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0n Christmas Eve. Nancy hur- ried breathlesiy into her roomilfl house. Surely the package 1Y0!“ home would be there! But Mrs. Groggins, the ugly little landlady, shook her heud. "Nothing." she said. "The mail- tnan went right by this afternoon." Up in her room Nancy spent a lonesome Christmas Evc. She read awhile to forgot her hunger, then neut to bad. Next morning it ivus ills destitute Airs, Wilson who .1- \\ akened licr. - "Merry Ciiristtnus, Miss Bell!" she shouted, walking into the room minvized. Nancy was irritated. mo- mentariiy, by thlS highly Painted! shaliow creacnlrc But shc Illllfkll" "egained her K-‘YWPOSWY- n W“ Christmas. aftcr a".! as szvcll of you, dearir, i0 pay Mrs. Grcl s a ‘yeelfis rent in advance lis’ chi." .\I:.<. Wilson said, 560.1111; elf into the most tromiorlanlu t. l1 ‘l don't hi1)" xvhat would have lrillIPllFd be‘ muse I'm caught a bit Juli- now and couldn't pail"

\

Nancy thought fast.

Nancy said 1e was all right. that p119 had been glad to do it. bu!» then she felt hungry and remem-

Lord 0f All

Infant holy,

Infant lowly_

For His bed a cattle stall; Oxen lowing

Little knowing

Christ the Babe is Lord of all. Swift are winging

Angels singing.

Nowells ringing,

Tidings bringing,

Christ the Babe is Lord of all.

-—E. M. Reed.

bered there had been no dinner-- and now no breakfast. All because of Mrs. Wilson!

"I was just about to drop out for a bite to eat," her visitor ex- plained, "and seeing you're all alone, I thought you might like to come along."

Nancy remembered the lone 35. cent piece iu her purse. "Thank you so kindly, M.rs. Wilson," she an- swered quickly. "But I'm _I’m not feeling so well this morning. I'll just have a cup of coffee in my

room!"

About noon she dressed, for Jim was calling for her at one o'clock. What a ravenous appetite

lsho would have. T But one o'clock passed, and no »Jin~.. Nor at 2 or 3, and Nancy's

Spirits began to give way. Had lic,

too. chosen to punish lier on

Christmas?

Downstairs she heard Mr. and Mrs. Groggings welcoming their guests for the day. and she took a vicarious pleasure from it. Sh: heard the dinner bell, the clatter of dishes as they dined, and then the shuffling of chairs as the well- fed guests retired to the living

lroom. By that time it was fivo o'clock and Nancy sat by her win- dow, figuratively biting he: fin- gernails. She was almost hysteri- cal with fear, and she began to worry.

At six o'clock she put on her coat and dashed down the stairs. headed she knew not where. Per- haps to find Jim, perhaps mere- ly to escape her room. she reach- ed the entrance, turned the knob and pulled open the door - and

' there was Jim, just arriving!

1 Tcarfuliy she threw herself into ibis arms, shivering from fright. "'0h, Jim!" she cried. "Where have ‘you been?"

“But didn't you get my mes- lsage?" he asked. “I had to work ,in the laboratory this afternoon. and telephoned Mrs. Groggins at

12:30!" His brow was furrowed.

l Just then there was a voice be»

.4~

Wait

All Day 1!”

This little boy has been Zood-oooh, s00 gooood-but it's getting kind of tiresome waiting for Santa. Claus. The tree is up. the fireplace decorated, but. "where's Santa?" he asks. Here, he had just been put to bed - - - but, he heard a noise in the front room. and as his attire reveals he got up and was away like a flash to the fireplace, looking for Santa. Little things like "southern ctwiures" don't worry him.

hind them. “A1155 Bell!" It was Mrs. Grogglns. "A message for you. It came just before dinner, but then our guests arrived and I didn't get around to bringing l’ up."

Nancy took the slip from her hand, wiping away a tear. She heard Jim cursing.

"Let's get out of here, honey," he said, quietly.

A short time later they were dining by candellght while a string

ensemble played soft Christmas mu- sic in the background. Jim looked

up from his coffee and smiled, then reached into his pocket.

"There was a big package on your desk at the office," he,sald. "It came today. From your folks, A guess. Too big to carry with mo, but maybe this will take its place.

He reached for her left hand, then for the second finger, and at its tip he poised a diamond ring. Then he looked at her, ask- ing assent.

"Yes darling," she said softly. "It's the merriest Chistmas ever!"

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7711's Was Their Christmas

By David Mluley

i‘

BUT OUR WAYS ARE NOT IN- FERIOR T0 CUSTOMS OI‘ PAST

It is one of our fixed ideas that the ideal Christmas was made by the Yule customs of some rather vague period in the past, and that our Christmas is inferior. The truth is that we have substantial reason to be satisfied with Christmas as we know it, and not as it was in the "good old times."

If. for instance, we compare the games and sports in which our an- cestors found pleasure at this sea- son with amusements cf our owu time. we can flatter ourselves that we have progressed. From hunt- 711g the wren, or the fox and the cat, or toasting the cow to the humane and harmless Christmas pastimes of to-day. represents a transition with which we ought to be pleased.

