The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, December 27, 1900, Image 1
VOL, to.-NO. 48. PICKENS. S. C., THURSDAY, DECEM ER
r nOW OLD
SANTA CLAUS
REFORMED.
By Peter McArthur.
"Get out of herel" said Santa Claus.
"Pick up your grips and walkl
I don't intend to buy from you
And haven't time to talk."
ge chased the drummers from his house,
And then with bang and din
He turned the keys and shot the bolts
As he went grumbling in.
The telephone receiv
er next
Down from its
hook he dropped,
Then said to Mrm.
Santa Claus:
"It's time this
thing was stop
ped.
"They've fairly made
--a fool of me
For twenty years
or inore,
But when they case
with aeroplanes
I hhowed them to
the door.
"With automobiles
and such trash
"GET OUT OF HER!" And bicycles I'm
through;
My reindeer sled is good enough
For what I'm going to do.
"I've just made up my mind for keeps
To start the century right;
So take all that newfangled stuff
And hide it from my sight.
"MY REINDEER SLED 18 GOOD ENOUGH."
"The thingumbobs and curlycues
That silly folks contrive
I'll never give away again
As long as I'm alive.
"I'll give no phonographic dolls,
But ones of rag instead;
I'll let the little girls have f1u,
Just as their grannies had.
"To ittle boys I'll
give but things
That they can
pound and smash;
On no more toys -
mechanical
Ill waste my
Christmas cash.
'80, missus, put the
kettle on
And make molasses
hot,
And taffy candy we
will make,
Such as their dad
dies got.
"ring all the .
and raisins out, 1,. W
The bullseye sweets
and sticks,
And in the good old AND THEN HIE HITCHED
fashdoned way HIS REINDEER TEAM.
Their stickings I will fix."
And then he hitched his reindeer team,
Took up his mighty pack,
.Tucked in the robes, shook out the reins
And gave his whip a crack.
To all his little friends he gave
Big Noah's arks and ouch
Instead of pretty, dinky toys '
That "Baby mustn't touch."
*er
/a 1
THIS SIGN WILL MEET YOUR NY3.
And there never was a Christmas day
since grandmammas were young
When children with such happy hearts
TheIr Christmas carols sung.
And if you visit Santa Claus
This sign will meet your eyes
"No drummers with newfangled stuN
Ned any more apply."
The Toy Trat.
One gigantic monopoly there is free
bom attack, and that Is the toy truist
kept a-going b)y one Mr. Santa Claus,
aided by about 400,000,000 lusty shout
era. Pa and ma and uncle may buy
Christmnas ginerackcs from SmIth,
SJanes or Brown, but they won't go
down in the stocking not' up the chim
ney flue until S. C. pts his trademark
on them. Call It patent right or copy
right or vested right, the grand ld f1el
low holds It in pe'rpetulty. T1rue, he
doesn't charge a cash fee for the use of
his name, but he Is a stickler for ail
Vthe glory there Is In It, aind be gets it
in full measure. IDverybody plays lnte
thse hands of this trust, 'Thle consum
era must have the real thing, and the
.ealerg and middlemen conspire to
slootthe demand.
XAS AT TH .-~FAI
T HE unmistakable man made signs of Christmas were left behind when
1 plunged into the dreary waste of sn~ow beyond the borders of the
town for the annual pilgrimage to uncle's farmi. Only the snow, hid
lng hush and fence, the wihite mantled trees and the cold gave a sug
gestion that somnewhiere beneath the chilling rural surface of things there were
joyous groups pirepiaring holiday revels. Wilnter was too keen, too freezing, not
to have a brighter side than that which lay out of doors.
As I passed the big barn the sounds of young voiees behind the huge doors
told mhe that Cousins Frank and Jim were inside, p)erhiaps mending harness or
tools or enring for the live stock. T1ho little door, framed in the huge ones,
opened to my hand1(, and Jim and Frank, one holding opien a grain bag and the
other emptying a bushel into its mealy, gaping mouth, smiled a welcome.
Without looking up, Uncle David "struck otf" another heaped up measure of
grain and marked it down on the score. "I thought it was albout time," said
he, and I then knew that my social status at the farm had not changed since
tihe last visit.
Th le horses in their stalls stopped nosing the hay and pricked up their ears
for a minute, the entitie held their ends lazily and stared; then the atmosphere
resumead its throbbing stillness
I ~ funtil the load of bags had been
tie'd and set in rows. Only tis
and nothing more by way of
eereimny ini receivinlg a Christ
a guest. Later came inqut
)rics after "the. folks" and the
nlewest doings in town.
