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How to Give the Presents THE 'WIFE‘S CHRISTMAS. U]. how can you speak so cross, Char- lie? It isn’t kind or right; You wouldn‘t have talked a year ago, As you have. done to-night, You Wonder to see me sit and cry, Like a baby vexed you say, Wham you didn‘t know I wanted a gift, Now think about the dayl But I’m not like a baby, Charlie, Crying for something fine, Only a loving woman pained, Could shed such tears as mine. For every Christmas time till nowâ€" And that is why I grieveâ€" “: was you that wanted to give, Char- lie, More than I to receive. And I would not have cared to-night, Charlie, How poor the gift, or small, Had you only brought me something, to show That you thought of me at all. The merest trifle of any kind, That I could keep or wear, A flimsy bit of lace for my neck, " Or a ribbon for my hair. A pretty story of lovers true. Or a book of pleasant rhyme; A flower or a holly-branch to mark The blessed Christmas-time. But to be forgotten, Charliel ‘Tis that that brings the tear; And just to think that I have been Your with but a single year. I A CARD OF ST. NICHOLAS. Say, Santa Claus, you dear, old boy, I’ve passed the stocking stage, I feel no more that childish joy Since I have come of age; And yet I hold your memory dear, As witness what I writeâ€"â€" I ask a precious gift this year From you on Christmas night. Through youâ€"that is to say, you know, Of course, ’twill come from Kate, I'll catch her ’neat'h thle mistletoe, And bid her tell my fate; And do you be my angel there. And exercise your art To move the maiden sweet and fair To give to me her heart. CHRISTMAS SNOWBALLS. This is a pretty way to bring gifts. , The snolwball can be made any size by putting hoops together, strength- ened by a few straight pieces of wood In the proper places. This is covered with stout muslin drawn over the frame, and cotton is sewed on it to give it the proper snowy look. The gifts are put inside, wrapped and la- belled, and the opening closed and concealed. Finally it is sprinkled with frosting powder, and rolled into the room, makes a. novel and charming en- tertainment. â€"_ THE CHRISTMAS TREE. Select a, medium-sized tree, cut off some of the lower branches, and set it in an old butter tu‘b, nail or paint keg, which will look better if paint- ed green. Fill the tub with stones, to support the tree finmly. Buy a few wax tapers, which will have a socket and pin for fastening to the branches of the tree. Some evening set all the children to stringing popcorn and cranberries. Make and frost adozen little cakes, Then with a pencil draw a. baby's face on every one; some may be crying, some laughing. Take tisâ€" sue paper, either pink or blue, and cut a circle about two inches larger than the cake, pink it with the scissors, and an inch from the edge run ina thread. Put one cake into each pa- per, draw up the thread and it makes a little hood for the baby’s face. Cut small bags, about a finger long, [ram tarlatan, overcast with any bright-colored worsted, and run a worsted string in the top; then fill with candles and hang on the tree. Tarlatan can also be cut in the shape of a child's sock or mitten. CHRISTMAS TREE FAIRIES. Dancing Christmas fairies always enhance the children‘s delight in the Christmas tree, and once made can be used year after year. Buy up a ‘ from one small bundle. around the tree. The effect is magi-i cal; every footstep causes jar enough to start the dolls dancing and circl- ing above and around the tree, as if the invisible fairies of the air had come down to join the Christmas glee. CHRISTMAS THOUGHTS. “’hat delightful times we have had planning for Christmas day, in pre- paring gifts suitable for ourfricnds and loved ones. Little tokens of our regard and kindly feelings toward them, for it is not the money value of the gift that makes it appreciated so much as .the loving thoughts that have prompted the giving. Try to re- member this if there be one among your friends who may perhaps give you some Valuable present and for whom you may have only some little trifle in return. Your circumstances may be different from those of your friend, but the remembrance will be hone the less prized if the true friend- ship is there. God pity the poor lone- ly mother on Christmas eve Who has no precious little ones to awaken in the morning; who, perhaps, has known the clinging touch of baby fingers but who is now alone in her sorrow. How this night brings back to her mem~ ory Christmas eves that have passed when she, too, had tiny stockings hanging near the *chimney corner. Thus it ever is, what brings pleasure and happiness to some brings sorrow and pain to others. Let us keep this thought in mind, and out of the full- ness and gladness of our own joyous Christmas, let us try to help those round us who are not so blessed. OUR SHIP IS IN. Here is a suggestion for those who are looking for a change in the plan of giving out the presents: A large packing box, somewhat oblong in shape was secured and was set upon end. The top part was cut out so as to form a sort of puppet stage such as is used in a Punch and Judy show. The front and sides were covered with curtains of Turkey red calico and were prettily draped with holly. 