American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-01-04
ALICE MAtNEtL'S CHRISTMAS
TREE.


Alice MacNeil had made the plan OF thi
| Christmas tree. all by herself and for her
self. She had ii due estimate Of thoS,
manufactured trees which hard work, d
..Sai bath Schools get up for rewards OF
merit for the children who have been
r. ot.iar. and at the last moment have
saved attendlancc-tickcts enough. MOI
did Alice MacNcil sit in Judgment o..
these. She had due estimate of them.
! Bat for her Christmas tree she had two
! plans not included i'll those more merito-
rious buildings and bourseonings of The
winter ri st. she meant TO get 1t up
without any help from anybody. And
girls who had anything from it should be
regular laners and by-way tarcrS-they
were to have no tickets o. responsibility
they were not IN any way TO buy thei;
way in. but. Tor this once. those We're 10
| come in TO Il Christmas tree who happened
to be ragged and In tie streets when the
ChriS! mas Tree was ready.
SO Alice asked Nj. Williams. the min
iSter, If she could have one of the rooms
i'll the vestry when Christmas Eve came.
and he, good s:tint, was only too glad to
Leu her. lie offered gently, MS assistance
In sitting out the dirty boys and gl'ls- III
tlmatlngto Alice that there was dirt and
art. and that even IL those lowest depths
"hich she was piun@ing INTO, there were
=
wise 10 shll. But mere Alice told INN
lraiikiv, liiiit me Mouia ratier Try ner
experiment Iiiriy .hrcugni -, feriiapS she
WIS wrong, ouI sue wo,iu IKE 10 see mat
>ie was wrong III Mer own way. any
way on Christinas Eve, she wanted no
distinctions.
That part OF her plan went bravely for
ward.
iier man diih4dity came on the oIher
ohe was iioe ;oie 10 carry out the iir,t
part oi her plan, ana make or BUY all
her presents herself. For everybody was
pleased with this notion OF a truly
catholic or universal tree; and every
body wanted TO help. We'll, IL anybody
would send her Il DoX OF uomlnos or a
Jack-knife, or an open-cye-shut-eye doll,
VINO was Alice 10 say IL should not
go on the tree ana when Mrs. lie perltes
sent round poX OF fayal oranges. VINO
was Alice TO say that the children should
not nave oranges: ANA When Mr.. Cor
nam l'0nsus sent IN well mig II a Darrel fiiii
OF Huobartson Nohe-Such apples VINO
was Alce 10 say they should NOT nave ap,
pies: 30 the Tree grew anu grew. ana
grew, ana oece more ana more 1ruit. III
1t was clear that there would De more
tii;tn eighly rellapie presents on IL, pc
SIDES apples and oranges, almonds 'nd
raisihs galore.
Now you see tins was very great en-
largement of AlIce's plan and IL brought
her to grief, as you shall see. She mad
proposed a cosy little tree for fifteen or
twenty children. Wen, If she had held
TO tilat. she Wonlu nave h;lu no more TN n
she and Lille, and NJ. Williams, and MIR.
Gilmore, ana John Hagg, AMI l. could
have managed easily. particularly II mann
ma was there TOO. Ihere would have
been room enough III the chapel parlor.
i ha4l I.t
the pretty ana cheeriul Chrlstmas Jointly
that Aiice meant 1t should be. But when
II ~ caille 10 e,Sn.s p presents, anu conipany
vi eiShty Vi inc uH"a sheu anu iiiiichel-
GU; l. oec|i'iie iui',. d ,'iii. I'm 'iihS.
f0r now. Aiice began 70 rear that mere
Woaiu not pe ciliidfen enough IN the hign-
ways anu p!-"ays. Do she stared iiVf-
sei!, rs evening drew on WIN Geor;e,
tIe o'd ialthiui piicH MAJOR domo. ana
sie walked through tiie worst streets she
knew anything OF, OF All Those near the
ciidpel ahc, wien sue saw pfat Paitic
uia'ly ulfty, or group oi oratS pafticu-
lariy soriorn- she saiicd up gallantiy,and
thou%n she was frightened TO death, she
invited them to the tree. she gave little
auinlitahce c'irus: that saiu, CLOCK.
christmas Eve, oV| Livingstone Avenue,
ior rear the chlidren would not remember.
And she told Mr.. Flagg that he and hlr.
Hilnore miShu Iake some cafus ana Walk
out toward "iiLiamsburg, ana do the
tIn. .ninsi oi ~ 'nts Mei1 10 oe su,e
Ina. 'iith snei ,h taG anu mos iol
toin nlii.'' n, my NV. nei. wa a
friendly Policeman with whom Alice mad
peen Drou2fit mo communication m. pE me
boys IN her iitller once, am ne also was
Pernris'e'' 70 Srhe a,o .h VI tl1 Tree, gu,
ne was also 10 ne at the STREET. uoof' armed
with me strong arm OF "lhe People OF
New 1orT, ana when the 1aii quota OF
eiehty mad been admitted, he was To adj
mt no more.
cards only too freely. Better indeed. it
seemed, had she held to her original plan;
at ieast sie thouSilt So ana thinks SO 10
ms o'iy. put / an. III =; no. 50 csr'a'l,
haru t'iie si'e hai Oh IL, however. guar
Ter OF seven iounu the niue ARABS In
crowds around Inc door, with hundreds
OF others who Thought they also We're
to nnd out what a Tree llnch
was. The faithful officer Purdy was IN
attendance also ne passed IN all who had
the cards; he sent away, lcgions. let me
say, VINO had reason 10 dread nm; but
still there assembled larger and larger
throng about the door. Alice and Lille.
and the young gentlemen, and Mrs. MIC
Neal. We're all at work up stairs, and the
tree was perfect beauty at last. They
lighted up. and nothing could have been
more lovely.
Let them nv SAID JOhn tlagg. rush
ing TO the door. Where eXpectant knocks
had been heard already. Let them in
the smallest girls tirst!''
SMALLEST girl, indeed. The doc
swung open, and tide of boy and girl,
girl and boy. boy big to hoble-de-hoy-
dom, anu girl big 10 young-WomaH-dom.
came snrging in, wildly screaming. scoid-
ing. pushing and pulling. Omittlng the
profanity, these are the Christmas carols