() Whlile uncle cast a satisfied
glance at the bursting haymows,
tile sleek horses and cettle and
the rows of bags Jim and F'rank
challenged mue to guesses at the
remaining conltents of the bins.
"You will all have another
guess," chimed in my uncle,
"and now let's go and see what's
goin~g on In the kitchen." I no
ticed for tihe first time that his
linen was v'ery fresh for a farm
er at work and that the boys
eachl had (on a brand1 new suit from wool raised oil the farm. These trifles
were the only evidence of a hloliday, for not a word of Christmas had been
spoken. We entered thle strung out, rambling line of buildings constituting
the farmhouse, through a wood shed, into the washlrooim, thlen past a storeroom
having a faint suggestion of holding supplies that were toothsome. Next vuame
a summner kitchen withu a positive odor of newly peeled apples, doughnuts and
slpiced mlinee 'meat. Uncle led the way out upon the porch to avoid the crowd
ed imaiu kitchen, through the open door of which camne hot and heavily laden
air from amiple ovens anid steaming kettles and pans.
Cousin Martha, the unplucked flower of a group of seven girl., rushed for
ward to give the first effusive greeting. anld Cousin Hattie, wt osnMr
Vinl's wife, Jrennie, followed suit
in make believe gIrlishness.
Aunt Harriet, looking generous ____
enough to wvishi that all creation
mlighlt sit down to the feast,
whose stages of preparation
were shownt by stains and flour
patchles extending from heCr eves
to theO hem of hter aplronl, said in
kindly reproval, "You're her'e,
but alone, as usual."
From tihe porch we went in
to the fomily Hitting room, and
uncle seemed to cut loose froml
his f'ollowing as he' sat dlown be- -
side Cousini Tildy, whose fresh
widow's Weeds lenit a somnber
key to the oreg~'ionl. Jiml and ..
Frank gave ai *'imi in choking
silence to their Ilmurnimng sister,
and( I wanted to, but had to answer for the city aunit and1( cousins. Two father
less little ones rushed ini with six other sets of hlappy graindchilldren, and som
bernless fledi fromi thet farmhouse, for tihe rest. of that (liy at least.
Cousinl Marioni startedl in to cheek her b~roodl, but hier chlilless sister Kath
erinle said: "I.t thle youngi Ones go it. Tiime (enoughi to be soller when they get
old.'" Thlen uncile golt down on tile floor andl turnedl hlimself Into a horse play
hug grandidadd~y unt il the racket madle the 01(d house shake.
Mly -cousins1 stole' out andi huurried nlervously to the carriage house, on the
sidle oif the farmn oppiosite tile big barnl. 'Thlere was life' and( bustle there, for
sleiglhbllaji gave 11tful mlelodlies as they wvere taiken ofT and hung up; horses
st almped' ami1( were told, with sounding slaps, to ''(et over!'' Cousin Marvin
was ac(tinlg tile host to tile brothers-inl-law from the 11111 farms. lHe lived on a
section of' landt s4et off fromi the hlomesteadi amnd was uncle's right hand man.
There wais a word or two of re
~' ~ gret from the older ones for the
P ~lamilented Samuel, who had been
thlere' last C'hristmnas; then the
0 ,,~ -~ group limar(*hed single file be
imil thle stalwart Marvin over
- '~ ~ ) the nlarriow snlow path to the
Filoatinig up from the front
yard camne a bab~el of voices,
y 111111aHi ialph, tile oldest grandson,
a faut. hearty lad, houted to us
boys. "('orne and1( see our Christ
malis!'' As we roundeltd tile cor
ner of the house tile saume tones
cried ouit, "Ready, aim, fire!''
anid a diozAen balls whisked past
our heads from a snow fort
Imanniedl 113 a troop of boys and~
~~ ~girls ini muifllers and~ mittens.
-----A fter thiis receptiomn the garrison
sentitered an 1( hegant placing great rolls upon the parapet to buildl it higher.
A 1now man11 as5 lig ats a glhint and a rabb~lit tile size of a Saint Bernard wer'e
pat('heId upl withI al nose and an ear, and we were asked to review the sights
(of tile frosty (Chimlstlmias mlluseum.
