F- ?
h
VOL. XIL
t + jm
Arrival oj* {]\<z
1-1
iV It /n* )] ' IV *' ^
I ,. i)llL CI.AYTttN was tall!
aiul jrannt, with clrar, can-!
Xdid. hlne eyes, ami his '
I white hands, small and
%"\l norvotts looking, were as .
well kepi as those of a '
woman.
II" was thirty, and a splash of jiray !
nn i
....... i, , ? nuiiiiu ??i iwn ??i ;
white iu his'mustache, made him look i
Older.
lie was broad -chested and uuisrular
?by all rules lie slioiiM have bcea a '
soldier he looked an "open air" mail,
but for five years be had been writing
short stories, novelettes and serials
for the weekly press
It was good, nervous work. I lis
name was l>,'-.>niiiig known, for be!
had the happy knack of blending
pathos with hut'.or. lie had traveled
widely, and an Australian hush idyl
at the beginning of the week would
he followed by a I.nndnn society story,
to be followed again by a story of
rustle life in the dear West Country
that he loved so well.
lie lived rpiite alone, worked?and .
smoked from nion .ng to night, loved
his profession, and had practically
dropped all his friends male and female
and when a tit of the not infre- ;
quent blues got him by the throat. I
threw his pen into the grate and or-1
dered up his landlady's children, and ;
pandemonium reigned for tin hour.
Si met lines he gave them pennies, j
but not always- small coin of the i
realm is not always available to 1111- I
tliors?hut the romps wore huge, anil
be enjoyed theiu.
Of eourse there was a woman at the
bottom of tlie tangle of the man's life,
and women eompliento things sometimes?he
would have said "always."
n!j. ^ r ^ t '
i /- i
lj ; ,
On ono particular evening ho was*
alone and writing, when Jim Courteney
was shown in and Jim was an
old and tried friend about the only
friend the lonely, self-absorbed man
had. and so the incomer sat down and
lighted his pipe, and did not bother
lb" author for quite a quarter of an
hour, and then Noel rose and stretched
himself.
V / . ,
OR1
KOJ
! ShopHerHs.
:rnllc.
3..q\ ?y? j
"What is it this time. No?d?"
"Oh, the usual thing love; aiul an j
didly. I am netting so sick of writing
low stories."
"Alt, you fool like that?"
"Man alivo, this is t'hristmas I've,
and somehow?somehow- my thoughts
wont liaok with a jump, and I roiinnn- ,
horod one Christmas Kve wlion "
"Your pipe's out, Noel!"
"Aye, so it is. Well there was one
Christinas live when "
"My dear hoy, are you worrying i
ahout her still?"
"Yes." and then a long pause
It is tlso privilege of chums to sit
silent for a spell.
"And ail this happened four or live '
years ago. I never hoard the rights
or wromrs of the stor\ "
Noel crossed i!i?* room, and digging '
both hands into 1?is pockets. h oked at .
liis chum.
"There is nothing to know*. After j
tlie four happy years of married lite. |
trouble came between us, lies came In*- 1
Merry^
I
tween us; and?and?hero I am and
it's Christmas *Kve. Of course our
baby was only a mite?a wee, biuecyed,
golden-haired mite; couldn't i
walk, crawled, you know; but we were J
awful chums, and when she went ami
took our mite?well." aud the man's !
laugh hurt his own ears. "Well, then j
1 took to writing love stories?love, |
old ctntp, with u Happy ending?
bishops, bridesmaids, bouquets ami J
blessings, and'?his temporary excite-1
meat had left him?he added drily:
"And it pity &! Now go. old chap, :
I must gef my stuff done for the early ;
post." and Chum went out while Noel
turned again to his Interrupted work. 1
Iletween each line on every page
quaint turn of expression, quaint !
thoughts haunted liiin, a dead past |
spoke to Irin.
The girl wife had been very sweet. |
very iovable. very beautiful?and had
marred two lives.
There should be a special place of
torment for the person who deliberately
comes between two people who love
each other and smilingly warps two
Uvea.
l\*arl Clayton was as easily led as n
child, a soft, emotional weak little
woman. Mid when Noel returned from
a few days' holiday he found the house
dosed and Pearl and llaby had de- i
parted.
