towing a string of ice
bergs.
I had lost nearly a gauge of water
through the leaky flues while laying there.
A broomstick inspection showed less than
six ihches in the tank, atvd the nearest
water plug was five miles away. Again
I worked the whistle cord. After awhile
Davis came ahead. He was muffled up in
all the old rags the caboose lockers could
furnish, and was a perambulating moun
tain of snow and ice. He was mad, at
last; as mad as I had been ail night.
"Gosh almighty!” he roared, so loud that
I heard him above the noise of the gale;
"couldn't the fireman get down an’ open
the switch ’thou* callin’ a man a'l the
way up from the hind end? Mebbe you
think it's fun to waller 'round in thl*
snow.”
I told him to cut the engine off and hold
everything on the east bound track till I
got back from Selden water plug. As we
pulled over the switch Harry shouted;
“Hey, Davis!”
Davis looked up, squinting comicalfy
into the teeth of the storm. Harry threw
him a kiss and yelled; “Turkey!”
The conductor’s reply was inaudible, but
we know what it was—the most common
expression in railroad use.
When we got back from the water plug.
21 (the mail) was waiting. We followed her
getting grod wheeling until she got so far
ahead that the snow drilled in b hind her
again. We loaded the lender at Bolton
coal platform, piling big i.’umps that
couldn't blow away on top. My watch
diopred out of my pocket on to the shov
el. I threw it into the tender, and Harry
tossed a heavy lump on top of it. After we
had found It and stepped back on the en
gine, he asked, looking at the dock:
“Is that all 'lis 10:15?”
I lcokcd at ray watch: H:*7. We had left
the curtain up, while coaling, and the en
gine clock, less than two feet above the
holler, had frozen up and stopped.
During the next hour we near y stalled
In big drifts twice. This set me to think
ing about train 19; she must be nearly due.
I loooked at my watch, 1) :37. It hadn t
turned a wheel since that lump of coal hit
it, and now I had r.o time on ihe engine.
Seeing me looking at my watch, Harry
asked me if it was broken. I told him it
was: “That’s nothing.” said he, “so’s the
record." I tried to grin, but Just then she
plumped into a cui, at the foot of a slight
grade, that was filled 20 feet deep with
ihe beautiful. I had no fonger any need
to worry about following t:an*. I was
anchored good and solid, I had a full tank
of coai; we wouldn't freeze, and there was
water enough for a long siege—cnly for
those leaky flues.
Engineers. when snowbound, must
keep their engines alive, that trains may
proceed imm- diately the road is opened,
o:iierwise expensive delays will.occur from
thawing out,* watering and firing up
dead engines in most inconvenient
places. My great problem was,
how to get water into the ho ler. The
pumps worked only whoa the engines ran
I gave her steam, If the wheels would slip
on the rails and turn, I could pump that
way. She might have been a solid, joint
less casting, for aU the effect the steam
had on her.
I Something had to be done and qu:ckly.
I for the water was leaking out of her every
1 minute, and I had only two gauges In her
when I stopped. We got the spa*e scoop
shovel and sunk a shaft through the snow
on the lee side of her. Then we cleared
the snow away from under her and all
about the wheels and machinery. It had
drifted a natural arch over her by this
time, so that it was quite warm down
there. Harry brought down the ham
mer. some wrenches and the torch and re
ported barely one gauge of water In the
boiler. It was time, Indeed. to hurry.
It was an awkward place to work, and
the smoke from Ihe torch neatly destroyed
its usefulness. I took down the sid
tods, that 1 might have but one pair of
wheels to turn. I thereby reduce! the
amount of friction to be overcome by the
use of si earn, which waa water, the ar Icle
I waa interested In oeooofinalng.
I pounded my thumb, and cut off a Joint
of my bft forefinger as the last end of the
last side rod unexpected slipped deer
Harry chewed me a tobacco poultice, and
lied It on with a plo of rag orn from
hie Jumper. We *efl lire rods in the
hm*, gave the reals awl Ur** * good old-
SAVANNAH, GA., SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1599
ing. and hurried up into the cab. There
was a flutter of water in the bottom
gauge-cock, so i slipped and pumped her
until she threw water out of the stack.