Hunting the wren survived in lome places until Victorian time]. The legend is that, in far-off ages, the Wren was held to be the King of Birds and regarded by people with superstitious reference. To stamp out this form of bird wor- ship was a duty, and so the wren was to be hunted and killed. Tho pursuit took place on Christmas Day, and on the following day the victim was hung, with wing; extended from a long pole, -and was carried in procession-and, of course, collections were taken en route. -

There were areas in the Midlands where. down to the 19th. century, the populace toasted the cow a! Christmas. The ritual consisted o.‘ sticking avbig fruit cake on tht beast’: horns. Then accuntrymian had to say-

"Hereb to thy pretty facq and thy white horn, God send thy master u crop of

corn,

50th ivhéat. rye and barley and all sorts of grain,

And next year, if we live, we'll drink to the: again."

whereupon a pail of good cider would be dashed in the face of the cowl

Even the sober and scholarly men o! the Law had strange ideas of Christmas amusement in clays of old. There is a record of hounds being brought to the Inner Tem- ple, and, at the blowing of horns, being set upon l fox and a cat.

SKATING-JVIATHER PEIIMTITING

Other and more intelligent ideas of Christmas festivities gradually replaced these crude diversions. Dickens‘ picture of the jolly house party at Dingley Dell, with the eventful day on the ice, has left the impression of skating as a Christmas pastime. But while skat- ing remains popular, we seem sel- dom to have the ice at Christmas.

lndeed the Christmas weather has been so mild at times that some enthusiasts have been able to spend Christmas playing crick- et Perhaps the most notable match at this time of year was that played between the Hamp- shire Eskimos and the Invaiids at Hambiedon. the "cradle of cric- ket," on a New Year's Day be- tween the wars. Sir John Squire. essayist and poet, Sir Waiter Moncktcn, K. C., and Mr. Howard Marshall played in that match. which thousands saw in brilliant sunshine.

Christmas football has grown in- to a tremendous attraction, with ‘eugue games played to big gates. Even during the second war, foot- ball held its place as a Christmas- time attraction. One eventful Christmas the Arsenal played Chel- sea in London, and faced a strong service eleven at Leeds on Boxing Day.

One of the great changes which have come over our ways of. spend- ing Christmas is this taste for out- door gamu, both for playing and watching. Attendances at football matches, professional and amateur. have reached astonishing figures in recent times. '

Fashions have also changed in respect of our indoor Christmas amusement. “The delights the ten thousand million delights of a pan- tomime, come streaming upon us now," wrote Dickens in introduc- ing the story of Grlmaldi. the great clown. Pantomime continues to provide its delighfl; but b0! m 1y changed!

CELLULOID FAlRY-TALEC

Moreover. we may now have our fairy stories decked out and elab- orated iu Hollywood or British studios as the contribution of the cinema to our Yuletide entertain- ment.

Pantomime is little more than two hundred years old. It made an elaborately dull beginning in

Bethlehem Sheep

(By Norman O. Bchlichtu) The little sheep of Bethlehem Were not afraid that night When suddenly the angels sang And all the skies were bright. And when the shepherds away The Holy Child to no I think the sheep knew well rte would ‘their Heavenly shepherd b0

went

The peace that fell on earth that n ht it fell on them, I know

And ever stncl He's shepherded Dumb creature: hero below.

4

QEQBMELZL. 18.! 1947

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Lincolns Inn Fields when John rtich produced a piece "The Mil-Elf- lan" in which “palaces and temples. were suddenly transformed into cottages and; hovels; men and women were ‘changed into wheel- barrows and stools, and were lifted high up to the top of the stage or vanished through trap doors; trees were converted int/a houses, colon- nades became beds of tulips. and the workshops’ mechanics were transformed into birds and beasts and reptiles."

It was said that Harlequin Rich old all this in desperation on finding that his indifferent play: and mediocre company could not compete with the attractions of Drury Lane. Ho was actually giv- ing a new twist to old and familiar forms of amusemo rt; the mummer- les, the magic, and the transforma- tions which were to be seen at the fairs. We owe to Rich. that fa- n.illn.r line so often used and mil- used, "Rides in the whirlwind. and directs the storm,” for it cornea m Pope's satire on tho extrava- gant magic and spectacle of those first pantomlmes.

Rich's effort was a success as Ia experlment_ whatever the qualities of the show, for Drury Lane was forced to drop Shakespeare in fa- vour of the new form of Christmas amusement! Thirty years later ram: the first Harlequin. This was Guisoppe Grimaldi. He was Harle- quin, Pantaloon and Clown at var- ious times, and was followed by his still more famous son, Joseph Grlmaidi, the clown whose mem- oirs were edited by Dickens.

DANCING MORE POPULAR

Topical scenes and songs becallao inseparable features in pantomime about the time of the Crimean war. But the taste for pantomime sutfered a reverse about this per- iod. In "Fanny's First. Play," Ber- nard shaw makes his Count O’-

I

was

y cum !!'~°="°” if» fir!" ht", x

(Ioluliol on you ll

Dowda. talk of that "vulgar, ugly, silly, senseless, malicious and de- structive thing, the harlequlnade of a nineteenth century English Christmas Pantomime." Much the same had been said by critics, and guntomlme declined. It. returned to

halls were drawn in_ and when the familiar fairy stories provided the central themes. It seems to be ripe for another overhaul, though gener- ally the "panto" draws big audi- ences.

Some of the earlier Christmas amusements continue to survive. There are some places in Britain where the mummers are still

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Christmas dancing ll more popfh lor than ever. Though modern iii ilovatlons have full play, the old dance of St. George and the Dru gon aurvivas; there is Guise Danc- lng still which requires that all tho dancers shall be disguised — I high-spirited variant of the makin- cd ball, which follows o house-w- houso visitation by the MW“?! dancers. Indeed, Crlstmaa amnion ments generally remain a 10W blend of the best of the old new.

(The End)

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