Noel drifted for a little bit. the;
shock unmanned him terribly, but his i
pen was his sole source of Income, \
and It had to be plied If body and soul !
were to be kept together, and In a
very few weeks he had, to some extent,
regained his mental balance, and his
work Improved.
The eve of Christmas nnd the day
Itself appeals to most hearts, and on
tiiis particular eve Noel kept thinking
back ami thinking hack while be
\ rote.
I low well he remembered the extrnj
sized stocking he Induced the nurse
| to knit, and how bulky It looked and
j felt on Christmas morning. And then
came school, college, and then married
I life.
I
; me
I1T MILL, S. (J., WEDN:
When the scribbling fit was on hlin
Pearl used to draw her low wicker
chair close to Ins writing-table, knitting.
or daintiy lingering white material,
soft and downy and Huffy for the
prospective wearer, and the few remarks
she made seemed to chime in
and identify themselves with what he i
was writing: but. of course, all this
happened live years ago. <
One odd little trick Pearl had, and
Noel remembered it this evening?and I
missed it.
When his pen was working extra
busily she used t<> lay the tips of her :
lingers upon his right hand?just where
hand meets wrist. She did not incommode
him in the least. He declared
her touch inspired him: tliej were such
pink-tipped lingers, and so small, and 1
lie had often written with the tiny
touch 011 his wrist almost unconsciously
only peeping up from tinie to time
at a swci't oval face, into deep violet j
eyes love lit.
Hut. of course, this was (;ve years
j.go.
So he wrote on, feeling u little hit
sorry that Chum had not stayed, for
after all he only had unother halfhour's
work before him, and then they
eould sit and ehat. and perhaps drown
the sound of the hells that he knew
would ring out in a few h melle
was just in the frame of mind to
summon his landlady's children, hut
except for himself, the house was
empty. There was a Christmas Eve
party going on. and Mrs. Marsh and
her progeny were attending it.
lie had been writing for half an
hour since Chum had left him, and
felt the old familiar touch on his wrist.
It was imagination of course, he did'
not even turn his head, and then he 1
was looking into blue eyes. In the !
round golden-curled framed face of a '
hoy of four, who laughed up at him
and presented a rosebud to ">e kissed. |
"(loudness, eliihl?where on earth do
you come from? and who?rWio brought
you. What is your naim.?*
"Erie." and the child be gni make
preparations for climbing a ofty knee. '
"Who brought you here , laby Eric? ;
How did you come?"
Noel felt like an Irish uembcr of (
Parliament, for "no nnswe r vas given." j
but a wee form, full of hu^jkind kisses .
got iusr nout upon iiitu, anld aid grave- j
ly. ami yet with a sweet ;r of coui111:1
ml:
Must coiue'd ami now lifyou'ro not
too busy, mister Father?
"Yes. my son." "
T raps Til better go tC> bd."
"Hut. my eliilil my lir tie son ?who
brought you here? W1 tee is your
mother?" ami the tall man paced up :
ami down. Of course, CI ma had left
ih<* door open, and sonn or: had told
the child to walk straight ii?and the
child had -straight in.
The author?his tiny son -as on the
floor now, saying things v> the cat.
and it deserved every \yorl. being a
cat that licks stamps oil l tters, and :
loves lmcou and boiled ergs?thrust '
- - VQjgviQ
Christmas Ciiimes!
~ ?/
By Arthur Stringer
_______________ i
i.
From town and lower, wllh till and lune. !
A gust of chimes lakes flight
Where thai dim solden boat the moon
Drifts slowly down the light.
II.
Like startled birds, it swings and climbs.
Alono, aloud, afari
A thousand.pinioned flock of chimes
That float from star to star.
in.
They tire, and fail, and turn, and cease.?
Joy's homing birds.?and then
For one glad Christmas Day of p?ace
Nest in the hearts of men I.
his hands deep into his pockets nud
looked down, sad eyed, at little Sunnyfare."
"Yes, perhaps you had better come to
bed."
If Chum would only ocrne, If something
would only happen to break the
silence, a silence only cleft by the sigh
of a child.
The church was only at the end of !
the street.
lie could hear the bell-ringers
shuffling along the frosty lavement. in
a few minutes?and be bent to his
| work.