The water was squirting out off ;ur
leaky flues in a way that would soon set
us to shoveling snow into the tank. In
spite of ruy sou* finger. Its clumsy dress
ing and dull tools, 1 made fire taper flue
plugs out of a piece of coal board. Har
ry covered the Are with fine ccal and
snow, and put on the blower to carry oft
the smoke and gas. I threw the coal
board in on the hanked fire, and crawled
in with my plugs and a hammer.
I had forgotten that it was hot any
where. hut the experience I went through
in that hot firebox, perched over a minia
ture volcano, surrounded by boiling water,
and, in spite of the blower, inhaling smoke
and sulphurous fumes would have been
invaluable to Dante, when seeking lo
cal color. I drove the dry plugs tightly;
they absorbed moisture and swelled until
they were the tightest flues in her. 'Twas
a good job. and well done. The perspira
tion congealed on my face the instant I
stuck it out the fire box door, and before
iny feet were out, (here were icicles on my
whiskers.
It wa9 getting late in the afternoon,
and I was never so hungry In my life be
fore. Harry asked me u there was “any
cold tapioca pudditi’ in the cupboard?' I
told him there must be grub in the ca
boose, or some of them would have come
ahead long ago to see If we had any. He
volunteered to go back. It was a risky
Job, climbing over the toiui of those cars
in that weather. If anything happened
he would lie n-goner. with nobody near
to help, and a temperature that meant
almost Instant death to the partially dis
abled.
I sat and dozed, miserably, in the cor
ner of the cab. As I repeatedly lost con
sciousness, my feet would slip off the
boiler butt, the heel of the left coming
down with a painful bang upon the in
step of the right. This occured at stated
intervals, like pile driving. Tiring of the
monotony, I sought to change my position,
and became aware of an animated snow
ball, vainly striving to enter the gangway.
I pulled him aboard, and when sufficiently
thawed, he reported the caboose deserted,
and not a trace of anything edible in it.
He had seen nothing of train 19. and he
said that all the engines on the road,
coupled together, would not be able to
collide with our hind end.
This merry Christmas to which I had so
long looked forward, was about over. It
soon became dark. We shoveled coal
against the curtain, to keep the cold air
opt, caulked our window sash with waste,
I pumped her full again, and we shivered
and dozed and starved through the long
est night I ever knew.
The reappearance of the cab windows
notified me of the approaching dawn.
What a dismal sight! Our usually neat
cab was thickly begrimed with coal dust.
Every bolthead and bit of iron in the cab
itself, as well as the windows, was dis
guised by the delicate tracery of that mas
ter silversmith, Jack Frost. To the ar
tistic sense of the well-fed and com
fortably clad, it would have been beauti
ful; to my dulled mind, it waa emblematic
only of the biting cold that raged without.
Harry, tied in a hard knot, was snoring
soundly In his corner. I had him spread
the fire, and I pumped her full again.
Wo must have food at any cost. I
knew of but one house in that locality—
an ordinary story-end-a-half farm house
on a cross road, about half a mile from
where we lay. It was invisible through
the storm, but we'knew its approximate
direction. We left everything In the best
order possible, and started; the wind at
our backs, Harry in the lead.
I shall never forget that trip, flounder
ing aimlessly througli the drifts like n pair
of blind mice, If I live to be 100. Throe
minutes after leaving the engine we could
not have found our way back to It, no
matter what the necessity. Harry being
younger and lighter than I, I had all I
could do to keep him In sight. We fell
into an abandoned well. Fortunately It
was already nearly full of snow, so, bar
ring a few bruises, we received no Injuries.
We would surely have died here, for the
well was smoothly lined with brick, and
we were too deep in- it to get out, had
not the overhanging crest of the drift
fallen from topheaviness, burying us, at
the same time that it raised our level suf
ficiently to enable us to crawl out.
Shortly after this, that providence which
so often intervenes on behalf of the help
lees, led us stumbling and half-frozen to
the back door of the house.
Farmer Belknap had essayed a trip to
the barn to look after his stock, and his
good lady had lain down for her regular
after-dinner nap, leaving the clearing up
to her buxom daughter. Susie. The old
lady had Just dozed off on the sitting ro~~i
lounge, when, like Incarnate spirits of the
storm, we two derelicts fell Into the en
try. The last of our strength left us
there, and it was merely two heaps of
rags, ice and snow, that confronted the
frightened women when they opened
inner door. Susie was the first to iden
tify us as human beings, and together,
they dragged us Inside.
