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THREE CHRISTMAS CHIMES.
near ken! bow tho Christmas chime
Sings on oartli Its sonic sublime!
“Sentho tw»Jn whose« • fj
Wander tMli
J-WW^ .---^««rttrang®
• i —^. tSe meek and lowly.
jurist the mlichty, the all holy.
Sleeping cradled 1b a manger."
Sinsr jour Joy, O Christmas chime!
Let u» keep the Christmas time.
Be the loaf of plenty doled, i- *j
Bo the poor man's heart consoled.
Thus 're keep the Christmas time, Cf
IL
' lu <
Hearken! still the Christmas chime
Bings «n earth Its song snUffael
“Wondering shepherds see the night
Flooded with celestial light— -
Wondering hear the angel meesagei
Como and let us kneel before hhn.
Let i s And him and adore him.
Ponce on earth l iUi child doth pres
age."
Sing jt-ur Joy, O Christmas chlmel
Let us keep the Christmas time.
Lot ail strife and hatred ceaae.
Kindness live, good will and peaoa
Thus wo keep the Christmas time.
IIL
Hearken! still the Christmas «Mim
Sings on earth Its song sublime!
“Eagerly the Magi sped
By wondrous star beam led.
Gold and myrrh, and incense offer,
lie bri ngs most—yes, he the nlgheat
Draweth onto God the Highest
Who a heart of lore doth proffer."
Bing your joy. O Christmas chlmel
1/u us keep the Christmas time.
Lore shall be the law to bind
In one band all humankind.
Thus we keep the Christmas time.
-c>ntnry.
THE ATlWEii
CHRISTMAS THOUGHTS.
Copyright, if 91, by American Press "Associa
tion.)
From heat on to earth at night's high noon
There Hashed a ray of sacred lire,
And Nature’s voice was all a-tune
With songs of sweet desire.
0 wondrous night! O holy moral
When peat o and harmony were born!
The anthems of all nations ring
Over tho seas from shore to shore;
The song the Christmas joy bells sing
Echoes forevermore.
0 Christ, to think Thy baby hands
Could grasp and bold so many lands!
May Joy ab do In every breast!
May loving thoughts and kindness sway
The souls of men to quiet rest.
For Christ was born todayl
Let bitterness and envy cease.
And nil His children be at peace! '
0 spirit of this Chrlstmastlde,
Abide with us and give us power
To conquer upon every side
The battle of life’s boar.
And grant that we may know with Thee
The Joy of Immortality!
Helen S. Con ant.
J52 th0 * eUo 7 *»*• «hoo¥ deddedly
a f b* 1 ® answered:
! "Nuffin now."
Osx ?ext .Stop w^g. ata . large.fancy
ffjods store, and J thought that here the
little girl would certainly see something
to strike her fancy. But the beautiful
tilings were passed unheeded. At last
die said:
to kuy mamma a tandy titten!"
T °ny, the coachman, said that
there was a confectioner’s near by, we
diove there instead of to the place where
^9 bought the elephant.
A saleswoman informed me that t
would find the animals at the lower end
of the store, whereupon Margarita said:
"Don’t want to buy anlrnniq) Want
to buy a tandy tittenr
Of coarse everybody within hearing
laughed, and I hurried Margarita along
fcnvard the counter where kittens were
kept. t
, r ~h* Purchase made, other stores were
visited, but all to no purpose. Five
times we returned to one or the other of
the two large candy stores for a “tandy
wabbit” for nurse, a “tandy. piggy" for
Inca, a “tandy but’fly" for Nannie, a
“tandy mousey" for papa, and, to cap
all, which was, like the others, her own
choioe, a “tandy monkey" for Unde
Jim.
Aren’t yon going to buy me any
thing?" I asked.
Margarita, rather wearily,
“I loves ’our as if love were enough,
* felt that it was.
Contrary to my expectations, the lit
tle one was silent in regard to her shop
ping-, and even Uncle Jim asked no
questions.
Ou Christmas eve 1 went to the drawer
where 1 had put the gifts that Margarita
had bought, but not a package was there.
1 felt almost certain that Margarita had
not touched them, for she was not atned--
dlesome child. Bat if she had not been
asleep I would have questioned her. As
it was 1 searched everywhere, but could
find no trace of them.
The next morning I asked Margarita
about it
Shu looked np innocently and said,
with the sweetest smile in the world,
“Oh, 1 eated np thum all I”—Toronto
Empire.
Mrs. Snowden—I hear that Jimmy
Jenkins, the coachman, has eloped with
old Moneybag’s daughter. Mr. Snow
den—That will tickle the old man im
mensely. Mrs, Snowden—How so? Mr.
Snowden—Why, the old skinflint will
get out of giving her a Christmas pres
ent.—Kearney Enterprise.
CHRISTMAS APHORISMS.
CHRISTMAS CAROL.
Tk earth has grown old with Ita burden of
rare,
r q hi Christmas It always Is young.