Half asleep, half awake he was conscious
of the old, alixHgt forgotten
touch upon his wrist?a Cream doubtless?but
ho could not sha-ce It off. and ;
then ho looked down.
Kneeling as of yore besde him, blue !
eyes tear-dimmed, was iVarl.
*T have returned. Noe." It was n
quavering little voice, bit It thrilled
him, - [
'"it''
ll :
KSDAY, DKCEMltKR
IIow like she was to their child.
And then the hells clashed forth
their message, "IVace on Earth, Hoodwill
Towards Men," and to two hearts
they carried a sweeter, deeper message
still.
No word was spoken. A small figure.
>11 a smoking jacket that reached to
his heels, stood at the dividing door,
in eager face turned to either.
And husband and wife kissed silently.?Now
York News.
The P:nat>a.
An imported Member of t,hc Mrx can
Chrisbmas Parby.
One of the important members of the
Mexican Christinas party is the pinntn,
which may be the tigure of a clown.
;i ballot dancer or a bull lighter. but
is always dressed in a pair of bloomers
stuffed wilb good things. One of 1
the children, blindfolded and armed
with a long pole, attempts to break
those bloomers.
It attempts, but fails ingloriously, |
says the Ledger Monthly, for there
seems to be a sort ?if centrifugal force
about the pinata. Anil the pole strikes
far wide of its mark, not even coming
s
L 11?i
*'.-L-?'!!"'-.!/*' i]: I
^-Ctp^r i^^g!
!
PIN AT A.
witliin a few fret of its enemy. Then J
llio coinhutant is unhlindfoldcd and
some other rliild is givon a chance to ]
strike the pinata, who srenis to wax
wroth at those futile attempts of onslaught
and say, "llit me if you dare."
Again an attempt is made, centripetal
force begins to assert Itself, and a gay
sandal conies plunging madly down
upon the head of some unfortunate victim.
This provokes a laugh from the
crowd, even the person i truck joining
in, though, on account of his sud?5=5^,
M'Dl CTiM A C
1rHU3l I IA3
_J
:ily aching head, his laugh may ho
a faint, assumed oao. So, one by one.
thi* children an* given a ohanoo to rond
nsundor. If not to dislodge, tlio pinata,
and should they all fail, one by one
the adults arm theinsolvos with the
hitherto futile weapon. Wildly they
strike-purposely in mid-air, to evoke
laughter from the gleeful children?until
finally the bloomers and blouse are
ripped asunder. Then a deluge of
sweets, the contents of the olla which
the blouse hid and the jade struck,
come raining down and impartially
strike alike the heads of the just and
the unjust, and for which there Is a
general scramble.
Not to He Caught Again.
"Aiy wire nays she doesn't want me
10 give her a solitary thing for Christinas
this year."
"Are you going to take her at her
word?"
"Not mueh! I did that once. I'm
an advocate of peace whenever it can
be had with honor."
Another Kvcnt.
Ttflxtr
' I OCT 1'0'J?
I |
j) 1 : V
"Well, Christians comes but once a
yea r."
"Shucks! So does me birthday!"?
New York JouraaL
v;^V,y
riMi
23,1903.
THE ATLANTA RETURNED
American War Vessel i.~ave Colombian
Water.
Colon. By Cable.?Tho United States
cruiser Atlanta, Commander William
II* Turner returned Friday night
from the Gulf of Darieu. She discovered
December 1,1 a detachment of Colombian
troops, uuml ering apparently
about .100 men, but. a ording to their
statements, totalling 1.500 or 2.000 men
at Titumati. on the western side of the
gulf, just north of the mouth of the
Atrato river. The commander of the
Atlanta sent ashore an officer, who
conversed with the Colombian coinmanflor
Tho l-jfto nrnti viml
ically against the pri s'.'inr of American
warships it- Colombian waters, in-soniuch
as war In tw< * n Colombia and the
United States had not been declared,
and politely requested the Atlanta to
leave the gulf !? auso it belonged to
Colombia. Commander Turner ignored
the reqinst, and the Atlanta returned
to ('>lon in repo.t to Hear Admiral
Coghlan.
The Colombians are clearly busy with
protective and strengthening measures.