The next thing I saw was brown
eyed Susie, bustling about <he ta
ble, where Harry was manfully
attacking a stack of buckwheat
cakes, which Mrs. Belknap was
straining every nerve to keep re
plenished. I was soon seated opposite
Harry. Susie double-banked her mother
nt the griddle, and we sent the level of
the buckwheat flour barrel down as
though the bottom had fallen out of it.
The famine relieved, we cleaned up a bit,
and the old gentleman came in and in
dorsed the hearty welcome we had already
received from his women folks, He told
us the well we fell into was forty feel
deep, and had been abandoned when he
was a boy, because the Water “got sp'll
ed, somehow.” As none but his own folks
ever went there, and nobody had ever fal
len Into it before, he hadn't bothered to
cover It up. We knew, now, that the ava
lanche that enabled u to get out was
not the first that had fallen into it, and
we thanked our lucky stars that we didn’t
start the day before. Mrs. Belknap and
Susie soaked out my wounded finger and
dressed it with some of the soothing salve,
home-made for father, when he cut his
foot with the ax.
The warmth, light and comfort of the
cozy parlor, not to mention the congenial
company, contrasted so strongly with the
bitter gale and the dirty, cheerless cab
that we found it impossible to combat, the
urgent invitation of our kind friends to
remain with them.
That night we slept on feathers, between
blankets, and as I drowsed off I rimcm
ler Harry droning a lot of rapturous twad
dle in my ear about sweet Susie Bel
knap.
In the morning the storm had moderat
ed somewhat, and I began to worry about
the engine. Should anything happen to
her in my absence the cold, fishy eye of
(ha master mechanic would fall to discern
extenuating circumstances. We each took
mi snot te-r big tank of home-made sau
sage and pancakes, and felt fit for the
deed of our lives. Dear, motherly Mrs.
Belknap would have loaded us with pro
visions, but 1 declined sveryUtin* but •
piece of boiled salt pork, a loaf of bread
and n package of cofTee and sugar.
I had to speak twice—a little shandy iha
last time—to Harry. Who was bidding Su
sie goodby in the kitchen. I thought I
heard a suspicious smack, tut I won’t
swear to that; still, those red-headed fal
lows—hang him, ho came away and for
got the coffee!
Mr. Belknap told us a batter read than
the way we came, so we got hack without
much trouble. The Curtain had cauiht
tire front the furnace dcor and brok. n
every pane of glass in the cab, rendering
it uninhabitable. The clock had thawed
out. run seven minutes and frozen up
again. But there was both Are ani wa
ter In her, so I didn’t much care. I
pumped her full again, and. though Ilia
weather was moderating rapidly, as lh>
cab was untenable, we adjourned lo -ho
snow hole under her. We munched our
pork and bread In comfort down there,
Harry calling out that he had found the
wishbone,
The storm was about over; I had kept
my engine alive, my stemsch was com
fortably tilled and my mind was easy. 1
lit m,v pi|>e and was dozing off to the enl
less hum of Harry’s eulogies of Busin
Belknap, when I was rudely recalled to
railroad realities by the voice of Davis,
shouting. The snowplow’ with a gang of
shovelers was halfway through the cut,
and Davis, chockful of business, was call
ing me to get ready,
"Where the deuce have you been nil
summer?” I asked, petulantly. For he
had all the appearance of a man who
had been comfortably housed and fed;
was shaved, even.
“Over hero to the house,’’ he answered
cheerily. “Where was you?”
“What house?”
"Why, my mother-in-law’s; Jest tack o’
them trees.”
“Well, lt' a wonder you wouldn’t ask
us over; how’d you ’spore we was agoln’
to stan’ it?”
”1 expected you over every minute; nn’
when ye didn’t come, I thought mebbe
you’d ryther stay by the engine. One o’
the boys was over here yisterday to see tf
ye wanted anything, an’ lie said there
wnrn’t nobody here. Where'll ye go?”
“Down to Belknap’s,"
"Belknap's? Gosh! Wlia'd ye go way
down there fur? Why, it's four times
ns fur as 'tls up to mother's."