T.» lirsrt of tho Jewel burns lustrous and fair,
lul lu aoul full of music breaks forth on the
air.
IThrn the song of the angels Is sang.
his coming, old earth. It Is coming tonight)
)n the snowflakes which cover thy sod "
tsfeet Ilf ibe Christ child fall gentla and
while.
Id the voice of the Christ child tells ont with
I 'blight
l "hat mankind are the children of God.
0 tho siul and the lonely, the wretched and
poor,
Vhc voice of tho Christ child shall fall;
ltd to every blind wanderer open the door
0! i hope that ho dared not to dream of before,
with a aunabluo of welcome for alt
hi feet of the humblest may walk In the field
Chore the set of tho Holieet have trod,
ft a, this is t ue niarvol to mortals revealed
klirii the silvery trumpets of Christmas have
pealed.
That mankind «.ro the children of God.
“Phillip:. Brooks In Youth's Companion.
Pope Telesphorcs, who died before the
middle of the Second century, deserved
canonizing, if for nothing else, for insti
tnting Christmas as a festival. It has
been celebrated ever since in all Chris
tian lands, and has given more happi
ness to children than any day in the
calendar. Making children happy is
the essence of Christianity.
Of late years, Christmas has become
far more a domestic and merrymaking
holiday than a religions one. Bat it is
religious in the best sense, since it is i
day of peace and rest, and opens the
heart to human needs and human sym
pathies.
OLD TIME RHYMES.
BABY’S CHRISTMAS GIFTS.
Vice
little Margarita Had Her Owl
About Making Presents.
We were talking over Christmas gifts
Clnncheou. when Margarita said:
Want to buy Kis'mas p’esents tool
Wint to buy Kis'mas p’esents toor
At once Uncle Jim exclaimed:
“So Margarita shall buy Christmas
Jlttental” • '
t pen which Margarita rewarded him
*iii> a smile enchanting enough to have
a far poorer man than Uncle Jim
*> exactly what Uncle Jim did. He
W eil a big roll of bmk bills from his
fr set ami put them in the little one’s
•) hand.
That is all nonsense. Jim! Don’t you
•hr said papa.
"!>he will bankrupt you in an hour."
*i Inez
1 wouldn’t, Jim," said mamma gen
■ ■ "She knows no more about the
•wth of money than any other little
year-old girl, if she is my baby and
•k- niece."
“'fern were two and a half yean old
•' month, weren’t you, pet?" cried her
^e, catching her Li his arms. “And
•hall buy some Christmas presents
ion want to. We don’t care what
•ay. We will show them that Mar
ik has as much wisdom as some older
1* in selecting gifts. Wo know,
w o, pet?"
A>‘<1 of course Margarita said yea.
it came alxrat that as the others
engaged 1 .accompanied Margarita
afternoon on her first round of
^nws shopping. I had my strict in-
^hons from Unde Jim not to urge
purchase upon the child, but to «d-
ler to have her own choice injwory-
Provided prices did not exoeed
P« sum.
hen Margarita's nurse brought her
T" t0 the carriage she did look sweet
n enough to almost win me over
^•clc Jim’s opinion,
maxing tint 1 tooks would please the
* wt 118 macl ‘ ** Anything, we drove
J°ok store and made our way from
« to counter. At first nothing
... to interest: Margarita so much as
* ? crowds of people. Finally, she
n np f rom „ pj ctnrB book, in reply
k t’piestion, “What do yon want
n ..° r , ^nnrioer she said, “Want
^dy lelephnaL"
^ the confectioner’s there was a
of sugar mIiwnIn, and Mar-
k , ^ upon a white elephant, and
^•ctlysattded. 7
K . ^8 little lady hare anything
«ked the saleswoman politely,
want to buy anything here
' - -°^Dncle Jim or nurse?’’ leaked.
THE EDN OF 67
A Thrilling Night Kide by W. F. Bruns.
I had just rettthfed’fFdWl-h kWIg trip to
tneiUnitod States and was sitting in my.
Chambers in Broad street, Aberdeen!
Smoking the pipe of and feeling" KTS!. r*W°t
foil of amity-to all mankind-? It was in
It was in Colorado, one of the wildest
and roughest railroads I know of.
At the bottom the roadbed was forced
in against the opposite mountain by a
noisy’ little river that ran some thirty
feet below. There were three tracks on
the mountain side, and standing oh one
of the three the other two coold tie
seen. 9 '• * 1 " k
The road was Stocked with Baldwin
engines, and to facilitate the climbing*,
of the heavy grades they hadsmall driv
ing wheels. »- -
I was fireman on 67, which was used
in the passenger service. She had the
largest drivers on the road,.and they
only measured forty-eight inches in ,div
ameter.
Matt Irwin was the engineer.
Sixty-seven had just been boused sifter
trrun. 1 was ’ filling the oil ’ cans, and
Matt was hauling off his overalls, when
Mr. Fox, the superintendent, climbed
into the cab. v. jh . ..i j
After.a few commonplace remarks, he-
ssked abruptly:
“Matt, how soon can 67 go out?”
