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Pv T - '• T&xXtx ||jear t 1897^ have to give up the plan, the big miner’s for each sock or stocking plainly re-1 brain long to discover what she hud fairy god-mother or a witch, for from generous heart gave a great throb of vealed its owner’s identity. Heading j done and the plain, neat stitches looked the day she married its owner the Suc- pity. Then and there he decided that the row was the hose that protected | in ids eyes more beautiful than the ! cess took a sudden fancy to pan out in the nugget should go into her Christ- Mrs. Malloy’s stout extremities from j most exquisite embroidery. He still a wonderful way. mas stocking, either to help her tide over her period of enforced idleness or to pay the little brother's passage to Cheyenne. All that day he thought about her and the brave fight she was making to support the l)oy and herself, and the more he thought, the more he longed to take her into his arms and tcdl her that henceforth his strong arms and willing hands would fight the battles of life the chilly blasts, of thick, heavy yarn held it in his hands when the two i It brought a fortune to its possessor, of mottled blue and white. Next was school ma'ams slipped in. < who thinks it is all owing to his wife, one of soft, fine cashmere, which fitted “No fair peeking in to sec what you’ve j and never tires of saying that she was the No. 5 foot of the Ohio lawyer. Four I got,” cried the younger, gayly, and, the mascot of the Success.—Chicago small stockings of varying sizes owned blushing deeply, he distributed his j News. , by the young Malloys intervened be-! gifts in their various receptacles has-; t ily and left the hall. Mrs. Malloy was perfectly satisfied w ith the successof her Christmas frolic . for her. In order to do this the miner would have to overcome his natural timidity and fear of the gentler sex, and it was doubtful if he coidd ever get up sufficient courage. tween it and the one belonging to tin widow in the' second floor front. Those of the two school-teachers, came next—one severe black one be longing to the elder, the other, with co quettish. clocks of red. the younger pre ceptress owned. Then the miner’s big. heavy cotton sock followed, and. last of all, her own. Rapidly she dropped her gifts Into the stockings, but when By the appointed time the stenog-! she reached the one next to the last Puzzling. “W hatare you going togivc your wife for a Christmas present, Spooner?" Well, I’m undecided whether to rive She had put. an orange and a Dag of . . . . . . ’ . . .' i . 1*. i „ „,i her n billiard table or a smoking jacket. candy into each stocking, and the board- i v „ . ^ •' •’ s,c > "o exchange Christmas im > s- pr(*i cuts this year.”—Detroit Free'Press. She had put. an orange and a bag of ly into each stocking, and the board- j i rs, forgetting their age and dignity,! munched candy and examined their presents before breakfast like a lot of What lie Would Like to Give. delighted children. j “Are you going to give any Christmas Soon after breakfast the mine owner 1 presents?” asked a friend of Spicer, seized a favorable opening to thank the j “Well.” said Seth, thoughtfully, “I jjIIESE days of cor porattons it would | truly seem to be A splendid plan if j Santa Claus would look about | and see If he could not In corporate h i m- self, and so expand His usefulness to cover every corner of the land. I’ve noticed, as I’ve looked about on Christ mas days gone by, A lot of little children who have failed to catch his eye. Who when the Yule was at its height had not a single toy Orbit of peppermint to fill their little souls with Joy. And there have been some persons who have ventured to remark Of credence in his being they had not the slightest spark, For had there been a person of his kind ’twas very sure There’d be some signs of presents In the hovels of the poor. Which Is a point he’ll have to meet, with many of that sou, * If ever he shall find himself haled up be fore the court. But I, who’ve always found him most at tentive unto me, Am certain that he does exist and works most faithfully. But certain too am I that In these Christ mases of late He’s found his work, unaided, for his strength by far too great; And hence I think that he’d do well to form a company, And everywhere throughout the land to place an agency. And all who love him for his labors in the days now past Can put their names down in his hooks—the stock should go right fast. It doesn’t seem that it could meet with failure, just because They must be few who would not take stock in old Santa Claus. —Carlyle Smith, In Harper’s Magazine. 