"O, Is it? Well, I'm mighty glad I’ve
found that out, anyway."
They dug us out, and I slammed it to
old 18 for dear life. I knew passenger
train 19 was somewhere Ix-hind me, and
I wanted to get by the only switch there
waa.lietween me and home without side
tracking for her. I got by it all right,
and while bucking a little pile of snow
that had fallen on the track since the plow
pa seed, she came up and coupled to our
caboose.
We went in the rest of the way flying.
The sun came out and made a fairyland
of the heavily snow-covered landscape,
nnd tempered the frosty air lhat came
through the broken, windows. It was thir
ty hours after Christmas dinner time when
we stepped oft her at the ash track, but
I told Harry to come on up to the house
and we’d pick the hones, anyway.
When we turned the corner there was
the house all lit up. and as we stamped
the snow off our feet in the entry, the
dining room door flew open, and mother
and Katie—who had become as thick as
thieves—and little Bob, "shouted a chorus
of “Merry Christmases” at us.
The table, whose snowiy linen contrast
ed sadly with our begrimed overclothes,
was pulled out full length in the middle
of the floor. In its center, his drumsticks
held defiantly aloft, lay the great brown
turkey, with not a brack In his glossy
skin. He was supported on one side by
a massive dome of mashed potatoes, whose
generous white expanse was mottled hero
and there by little dabs of delicious golden
butter. Delicate, feuthery fronds of cel
ery nodded jovially to the fat glass dish
of cranberry sauce, while delicious odors
of ooffee and plum puddin' were wafted
through the open door from the kitchen.
What a sight for tired and hungry rail
roaders!
“We waited for ye, Pa. Pa, wo waited
for ye!” shouted boisterous Boh; and so
they had. Katie had worn a path through
the snow to the switch tower und had
timed our arrival home to Ihe minute.
I noticed after that, during the winter,
Harry hod a way of hanging out of the
gangway 1 as we approached Belknap’s, so
I made it my business to blow a crossing
signal there. And as I peered slyly from
under the peak of my cep I would see a
giriish figure wave a white cloth from
the back piazza. Harry was promoted the
following spring, and the next Christmas
T'Y. and I and Boh stretched out our toes
under the hospitable mahogany of Mr.
and Mrs. Harry Mervin.’
Yes. as I look back at it now, I think,
take it all in all, it was the very merriest
Christmas I ever spent, and I know Sue
and Harry do.
WORLD’S FIRST FOLDING BED.
It Was (tie Invention of n Western
Man Named Johnson.
Washington, Dec. 22.—"N0 Invention of
modern times so filled the proverbial
long-felt want as did the folding bel.”
These are the words of Robert C. Gill, the
head of the model rooms in the patent
office in Washington—a genius who car
ries in his head the most minute details of
ali the several hundred thousand models
that are entrusted to his care.
The particular model lo which lie re
ferred was the crudest form of a collapsi
ble bedstead ever devised. But that tude
bed, cut in sections and hinged so that it
might fold into compact form, contained
the germ of nn idea, and to that we owe
the useful and handsome cabinet folding
bed of to-day.
The inventor of the folding bed was
one James A. Johnston, a Westerner, to
whom letters patent No. 17,281 was grant
ed on May 12, 1857. .
No provision was made In the b and for
the storing of the mattress, p'llows and
bed clothes, as is common in the folding
bed of to-day.
Also unlike the modern contrivance,
which when folded resembles a bureau,
chiffonier or other similar piece of furni
ture. the folding bed patented hy Johnston
made no pretense of looking like anything
other than Just what It was.
A company manufactured the Johnston
patent and It had quite a vogue In lis day.
Little by little improvements were madr
on the bed. and within the past score of
years the piece of furniture we know to
day was evolved, and there are revei al
hundreds of varieties of them patented.
—The Board of Education of Philadel
phia has given the name of Matthias W.
Baldwin to one of the schools, In honor of
the late founder of the Ballwin Locomo
tive Works, it is ihe practice of tlu
board to name public school houses after
noted Philadelphians. Other schools In
the same locality beer the names nt Fran
cis M. Drexcl and George W, ChUd*.
ONE MERRY CHRISTMAS.