“Just- as' soon as' I can pull on my
overalls,” was the reply." ’’Her steam
hasn’t been blown ont yet, ffud her fire
hasn’t been drawn.” •
The superintendent looked at both of
us very hard, as though he was sizing
us up, and then be said, awful solemn:
“Matt, you’ve been with us a long
time. You’ve beep tri^d and not found
Some quaint Chrlitmu Yemen of Other
Day*.
It was Thomas Tnsser who, nearly
three and a half centuries ago, advised
all people to at—
Christmas play and make good cheer,
For Christmas comet bat once a yoor,
in his quaint book, entitled “Five Hmi-
drede Pointes of Good Hnsbandrie,"
bnt it was previous to this that there
had been issued a mock play called
“Alexander and the King of Egypt,” tbe
conclusion of which is given in Ray’s
“Collection of Proverbs,” as follows:
Bonn-ee Buckram, velvets dear.
Christmas comes bnt onoo a year;
And when it ooraes it brings good cheer.
Bnt when It’s gone, it’s never the near.
(Note—Bounce Buckram Is equivalent to
“throw away your old clothes.”!
Again, in a rare tract published in
1658, are the lines:
Let's ilaaoe and sing and make good cheer.
For Christmas comes bnt once a year.
Herrick, in his “Hesperides," treats:
Of Christmas sports, the Wassail Boole
That lost up. after Fox-l’-th’-hole;
Of Blind-man buffs, and of the care
That young men have to sbooe the Mare:
Of Ash-heapes. in.the which ye use
Husksuds and wives by streakes to chose:
Of craokllng laureU. which fore sounds
A plenteous harvest to your grounds.
A writer in The Gentleman’s Magazine
for May, 1784, tells ns that “the drink
ing the Wassail bowl or cup was, in all
probability, owing to keeping Christmas
in the sarnie manner they had before tbe
Feast of Yale. There was nothing the
northern nations so much delighted in
as caroming ale, especially at this sea
son, when fighting was over. It
likewise their custom at all their feasts
for the master of the house to fill a large
bowl or pitcher, to drink ont of it first
himself, und then give to him that sat
nmet, and so it went around."
In Poor Robin’s Almanac for 1677, in
the beginning of December, he observes;
Now blooki to clqsve this time requires
•Gainst Christmas for to make good fires,
which saintary advice is still to be heed
ed in northern latitudes.
The Yule log figures largely in all the
poetiyot the Thirteenth, Fourteent h and
Fifteenth centuries, and of this Herrick
Bays:
Come, bring with a noise.
My merry, morris boys.
The Christmas Log to the firing.
While my good Dams, she
Bids ye all be froe
and drink to your heart’s desiring;
"With the last year’s Brand
light the new Block," »<1
For good success in his spending.
Or- your psalteries play. »
That sweet luck may
Como while tho Log Is a-toendlng.
Drink now tho strong beere.
Cut tho white loafo horo
Tho whilo tho meat Is a-shreddtng:
For tho raro mince pie
Ard tho plums stand by
Tto HU the paste that’s a-kneading.
Albert P. Sooth wick.
Fifty Yekrs.
For Ove;
ku».wb-;£ ar,s fgi
used for children teeming. ■, wind
used for children curea
Mftens the rum», aUsy^uip Dllkrrh05a .
bv,aidru *'
rl7w tKrone toot tna world.
wanting. Tonight we call upon yon to.
perform the most dangerous piece of
work yet. Will you do it?"
Matt’s eyee looked as large as saucers
in the dim light of the cab.. I confess 1
was trembling myself.
“What is it?” he asked.
“There’s been a big mistake made in
the higher offices—bnt that is not for os
to criticise—and there is bntr one way
to rectify it.”
Here the superintendent’s voice
dropped to a whisper. “One hundred
and fifty thousand dollars in gold has
got to be in B before midnight, to
connect with the Eastern express, and
you’re the man selected to take it
through.”
Old Matt showed his astonishment
with his. eyes, bnt never opened his
r-outh.
The superintendent merely glanced at
me, and turning to Matt continued:
A lone engine might create suspi
cion, so we’ll make np a wild freight.
They’ll all be empties. Back down to
the offices before yon couple on, and
we’ll pat the safe under the coal in the
tender.”
That was aU. He jumped off and dis
appeared.
For some time Matt and 1 sat staring
at each other, then he slid off his seat
and said:
This won’t do! Sapper, Harry—sup-
pert We haven’t mnch time to lose. It
only lacks a few minutes of 6. Be back
before the quarter.”
The wind was whistling among the
cars, whisking the dust and papers about,
while in the south a big black cloud was
coming up,- resplendent with chain light
ning. Altogether the night promised
to be unusually bad.
