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7 ' THI RD "SECTION YEAR 77-NO; 286. oe as ~ CHRISTMAS TREE. Nhere the Old Country Gets Its Great Supply of Christmas Trees Every Year. To toll ths truth, we do not treuble very much about the matter, Father bought it somewhere, and while we Were asleep-or pretending to be loving hands covered it with candles, and bags of sweets and toys and dolls ~ind Hitle flags, and made It shine and sparkle like the King's erown. But when we stand before it and clap our Is there comes to be such a thing as mes Ofristmng troe-at ad; - As a matter of fact, where the Christmas tree came from, but npbody sdems to be quite certain | yet as to how many years ago the good old custom was started. it came from AnSient Faypt. _ Aay that at cert winter festivities me hd Bhi, A = palm tree with twelve shoots on it, this, of. course, representing the year with its twelve months. I do not think, how- aver, that our Christmas treo has any: thing to do with tL it twelve-shooted Bip of palm.. It is more probable that It Is to he traced back through the old customs of the country which gave it to us--Germany. Far away back in the ages--'once upon a time," as the fairy tales say-- the people called Teutons belleved all kinds of things about a mystic ash tree with the curious name Yggdrasil. This, with its roots and branches, they thought, united the world of the living and the world of the dead. The branches of this tree, they supposed, | bore gifts for men to take. There you | have the idea which most probably led | to the custom of having once a year a | tree laden with psesents. When tho custom really started just a8 we peo it In our homes today is doubtful, but the people in the nncient 'eity of Strasburg are proud of the fact that more than three hundred years ago they introduced {t. The Christmas tree does not seem' to have been mentioned in any book until the year 1605, when an unknown writer called attention to the new custom at Strasburg. In those days, however, the Church did not approve of the Christmas tree--I because It was of heathen o we Are told that a named Professor Dannhager, of Stras! Cathedral, ppoke very strongly ut it. Well, (the Christoias tree became | "amily. Some learned men have told us that Ri LY They | ery popular indeed in Germany, but ou may be surprised to know that it 3 only about seventy years since it vas taken to England. When Victoria ne Good married Prince Albert In 840, many new German customs were atroduced into the old country, and be Christmas tree was one of them, At Windsor Castle in 1846 there was i a huge tree forty feet high, which was hands and cry "0O-000h!" we do not, | g ¥ 8h c #86 a rule, stop to bother as to how it | aden with presents sald to be worth i0 less than $45,000! That was some- thing lke a trée wasn't it?--but I do gt suppose It gave a dit more ples a good many older people have tried to find out | ure than the little tree you see in a wor man's cottage window. Since then the Christmas tree has wen a prominent - feature of the 'hristmas festivities of the Royal Queen Victoria encouraged he custom, In Germany at Christmas 2very house has its tree, and the trade in tir trees In every German town is enormous. In London something like 70,000 trees of various sizes are sold at Covent Garden. CHRISTMAS RECIPES Celery Soup ' Ingredients--One quart of broth, 1 pint milk, 2 heads of celery, 1 large Spanish onion; 3 ozs. butter, pepper and salt, 1 tablespoonful of cream, carnflour. Method--The broth must be white, made from veal bones or from boiling a fowl. Take the white part of the celery, see that it is quite free from grit, cut it into small pieses, and slice the onion. Put the butter into a stewpan, add the. celery and sliced onion, let them cook for a few minutes, but be care i ful that they do mot brown at all | Now add the broth, and a good sea soning of pepper and salt, and simmer {all together until the vegetables are guite soft. Rub through a sieve and return it to the stewpan with the milk, to which has been added a des sertspoonful of cornflour, stir until it as bolled for a few minutes, and just | before servifig add the cream, Serve very hot, but do not let it boil after the cream has been added, or the ap pearance of the soup will be spolled. Minced Turkey The trimmings of a large carcase will make a delicious mince. To each pound of minced turkey allow 1 os, of tinely chopped ham and the same quantity of onion. Fry in a little clarified dripping with % os. of flour sprinkled over. To this add % pint of stock made from the bones; season with salt and pepper and, if. dash Of lemon juice. THe be simply croutons (little pieces of fried with or without poached eggs. also be used as a filling got cold; it on mL Ne A Story of SANTA CLAUS" M a Christmas Momiag and a Boy whe interfered with Santa's Plans. ISTAK ing; it would have been guite darx in the bedroom if it had mot been for the bright street light outside the window. Side by side against the wall stood two white beds. In one slept Charlie Kennedy, aged five; in the other, Donald Kennedy, aged seven, lay awake. From the foot of each bed hung & stocking. ! "It looks like might out of doors," thought Donald. "But 1 bleve it ls really morning, and if it is morning I shall just have one veep Into my stocking to see what Santa Claus has brought me." Donald slipped a bare pink foot cau- tiously out of bed, then the other fol lowed, and in his blue and white striped pyjamas he crept to the well filled stocking and emptied the com- tents on the quilt. In the dim light he could see a ball, a knife, a Chinese puzzle, an orange, and a box of sweets, also a clockwork motor boat. 