'THE AASCOT The Success OF r HEN the little Irish landlady,the warm hearted and hard- 1 working Mrs. Mai- j loy,announced two days Indore Christ mas that they must all hang up their stockings by the big hall fireplace the boarders laughed. The two sehoolma’ams from the ^ast were especially mirthful; the young lawyer from Ohio unbent and smiled broadly; the owner of the Suc cess mine laughed aloud, a big, hearty laugh, and even the little stenographer smiled, . It was the first time she had done so for a week, for she had lost her position. Her employer, for political reasons, being obliged to give the posi tion to a constituent, there she was, hundreds of miles from home with a slim purse and no certainty of getting work for weeks at least. Truly laugh ter and she were at outs. The mine- owner, casting sheep’s eyes at the stenographer, whom lie admired more than any woman he had ever known, said it would take all the toys in Cheyenne’s shops to fill his stocking, and he wondered if she cared for him enough to fill it. He was sole owner of the Success, an empty honor so far, as the mine had only been successful in disappointing all his hope* of for tune. Barring one great nugget, which he found soon after purchasing the mine, the property appeared abso lutely barren. This nugget he had kept as a luck J p m- Sr $ 1 » •nt'ijl ijMM i !' Ir ! W ilVui ■ t IK’ U "," 1 ' " ’ ■ :i J yilo i.t!i..l!iin!inilk:!!Li iUlfmiiiinflOi illiiKiiS I F ' 'Si wist ■ ill« f a i l; r'.'f*:.' .ill (j II; : "iii j,;i' | 'v-' ' „} y i; ill :!ji|l||||ii| : !' Jjk^ • •llidi ifeiiiiFi-; >; ' iiiBillff :1 V-lift v -J i \\ > J | f ; . , •JawAs idaMUH'itrifll i I'liif'tMlnillilhlifr iiiiT •Jiiiiivi... Bii MB! i'P'! 1 '■,]il<!ii hsM i • fc' : in--,.. 1 ' Ills . 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The prettiest of, them all was a pin- wheel cushion, painted with roses and forget-me-nots, and stuck full of bright, shining pins. This was for the miner, who. she privately believed, used pins occasionally in making his toilet, hav ing no one to sew on his buttons. Per haps it was for that reason she gave him the choieCM of her little collection; or, perhaps, she had other reasons. It is so hard to tell \\ by a woman does cer tain things. With her presents in a littie basket, she stole out into the li.dl where, by the great, roomy fireplace, the stockings were already suspended. As she was u trifle late, hers was last In the row. Santa had not yet arrived, for they all gaped empty. She hastened to drop her humble mneinbrnnces into their yuyvuing depths, laughing the while. she stopped with a little cry of dismay, lor a hole of generous proportions oc cupied the place when* the heel had once been. “That will never do," she declared, half aloud, and, slipping it down from the mantel, with a uiunnimsl ”|K>or fellow,” she rushed ofV to her room with tin* hig sock in her little hands, and. getting out her work-basket, darned tlie great hole neatly and swiftly. “Now he w on’t lose all of his toys,” she said laughingly Irt horselfr as she started | to replace it. The mine owner had happened to en ter the hall just as the young woman | disappeared with ids propeity and gave a low whistle of amazement. He wait ed, considerably mystified, in a dark corner, until she reappeared and hung it up in its place again. When she had run off to bed he drew near and examined the sock carefully. It did not take even his dull masculine stenographer for her pretty gift and with much stammering and blushing s|>oke of her darning and said he ‘ wished she’ll do his darning steady." “Fin afraid I can’t do that. I’m hop ing to get work any day, you know,” she answered, blushing, too. "I’ll engage you to do my darning, then,” he said, awkwardly. The stenographer's heart. Is-at fast er. hut she only asked demurely what wages lie would pay. Then he become very courageous. “My heart and all I have and a home for the little brother, too,”lie answered, recklessly, forgetting for the moment that aliuost’all his worldly possessions were sunk in the Success. That very day the gold nugget went to Ihdiniri hy express and the proceeds of its sale paid for little Jimmy's pas sage out. to Cheyenne, where he went to live w ith Ids