Ily Vine II t tellings.
It nos Christmas* eve to bi gin with, and
the house was topsy turvey. Mamma had
said so ar.d mamma knew. Tho on y clear
ed up places In it wore tho parlor uni
Auntie Mamie’s room, and the laiter would
■ * an ua had > .>i
don*- it Just before she went to take her
much needed nap.
As to the pailor, such funny things had
tarn goii g on in there nil day. First, pupa
came out with a queer look on Ids faro
and a sprig of evergreen slicking to *.is
coat. Then every time the children started
to to In there mamma would say "come
hack children. It's ceto In there, boo!" and
every time Auntie Mamie went In or came
out she shut the doer quick so they could
not see, and alt. go (her tt had been a very
queer day.
It was night now, and the children were
eurlid up before the bg grulo 111 Auntie
Mamie's room. They had Just had ihe r
suppers of warm milk and fio-h biea.l
with “tcokles” aid pop earn, und .-at
watching the firelight dance on the wal.s
and the sti ks of wood crumble to live
coals, and walling for mamma or some
body to come and put th*m to bed.
Very sweet and pretty they looked In
their warm flannel nightgowns, as they
sat before the fire and stretched out liner
litile pink toes to be toasted, at least papa
thought so as he poked his head in at ihe
door to find mamma whoke nap Bail lasted
Conger than usual he thought.
Two tiny (*alis of stockings hung one on
cither side of the fireplace and each child
ish head was full cf delightful wonder
ing* as to what “Chrtffus” would bring
to itiem.
“1 wont n new dolly," said Joy, the
household pot, ” ’cause my Gretchie is all
Invoked up. ami I want some chocklnt
candy and .some chew-gum." "What you
spoke we'll g< t Estah?"
And Esther, the little fair-haired queen
answered in her old-fashioned way, "well
1 don't know, but I presume lots of good
things, ’cause Auinte Mumle aalil so when
she was undressing us to-night. I do want
a little doll carriage nnd n pair of new
milieus, for my lingers get so (Old when
1 go to kindergarten. But, Joy, what do
you sim so we want the most?”
“Oh, I do’ know, less It's a horse and
cawwlge so we could go and take rides.”
"Yes, you do, Joye—ld you know we
have talked about it for ever so long, and
seems If It would never coma.”
“Oh, yes, I know whut you mean, Es
tah, it’s a little tiny baby sistah. Oh,
do you hope it will eome 10-nlght? May
be Santa Claus will bring It. Less ask
him, less send anodder letter wight now,
Estah.”
"We couldn't now, ’cause ihe paper and
pencil is gone, and 'sides I'm too sleepy,”
and the curly head began to nod.
“Well, Estah, 1 tell you what we could
do. Less pway to Dod about it and I
guess maybe He'd answer to-night.”
“All right, Joy, we’ll kneel right down
here by our rocking chairs where it is
warm, and we'll have to do it quick, Joy,
’cause I'm pretty near asleep now."
So Ihe* two little night-gowned baby
forms knelt in the warm firelight, both
heads on one chair, for in their hurry to
get It over with before they went to sleep
they scrambled for the same chair, nnd
before they were fairly on their knees
Joy began:
"Oh, Jesus, we wants a little, tiny baby
sister ever so bad. Wota't you please send
us one to-night, and It can sleep In my
little bed, and we'll be so good to it for
ever an’ ever amen.”
And Esther took up the pleading in her
own persistent way, "And oh, Jesus, if
you'll only send It to-night we could take
just the best care of It, and It could have
all Joy's baby clothes packed away in the
trunk, and it could ride In my little doll
carriage if Santa Claus brings it.”
And then Joy udded a most Imploring
postscript to the effect that she hoped
"Dod wouldn’t let Santa Claus forget to
come to our house and bring some lilile
cocoanut boxes and some chew-gum.
They were almost asleep when this ar
dent exercise was over, and they did wish
someone would come and put them to
bed. The bed looked so far away, and it
was cold over in that corner, and the fire
was so warm and pretty, and tho rug was
so soft, and maybe--God—would—send— a—
nsngei—with—that—little—tiny—
And the curly heads nodded and nodded,
and came closer and closer together, till
finally the gold nnd brown curls In'ler’mln
gled, and two tired little glris were fast
asleep, and in their dreams they saw this
beautiful vision.