1 was back on time, bnt Matt was
there before me. He had lighted the
shaded steam gauge lamp and stood scan
ning a small piece of pasteboard.
What do you make of this, Harry?"
he asked, as I climbed np beside him.
I fonnd it pinned to my cushion.
On it was scrawled, with a lead pen
cil, the words:
Dan Kerb Don’t poll the wild freight tonight
if you value your lives. A Tbue Friend.
I make it that some one beside the
superintendent and ns knows of it,” I re
plied, the cold shivers beginning to chase
each other np my spinal column.
“There’s danger ahead!”
“Ay, there is danger ahead, my boy,
and old Matt spoke softer than I had
ever heard him before. “If you want
to”—
“I'll go where’you*, load,” I replied
quickly, knowing-what he wad going to
say.
“Then we’ll go through if it takes tbe
wheels out txom underl Ring up the
wipers I"
And without waiting for the hostler
to run the engine ont, old Matt backed
her on to the turn table, where the
wipers swung her around, and then we
backed down to the offices, where four
trusty men soon had the square safe un
der the coaL
A few minutes later we were coupled
onto a half dozen empty freight cars and
a caboose.
“There’s your orders!” cried Jimmy
O’Connor, the conductor, shoving up the
yellow sheets of tissue paper.
Old Matt looked them over, and we be
gan to move out of town.
“We’ve got a dear track,” he arid,
looking across at me, and then he draw
up the corners of his mouth, and I looked
for a quick run.
Before .we reached the outskirts of tbs
town the rain began to come down in a
perfect deluge.
Great drops, mixed with hail, and in
Buch quantity that tbs dry drains were
soon transformed into raging creeks.
The wind howled and shrieked above
the rumble of the train and threatened
to lift 67 off the rails. When the tele
graph poles began to snap off Matt’s
face began to lengthen.
“Good night for washovers,” ho said,
“and washovers are as bad as wash
outs!"
It was all down grade, and all the
steam used was to run the air pump,
had only to keep the fire alive.
Eight miles down we ran past a small
station where a freight train was side
tracked. It had perhaps a dozen cars.
Just before we reached it I saw a man
dart in between two of the cars to escape
the headlight.
I thought him either a trainman or a
tramp, but have since changed my mind.
We were half way down the Haver
sack grade, with a straight stretch of
track and a long curve before Us, when
Matt looked across and raid:
“I’m afraid tbe Kittle pasteboard was
only a scare. If”
There was a flash of light behind, thp.
rattle of coal, and Bob Dun cap, the for
ward brakeman, stood in the cab.
His face was as white as a sh-et.
“Shut her down—shut her down, for
heaven’s sake I” he shonted. “A freight’s
broke loose, and is coming down the
grade two miles a minute!”
Before yon could snap your fingers my
face was as pale as Bob’s.
Matt Irwin never lost his head, and
with a coolness that conies to few inen *
in time of danger, he asked, “How do
yon know?”
Seen her by a flash of lightning. O’Con
nor and Billy have jumped!
And then he swung out on the step
and disappeared.
‘Jump if.you want to, Harry r ” called
old Matt. “Fm going to stick to her.”
I gave one look* ont af the Egyptian
darkness and concluded that I would
stay with old Matt.
Keep yoor eye peeled for her,” he
eried, andicommenced to let 67 ont. '
“There sheds!” I shouted.
And there it was, ( sure enough. It had
just come'out of a cut. One of the boxes
was on fire, the flame streaming back
half a car length, and cutting, through
the air like a meteor.
“She’s four miles behind,” said old'
Matt, “and coming four feet to cur one.
If we can get around the curve there’s a
show of her jamping.”
And then began that terrible'ride.
He hooked 67 up to the first notch and
then opened the throttle.
With seven cars behind us we shot
down the grade of 175 feet to the mile.
Sixty-sevea set low in her frame, but
every low joint rung her bell for an
eighth of a mile. She jumped- and
swayed and. threatened to leave the rails.
The wind shrieked aronnd ns like a
thousand demons and the rain poured
against the windows in a perfect stream.
There’s danger ahead and death be
hind,” shouted the old engineer.' ‘'If
the rain loosens a bowlder and drops it
on the track”
I shuddered. There was the blasted
pine that marked the curve. The next
seoond we reached it For a moment I
thought it was all over. Then 67 righted.
There was a sharp jerk. 'Weiforged
ahead faster, and our seven cars cleared
the road bed and went down the bluff
with a crash that was heard high above
the storm, leaving a clean track for the
runaway behind that was coming as
swift and sura as death. - '
If the runaway got around the curve,
the probabilities were that we Would be
knocked from the track into the river.
We were very near to the bottom now,
where the roadbed followed the river,
and the engineers were cautioned m't to
run over fifteen miles per hoilr. **
Bnt orders were not respected that
night. We were making thirty miles
per hour when a flash of lightning showed
me that dark string of cars coming
aronnd the curve. The blazing box was
ou the opposite side and invisible.