0n the stage was agallant ship made out of pasteboard, only one side, that next to the audience, being necessary. Only a little ingenuity will be requirâ€" ed to arrange the masts, spars and riggings. A captain and cabin boy are placed upon the deck. These are also cut from pasteboard and are made to move by some person standing behind. The captain is supposed to call his boy and tell him to go rbelow and bring up the treasures with which Santa Claus has laden the boat and with much merriment these are then distributed to the ones for whom they are intended. THE CHRISTMAS FISHERMAN. The Christmas tree, perhaps, comes first in the minds of children, but for the tired mother, looking forward to Christmas with both dread and pleasure the following account is giv- en of a very successful plan of dis- tributing presents: Some of the simpler ones were placed in their stockings, for they could not quite re- liquish that dear old-fashioned way of searching for Christmas treasures, but most were kept for the “fishing game," which comes later on. After the dinner was over, the family were invited to the sitting room, and a cur- tain was hung across the open door- way, at a sufficient height to preâ€" vent a sight of what was taking place on the other side. As many parcels as possible had been made of the pre- sents, which were from necessity few. Pretty candies were made into sep- arate packages; a few peanuts in an- other and perhaps some raisins in a third. Great was the laughter when a. raw potato was carefully undone Each child re- ceived a similar joke. The presents were distributed impartially, and it was planned that each child should receive one in turn, although they did ‘ not always "fish" out their own. A sufficiently stout cord with a dozen or more Of five and ten-cent ‘ hook attached was fastened to a short dolls, and to add to the variety have among the number some Japanese and colored dolls. Dress these to represent fairies in bright hues of spangled gauze tarlatan or tissue paper, and liber- ally sprinkle their hair and gar- ments with diamond-dust powder. hch doll should be provided with a dainty pair of fairy wings made from spangled tissue paper and fastened to the body by means of concealed wires. These wires should be coiled to obtain motion in the wings, and nothing bet- ter can be used than the fine spiral coil that comes out of wornout brooms. The least motion will set this spiral to quivering, causing the wings to move as if in flight. In like man- ner use the spiral wire to attach the dolls in hovering positions over and 'stick. Taking turns, each child threw ithe hook over the curtain, and pull- :ed up a present for himself, or some Z other member of the family. Exclama- tions of pleasure followed one after ;another, as the gifts were undone, al- zthough they were all inexpensive, ,many being of home work. It was a igood illustration, of “How little it itakes to please children," for their isatisfaction was unbounded. Pleasant 'recollections of childhood days are [treasures to us all; and this amuse- ment helped to give the children a happy day, and cost but little extra trouble. + A woman will usually make ten cx- ensues for her boy to one for her hus- band. . . -. 4 ,...~r..â€"~ PDlllPEI AND A COMPARISON OF THE DISASIERS THAT BEFEL THEM. A“ full {’alnmlly “'hli-h 0‘ ermoli l'omprll (Du-r 2,000 I't-r nn~ l'orlshwl- Ono-Tilll'il “ore Fnlalllln-s Occurred In "no ‘Edl' ycslon lluIrh-zllw. Pompeii is belicvcd to have had rathâ€" er more than 21,000 inhabitants. The 1city stood on an elevation overlook: ‘ing the sea, the whole of the Bay of Naples being in view, while inlhc backgroung loomcd grim Vesuvius, the destined destroyer. close by flowed the River Sarno. which was crossed by a bridge. The Volcano was supposed to be extinct and its sides were cultiv- ated all the way up to the summit Grapes were largely grown and winc making was an important industry in lhe neighborhood which likewise pro- duced cabbages famous for their ex- cellence. IL was the. city of the clan of the Pompeyâ€"s, founded by the Oseans, an ancient. Italian tribe in the sixth cen- tury B. C. or earlier, afterwards con- ‘quered by the Sainnites, a rival tribe and eventually absorbed by mighty Rome. The culture of the people was very Greek; they worshipped various Greek gods and used the Greek names for their weights and measures. Be- ing so beautifully situated and having a delightful climate Pompeii, was a favorite resort of wealthy Romans many of whom had villas there. Cicero had a handsome "cottage," as it would now be called, and the Imperial fam- ily maintained a palace close by. The villas were mostly on the high ground, back of the town toward Vesuvius and facing the sea. A Small earthquakes were frequent, but not much was thought of them. On the 5th day of February, in the year 63 A.D., there came A TREMENDOUS SHOCK. which, was a warning of what was to follow. {It threw down a large part of the city, including the beautiful Itemples of Jupiter, Apollo and Isis, vb'urt most of the damage was repair- ed by the time of the great catas- trophet The, eruption which was destined to be so memorable began early in the morning of Feb. 24, 79 A.D. Spectators looking from a great distance saw a mighty cloud spread and overhang the city like a vast and olminous umbrella. There was still plenty of time to get away in safety, and doubtless a major- ity of the people did escape, before the impending volcanic storm began. Judg- ing