ilfSl
? i iMiyiiifif i i i '.i'j
? -
tkrtv*. 1
prow
lout ifghtjy-i|fc0
;<w?ly ft white flcok herd
nn<J there marked the
distant heusetbps dnd
>how , in , tire dark
like a glittering Hue.
Ilown t>y the water's
edge the night was
silent. and giodmy.
< ?Jy the hoarie gur
gllng ol th? ?t ream
? , A V ? away unbeknownst
?fr^ja ?? w>!.<m?atf#SSu$3
mt^wM X-k.cXto%
spHm
w?
m
? "*.T 7- in'' , MW
. on tiptoe as
,Tr. ?->--* cou fronted t>y
il?t of tho cabjn, reached tho
ai.do, loflkcfl liimit ii^iifa yid niuu'mBppfri
. out Upon the pier and H1unk away.
I It was only . a moment's a pace after
whon thore sounded among the U>W,
harsh hlspcw of the river something
{ that seemed deop in the darkitobs. but
not of it?fomothidg suggestive of heat
ahd light fetid home, ana not of . this
I black Hood and these grout marine phan- ,
toms standing so solemn in the gloom,
I . It was the ory of a child. J.ow and
weak, suppressed as soon as uttered,
? it still had a strange shrillness in thesl
' lent p'aCo, and of all the sad voifees of
tid<? and timbers, it secmsd by far tho
1 saddest. It came fro n tho cabin of an
j old banal boat, came only for an instant
; and died away in what fancy involnnta*
rily pictured a mother's kisses and ca
resses..
J ' 0!d Tom heard it half way up to.the
; wharf. Ho heard it and arrested his
' cautions footsteps and brought his face
| about in a twinkling to the tiny-lighted
! space in the cabin that barely reached
! his eye whero he stood. The Cry was
? not ropoated. But ho stood tli&re tor
! oyer a mfnuto with his whole soul; it
seemed, intent upon that d in glimme.-'
ing pane. )li-? hand mechanically grop
ing >n his pocket, touched tho ring and
it seemed to startle him. He too* out
the little trinket and looked at it care*
fully, as though making sure that it was
fealty thoro, and brushed it with %
rough, greasy sleeve. Then, without a
glance at She street on which ho had
rum walking, hn passed back along the
pier, CrossCd to the boat agfcla and
walked stra'ght up to the cabin and en*
to red.
A ship's lantern hanging from tho roof
showed a rough table, a cortplo of boxes,
; a tarpaulin, some ends of rope, and on a
? loosened and slanting berth an infant I
' with a woman kneeling beside it. It
WM a pleasing face she turned up to th6
old nian as ho came iu--p> easing, and it
had bron vory pretty but thoc^was a
sad gauntness about it now Ml the
dark, tendefeyes looked out from Tlueish
. ki Where have
askedr^vf ? w ^
I'm' afraid that the child is growing
; worsen This with a look ot infinite
soli, itudn at the tiny, oreature beside
& aar.a'r.s.T.c.s;
wt*to.te2 ?!fSS
frith hi* head sunk unon
id great toars wore rolling
aSI
roice
you been, father?'* she
f?
would
Com
^fkome
||!fc-*in't
m away that
nfort t'you^
goln to do itfote, Ood forgive/ trie, thil
very night, only tor hearin' - your baby
etyin\ I meant It for the best, I did, hut
WTU1Z&J
grojr, or- *>m?hV.
jitter'# ayftt* 6*9t ot
td 1'VO nothin* to brit
**(4hs#S
Aj0^^txtohW
?w#aPwi?tl
mfc thaddon foot '
splintered glass till
M: Old To ifii
? ftftlty the young man's
men t rises to
a cry tfcaV sweeps enmity and
. .]??*?' away : ?
"My Qpd, Ned, it was lor her J Bhe
Is dying ?" :
'i ho strong hand of the young seaman
i? on the other's arm, and the lace is!
even whiter as he demand? ; V
"What do you mean? She, Is dying.,.
Where? Sneak, man! Tell me at onceT^j
"There, In that boat. Yes. that uldj
hulk nf u nnnttwlor./'fo (p r^po^
to the others inquiring glance. "Thnt's
what Wo'voJ eome to now.>? . ,
Th0 young man turns and is at the
vesse 'a side before Old Tom can call
out: "Where are you going?. You will
kill her. lJldWl 1 tell yon ?hc is dying
?dying x>f *ant."
Prom the others breast comes a groan ,?
a deep; prolonged one, and he says in are
altered tone: - '
"litad moto iiec. God will not rob
me of her now. Come a'ong. " j$
The two pass over tho wharf and go!
down into the cabin of the old boat i
from which the dioi light is shining, and!
there, awakened from tier sworn. butj
still Uazcd and frightened, is the girl of
tho young man's love, the wifo of his
thoughts, lying like A blighted flowor.j
The father was the first to doscend^
and he turned at the entrance to restrait/
bis companion.
, "A moment, Ned. Wait a mo nent;
Tho surprise Is too Sudden."
The yohng man drew back into the
shadow while the other lifted up 'the
woman and Beatod her by tho berth. "I'
am better, father,?' she said, and laid her
head wearily becflde the sleeping fliild.,
But old Tom's actions sopn attracted ber.
lie was smiling, actually smiting, andi
rubbjng his hands with infinite cojnpla*!
cnnoy. !;ho said nothing but looked at
hfminquiritfgly. ~ {
"tt's a good night Is .Christmas Evo,",
he blurted out. "l'vo always heerd so.j
Ain't you, Libbiu? Sandy Claws brings
things t' chil'ren, and friends come to?[
gether and now* comes p' poople that
aln*i ifeen 'round for evet su long. Don't
they, eh<" i
Bhe looked at him more intently than
fiver, and there Was an eager, appealing
look in her eyes. ' - ? .