Old Matt gave 67 the steam so sudden-'
ly she seemed to jump from under us,
but the runaway was not more than half
mile behind and coining with the
speed of a tornado.
There was no getting ont of the way.
In a moment it woold be on ns. I imag
ined I could see the black mass coming
down on us in the darkness, when a
heavy rumble was heard, followed by a
tremendous crash.
The rain had loosened the rock and
dirt overhanging the track, and it only
needed the jar of 67 to set it in motion.
Something like 1,000 tons of debris
rolled onto the track directly behind
us, and. into this those runaway cars
plunged.
But we did not find this ont until
afterward. Matt kept 67 np to what
was a tremendous speed on that track.
She plunged and rolled and rang her
bell continually. A dozen times I thought
we were going into river.
W® P Q fl®d through all right, but that
was my last trip. When 1 got off the
engine my hair was streaked with gray,
and now it is white as snow.
For some time it was thought that the
runaway cars had broke loose, bnt the
company became suspicions and had the
case looked into, with the result of run
ning down some tough characters, who
finally confessed to cutting them loose
with the intention of ditching ns between
Haversack grade and the bottom, and
securing the treasure.
Old Matt has retired from the road,
bnt I do not think that either he or
shall ever forget the run of 67.-
\ •
Worked Him.
‘Say, boss, give me a few pennies to
buy something to eat, will yon?" said a
ragged urchin to a man hurrying
through Mail street at 6 o’clock Christ
mas eve.
Now the one appealed to had just
been buying Christmas presents for a
score of sisters, cousins and aunts, to
ray nothing about the numerous rattles,
dolls, etc., which be had bonght for the
members of his own immediate family,
and consequently he was feeling rather
poor.
“Can’t do it, sonny,” he said rather
gruffly, as he hurried on.
The boy assumed a tone half sorrow
ful, with a touch of independence in it,
and said to the retreating figure:
“Boss, 1 hope yon will have a Merry
Christmas.” i
The man stopped, turned aronnd, dug
his hand into bis pocket and handed the
urchin a quarter. Then he harried on
again.
Ten minutes later the same urchin en
tered a hallway where half a dozen
street arabs were assembled.
“Hi, Jimmy!” he yelled as he entered,
“see what de bloke give me (showing
the quarter). Let’s play ‘craps.’ ”—New
York Tribune.
A KM FOR A MADMAN.
sam much,
“But this « a?patfeflt%,rootu; ” I said.
‘fSuuslytjDr. Disney doesn’t intend to
put me in here.”
“He does, !J though, and yell-'fin’d yer-
self^Btjqely ^mtortable-.ei Yej’11 find all
the month of November, in the year
1878. I was very glad to get back to the
dear auld Granite City, for I had not
been at home for three years. I was
looking forward to resuming all my old
friendships and wondering- where I
should begin. Fate settled the question
for me. The double rat-tat-tat of the
postman sounded on my front door, and
my good old housekeeper, Mrs. Duthil,
brought me a letter in a well known
handwriting.' It was from my next beet
friend.Alec Disney.
‘J havq iust beard of your arrival,
dear old fellow,” it read, “and shall be
deeply offended if yon don’t come to see
me first. I am in charge of the Inch
Lonatic asylum. Things have prospered
with me, yoh see. Work, however, is
very slack. I have only some twenty in
mates at present, so come.out and spend
few days with me, and we’ll try to
have a good time together. By the way,
" have my old Irish servant, Mike Brady,
with me still. I have installed him as
head warden, and barring an-occasional
mistake or. two he accomplishes his du
ties in a masterly fashion and looks
aftor my welfare as of yore af the same
time. We might, pat np an old time
joke upon him. It would be fun. I will
meet yon in the gig at Inch station to
morrow evening at 7. Don’t faiL You
need. not reply to this, but just come.
Ypurs as in the old days, Alec.”
Of course I wouldn’t fail,'and it wr:--
too late to reply anyway, for here it was
8 o’clock in the afternoon and he ex
pected me by 7. The letter of course
was written the day before, and “to
morrow” meant today.
Mike Brady was a great, brawny Irish
man, devoted to Alec, who had fonnd
him a poor, .starving waif, had taken
him in, fed and clothed him and made
him his body servant, valet, secretary
and general factotum. The great heart
of the Irishman had warmed to his bene
factor, and he loved Alec as a dog loVes
his master. He had grown so with
Alec’s life that neither could do without
the other. Besides, there were two very
strong bonds which united these men
more closely even than gratitude and af
fection. They both loved horses and
dogs. y
When I jumped out of the car at Inch
station my dear old chum Disney was
waiting for me oh tho platform. A boy
was bolding his horse outside. We did
not waste s great deal of time over con
gratulations, for it was a cold, dark
night, and we had a drive of five miles
to make. We were soon in the cozy old
fashioned gig, which all country doctors
in Great Britain are so fond of, wrapped
np in onr rags, the boy had left the
horse’s head and we were trotting fast
along the frozen country road.