from the number of skeletons thus far discovered, it seems probable that not more than about 2,000 persons actually perished. However, a great many who attempted to leave in boats may have lost their lives. Admiral Pliny, with a fleet, was not far away, and letters brought by mounted couriers reached him as ear- ly as 1 p.nn that day begging him to come as quickly as possible with his ships and help to rescue the peo- ple. He sat sail immediately, and, ar- riving, within sight of Vesuvius at nightfall, ran into the rain of pumice that was then falling. It was impos- sible to make a landing at Pompeii, and so he disembarked at Stabiae, where it was HAILING CINDERS at such a rate that during the night he was obliged to leave the room in which he slept for fear lest the door might be blocked up. On the follow- ing morning he died, being suffocat- ed by volcanic fumes. Early in the afternoon of February, 24 the hail of pumice begun to fall, upon doomed Pompeii, the pieces aver- aging ubout the size of a walnut, to- gether with torrents of rain, It must then have been almost too late for anybody who remained in the city to get away. Repeated shocks of earthquake contributed to the horror of the scene, incidentally demolishing the bridge over the Sarno and so shutting off escape in that direction. Meanwhile, rivers of pumice mixed with water flowed down the slope of Vesuvius on the other side and overwhelmed the nuighbaring Ilercul- aneum. The pumice fell in Pnnpcii until the streets of the city Were covered eight to ten feet deep with it. Its weight broke in the roofs of many of houses and the destruction of lives must already have been frightful. Nevertheless many of the people still survived, seeking refuge in cellars and other places of retreat. They must have imagined that there was still hope 'when early in the morning of the next day. Feb. 25. there came a great shock and ashes began falling in a continuous shower with the ruin. Th..ugh day had arrived it grew dark- er than ever. if pessi‘ole, a cloud of FRIGHTFL'L BLAL‘KNESS settling down over the land. while the. .eaten as it is. the lightning and thunder were ap- palling. Shan followed shook and the survivors must at lust have con- clulcd that their lust hour was at hand. Such was in truth the. case The storm of ashes lnslml nearly all day lung. They drifled in through lllru windows of the houses and SUffOI‘iIt- ed all who remained alive. They cov- ered thc city with a sheet of death six to seven fcct thick. Thus was c-vmpleicd llw dcsirucliou 0f Ponilvii. If the. eslimulv of fatal- ities fairly correct than llI)‘.;V(‘ quoted be the loss of life was not more oneâ€"third as great as during thoro- cenl. hurricane at Galveston whose terrors may be said to have fairly equalled thusc of this ancient calas- though so different in kind. \Vhen ii the roofs of many at lhe houses still (‘Inr‘lgnd abwe the volcanic debris. which had overwhelmed the city. Herculunt-um however had wholly disappeared unâ€" troplic was all (1VPI‘ der the streams of mud, sixty-five feet deep in spots, which had flowed over it. This mud being a sort of natural concrete, soon hardened into stone, which is flu-day of such solidity as to make excavation work extremely dif- ficult. â€"-_o___ THE DATE OF THE FLOOD. ""110 Facts on Which the southern IHslmp It nod Ills Question. Some people have had fun lat.er over the reported rejection of eight candidates for the African Methodist ministry in the South by lthe examin- ing Bishop because they could not tell the date of IZIJJEB flood. chverthcless, tlhe Bishop who asked the question knew wihat III? was doing. It may not have been a fair question, but there is a concise answer to it in the Bible, and he no doubt thought that the eight candidates, if they were! well versed in the Old Testament, would answer it at once. Tlhe date of the flood was 1,636 years after the birth of Adam, in the sec- ond month! and the seventeenth day. It began then and continued for forty days and nights. This is how it is figured; The third verse of the fifth chapter of Genesis reads thus; "And Adam lixved'130 years and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image, and called his name Seth.” Then, in the sixth verse, it is told that Seth lived 105 years and beg'at Enos. Adam, says the fowrthl verse, lilve'i 800 (years, after the birth of Seth, and the latter after the birth of Euros lived 807 years. So it goes on, Enos. begat Cainan when he was 90; Cainan begat Mahalaleel when he was 75; Mahalaleel beget Jared when he was 65; Jared begat Enoch when he was 161, Methiwsnleh was born to Enoch when the latter was 65, and when Methrmslaleh was 187 he begat Lamech, and Lamech’s son, Noah, came into the world when “the father was 182.. This brings us down to the birth of Noah, which, according to the added ages of the several patriâ€" archs at the time their sons were born, occurred 1,056 years after the birth of Adam. In the seventh chapter of Genesis the eleventh vense reads as follows; "In the six hundredth year of Noah‘s life, in the second month. the sevenâ€" teenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up and all the win- dows of heaven were opened." This was the flood, and it came to pass in the year 1.06 after the birth‘ of Adam. *â€" A NEW ARMY RATION. German Troops lv‘od Upon a Novel parntlon of (‘lmco‘alm I're- German