Although they treated the Americans
courteously, they decidedly resented
the presence of the Atlanta's landing
party. The Colombian force was composed
partly of the men landed recently
at the Atrato river by the Colombian
cruisers Cartagena and General
I'inzon.
Early in the morning of December
15, the Atlanta sighted a small schooner
in tlie centre of the Gulf of Darien, 1
and followed her to the western shore,
where the schooner attempted to hide
behind an islet. I.ieut. Harlan P. Per- \
rill was ordered to board her, and
thereupon a whale-boat was lowered j
O n <1 initio I tiiu'o i><Va < lin ci<1iA/kti ne
Through the courtesy of tlm naval officers
the correspondent of the Associated
Press accompanied the party, it
was found that the schooner had on
hoard 100 armed Colombian soldiers,
commanded by General Rafael Novo,
who said Gene-al Daniel Ortiz, commander-in-ehjcf
of the Colombian
forces of the Atlantic an l Pacific, had
n large camp a mile away, on the mainland.
General Novo requested Lieut.
Pertill to land and confer with General
Ortiz.
Great execitemcnt prevailed among
the Colombians on the whale-boat's approach.
There were repeated cries of
"Viva Colombia," and there was a sudden
concentration of about 1 ah Colombian
soldiers on the beach. For some
moments the situation appeared dangerous.
and had the appea:ance of an
ambuscade. General Ortiz appeared on
the beach, when Li- ut. Perrill went
ashore, the whale-boat, in the meantime.
lying close hv. General Ortiz insisted
that Lieut. Perrill should fly the
Colombian ting at the how of tho
whale-boat or lower the American flag
at her stern, because she was in Colombian
wate s. Lieut. Perrill replied that
he did no' have a Colombian Hag and
refused to lower the stars and stripes.
General Ortiz did not insist upon his
so doing, hut lie protested in writing
against the presence of the Americans
?-, /'..i,...,!,; *.? I i. oit Pnrrill ftp
ceptcd tho protest and convoyed it to
Commander Turner, who handed it to
Roar Admiral Coghlan on his arivai
horc.
$2,500,000 for S'ebonrd.
Richmond. Special.?Tho Seaboard
Air Lino Railway Company filed a
otaemnnt with tho Virginia Corporation
Commission of an issuo of notes, not
registered, for $2,500,000. The notes are
secured by a deposit of stocks and
bonds and other securities with tho
Morton Trust Company. The notes nro
redeemable in full on 10 days notice, I
the Seaboard having the privilege of
taking them all tin on that notice. Tho
money is loaned at f> per cent, interest,
with 1 \'z per cent for commission.
At the banking house of Messrs. John
L. Williams & Sons it was said this afternoon
that the transaction is only
a part of the regular proceeding in the
matter of the recent financing of the
Seaboard for its floating debt and Hirminuhara
extension.
Liner Struck Ity Lightning.
New York, Special.?The White Star
liner Teutonic, which arrived Friday
froin Liverpool, after a rotight passage.
was struck by lightning Sunday
when 200 miles cast of the New j
Foundland banks. The electrical
storm, which occurred during a gale
and heavy snow storm, was declared
by Captain McKinsley to he an unusual
one. One of the bolts struck
the foretop mast, splitting it and :
bringing the rigging rattling to the !
deck. Several other holts struck the
ship and caused some alarm to the
passengers.
Shot From Ambush.
Shrevoport. I>a.. Special.-?The body
or i.eorgc Manuel, me negt-o wna was
thought to have hilled his employer,
J. T. Watklns, of llayou I'lerre, in
Ito/i Itiver parish, was found about .100
yards from the scene of the killing.
His head had been almost shot away.
Tt now develops that both the planter
and his negro servant wore shot from
amhush by unknown men whose motive
was robborv.
A
vS.
NO. 40.
A GRAVE CRISIS.
The Report That Japan Has Sent An
Ultimatum is Discredited
RUSSIA AND JAPAN MAY FIGHT
Ureal Hrltaln :Said to Intend to n??
tnblisli u Protectorate Over the
Yang Tse Valley if Rutsla Retain*
Manchuria.
Pekln, 15y Cable.?The report cabled
fiom Tien Tsin to T/ondon to the effect
that Japan had sent an ultimatum to
Russia is discredited here, and no Information
of a corroborative nature la
in the possession of the foreign legations.
