Show b JL I 1 X e I 1 te de it 4 ir 1 ake TL kept L A stopped playing on th tha organ and whirled about address ing the family gathered around the evening inma ive got a conundrum for you she armoun announced ced one of those that has no an awer ill bot bet said eald tim who was waa popping corn over a bed of glowing zo coals 1 I dont got get caught twice the same way all right count you out then youa 0 only ay give some fool answer anyway youre never serious come on with your conundrum yawned dawned r edith 1 I need something to wake me up this old algebra makes me sleepy well here it la Is how are we going to give any christmas presents with no cropf no money no nothing told you there be any answer 1 chuckled tim im afraid tim Is right myrtle and mother looked up from laying the childs coat pattern upon t the h e rapped up overcoat on the table what do you want to bother about christmas presents for everybody knows we got any money to buy presents and father looked up from the market reports every blamed thing raised on a farm Is high ex except c ept hay bay and thaes the only thing ive got if w we e get through the winter ourselves well do well ivel li without trying to make christmas presents 1 I dont caret care I 1 im going to do something for uncle john anyway declared myrtle he sent me this organ and im going to just remind him that ive not forgotten if nothing more myrtle had a firm chin the dimple might distract the attention of the tha casual observer but the fact remained myrtle had a firm chin it had first begun to make itself felt in the family about fifteen years before when nhen myrtle was a year old being a reasonable and well balanced creature her rule was not only tolerated but her plans always practicable and often brilliant sooner or later received the operation cooperation co of the family no matter m a ater how much they may have been opposed at first her hearts desire was to have a fine musical education but she knew that it was far too expensive to be thought of she had sensibly concluded to do ns as well as she could the duties nearest at hand im going to take command she said now 1 abid and together we we aro are going to do something youre welcome to as far ns as I 1 am concerned grumbled tim excuse me from sending 25 5 cent presents to a rich uncle never you mind said myrtle mysteriously mysterious Y thereafter there were doings in the household her enthusiasm was contagious and soon even tim got interested im going to send uncle jolin john a home cooked christmas dinner myrtle declared we faint got a turkey said ma I 1 ive got the duck pa promised me for taking g care of the rest of them and itta as fat as butter ter you roast roas and stun it it and then we will all take a la j at at the trimmings trinita ings myrtles mother 0 ther was na ail excellent cook and her cleat firm jel jellies 11 es and perfect canned fruit were the envy enty of her less skillful neighbors myrtle ransacked the shelves and selected three glasses of jelly one of an amber color another of 0 ruby reu red the third and most beautiful ful being ono of a pale translucent green she stood each in a square of crepe paper brought up the sides and corners cor nersi and tied them tightly and then pullet pulled out the top all around until it looked like a flower each color corresponded to tho the color of the jelly in the glass then she lined and covered a box bos with paper and set in the ruby the amber find and the pale green flowers she covered the box and tied it with christmas ribbon attached to which was nai a card on which was written with that duck youre going to eat need something tart but sweet us A glass yin san of watermelon pickles was wrapped in n corrugated cardboard and then wound about HOW LIFEBOAT originated the lifeboat Is a very modern contrivance it Is not much more than a halt half century sine since it came to be generally used in the old days a sen sea captain greatly resented even the suggestion that ahls vessel should carry lifeboats at the period when these boats still berean were an experiment peri ment a remarkable feat eat of lifesaving life saving was performed on the new jersey coast af at a point joint now within the precincts of asbury park joseph frauds francis an inventor had bad brought forth foith a device made of iron and shaped like a boat avith a lid which could be shut thus keeping out the water francis contended that in case of a shipwreck near shore a line could be made fast aas t between the vessel and the coast and his quaint lifeboat hauled back and forth carrying several persons on each trip f francis was the butt of much humor and his fits ire saving boat which was commonly called a kettle because of its odd shape became a subject for general derision then a vessel bearing the name of ayrshire was wrecked in 1847 off the jersey coast it had a large passenger list arid great loss of life seemed boomed inevitable francis rushed she to the scene got a line to the ship and started his boat upon its ita first emergency test he saved lives by this method many of which roust must have been lost otherwise for the sea was so rough that no ordinary boat could have ever reached land from the wreck in recognition of his skill and bravery congress presented francis with the largest gold medal ever given by