'He put the things carefully back, then looked longingly at his brother's stocking. "Ill just peep at Charlie's will be no harm," he thought. Ch had much the same as Don- ald, only in place of the clockwork motor boat, there was a canpon. Don. ald handled it lovingly. * "Santa Claus ought to have known that I. mean to be a soldier. He should have given me this cannon," he mut tered. "Charlie is to be a sallor, so he motor boat would be just the 'hing for him. Santa Claus has made a mistake--that's what he has done." Donald put back Charlie's presents and crept into his warm bed. But he could not sleep; he kept thinking of the cannoh and the motor boat. "f am sure Santa Claus has made a muddle about us. 4 shall set things right." : And so saying. Donald got out © bed once more, and put Charlie's can- non in his own stocking, and gave his brother the motor boat, Having done this, Donald once more. got into bed, and thix time he soon went to sleep. . That IL It was Christmas Day and break: tast-time. Around the breakfast table in the dining-room, decorated with Snigteenay gat Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy, Donald and Charlie, and their sisters Doris and Rose, whilst Uncle Bob was placed between Donald and Charlie to see that they 'behaved themselves," as he laughingly remarked, As they were all chattering, Ellen, entered with a tray. On the tray was a letter. * "I woader who it is from?" remark- ed Mrs. Kennedy. "I am sure the post has never arrived as early as this on Christmas Day." "It' is addressed to Master Donald Master Charlie, and I found it in : It i 3 i i i 8 8 AH 5 It was very early Christmas morn | diers and | but it is pearly light as | write tis, down [not to " {plans another Christmas. sailors In your bedroom, and I am of a nervous disposition, and should not like you to see me, as 1 am 80 shy. "Your loving friend, "Santa Claus." "How thoughtful of Santa Claus to write!" sald Mrs. Kennedy. "1 sup pose Donald Bas the motor boat," so will get the box of soldiers; and Charlie has the cannon, 80 will have the sallors." "No; I have" got the motor boat" sald Charlie. "And Donald has the | cannon." : --Ponald did not say anyiking. but-he looked very, very solemn. "On, why did I change my motor boat for the cannon?" he thought. He looked even more serious still when the parcels in the poreh were opened, for the box of soldiers was the most splendid one he had ever seen. There were rows and rows of horse and foot solfierseSwith shining Syords and brightly-paitited coats. The sail. ors' were very nice, but nothing came up to soldiers in Donald's eyes. "I think there bas been some mis- take," said Uncle Bob, noticing the pitéous expression on his nephew's face. "I had a private talk with Santa Claus, and told him particularly that you were to be the gallant soldier of the Kennedy family, and Charlie the sailor boy. There hag been a mistake somewhere, 1 am sure." As the hours of Christmas Day went by thé Kennedy children, with Happy, contented faces, played with thefr new toys--all but Donald, and he looked more and more solemn. Ine It was Christmas night; Donald ang ! Charlie - were In bed. Charlie was asleep, but Donald lay awake, Pre. sently manly footsteps passed the half-open door. 3 "Uncle, uncle--is that you?" called Donald. . 1 "Yes; why aren't you asleep, young man?" "1 can't sleep; I am worried, uncle. Please sit on my bed, quite close to me. I want to confide in you." Uncle Bob smiled in the dark, "Spea on," he said. "Uncle, you seem to know more ' about Santa Claus than the rest of us; you are friends with him, aren't you?" "Yes; Santa Claus and 1 make little plans fogether sometimes. What is the matter?" a, "Well, It 1s like this. I thought that Santa Claus had made a mistake when I saw the motor boat in my stocking and the cannon in Charlie's, so I thought I'd put the mistake right. If I had left them as thay were, I should have had the soldie:n; and I do want them." "I thought something odd had hap- pened," said Uncle Bob. "Another time you must leave Santa Claus to rectify his own mistakes. I am sorry about the soldiers, but you must be content with the sallors." x "I am awake," came from the other bed. "Donald can Lave the soldiers. I'd reelly rather have the sailors, but I did not like to say so," said Charlie. So Donald had the soldiers and Charlie 'the sailors, and everyone was pleased. > Aud Donald has made up interfere with Santa Claus' - " | i and 'the much less dignified street {hap like me a penny & night like 43 PLAYING SAN \ Tragedy of a London Streathton--But fog in the Suburbs: o It Ended Well. i By ©. Malcolm Hincks, in the | Novel Magazine i Police-Constable Parker stood at the | sorner formed by the aristocratic thoroughfare known as Acacia Grove known as Church Roard, in the Lon- | don suburb which, for-the purpose of | this story, shall be known as Streath- | Ton. fg vig reigned It was Christmas Eve, but the wes- | ther certainly did not tend to inspire | oie with a feeling of peace on earth | snd goodwill towards mankind. The | trossing-sweeper, who was turtively | syeing the constable, had been sworn | st and réwarded in the ratio of three | dpe to one. | "When it's snowy," he confided to a | butcher's boy, who had stopped to re- | light the stump of a cigar he had | found in the gutter, "people thinks it's | real Christmas and does yer well, but this bloomin' fog upsets 'em. Would | you unbutton yer top coat to give a this?" "No, I bloomin' well shouldn't!" de clared the butcher's boy with decision | as he moved off. P.