Now about the joke we ars to put up
on Mike,” I said, when he-had gone
some distance. “What are we to do?’
Then Alec, the confounded rascal, un
folded a simple little plan. When Mike
came down to the door to meet us the
doctor would tell him ima quiet tone to
show me the house and rake me to my
room. Mike would never recognize me,
for I had grown a healthy beard which
completely disguised me, and he would
take me for a new patient. The joke
would be immense when he discovered
his mistake. The scheme seemed a glori
ous one and I entered into it with avid-
ity.
What a fool I was not to smell a rat.
Why, I knew that Alec Disney was the
biggest practical joker of onr class.
Well, all turned ont as we anticipated.
Mike came to tbe door and assisted us
ont of onr wraps and into the gratefnl
warmth of the big hall. He was in no
wise altered, bat" as Alec h*4 #•& he
did not recognize me.
Mike,” raid Disney—and I did not
notice the wink of his sinister optic as
hq. said it—“take this gentleman over
the house first,' show him every polite
ness and then to his room; by that time
dinner,will be ready., We are hungry.
I dare say he may like a bath.**
“Yis, sorr, I will attend to him,” and
he did attend to me.
We went all over the building, np one
staircase and dbwiF another, along cor
ridors, peeping intp rooms and visiting
the billiard room, recreation hall, read
ing room, dining hall and everywhere.
I noticed a peculiar action on the part
of Mike, but I put it down merely to his
ordinary precautionary habits. He closed
every door behind us. And he never al
lowed me to get ont of his reach. He
also seexped to keep a very careful eye
upon my every movement Bnt this I
pnt down to the habit he had got into
from being so long among lunatics.
Then 1 began to notice another some
what strange thing. Whenever we met
a patient Mike spoke kindly and gently
to him, bnt when we met a warder or
nurse Mike seemed to throw ont a hint
to be more than ordinarily watchful,
and I saw two or three times that the
keepers took a dose look at me, as i
sizing me np. I stand nearly six feet
and am a fairly strong man, an ugly cus
tomer when thoroughly aroused.
Presently I fonnd that Mike and I were
not alone. Two of the warders were fol
lowing us everywhere.
I was getting ravenously hungry and
somewhat tired. Onr five mile ride had
given me an enormous appetite, and
began to think this thing of wandering
all over a big house without my host to
“personally conduct my tour” was
somewhat strange business, and not
quite in accordance with the ancient
Scottish rules of hospitality. So I turned
to Mike and'said:
“Well, don’t you think it’s about time
we fonnd my room? Fd like to get a
wash and go down to dinner.”
*" right,” he said. “Yer
_ “But I don’t care to stay in this part
of the honse. Jtf..3DliwfiX.iMW no better
accommodation than this for a friend he
hasn’t met in three years, I’ll get ont and
go back to Aberdeen.” n r , ,
“And I think you’ll conclude to stay
where ye are,” said Mike with a fanny
little chuckle. . , >
“Come, now, you’d better begin to
undress quietly, for that bath is waitin
for ye.” it** e ae -.tit vi •* ••• b * -
It began to dawn upon me that Mike
really thonght he had got a new patient^
and I laughed oat loud at ihe joke. ! •
“Why, Mike,” I said, “do jrou mean
to tell me you don’t recognize your old
friend? You surely are not under the
impression ithat I am a patient.”
“Oh, that’s all right. I recognize my
old friend very well, and I haven’t raia
ye was a patient. Only I’m telling you
to hurry ont of them clothes and take avl
ye’re bath.
“It is abont time to stop this fooling,”
I Baid. “Now let me pass; J want to go
down to yoor master.”
“Ye’ll find there’s no foolin about it
now, and I want ye to understand that
the master on this Sure is called Mike
Brady—Mr.- Mike Brady, Esq. Now
take off them clothes.”
Now let me pass; I’ve had enough of
this,” I said quietly, bnt I was getting
very hot, and j felt myself turning white
in the face with suppressed passion.
The affair was getting beyond the limit
of a joke. I stepped forward as though'
to push by him.
I had been so absorbed in this little
controversy that I had qnito forgotten
the proximity of those two keepers who
had been following ns so closely for
sometime. As I stepped forward, Mike
stepped back and uttered a little sharp
whistle. In one instant I felt myself
grabbed from behind and I was in the
powerful grasp of the two men.
I struggled and fought like a caged
tiger, but I was as helpless as a baby,
and there stood that duuderheaded
fiend, Mike Brady, smiling at me in
calm victory and making me more and
more angry and mad.
Mad! . <
Mad? Yes! That was itl He thought
I was mad, and he knew to perfection
how to aronse all the evil passions with
in me. And he meant to do it. The
two keepers knew no better; they were
under his orders. v
Now there flashed across my mind the
hundreds of Btories I had heard and read
of perfectly sane persons being sent to
lunatic asylums “to get them ont of the
way,” and how, after a short spell of
careful treatment,” they had become
literally raving lunatics. Would Mike
Brady drive me out of my mind?