that body it was made of pure gold old two thirds of in an inch thick and wes of bf about the same size ns as a tea plate pinte the bout devised 1 by francis might still he be in fit uso use were verel it ft not for the breeches r buoy because of the boats size belg weight bt tind and general clumsiness it it was difficult cult to ann dle jle huilt but it ang wn nehe none ohp less practical and paved the way ivak for the brohel breet bes buoy 6 operated orated on the ahe same principle with crepe crape paper twisted tightly and the ends fringed it then resembled the old fashioned motto candles ca nilles that the motto or couplet might not be lacking the following lines were written ond and inserted those jell girls may be tart and sweet but ive heard that they lack spice if of me deign io to eat I 1 am sure vote me nice grandma made a wonderful fruit cake the kind that lasts a year and imar improves oves with age this was surrounded with white to parchment paper and covered with a white paper dolly and fancy edges tills ThIs was laid carefully over the tbt waxed paper which covered the frosting studded thickly with whole lile hickory kory and butternut meats tho the whole was packed into a round box made by myrtles skillful fingers to make it she cute cut two disks of cardboard of the required size and two long strips of the same cardboard one the height of the cake the other narrower for the cover she bound the edges together with gummed tope tape and covered their junction with narrow strips of gold paper then sho she neatly covered top and sides with christmas paper all holly and mistletoe lastly she tied aled two bright scarlet ribbons about the box one each way she ma made plump bows and gath gathering efing the ends of the ribbons sewed tiny sleigh bells anthem on them so that the box when moved gave forth aswelt musical sound myrtle surveyed the box with satisfaction her head on one side you ought to please she said you appeal to the eye the ear and the palate the box certainly did present an imposing appearance pe arance on the inside of the cover appeared the lines of burse course this cake was made by mother she says if it dont sult suit shell make you another A great generous ball of cottage cheese was wrapped in paper and packed in a square box with plenty of tissue paper in the corners accompanying compa nying it was the legend I 1 it esau had known of the cheese called cottage hed have traded for that instead of the pott pottage there were wera two generous loaves of bread one oi of salt rising the other yeast raised on a card were the lines grandma says when you were a boy and eating salt rising you never could stop but in case you tire of the old fashioned kind heres another loaf raised with the hop packed about the loaves and neatly wrapped eachl by itself in parchment paper were a dozen little individual butter pats pat 9 molded in the form of a rose myrtle wrote we wonder if when you eat mutter aha I 1 that tastes like old home butter 11 1 the mince pie was concocted with immense care from the careful choosing and mixing of the ingredients gred lents to the construction of the faultless flaky crust just touched with tho the faintest hint of jolden golden brown this was carefully packed between two wooden plates plated tied firmly together on the top plate was written when Is it if true that a mans a mince pie cannot you take the hint why a mans a mint spy of course you know when he acts as d a spy in the mint tiie the duck was of course the chef of the whole undertaking when it was ready lying on its back with its fat legs composed at its plump sides it surely did look appetizing the poet lariat as tim called her wrote tho the following not a porcine suckling but a nice fat duckling you draw for your christmas christinas dinner you neer saw a duck that was nicer to pluck va hope hop e you will vote him a winner some beautiful red brother jonathan apples warp were tucked bucked in the corners and a glass of elderberry jelly these were grandmas grandeas grand mas contribution and she wrote in a somewhat trembling hand the following note dear johnny these apples appl escame cam eoff off from the tree where you fell and broke your leg that time do you remember 11 I 1 let them i cut it down when they cut ailt the others the elderberry jelly was made from the afie elderberries elder berries that grow on the tha bushes by the old swimming hole MoT linit when everything was and the box about read ready to go there still remained two things to be done one was to put in the old fashioned daguerreotype of grandma with aunt myrtle ta taken kenat at sixteen standing on one side aide of her and uncle john on the other tills this had bad been taken many years before for a relative and had been sent away lind and US its existence forgotten myrtle myrtie had been named for tier her aunt and she looked very nuch as the latter had done at her age aunt myrtle had lied died at eighteen so myrtle never saw aw her the other thing to be ivas was the ama beur photograph of grandma and the present myrtle slie she had bad posed in imitation of the pose tn in tl the e early picture with her arm around grand mals neck the resemblance between her picture and that of aunt myrtle was almost start startling Ilai when grandma looked ni nt the two