military correspondents speak very highly of a new ration which has been tried during the reâ€" cent maneuvers of the Austrian toops in Galicia. Owing to the nature of the country and the extensive area covered during the exercises, it beâ€" came necessary to provide the troops with some portable food which could be prepared in a very short time or even eaten without preparation. Var- ious forms of nutriment were tried, but the one which gained most fav- or was a so-called "chorolate ration.” This was Invented by a doctor, and consists of ordinary chocolate with an admixture of albumen and certain fat- ty matter. In a few minutes this can be cooked either in milk or water and The nourishing value of the preparation is very great, 100 grammes affording as much sustainâ€" ing value as nearly half a kilogramme or five times the amount of beef. Moreover, the chocolate keeps remark- ably well, and is affected neither by heat nor by long storage in damp and l badly-ventilated magazines. A Iâ€"lnll- THE RETIRED BURGLAR. llc Tells of n Trlfllng lnclclcnl The! Once l.c(l In Ills Arrest. "‘Of all the fool things that a man in my buslness can do," said the re- tired burglar, “the very foolest of all is carrying aluut with him something ‘ that he's picked up in the course of his work. I used to think that writ- ing letters and leaving them behind, something by uhich a man might some day be idemified, was the most fuel thing of all; but .I am satisfied now that carrying something around is still worse. I raiilizud this when something I was carrying got me into trouble. " I always carried a leadpencil in my pocket, and I lost: this pencil, some- how, one day, and the same night pick- ed up another from a desk in aman’s library and just tucked it in m pocket. I wanted a pencil and Ijust took this one, and thought no more abnut it. I carried that pencil I guess three or four months, sharpening it occasionally, and so gradually wear- ing it down. The last time I ever used it was in a railroad station where I'd just seen a big express wagon drive up with a couple of boxes that caught my eye' as maybe containing things that I’d like to have; both go- ing to the same town, but not very far out, and I thought maybe I‘d run out there some night and look through these houses. I don't believe in luck, but I sort 0' had a notion that I'd find something very good in those two houses, and I liked the idea of getting the clue to them in that way. So I goes into the waiting room of the station again and just puts down those addresses before I forgets ‘em; writing ’em down at one end of a desk that was there by the window. of the telegraph office. ' “ I'd put the piece of paper that I’d; made the memorandum on in . my pocket, and was just putting away the pencil, when a man that had stepâ€" ped up to write a telegraph, and found no pencil on the desk there, turns to meâ€"he‘d seen me writingâ€"- and says: ' Will you kindly lend me your pencil for a minute? And of course I HANDED IT OVER TO HIM without the slightest hesitation, and then I stands there and looks the other way so as not to seem to be looking while he was doing his writ- ing. And I thought he was writing a pretty long telegraph, and I was just about‘to turn around and look, when I feels a hand on my shoulder, which I couldn’t very well mistake, and looking around I found, as Iex- pected that it was a policeman that was clawin’ me, and my friend there, that I'd lent the pencil to, was stand- ing alongside of him, pointing at me, and saying: " ‘ I charge lary.’ "Quite a change in the situation? \Vell, Ishould say so. And all through that pencil. That pencil was-’just a plain, common, simple pencil, of good quality, with nothing remarkable about it al att except that across the flat end of the head of the pencil,the end not used, there were eight little straight lines, four in each direction, crossing at right angles, and mak- ing a sort of a pl-uided effect, pretty well faded now, but still perfectly vis- ible. And this pencil belonged to the man that had borrowed it of me,there in the station. Makes you laugh to think of my luggin‘ around something that was marked ?. It does me now, Well, it was easy enough to prove that the house had been robbed, and that the pencil I had came from it. And it interested me a little bit, too, to see how easy they were able to prove the marking on the pencil. This man‘s little daughter made it, and she swore' to it without any sort of doubt or quibble. She‘d sat down one day at her father’s desk and marked those lines on the end of a pencil with a. pen just for fun. “Of course there was no sort of actual proof that I stole it, but there was.‘ proof that I Illd it in my posses- sion. I said I found it; and when I do try lying I make the bunglin‘est work of it you ever heard of. That’s the kind of a job I made of it this time; and of course they knew. you know. But they gave me only a year. Still that was enough [0 learn me that les- son anyhow. I never, after that car- ried about with me anything that I‘d gathered in, any longer than it was necessary to dispose of it. I may have other tricks, now, just as fool- ish, but that one I dropped right then.” LLllL‘s man with burg- _._, .â€" REASONABLE. Husbandâ€"I don‘t see why you have accounts in so many dry goods stores. “'ifeâ€"Because, my dear, it makes the bills so much smaller. ““