''Te eniul to dllnne(r led to a real chaurge through ev'ery (leer of tile mansion,
and~ whieni we got at glimipse' of thle dining room, ats theO wiomeln seated1 the little
ones. it. ptr'esented a jiumble of happljy, red faces and hiea of cooked things in
browvn, wiItef, link l and( yellow.
All Chlristmlas dinnlers mare alike In oneC thinlg-und~er ally and all circum
stancees tile guiests alre raven'lously hun~gry and( b)oisterous51' lyaplpy,and1( neither
01(1 nor1 young ennul obiserve the rule of hot talking with thle mouth full; othier
wise the feast wouhli he silent, and1( wIth 35 mlouthsa enjoying Aunt Harriet's
bounteous spiread~ that dinnme'r wats not at aill (quiet. M oreoiver-, I dlidn't regret
hiavintg ture ml'l'( y baitk upon11 townl celebrationls for a C!hristmias at the farm.
U. K(ENNETII GILMER.
~ 4
FTHE HEAD I
ANIMAL MAN'S
XMAS.
By J. H. Connelly.
CoPYnioiT, 1900, BY J. If. CONNE.LY.
He prayeth best who lovet h best
All thinge, both great aid mnall;
For the drir i,, who loveth us,
le madie arid loveth all.
When the show reached winter quar
ters in Cincinnati, the propr-itors were
Iin histe to get away-f ir. King to New
York and Mr. Lake to his I Michigan
farin. The former, who was "boss,"
said to me: "Rill Cripps, you've been
our head a1tm:1 11inan only one season,
but that's enough for til to know and
trust you, so I'm going Iwaty with iy
mind eItsy, leaving yol lin emitire charge
of the meingrie. Keep th. hills down,
draw on 111Le wleni youl want inoney,
I said I'd do my best and nieant it.
The (ircus outfit I had iothing to (1o
with. ''lie menaf-gerie vas well housed
WK H1An A LOT 01F vSIsTOnS.
tIn it Ullge. h1:11*1 1lIty1% len oil W estern
row. whicb seetned it) Lave been built
to lit it. A good big r44ln was pmrti
tionedl off for m in Ili- f.ront corner.
Thel% enges were~t ranged alonmg the side
walls. with :1 rieniway bechitld thein, and)(
In b1ox stalls neosthe farther enld
were the zehran. Ihv eiolephant, the enmi
el mnd thet snvred cmw. A muonster red
hot tvestoofd In lhv mniddle of the
vventral "pact.. with it large imnehl Ilght
over it. Altogether it wax as warm,
brigh1t, elen-n and chlevry it pitee 111
yollu'd wantl 140 see, aS vverybiody said
whte saw%% It. alld wve had it good man11y
visiAL. Ai
Caged n11imal111s bec om e restless If left
atlone, and I never wet out m ore than
anl hiour or two ait at 11meC, but even at
thlat I took a good 11111nny1 long walks
for exercios lil to see thilt y, learile
black a-m%3111tlly helper-a id the i.
engo, eleninlers for the unilils to iool
at ilt I itt. ite aIn along to near
Christmas I selet ito lw ihart for
going outl Imnh. Sonliethling In the
arnliadt. me feel iellf(.'r, iulore thanl
over iv. a Is befo oe est lnesonile.
loneless t otal st r wntgr.
The stores were brighter ande4 gayer
than I had evie noticed ther l enl
before; thte strilet full tif happy ft'acel"
people carryin huflortes of CrIstnln
pres i ts; te windows of ii hoen to dorn
Chrsti irnts; sctiedt shomenh's for
busy indeiven goodiy*It iilt thingsChh
The l L od' knos sdin't egrudgu
ainhodysttlt un i iner. t l n
me f eel unuternblyusad. In a l th y
woldl. (Ii knewig11114 e of ne ist ey11
wuldeis brthe wno s su oe adeleon
bur y de ni eng. godA is for ingi t
nhut aliuis weti(have'been tiht trna.
enml-eodI mens soitoned hd' end
alivyboy ith 1) 1ing-i t man wil
a heartilg Itolel hi' is onel iness.t wl.ovi
fohr man3 hadfriend. s, evnfor o nt
Aenl;l wha'oft made Cilt harder 5t'o5b;
was1g that woel hande ilo blitoged
ey pstl - r I i'icoulstd notI forgt the
Whien t carn tbaciklto. New Ymrk afI
o wier e intageetiith~ "eentlrei
blrack on" inhWs nde
Southl Amltiden It nn imyder ole
Lizzle that beeni rund dowyt a Ilt'lr(
1w3 astge ad kiled.h Andfrgt wha
becom'et o' my wt li etld it'sby
Jenie, only 4 y'ears old, niobotly t'
tell ime. Th'lat was a dozen yearis ba:
buit netverl siice hiave I felt any b
heartsiek andt lonely thiani when
grIef was firesh, and in the winit
along about Christmas, I always fer'
mlost.