??No one knows when luck may change.
176 they?" tho man continued.
"Pathol", ydu b.tvo heard something!
Tell tne, hi it about 'him?"
???flout Ned? Well, ye*, I have. . Now,
don't take on, Ijibbte, ' ' You'll be fjuiet
and easy, like a goo.l ?al."
"It it about-hlm! You have *6ett bim.
You Bavo met him. lle.ha) como for mo
atlatt."
j'./;Bhe turnoc toward the cabin door, and
was stfjtcbiog her hand toward it wh^n
tzvj *** bu
tost* and cares
planatlons. Ned had come
his wandering a*'. mate
with a promise of.
Wand pf ft vewel fc
d< the moment ail
vaatiOns of th* pMt
waSS*4"
for the 0rst time,* !
member me, and bo sut
She glanced: at
he* oyei eauaht al|
with bended ;Wad, A
lh# down Ula m
Hmtkt
andrtioX'
from
bark
.'.??viod btefes that ring} -It ha*
us Joy and happiness on Chrlstno
? 'S
brought
mas Eve.".
ncrllah ati(
preeer vlng. such
Kotweon t^ two feasffija striking,1
in particular details. *? ' K. "
Tho time came, however, when49\??F
Itrifo'for tho ascendancy, Chiistlanity
determined to tight paganism with the
lattQr*ft own weapons, and the customs
and revelries were carried to fl'.ieh an ox
trerae that several early church councils
forbade, among other things, the decora
tfoti of private houses aftei the manner
of the t<oman Saturnalia, But the prac
tice of adorning ohurches with flowers
wai not condemned, as extracts from tho
writings of the early Christians will
show. In his work "Do Civitate Deij"
the African Augustine speaks of floral
decorations, and of a miraolo wrought
bv flowors brought from tho shrine of
St. Stephen. Gregory ol Toiiirs bral86R
the holy Confessor Severns for having
been in tho habit of docorating his
rhurot?.wilh lilies. Venantiuft Fortuna- (
tus, a p'-ot of tHe fifth century, sending!
to lthadegnnd and Agues now and thou ,
a bunch of violeiit; a cluster of rosebuds,
or a ppray of lilies, js severe in his con- i
tra t bevwe0n men who crowd their 1
bousc9 with exotics, or womon who (leek .
their broosts, and the more devotod and
pious who bring their choicest, floral of- I
tarings to Uod'8 house. And this con- |
trast in very evident in those days of ours, '
when vast sums are lavished on flowers
only doomed to wither in the hot air of
the ball room, or to mingle tlie'r fra
grance with the odors of the dinner
table. &. * i
r.f '*./ ~ MrftTI.WTrt K. TV
In these latter day*, tho Christian
world acorns to bo gottlnar back to the
more, tender soilcitudo of o.irly times in
lt? care for tno beautifying of our
Ohifrphos. Thero is now what m'ghtal
mo?t be called n *oionce of deeoration.
Volumes are publisHbd upon the lubjcct,
profufioly illustrated with every, sort ol
device to plea?? the eye and iospiie the
dovoitOntil feeling tlm cross Jleurie, the
croft* patonrn, the quattr^HKfikifte
nlnqno full, the vesica, the MRtfffwIfoid
nix pointed b t.ii r, the illegible (Jrrok
characters, bands, - #bield\ drrf pefk and
medallions, things requiting great neat
/fits# of desigri *nd carefulness of exeQu
when a crowd of young and old used to
go put in ine a amp, oold woods, out
week of nights in. A freezing chutch, to
make the "trimming^ for Christmas.
The work ia done now In many Instances
by professional decoratOis, and so Jt ift
no mote a labor of love on the psrt V>f
the congregation, as it oOrtahily should
W ~w#:L \
It w!M not do to leave our sub>ct
Tho next bo knew it wns morning.
The Bun was just sending his first beam
of light into tr.o room. I'uBsy had
jumped info tho bod, and Teddy took
her into his arms. Then Teddy rubbed
his tyes. nnd looked very sharp in tho
pin o where that little beam was shin
ing on tlio floor. For thore, sitting
straight up, with lo<?s and arms sticking
straight out, was tho funniest little man
you ever saw.
It took Teddy a full minute to make
up his mind whether it wns a real little
man or only a make- believe ono. Then
he rolled out of bed and caught tho
funny follow by the coat.
Hy this timo ho had looked him all
over, another l-cam of light was peoping
In at tho window, lighting up all tho
dark corners of tho room. And then
such a lot of things as Teddy saw I can
not begin to toll you.
You may bo suro he wns glad that ho
went to ilqep in timo lor t-'anta Clans lo
come. For you know ho nover comes
until "Uttlo lH>ys are fust asleop. Ho
member this on Christmas Kvo. ? Tieaa
ure Trove.
Ono of tho most prominent Houtli Jer
sey "indust. lesM is tho preparation of
evergreon docorations for C hristmas and
Kow Year's. Tho fostoons nro tho handi
work of women and giils, the raw mate
rial being furnished by the male portion
of the family, nnd tho product is snipped
in barrels to New York and Philadel
phia.
The Mistletoe.
When winter nights grow Ion*,
And wind* without Mow cold,
W? aft In a ring round tho wnrni wood flre,
And Itften iq itorle* old I
And w? tty to look gravo (as mnlds should
When the men bring ill bows of the laurel*
oi'uS 9 laurel, the evergreen treol
The posts havo laurel*. nnd why not wet
? Dunn Cornwall*
Off For u Foreign Shore.
I OMMflh ' ' "frt >?'
Mr. and MN?, GoWor, In iintlcipftt'di*
; of ChristtuM, depart hastily for Knropo.