By a big effort I restrained my anger
for a moment, and attempted to. speak
quietly. v
“Now, Mike,” I said, “this joke is
abont over. Please send one of these
men for Dr. Disney, and he will tell you
what a mistake you are making. I am
his old friend and have come to stay
with him as his guest. He will b» wait
ing dinner forme.” u.<
Now don’t let’s have any more of
that talk. I know all about you—of
course, you’re the doctor’s guest. You’re
all his guests. It is a little way he has.
And ye’ll be going to stay qnito a long
while acceptin his hospitality. You’re
going to begin at once. Are ye going to
take that bath?’
“Iain not.”
“Then we’ll have to give it to yon.”
.In a moment I was thrown onto the
bed on my back, and while the two
keepers held the Mike commenced to
disrobe me. Then I began to struggle
desperately and shout at the top of my
Voice.
We’ll have to gag ye if ye shout, my
friend,” raid Mike- Bnt I. straggled all
the more and shonted louder. “There’s
no one will hear ye, and we’ll soon pnt
a stop to that straggling.” He stepped
ont of the room and returned in a min
ute with an armful of straps.
They were going to strap me down!
The horror of the moment was almost
worse than' tile agony of the thought
that I was in the hands of three igno
rant brutes to whom every sane effort I
made was a further proof of my insan
ity. I was becoming weak from exertion
and want of food. Then I understood
Mike’s object in taking me the long
walk over the building. He had been
tiring me out. Still I kept up my
struggles and shouting.
With wonderful rapidity, showing
how well and thoroughly Mike had ac
quired his duties, a strap was thrown
across my legs and buckled tight to the
bed, and another across my chest hold
ing my arms t to my side and almost
choking me.
“He’U settle down directly,” I heard
one of the keepers ray, and in truth 1
had almost exhausted myself.
I began to feel the room swimming
aronnd me.
Would help never come?
My throat was parched with terror
and my tongue almost clove to the roof
of my month. I managed to gasp
prayer for “Water! For God's sake,
water 1* And then I forgot my troubles.
When I came to myself I was lying on
a comfortable bed in an elegantly fur
nished room, with a bright fire burning
in it, and Alec—the scamp who had
brought all the trouble upon me—was
chafing my hands.
Later on in the evening, over a pipe
and some hot whisky toddy, brewed in
eld college fashion by Mike himself, I
joined in Abe's laughter and learned how
he had come to look for me in the very
rick of time to save me from a strait-
jacket and to explain to Mike Brady that
it was his old college chum and not a
new patient that the blundering fellow
'BILLY’S SANTA ' : -'CLAthi3 'EXPERIENCE.
ft 1 mv— "to;.an* mi
F . COURSE I
in
y such person
as Santa Claus,
but Tommy does.
Tommy is my lit
tle brother, aged
six Las Christ
mas Ithought Td
make some fun
for the young one
by playing Santa
Clans, bnt as al-
wnys happens
when I try to
amuse anybody I jes got myself Into
trouble. , „ ... ,, ,
I went to bed pretty early on Christ
mas eve so as to give my parents a
chance to get-the presents out of tho
ddsetin mamma’s room, where they had
been locked up' since they were bonght
I kep my close on except my Bhoes v and
put my nightgown over them so as Td
look white if any of jthem came near me.
a I waited, pinchin mytelf to keep
fee. After awhile papa came into
room with a lot of things Shat he
dumped on Tommy’s bed. Then mam
ma came in and put some things on
mine and in onr two stockings that were
hung up by the chimney! Then they
both went ont very quiet, and soon all
the lights went out too.
I. kep on pinchin myself and waitin
for a time; and then when I was sure
that everybody was asleep I.got up. The
first thing I went into was my sister’s
room, and got her white ftir rug that
mamma gave her on her birthday; and her
sealskin cape that was hanging on the
closet dobn I tied the cape on my head
with shoestrings and it made a good big
cap. Then ,1 put the for rug aronnd me
and pinned it with big safety pins what
I fonnd on Tommy’s garters. Then I
got mamma’s new scrap basket, trimmed
with roses, what Mrs. Simmons broid-
ered for the church fair, mid piled all of
the kid’s, toys,into. it. I fastened it to
my back with papa’s suspenders, and
then I started for the roof.
I hurt my fingers some opening the
scuttle, bnt kept right on. It was snow
ing hard and I stood and let myself get
r retty well covered with 1 flake& Then
crawled over to the chimney that went
down into our room and climbed np on
top of it I had brought my bicycle
lantern with me and I lighted it bo as
Tommy could see me when I came down
the chirpney into the room.