The anllimls, as I sat brooding b~y
stove, seemied to know I was ini tr.
ble antd feel sorry for me. Thley wol
stahid stIll a long time looking at i
andh the e'lepihnt, I'ml sure, trie'd to at
by his little I4quteals, 'what wvas the nio
ter'. Only that me'ian camel screw
upl his nose scornftullike, as If ho did;
care a (!u5s who felt bad, whIch ho c'
tainly didn't.
F"ridlay morning, the third day bef<
Chrstmas, .Jack Henderson, a you
reporter, dropped In. as he often "
anti happened to remnark: "It set
hard to be Imprisoned for life wit'
an occasional lihppy day to v'ar
mlonIotony. Caged anImals 0u
have holidays."
That set 111 thinking after
gone, and~ I madtte uIp my1 mind1 (
atgerie under miy charge sh
0onCe anyway, have a Christe
sidered what every bird :
the lot liked best andi
got, antd all those thl...
should havc c.:: Chra istrna.
afternoon I went out b)uyinlg
ed to myself when I thioug'
tually purchasing Christmab
for a lot of folks who would 1,
appreciate them.
I got for the birds 'all sorts of
fruIts, nice seeds, ants' eggs,
worms, and so on, accordIng tc
leveral tastes, and for the amt
mmra ftne fruit fg nae, a nn
beef iist 1 :
ordirq d
be don
accusto.ape
mashes, l th~'ellehint- L,
badk a'o gesandIhad bake..
lot of xAd esidb t b.e used to
enjoy- at,.1fo In- India. 'he badil
didn't redi i$eerv,e any Otstmas,
but I boug.l a 4'lof datea to him
I wps go tip the.stir in on Satur
day afto ri0i qu seg V c i ame arotnd
again bt a b beli o geod qigt's for
my Chris'tmasandi1t broughit mtheart
up in'my.thr'oat~ that 'the kind-fellow
had titt Meof re -pfo' no one elise
had slidc Iledlied. He :asked what
the thiTg wer for;' and I told. bim'
Mayl1 I ndi more t lin I Aue'tnt to, fot
my -heart , was' ful t thp. tithe, and -1
had ndi ide'.of his ptuttInl anything in
the paper ab'out the micnagerte's Christ
mis. But -le did, amldirtIly when I
read on Chistulas morning the story
ho.gt up 1 was riurprised.
Cat animals are'nevgr fe onP Sun.
days and as we loti41 go siry of break.
fast Mozday the meqagerie's appetite
for a Christmas dintler at noon was
sure, to lie good. 'Before that tind
came we had a lot'of 'vietors, nice peo
pie whdlbtid seen Jack's story, and
among-them ,web a' fipe wvhJte headod
old gentleman who In frodkeQQ(4, hihself
as 0fr. Hirnm Bidwell, and-his adopled
daughter-a splendid looking -girl,
Lideklly we Were in good' shape tq. re.
ceive them. Sam wore a new ruit I
hadgiven him. The cage cleanerswere
so wifihed-and draped up they hardll
recognized eich ot.ier and I was ,got
up with as much style as a ringmastej
mysOIC
Preelsely at noon we sprung our
glad surprise on .thq. animals. If you
imagine those .birds and beasts didn't
notlce-any change in their bill of fare,
you are wrong. You never saw such
joyous exeltement among feathers and
fur. They jabbered. ohn ttered, shriek
ed auil roared their dehiglit in All thpir
varioufsnlodes of slecl. 'vime mn11
keys fbmed half crazy, il(i evei the
sedate- elephiant dancedl, happed is
ears llke Cans and squentieid. Only
that mean camel was indilferent 1ad
ate his fancy dates with a sneering
twist of his nose, as if lie menut to
say, "You can't soft sawderI m1e."
The sight of the getilnral haplpiness
gladdened everybody an(i none mor(
than )r. Blldwell and his daughter,
who staid nutil all the other visitore
were gone, talk!ng with mne about the
animals and, as I afterward r(-nem
bered, ia good deal more about mlyself.
