Show OT THE 0 cultivated au CHRISTMAS TREE BY christopher 0 HAZARD UNION NCE there was a boy named peter onondaga colomos cadwalader it was such a long name that he would get out of sight before hla his mother could finish calling him so she shortened it into pete oh pete or you pe pete te at the right time ot of year pete wanted a christmas tree so he went to the woods to get it selecting a mounts mountain in ansh tree he was about to cut it down when a lock flock ot of starlings disputed with him claiming it as their christmas tree and all its bright berries as their own then lie he considered a nut tree but the squirrels were furious and wanted to know where their christmas would be it if lie took it so the boy concluded that no one else would want the evergreen tree with nothing on it but cones and took that however that his tree did not seem likely to have anything an thing on it worth while peter remembered what an old woodman had once told mm birn about a r wild tree that had x responded wonderfully der fully to cultivation and resolved to see what could be done in his own case nis mother smiled when he made his plan known but offered no objection as her son set the tree up in a box supplied h with earth and enrichment and wa tere 1 it froni day to day his frequent li 11 did not much reward his bis gnp fro indeed decd the tree seemed to be lilli cling rind and yet on christmas there it was all adorned and writ well su paled with gifts as beautiful ns na a 1 lon berry iberry bush tt was strung strange however that withal tarro ahn o lil id not scein sc cin to be much happiness rim anit the brn branches riches indeed before lon peter schemed as dissatisfied and fret fill us its though I 1 his I 1 t tree e h had a d rot borne bome ailin nothing more than ri its ts wild 71 ld cones ills mother felt a good deal teat I 1 ci for sho she harl hoped that so wonderful a surprise would be as happy a thing for him as it had bad been for her but she could think ot of nothing better so that the christmas celebration began to seem like a failure mr cadwalader however had bad a suggestion to make ile he said that he thought that the tree had not been cultivated enough and that it if peter would invite some of his young friends in he be thought they might get a good deal of pleasure out ot of things even yet when the little company had assembled and mr cadwalader had distributed tri buted some packages that he had placed on the tree there was a merry time over the games that he knew how to play and a wondering when lie he disappeared into the hallway promising to come back all dressed up in a minute and take the three gifts off that were left on the tree and see what they were and who they were for they hardly knew the jolly man who came back after a little all in red with white whiskers and paper snowflakes in hit his hair and on his coat as though he had come in out of ft a snow storm little dorothy avery the smallest of them all jumped up and leaned on her crutch as she exclaimed 1 I know him hes bes a friend of mine mistaking him for santa claus but the older ones did not correct her mistake whoever he was he made them a little t lo 10 speech and wished them a merry d day a y and began to take off the three rema remaining inin g gifts in his speech lie he t said that he felt sure that there must be a good deal of happiness on that tree because god had made it hope had planted it in the box faith had watered it affection load lind filled it with fruit but as they had not yet had the best things t that h a t cultivation could produce he was now going to let them have them the first of the three gifts was a s small mall box bar all done up in tissue paper when dorothy had taken off the paper and undone the tox box there was another little box and when she opened this box bos there was another little box in that then there was another little box then there was another little box then there was another little box then there was another little box and so it went on until in the last boxi box she found a gold dollar the second gift was a bayberry barberry candle with these words on a piece of paper set mo me in the window some dark curk night many will not see me someone might madeline got this second present and seemed very glad of it then the third gift was taken down doin and presented to peter it was only a note all done up in an envelope but it helped him to see why the party had made him happier than he had been when he was all alone with his tree tor for he could not only read the note but also the sweet meaning when it said all trees are christmas trees that b bear the care of love and a nd love of care to cultivate a christmas christinas treo tree plant it in love and let it be gold for or misfortune it will keep light in the darkness it will give alvo its truth hlll ill blossom while you sleep its ita happy kindness white while you live so peter found out all that the old woodsman had bad meant when he be told him hid about cultivating trees |