pictures together get hershe slie sl shook lo 10 or 1 her lie b head end do I 1 really look asid as old af that she sighed 1 I hate to send that to johnny im afraid it NI will alf shock him I 1 look like that when he sa saw me lase last but the picture went in along with those which tim a genius at tho the work had take n of each member of the family while engage engaged din aln pra preparing the box grandma was saen seen in apeci spectacles libles fan and d big apron concocting concoct ing the cake edith was afi taken dressing the duck mother stuffing ng it myrtlo packing it and tim screwing tho the lid of the box which was on hinges at last the box was ready and it made a bravo appearance indeed for it had been paint painted eda a rich cardinal color and in the corners myrtle had transferred pictures of holly and mistletoe bunel bunches lep it was christmas eve uncle john sat in his bac bachelor belor home his feet stretched out before a comfortable grate fire his good old pipe in his mouth when when uncle john was id in a reminiscent mood he always smoked a pipe the housekeeper keeper knocked softly at the door the Is here lie he has bi brought ought a most remarkable looking box and he says to sign right hm here 11 the box was brought in please bring a screw driver 1 lie ho said the screw driver in his hand he waited un until til the housekeeper had left the room ile he had bad not kept much track of his home folks back oh the farm after sister myrtle died he bo hated ever think of going back myrtle the good fellow the charming comp companion anlon as good as any boy bo never took a dare even kept him hilia on the qui vive to keep up with lier her she was two years older ali ah sighed he there never was another girl like myrtle As his hi niece was named for myrtle who had always gloved music he had given her tin an organ orga but tho that was years ago and lie he had almost for 0 gotten her existence here 3 then was a box from the old home his conscience gave a twinge how he had neglected them I 1 i the box was empty the contents had been carefully placed on the brond broad mahogany table ulcie john sat before the lire fire motionless in one hand was the old picture in the other he held the photograph the wavering handwriting of his mother and the sight of her wrinkled face and white hair in the photograph such a contrastato contrast contras tto to that in the file old picture these touched him then the sight of myrtle with her fresh young face her head bound around with heavy braids just as his sister had worn liers hers the coral beads even without which he never saw his hla sister all these things had seized him and transported him back over the thirty years that had passed eleca bince lie he had seen his home seizing the receiver at hla his elbow he called up the telegraph office and dictated the following message will be homo home new years greetings mx box re calved UNCLE JOHNL JOHN then lie he again took up the pictures and studied them grandma grandino and myrtle his beloved myrtle restored to him from the dead I 1 he no longer marveled at that wonderful box bos such girls can accomplish if they aliey get a chance I 1 he said suddenly he straightened up and pounded the arm of his chair with his fist and by georgel george 1 ill see that she gets a chance I 1 FOR THE BOY IN CAMP what shall I 1 send that boy in military camp many mothers and others are asking that question in reply dr james Nal kalsmith smith professor of ghys phys physical acal education in the university of kansas Q says send him caddy and lemons a good go od book and it if his company has a talking machine it a record of light music or something funny iut ut dont send him sob letters or nightgowns night gowns doctor kalsmith Nal smith speaks from froin 30 years experience in training university and college youths and from four months on the border as chaplain 0 of the first kansas infantry he la Is the linen tor of basket ball anti and has ti trained mined hundreds hundred ot of athletes and kept thousands of 0 students physically fit sob letters and nightgowns night gowns were the bosl worrying and useless things the boys on the bo border ader received from home said doctor Nal kalsmith smith write that boy once or br twice a week send him the home paper ile he may not seem prompt pt about writing home but never forget foret he lins has an insatiable satiable appetite for home letters and the home paper his appetite for sweets too toots Is very keen the army ration wholesome and nourishing A many trimmings so candy marro ly welcomed by the boys bom homemade fudge or caramel candy something that mash or melt easily should be se sent ht there Is no need to send clothing or medicines uncle sam will took out for that but small musical instruments are val valuable ln in keeping a camp cheerful mandolins even uke leles are good baseballs Buse balls bats gloves glos ond and masks maski always are arc welcome anything that an cn cou rages healthful play is good io 0 o sen send d T fi nm m very much in earnest N ahen I 1 ash that no sob poll letters be sent seat the ho boys also if you know of some boy who w hns hn no me neto to wita 1 liliie or t to 0 sand him I him I 1 saw sair boys bos mho felt re it 1 a little th t there ther was lohone one to remember clu nar |