Near (lark, just when I was thinaking
of going out to a restaurn t for my
dinner, Dr. Bidwell cane bic, and
nothing would do but I must go wil:
him to get a glns of eggnog.
L By- F.. A, Obr
'It may or may not bageie lly known,
but the Orst Christmas- celdb'ation In
America took place In the WOst'ndies
and in the very year that Anleriea was
diseggered: There was not. mnuch fes
tivity n'bhout'lt, to be sure,'for the Orst,
pnniversary of the Nativity il the neW'
world found the participants in. a
state of mind not conducive to merry.'
making or cheerful entertainment. .
1he great navigator, ChiNtopher Co
lumbus. wh1o showed .'the Civilized.
world the way across tlie Atlantle. wad
:waster of 'cereluonles, and he, had llt
te" reason for rejoicing, for on Ohrist,
nis eve, 1492, he had lost his Oag-.
ship, the Santa Maria, -which had Tui
on a reef on the north, coast of Haiti.
Fortunately for him and his crew. the
native Itidians of the island werc
friendly. and they not only came to his
regeue; but haved- all the wreckage of
his vessel, whilh they piled up on the
beach at Guailco, near the present city
of Cap6 TI*Atlan. The Indian cacique
did all he could to allay the grief of the
Spaniards and qw. Chi'latmab day
spread a ban t whch they were
invited and dv, FV'1uany 9f his peo
pi9 acted in fs74 pacity of ervants.
This was the "irst Christmas dliner
II Amerlca, and at this aboriginal
"spjrend so many new -and strange ar
ticles of food were offeied the Span
lards that Columbus made a note of
them, so we are enabled to state exact.
ly what they were. In the first place,
there was malke, or Indian corn. whilh
the IEuropeans may hvfe seen in the
Bahamas, but which tlef had not eat
en before. In fact,I*the golden kernels
carried back to Spain by Columbus
from this first voyage, to A inerica were
the first that ever, reached the old
world, and it. Was ninny -years after
that hefore brown bread and "In'jun
pudding" becam e at all cornmmon on the
tables of Enopean royalty.
One of the Ourlons tubers offered the
Spnliards that'day by the Indian Chief'
tain in 1Hiti Was the maniloc, or cas
sava, from whieh the 6iporigines muade
their daiy bread. 'ihey were the orige
Intors also of the Ca::qreep, or West
Indian pepper pot, uinde by throwing
iplevos of, meat of, aill kinds into an
the tonoWNu1
t .
OFull
Thils Week otit*hargan se'ill 6
grandest .:Dont, blame :ydinsdlf
wards IM'u * 1 tolAecure: a share.
will be t we kfor.'Xnas shopping
ou will buyodur Xma's' pres.eni lo
40 fatmly a 4syoxi must rot fotgb
nurse. -maid :or vasher. They all"
4olate-beltig rememboiel. You-Nil
your money ,to buy more this. week
any~eek ,'in the, year,.- H gre 'will'bi.'
place to get-the. most for your do) lari
Things suitable for Xxhas gifts h't h
prices;, nototho cut In pr cee' 2
Mado suit at $7,50, $850 and i, -reA
price $10, $1260 an4 $10 A cat e AV
worth $1 60, better one at $1.50, wd*tl M_
HIandsonie Plush Cape': for $9, wo
'Ja<.kots at 3;.Y& centsof regpular #rjt"
Carpets, Rugand 1
'I50 Smyrna Rlugs, 8X7 4pet at $2 50o,Vdui
$5; 50 assorted Smyrna anq ioqtidt Rg1
at cut prices; 50 rolle of now -atting at
cut prices; Ingrdin, Brussels, Moque knd
Velvet Carpets at. cuL prics.
Underwear aid H6siery
Broken lot children's Union Suits 190
regular 85 cents quality. Men's' Vesta, at
50 cents, fort er price 65-cents; better
quality at very low prices.
h vises fast black i ibbed Hose 10 cents,
regular price 12% cents; Ladles' fast black
Hose at 10 2%, 15 and 26 cents; worth 15,
18. 20 aild 85 con ts. Bettor gradei at prices ,
that will appeal Lo yolur purse.
Red arid White Flanne.
lied Flannel, all ivool, at 15, 20, 25 and
35 cents, worth nearly double. White
Flnhel at 15, 24), 25, b and 50 cents, can t
be touclht in (oi),