-C. Parker stamped his feet on | the damp pavement and wished him self anywhere but where he was. This was his first experience of a London | fog, for he had been in the Metropoli- tan Force only a few months, and he did not like it. "Blobmin'. ole to be in on Christ | mas Eve!" he growled. "Only six o'clock and yet 'ardly a sign of life about the place. Why couldn't they let me do a beat in the 'Igh Street? There is somethin' goin' on there at all events, even if you can't see it proper for the Tog." } As he had come on duty he had | marched along the High Street where | the light from the slop windows, the | naphtha flares on the costers' stalls, | the branches of holly and evergreen, | k: gallydressed grocers' windows, | d 'the rapidivmoving, and for the | post part, happyfaced, crowd, did onvey something of that peculiar, in-4 describable 'feeling that people asso ciate with Christmas. i ts me Mugford!" growled the nstable, as he turned and slowly be- gan to pace his beat. "Don't believe in all the talk about London streets | paved with gold: I've only seen 'em | Il ¢ slosh. Law! At Mugford we | pew it was Christmas, festivities we | ad, and--beg pardon, sir!™ } An vid gentleman had almost col ded with him, for the fog was gradu- ally becoming thicker, and the lamp- |. posts in Acacia Grave were few and far between. "Ah, constable," said the old gentle man geniaily, "can you direct me to a house in the road of the name West sir? PC. Parker thoughtfully. He Rad been in the 'force long enough to know that it paid to be civil to benevolent-looking old gentlemen -on Christmas Eve. "Yes, that's the "That ¥ very good of you; 1am' ér--geting as Sats Clans." PAC Parker glanced at the tag fn the old gentleman's hand, . the edly smile, and felt sad. $ | 8table, still regarding the el 1 ool though such an experience were at excuse for anything, and then they walked on in silence for a few yards. "I want to make this one of the old fashioned, fairy Christmases for my grandchildren, constable," he said at length, "and--er--really I'm glad I've met you, you see, I'm going to do a little amateur burgling." "Oh, are you?" sald P.-C. Parker shortly, stopping in his walk and re garding his companion severely, The old gentleman laughed. "1 thought you'd, think it funny," he sald. "You see, Tm Mr. James Brit: tenden, and I'm going to stay with my, son Charles for Christmas: they don't expect me until ten o'clock to-night, but I caught an earlier train than 1 expected from the country, and as 1 came along Holborn it struck me that iI would give the youngsters a great surprise. I'm going to get in through the nursery window, leave the toys I've brought, go and dine somewhere, and then return to the house and tell them that under the table in the nur gery they will find a lot of things tha Santa Claus has left." "'Ow do you know you're goin' to get in Bo easy?" demanded the con on tieman with some suspieic. - "Oh, I shall manage all right. You | see, I want to startle my son and his wife as well as the children. I was {always fond of a joke--ha, ha, ha! What! Is this the house? Thank you. Good-night,* officer! Merry Christy mas! Drink my health mQrro will you"™ - e "Good-night, sir, thank you, sip same you!" gasped P.-C. Parker, gazing blankly at the coin which t street lamp just above him disck | to be a half-a-sovereign. "Lor," he muttered, as he resumed hig beat, 'fancy 'avin' any suspicions against a generous gentleman like that. I'd like to be one o' them kids an'~'alf-a-tick, I don't believe there are any kids at that house. I've nev feen 'em, anyway. Now, I wonder the old buffer is up to any little game, I'll go aud see what--curse the fog, it's coming on worse than evert™ ' He turned and walked back 'towards the. gate of the house where he had left the amiable amateur Santa Claus. The old gentleman's story about the children was probably a blind--he had sthought to throw him off the 4 scent. Then the halfsovereign was bribery and corruption. Probably it Was bad; he tested it with his teeth: 10, it wasn't bad; but all the same-. "Help! Police! Thieves!" A dishével.ed servant girl had run fo he | gate of Nostdens and her plere cry came weirdly through BC Parker broke into - ihe a. . . * - -. * . "Bless my soul! They've al the room. Now how on earth ered to 4, the nursery r.-James Brittenden deposi bags on the floor and gazed 1 ed ha blank bewilderment. On his last visit he remembered the nursery had been the room on the first floor that was upproached by a flight of iron steps from the back garden. Several of the residents in Acacia Grove who pos sessed the same arrangement & morning room, and sat balcony at night, but turned it 'into a nursery. 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