There did not seem to be any places
Inside the chimney where I could
hold on by my feet, but the ceil
ing in onr rooni was not very high
and I had often jumped most as far, so
I jes let her go, and I suppqpe I went
down. Anyway, I did not mow about
anything for a long time. Then I woke
up all in the dark with my head feolin
queer, and when I tried to turn over in
bed I fonnd 1 wasn’t in bed at all, and
then my arms and legs began to hurt
terrible, mostly one arm that was
doubled up. I tried to get up, but I
couldn’t because my bones hurt so and I
was terrible cold and there was nothing
to stand on. 1 was jes stack. Then I
began to cry, and pretty soon I heard
mamma’s voice rayin to papa:
Those must be sparrers that are mak
ing that noise in the chimney. Jes
touch a match to the wood in the boys’
fireplace."
I heard papa strike a light and then
the wood began to crackle. Then, by
links! it began to get hot and smoky and
L screamed:
Help! Murder! Pat ont that fire lest
yon want to burn me np!”
Then I heard papa stamping on the
wood and mamma calling out:
“Where’s Billy? Where Is my chile?”
Next Tommy woke up and began to
cry and everything was terrible, special
ly the pains all over me. Then papa
called out very stern:
William, If you are in that chimney
come down lit once!” and 1 answered,
cryin, that I would if I coold, but I was |
stuck and couldn’t
Then I heard papa gettin dressed,
and pretty soon he and John from the
stable went up on the roof and let down
ropes what I pnt aronnd me and they
hauled me up.
. It was jes daylight and I was all black
and sooty and scratched and my arm
was broken. 1
Everybody scolded me excep mamma.
I had spoiled my sister's white rag, and
broken all of Tommy’s toys, and the
snow what went in through the scuttle
melted and marked the parlor ceiling,;
besides I guess it cost papa a good deal
to get my armr mended. Nobody would
believe that I bad jes meant to make
some fun for 'Tommy, and my arm and
all my bruised places hurt me awful for
a long time. If I live to be a million I
am never goin to play State Claus agin.
Cornelia Redmond.
The Antiquity of the Christmas Box.
Three centuries ago the Christmas
box, now not often heard of, was in the
height of Its glory, as these lines show:
Gladly (he Boy with Christinas Box in hand,
Throughout the town his devlone route pur*
Aberdeen, On July zi, 1891
Messrs, Lippman Bros., Savannah, Ga.
Dear 8taa—I bought a bottle of your P.P. P.
at Hot Springs, Aik-isad it has done me more
good than three months’ treatment at the Hotr
Springs.
Haro you no agents in this part of the couu-1
try, or let me know how much If will cost to'
get three or six bottles from your city by ex-
piess, •- i~ ’
Respectfully yours, a
JA8. i NEWTON, I
•Aberdeen, Brown county, O. I
Newnansville.Fla., June 5,1891, I
Messrs. Lippman Bros., Savannah, Ga. |
Dear Sutv—I wish to give my testimonial in
Plies! Piles! Itching Piles!
Steptoms—Moisture; intense itching and
stinging; most at night; werse by scratching;
if allowed to continue tumors form which of
ten bleed and ulcerate, becoming very sore.
Swathe’s Ointment stops the itching und
bleeding, heels ulceration, and in most csseE
removes the tumors. At druggists or by mail
for 25 cento. Dr. Bwsyne A Son, Philadelphia.
There was a little abruptness in his
manner of speech that 1 did not qnito
like, and “this floor” was right at the
top of the house in the lnnatic quarter,
right away from the doctor’s part of the
building. However, I did not know but
that there might he some means of
reaching the doctor’s apartments by go
ing along the corridor.
iVIcElree’s \iVine of Cardul
and THEDFORD’S BLACK-DRAUGHT are
tw rale by the following merchants in
E S Lyndon, Athens, Ga.
J B Eowlkb, near Athens.
J W Hardy, neat Athens.
R T Brumby & Co., Athens.
L D Slbdob A Co., Athens.
billions muscular rheumatism, and have been
a martyr to it ever since. 1 tried all medicines;
I ever heard of, and all the doctors in reach,;
but I found only temporary relief; the pains
were so bad at times th-.t I 'lid not care wheth
er I lived or died. My digestion became so lm
That’s all _
room’s on this floor; ye’ll be there^ in a 7'-. for smudnum.-Naw York wir^d.that evemhing I ate dis 'greed with me.]
minnte, and maybe Fll help ye wash.” b^mistakexifor amadman-Now York fy^oako^eredso^y
wonUVbe conliueil to her bed for weeks at tbe
time; she aho suffered greatly Horn giddiness,
and loss of sleep. Soinetlmoin March I was
advised to take P. 1‘. V., and before we (my wife
and I) had finished the second bcttle of f. P. P‘
our digestion began loimprove. My pain sub
sided so is ueh that I have l>een able to week,
and am feeling like doing what I haven’t done
be foie in a number of years. We wi'l continue
taking P. P. P. until we aro entirely cured, and
will cheerfully recommend It to all suffering
humauity.
Yours vary respectfully,
J.S. DUPB1S8,
r of.
m