First. There was a fairy came Into the
room, with spangles of go:d and silver on
her arms, and sprigs of evergreen sticking
to her skirt. Avery substantial, comfort
able-looking fairy she seemed, who looked
at ihe children out of loving brown eyes,
filled Just then with a strange, glad light]
“Bless their little hearts! If we didn't
forget ail about them In the excitement
of the New Arrival. I’ll take them right
In'to bed with me for Emmie and Charlie
are too much taken up with that Third
Edition to be bothered now. Christmas
eve, and what a lovely Christmas present
has come to us. I feel like the wl*. men
who went to seek Mary and the Babe ly
ing in a manger.” Arid the fairy took up
each sleepy, Utile form and tucked it Into
her own warm bed, close, clinging kisses
and whispered good-nights of which they
only half dreamed.
Then she went away and left them, and
they went on dreaming and never knew
but what they were still before the fire,
as, Indeed, they were in their dreams, and
all at once the room seemed to grow warm
er and brighter, and a strain of the sweet
est music came to their ears. It sounded
something like "While Shepherds WatobeJ
Their Flocks by Night" as they had Sung
it at Sunday School the day before; and
then before they were fairly aware of it
such a lovely angel came floating down
from the ceiling, and yet—no, but it really
was—the tiny baby sister they had so
longed and prayed for. Closer and closer
came the angel, but very slowly as though
she were half afraid of frightening the
children, and how beautiful she did look
and how close and warm she held that
dear little baby, and then at last when
she was quite close shevknelt beside them
and the dearest baby that ever was,turned
Its golden head away from that soft, lov
ing breast and opened its blue eyes wide
and seemed to say. “Yes, you dear lb tie
girls, I guess I’ll stay with you,” and Juat
as they reached out thetr hands to take
her, a puff of wind from an open door
came along and blew both ang*l and baby
up, up and out of their sight. They trie !
to call her back,but were too sleepy, und
begjdes they didn't know what her iitmi
was, and after all maybe ah would com**
back anyway, and both the babies floated
off Into that mysterious land where there
ar* neither dreams or visions. i.t which
lies so close to dreamland that w eon
hardly tell when we have stepped across
the border line.
Christina* morning dawned bight anl
BLOOIDJI
) y This woman la a picture of per
feet health. Her existence la
not made miserable by Shattered
~ A Nerves, Wasting: Irregularities,
Dyspepsia, the Blues, or any of
i /Ty th* manifold derangements
(f raA caused by weak or impure blood.
)*? jSjA She is full of life and ambition,
f Btae is handsome. She is happy.
Jto b,oo< * coursing through her
gM{ S9^OJIQ veins maintains her magnificent
KaS, Wl womanhood, warding off the in-
REI' I) .-('PIP numerable dineaficß to which a
klm 4ml9K|KfflUr U weaker woman would be suacep
m,m AUce Haßttn * 9 ’
Pn n (LIPPMAN’S GREAT REMEDY) is the Ideal medf
cine for women. Its use Insures health and the sub-
I I I I I stantial attractiveness which health alone can be
stow. P. P. P. Is the greatest Blood Purifier known to
n dical science, curing all Scrofulous Affections, Dyspepsia, Rheuma
tism, Catarrh, Neuralgia, Malaria and Nervous Derangements.
•P.P.P. is sold by nil druggists, ft a bottle; six bottles, $5.
LIPPi BROTHERS. Savannah. G&.
beautiful, and a stray sunbeam fllckrnr 1
ever Klhor's fair face und poked lm tluv
fingers Into Joy's dark ryes, and In a min
ute they were both wide awake.
The bright eyes opened wl ler .-till when
they raw two well-IHkd sbrekings hang
ing either able the mania] and, regardless
of the cpld, they troth sprung from the
warm bed.
Just then the door opened and Auntie
Mamie came In. She looked unusually
bright the children thought, and her eyes
seemed rather misty as she trade them it
merry Christmas and then said, "Coroe In
the parlor, children, and see what we have
In there,” and she picked up little Joy
and the two pairs of bulging stO'klngs,
and called to listher to follow.
