Show I ORIGiN 0 F THE YULE LOG LOGAs As Told b by La a Salle Core Corbell Pickett The origin of th the Yule l 10 t In Virginia Ss Is told in Pictorial RevIew for tor Doc by the widow of the ramo famous s' s confederate general George E E. Pickett One Urn time an old black man was sitting In hIs little cabin on a a. mountaInside on Christmas eve 0 listening to the cold wind howl bowl OVer a 8 World or of snow and wishing that he had a 8 fire to warm wann him when he be heard the cry dof r a little child away out In the tho cold Tho he old man hobbled to the door and looked out across S the tho snow and the wind came camo rushing In and made him shiver so IO that his two teer chattered with cold Again aln the cry came Caine across the tho snow and ho wished with alt all althis hi his power of oC longing that ho he could GO out and find the unfortunate little one for the plaintive cry or of A little child al al- ways goes straight to the heart A third time tho cry came and a miraculous power pon-er Seemed to fill the old mans man's veins Ills muscles became tense and ond atron and he hest st stepped from the threshold into tie tho snow sno the crutch crotch falling failing back Into the cabIn In an Instant he was walking over the tho expanse or of frozen snow with an activity he had not possessed since he us used d to toso togo so go tel ter camp By and b by he came ame to n. n little child Ina In-a snow snow- bank He lifted the child and as Its little form torm touched him a new strength came camo Into him and the small burden seemed to give him wings to speed back to the little cabin He lie put the child on the bed bcd drew the tho rag ragged ed Quilt Hound around It and looked about to see It If there might be a piece or of furniture or of which he could make a fire to warm his small guest At that Instant he saw a STeal great log Toll roll across the threshold and Into the fireplace The little child was vas looking t at It with ys ees like Uko stars and they sent gleams of light that kindled the tho log Jog with the most brilliant l Ire the old man had ever seen I and the dingy y little room was filled with I radiance warmth that brought a Slow low to the soul as wen well as to the bod body and and seemed to flood 1 the world with Mth light As the light wrapped time tho child In a shining glory glor ho laughed a laugh that was was' like a song or of the tho heart and floated up and away The old man turned his eyes to where the fire burned and watched names tho leap In opalescent tints over O the log forming the shape or of a ero cross Sn in fir r t this Point in th the narrative Brer SImon usually became greatly excited and his eyes as he wen went on In hIs hIsrIch hisrich rIch dIalect De flames er de cross spread en chase one er er a en a In In en out en around en abo about t a Byer en a dar Q a up higher and higher den firs firs' Q a Ill JIl blue blaze would come den a one den a a. brIght red redone redone one would flare nara uP en n den be blazes would a. a all 11 red en blue en en cn crackle an lip higher en bigger en bigger de crackles a gitten louder en louder en de blazes Bitten glUen bIgger en cn bigger As the old man watched aU all thIs display dis pIa play suddenly enly and magically appeared a table covered WIth a Christmas feast such as hat had never been spread before his eyes And never again was he hungry or cold and never was there a Christmas In old Virginia after that without the Yule tog log and the tho Christmas child to give It and warmth That Is the story or of the Yule log as Jt It is 13 told In Iii VIrginIa and as we told tord It that Christmas eye eve of 63 When the recital was as ended the hands hS of the tho dock clock had traveled Past the midnight hour and our party speedily broke UP Its members so- so IIII hug to theIr separate quarters to rest and to dream or of other whoa whon the phantom tom or of our OUI unnatural War had not dimmed th glory lory of at the tho Courtesy Courtes of Pictorial Ro lew December 1 1313 13 |