sister and his new lirot her. The stenographer must have been u v Another year! Out of the mists and darkness of the night. The new year comes, with hope and holy light. The glad bells chime the tidings of the morn— “A year, a year, a golden year is born!” Then all the fleeting shadows fade away, And ’mid the old year’s twilight, dim and gray, I listen to the faithful hells that ring. And wish that every heart might wake and sing. Another year! So full of hope and trust the soul should be. So glad to feel a lowborn energy. Yet those there are who tread the old-time ways. Remembering the griefs of vanished days. Give such glad hearts. O Lord, Thy balm and cheer. And let them taste the joys of this new year: The way is light: the happy bells now ring, And every heart should gladly wake and sing. —Charles H. Towne, in Toadies’ World. Signs of the Times. Useless is the calendar When December’s here; Takes but little reckoning To tell the time of year. Johnny’s sudden willingness With chores at night and noon. Tell it plain as print could do: “Christmas pretty soon.” Everybody's most polite, It’s a perfect joy Now to meet the janitor Or elevator boy. Merchants more than gracious. All the town’s in tune To proclaim the tidings: "Christmas pretty soon.” —Washington Star. A GREAT SCHEME. Ilow One Wife Managed in Christmas Presents for Her Husband. “I never have to worry about a pres ent for my husband,” said the woman who was outlining her cmnpaign of Christmas shopping. "Why not?” asked her companion. “I bought his present four years ago, and this will be—let me see—the fifth time 1 have given it to him.” "Why, wha* do you mean?" “Well, I gave him a half a dozen fine handkerchiefs one Christmas. He ad mired them very much, but thought they were altogether too good for everyday use, so he asked me to put. them away for him. Next Christmas, when I was wondering what I could get for him, I happened to tlhink of those handkerchiefs. There they were, at the bottom of the drawer. I took them out and put them into a differ ent kind of a box and gave them to him on Christmas morning.” “And he didn’t know the difference?" "Bless you, no! He was perfectly delighted. After he had shown them around he asked me to put them away for him, and, of course, he never asked for them again.” “So you’ve given him the same hand kerchiefs every season?” “Yes, and it’s been a great scheme, because I’ve never had as much shop ping money as I wanted, and these handkerchiefs have been quite a saving. I suppose he thinks he has two or three dozen handkerchiefs put away some where, but he’d never think to ask for them. They’re too fancy for him.” “Well, I think it’s shameful to treat a man that way. You’re almost as bad as Cynthia Merritt’s husband. Last Christmas he bought her a sofa for a Christmas present, and she declares that he’s the only person that ever used it.”—Chicago Record. should like to give the man next door, w ho is learning the flute, six months in the houscof correction.”—Boston Bulle tin. A ChriHtiuiiH Oticwtlon. It was after the maze and the mirth of the dance, Where n spray of green mistletoe swayed, That I met—and I vow that the meeting was chance!— With a ver> adorable maid. I stood for a moment In tremor of doubt, Then kissed her, half looking for war; But—“Why did you wait, sir?" she said, with a pout. “Pray, what Is th<- mistletoe for?" - Clinton Seollurd, In Century. Winding I p. Jingo Did you make any resolutions at New Year? Bingo You het I did. I made one, and I'll keep it, too. •Hugo- Everyonealwaysanys that. Bingo ^ 1 s, I know, but mine was that I uould never make another New Year’s resolution. Brooklyn Life. Hut Onee a Year. Life is but a game of chance. Full of ups and downs, Full of dirge and full of dance. Full of smiles and frowns; One day full of gladsome cheer, Next day full of ills; Christmas comes but once a year. Then the Christmas bills! —Philadelphia Record. She Really Forgot. Laura—Dear me! I am getting so ubshnt-minded. I hung a bit of mistle toe on the chandelier and forgot all about it being there. Flora—And got kissed? Laura—No. Didn’t I tell you I for got all about it? I never got under it once.—Cincinnati Enquirer. GRKAT EXPECTATIONS. ji i i\ % i: >5- "Are you going to receive on New Year’s?” "I hojs* so.” “Why do you hope so? I thought your invitations were out." “So they 1 re, but I expect to receive more than calls.“ “What is it?" "An offer from Jack."