What n sight met their eyes when the
door was opened! A bright, warm tire
glowing In the grate, find over In one cor
ner u beautiful Chrislmis tree, reaching
ckar to the rolling, and fairly load'd with
beautiful toys and sparkling, gl sterling
ropes of gold and silver.
They looked around for mamma, but she
was not there, yet In her room. Just uff
the parlor glowed another warm (Ire. and
there beside the bed, sat papa talking very
softly to mamma. They wondered why
both did not come to see that lovely tree,
but were far too busy exploring Its de
lights to go and see.
There was anew doll.v for Joy, with a
funny muff anil coliaf of fur; u beautiful
In>x of "cocklut” candy and chew, gum.
and to Esther's great delight a tiny doll
carriage, with all the accompanying rotres
and afghans that the most exacting doll
heart could wish.
After they had looked and eaten and ex
plored to their heart's delight, n soft
voice culb-l from mamma's room, "Come
here children, and see what “Chrlffus"
brought me.
Two pairs of little pink feet hustled over
the soft warm carpet, and In a moment
they were by the side of momma's bed.
Mamma lay there, looking weak and
white, but very lovely in her pink Jacket,
with two bright spots glowing on her
cheeks, and after kissing the children and
Wishing them a Merry Christmas, she
turned hack the covers and there lay,
snuggled up close to her warm breast—
wli.it do you think? The very loveliest,
tiny baby in nil the world, uud both chil
dren gapped with delight.
"Oh, mamma, when did It cotne, and
why did God send It in the night?” from
Esther; and, "There, Eetah," with one
pudgy finger held up to emphasise her
words, “l told you muybe Dod would an
swer las’ night, an' I know He sent Jt
by that lovely angel, for X saw It in my
geams. you see it, too, Eslah?” And
then the shining vision they hod seen
came hack to the minds of both, and they
remembered their prayers, owl with tho
faith known only to childhood they felt
that God had heard and answered.
Their delight in the baby was unbounded
and they wanted to kissr-and cuddle ond
play with her at once, but momma put
them off till some other time, unit all at
once Joy thought to herself that the new
baby had her nice place In bed, and she
somehow missed the petting and cuddling
that heretofore had been all given to her,
and she turned sorrowfully away from
the lied with her pretty brown eyes full
of tears.
Hut someone had seen the look of half
pain that crossed the baby face, and the,
tears that stood in her eyes, and mamma
called softly, "Come here, Doychln." With
a big lump In her throat the baby, for she
was only a baby, after all, went back to
tho bed lo find that nurse had carried off
the new arrival for a bath, and there was
her own warm place waiting for her, and
In the tender kisses showered on her face
and the clasp of the arms that would
never be closed to her, Joy found that
come weal or woe, though friends may
fall and things go wrong, to a mother's
heart no baby’s nose Is ever out of Joint.
Just then there was a sound of bells
on the frosty air, and the great hall door
opened, and a big, bluff voice called out
"Merry Christmas, Children,” and the ba
bies scampered for the door, for they
knew that voice, and knew too that “Un
de Davy” would be sure to have some
thing for them, for when did he ever come
empty handed, on Christmas or any other
day.
Where’s mamma, Esther?” said Aunt
Alice from the depths of her big fur coat,
but Esther was far too busy exploring
the depths of Uncle Davy’s big pockets
to reply. Bo Aunt Alice left her big,
good-natured husband to the tender mer
cy of the children, and went to look for
her sisters. Auntie Mamie met her at
the door, and by the look on her face
Aunt Alice knew something had happen
ed. and her first words were "Where's
Emmie?"
Through the warm bright parlor, with
Its shining tree, sin* was lead Into that
quiet room with its curtained bed and
pale but happy occupant, and there with
a delight as great as the children's, she
beheld the tiny Christmas gift that bad
brought ao much Joy and thankfulnesa
Willi liar coming.
Hours afterward, when the pretty tree
PAGES 17 TO 20.
had Ix'cn relieved of some of Its bur<leng
ami all were gathered In tho quiet parlor,
after a. I ountlful dinner, someone said,
"Well what shafl we call tho new baby? 1 '
I’relly names galore were suggested, the
children wanted to call her Mattie Dove
or Busy May, but no me else teerne 1 to
think those names would do, and at last
pnpu suld "I think we wilt give her a gool
plain, quiet name, and at I am anxious
tluil tills one shall be somewhere near as
lovely as her mamma, I want lo call her
nf.er one of tho sweetest women of the
Bible. What do you soy to Hath, mamma,
wouldn't tlmt be a good name for our
baby?