While the knowledge of the legations
on the situation leads to ill**
linl In# r ..t* .
w m-i ii..11 ill" M illllllf, ill .III uil.uintum
is improbablo, the* prospect* of
war ore evidently increasing. The British
legation sonic days ago received >t
telegram indicating that war was possible.
and the Japenese legation Is officially
Informed that Russia's recent
reply to the Japanese proposals was
unsatisfactory.
While no news has been received at
the Japanese legation that Japan has
sent an ultimatum to Russia. It is recognized
at the legation that a grave
risis is approaching. Major General
Vamani. the Japanese military attache,
nr.d the Japanese colonel who has been
instructing the Yuan Shol Kals troops,
have both started for Japan.
The native press recently reiterated
a circumstantial story to the effect that
in the event of Manchuria being retained
by Russia, it was the Intention
of Great Britain to establish a protectorate
over the Yang Tse valley ae
compensation and to appoint a viceroy
therein, so that her prestige in the
far East would lie equal to that of Russia.
Some of the native papers give
Woi Wu 1'u Or, the Chinese Foreign
Minister, as authority for the story.
This fiction is largely credited and
gravely discussed and is creating hostility
against Great Britain. It is suspected
that the story has been fostered
by unfriendly agencies appointed for
the purpose, and the British legation
la investigating its origin.
Killed the Whole Family.
Cleveland, O., Special.?Roscoo I erby.
a machinist, about 45 years obi. exterminated
his family early Sunday by
shooting his wife, his three children
iiid himself. The crime is believed to
Lave been clue to despondency over the
Impoverished condition of the family
purse and the near approach of the
Christmus-tid . The wife was killed
first. She was sleeping by her husband's
side in bed. Two of the children
were killed as they ran tiirough the
house in the darkness of the early
morning endeavoring to escape their
merciless parent. The third child wok
killed in its hed, after his elder brother
hud been slain. The dead nre:
Roscoe W. Derhv; his wife, Dels;
Ilirold, aged N; Alice, aged 7, and
Thomas, aged 5.
Derby had been down-town as laic
as 11 o'clock Saturday night, ostensibly
shoppong. hut. in all probability, securing
ammunition for his revolver. When
ho got home his wife and he talked
with o neighbor, who had been calling.
o\er the approehing festival. Derby
si cmed pale and nervous. Shortly after
his arrival at home the neighbor
h ft. and the Derby family went to
I bed.
The crime is believed to have been
committed about 4 o'clock Sunday
morning.
Hurled to Death.
Nashville, Tonn.. Special.?Seven
are dead and 17 seriously injured. Is
the result of a tire that broke out
Saturday ninht In the woman's dorai
tory of VVahlcn University. The dead
are: Stella Addison, Port Gibson,
Miss.; Adele Christian. Greensboro.
Ala..; Sallie Dade. HattlcsburR, Miss.;
j Mattle l;co Moore, Fluntsville, Ala.;
l.ulu A. Terry. MeMinville, Tonn.;
Nannie Johnson, llattlesburg. Miss.
Cora Flryant, of Cleveland, Miss., who
was sick in t>r?<l on the fourth floor, is
missing. It is supposed she perished,
rc all efforts to And hor have been in,
effectual.
I lie Porte Will Apologize.
Washington, Special.?The Alexandretta
affair has been practically
settled with satisfaction to all parties.
The consul's return In state Is explained
by the fact that the sublime
Porte, after further investigation,
the American vh w of the unpleasant
incident at Aloxandretta. and has Rig
nifled an intention of making amends.
The State Department has received a
cablegram from Minister Leishman
givng the details of the settlement of
the troublo. He states that the Turk
ish government has Instructed the
Governor of Alexandretta to apologize
to the consul npon his return there.
??????
held Court to Prevent Lynching.
Norfolk, Special.?To save Charles
Hvnum, a negro, from lynching, Jus
tice Morris, of Dover. Va . held court
at ,'i o'clock Sunday morning by th"
light of the fire the negro is accused
[ of starting. Bynum is charged with
having burned the barn of John 1?.
f Bond. The barn contained several
: fine horses and vehicles and farm implements,
together with several thousand
pounds of cotton, were destroyed.
He was held for court.