And the mamma smiled and blushed at
Ihc compliment, and said she thought It
would, and then auddtnly It occurred to
each and all of them that llulh was just
llie name to tit tt o Utile darling, and won
dered why they hud not thought of tt bo
fore.
Bo the baby was brought out and given
Its new name and kissed by all the adm r
trig relatives, and then taken back to its
warm nest besides mamma again, an,}
Whin they were nil Billing quloily tn tho
gathering dusk, there came across die
snowy yard a sound of voices, and there
were Ihe words that flouted across 10 them
In song.
"The heavenly Ilahe ye there shall find.
To human view displayed,
All meanly wrapped In swaddling clothes
And In a manger laid."
And the happy mother clasped her dar
ling clea r and thanked God for another
precious treußuro to love ar.d care for, and
llio children both felt that they would bo
willing lo give up any und all of their
Christmas gifts except Just one, durllng
Baby ituth.
CURIOSITIES or, (THAN CM HATE,
The Way Native* riant Fences In*
steail of lluiltllnir Them.
Washington, Dec. 22.—Some edd things
happen In Cuba. A man wishes a fanes
around his yard or Held; he doesn't build
It, he ids tils It—and it grows, too. First
he cuts a great bundle of pnon twigs,
then he scratches a little trench where hs
wants his fence to run and finally hs sticks
In Ihe twigs in, a row a few Indies apart.
The soil of Cuba is so rich and the weath
er so warm anti moist that directly tho
twigs take root, throw out branches and
leaves and presently there Is a dense
hedge of pi non trees enclosing the Held.
And there are no nails to drop out hero
nor lionrds to fall down, and let in the cat
tle and the fence Is good for a hundred
years. J
Nor is that the most curious thing that
one may see in Cuba. What would you
think of a camp table that grew? While
the American soldiers were camped back
of Santiago they made great numbers of
little tables by driving forked sticks in the
ground for legs and using a top of boards.
Of course the Jegs took root and some of
these tables are now nicely shaded by
leafy branches, and In two or three years
four nice trees will be growing there and
no one would ever drum that they ones
were table legs. Another curious thing.
At Quunlanumo I once saw an old tin can
fasternal around the branch of a big Cu
ban laurel tree some four or live feet fioro
its leafy end. It was packed full of
earth and 1 wondered what could be the
purpose of It.
"That’s simple enough,” said the Cuban
householder. "In a few weeks roots will
grow in the earth Inside the tin can. Then
we can cut off the limb Just back of the
can, stick It In the ground, take away tho
can and It will grow Into a large tree.”
Plant a cauliflower plant In Cubu and
Instead of spreading out in a big far head
like a cabbage, it spindles up for all the
world like a sunflower, three or four f.et
high with big rank leaves and a little flow
er at tho top that yon never could recog
nise as a cauliflower.
Her Comb Ulevr Up.
From Cincinnati Commercial Tribune.
Mrs. Noah Drown, residing lp Cob rain
avenue, mei with a peculiar accident Mon
day night. Mis. lliown was waiting on h,r
husband, who was In td Buffetlr g with a
sprained ankle. She had occasion 10 stoop
down in nont of an open gia.u Are, and
as she did so a celluloid tomb worn In
her hair exploded with sufficient fores to
throw her to the floor s me distance away.
Following ihe explosion the uocnb Ignited,
Most of Mrs. Brown s hair was burned
off, her eyebrows and lashes were eeorci
,d and she was wverely burned about tho
fare and neck. Considerable effort was
required to prevent the carpets and other
furnl-htngs from ostrhlng Ihe, as It was
tom it Impossible lo extinguish the bias ng
cbmt> uftH’ It baa ten pullet tr,m hr
hlr. The capita on was sc vxnpnnled hjr
ur< p >rt similar 10 ti at ,fa blank , arirtig ß
dlscjiurgul in a pistol, aru was heard by
ueverai i-opiu