The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1873-12-25
From the st. Nicholas for January.J
What the Christ Child
Brought.
CHRISTMAS STORY.
BY NJ. LOCKWOOD.

1 JOAI AAhNAO AC6AGAE
could have peeped. in fairy-tale fash
ion, into the third floor windows O
. No. 20 Oppenheimer Strasse, in BeF
lin, very early on the morning of De
cember oath, 1870. you would hRv
been astonished at the stir and ex
citemekt Of the orderly little house
hold. Notwithstanding the bite
cold weather, the children were dress
ed and stirring before the sun wa
fairly risen. Soon, Frau Hoffman
the gentle housemother, quieting tn,
laughing children, gathered her f1ocl
around the breakfast table, and afte
Fritzel, the youngest, had said grace
the children began to eat, more from
. sense Of duty than from any desirt
for breakfast, on this particular morn
ing.
81 have 80 much on my mind ,
said twelve-year-old Paul, and with
an air Of Importance, "that / hav,
hardly time to eat. With your per
mission, good, little mother, 1 will
slip a bit in my pocket to satisfy my
self In case ] should feel hungry. Lei
me see: ] have several purchases tC
make, an engagement to go skating
then the poem am to recite to papa
and-u
"Gently, my Paul." said the moth.
er. "There is abundance of time fol
all, and while you are eating-for 9
good break fast is needed with such 8
long days work before you'll will
explain what / would have you do fol
me-"
"Ah," said fair-haired maiden oI
fourteen years, the eldest of the house
"how little We thought our Christmas
would be so happy when dear papa
went to the war last summer. How
thankful we should feel that he il
coming home, since so many pool
children In Berlin are without any fa-
tier to-day" and tears of pity came
into her innocent blue eyes, as she
thought of the thousands Of orphans
made by the cruel war then raging
beyond the Rhine.
"Children," said the mother, 1--WE
have, indeed, cause to be thankful, and
we ought to show our thankfulness by
deeds, not by words only; so think,
III you all agree, we will take 8 por-
ton of our Christmas money, instead
of spending it on our bon-bons and
cakes, and buy little tree, with nuts,
and apples, and tapers, for the poor
Heyses, in the next street. Paul shall
go now for it, and carry it to their
mothers, If you consent. Then each
OF my little girls and Fritzel may
choose q child to whom you would
like to send something, and Olga and
will carry it, in your Names"
yes, yes MOTHER" cried Paul,
"and am all ready to CO."
"The Heyses will be so pleased, %
cried little Olga, and all the children
expressed delight at their mothers
suggestion, but it was some time be-
fore the plan was fully laid out, made,
and each one had handed to the
mother, out of his or her little store,
the money for the purchase Of the
gifts. In the meantime, Paul darted
OF for his fur cap and gloves, and af-
ter whispering little plan of his own
into his mothers ear, and getting her
nod OF approval, started on his way to
the Jahrmarkt. This Christmas
Jahrmarkt was familiar place to the
young Hofmans, and would, / am
sure, be greatly enjoyed by American
children, with holiday money in their
pockets. What a splendid place. A
great city square, or "Markt," as it is
called, is filled with streets and streets
of temporary booths; here, every i'm
aginable Christmas ware is sold, from
the small forests of Christmas trees in
the corners of the square-great,st state
ly cedars and spruees, as well as the
twig boughs fastened to cross bits of
wood hardly big enough to bear the
weight of half dozen gilt nuts and
apples-down to the glass balls and
gay tspers, and funny little "Knecht
Ruprechts," made of dried prunes,
stuck on cross sticks, in rude repre-
sentation of a man. One Of these is
placed on the Christmas tree-on the
gayest as well as the humblest. There
are little shows In some of the booths,
where for a few groschen one can see
wonderful and delightful things-pup-
pets and diOramas, or even dwarfs
and giants.
One can hardly imagine a German
child's Christmas complete without
this charming Jahrmarkt. It is like
fairy-land for two weeks, in the brown
old square, 30 dull for the rest of the
year, 30 bewildering now with its
lines Of glittering booths, tempting in
their display Of treasures, all soon to
vanish to Knecht Ruprecht's king
dom, to be kept there for another
year.
One might easily mistake those
comical, weazened little men, who
keep the booths, in their shaggy coats
and old fur caps, for servants Of
the jolly Christmas elf-the Christ
cbild's messenger; and, as the legend
says, dispenser of his bounty. Knecht
Ruprecht Is none other than our Kriss
Rrtngle or Santa Claus, not much
changed for the worst, as he crosses
the Western seas, nor much less in
favor with our young folks at home
than with the little fair-haired Ger
mans.
Paul knew just where to buy his
modest little tree, with its ornaments,
and added, with his own money, a
generous package of the biggest and
sweetest bon-bons he could find in the
"markt."
Finally, laden with his bounty, the
little messenger OF the Christ-child-
for such, on these occasions, he had
been taught to consider himself
started for the Heyses' humble dwell
Ing, to be gladly welcomed by little
ones whom the bountiful Christ-child
visited in no other open, visible way.
Meanwhile, at home, the children
had retreated into private corners,
each busy aud mysterious over Christ
mas preparations. Eight-years-old
Olga, behind the big porcelain stove
in the dwelling room, was straining
her pretty brown eyes over a beanti-
full smoking cap, which must be hn-
ished before dinner, and ready to go
on papa's gift table. These little
German maidens are wonderfully
skillful with the needle. Carlotta
was knitting away in another corner
her tiny fingers plying With aston
ishing deftness, rs the bright needles
glittered through the scarlet worsted.
Her present was for Mamma, who
must not see 1t on any account.
Even Fritzei was desperately busy
with something, which nobody in the
world must guess anything about,
while the mother and Gretchen, the
fair-hSired speaker st breakfast, had
retired into the salon, where they
were, oh so busy with q wonderful
Christmas tree, which everyone knew
was locked up in the silent, dark
room, though nobody mentioned the
fact, except In whispers.
The father of this happy little band,
q professor at the Polytechnic School,
had gone with the army In July, on
its march to the Rhine. He was q
private in the gallant Roaigin Ezizd-
beth Regiment, Of the army corps In
which he had served out his time in
his youth, and in which he had now
enlisted. With heavy heart, but
with brave, cheerful face, the gentle
little wife bade him God-speed, while
she remained behind with their help
less flock, dependent on her care
alone. It was very hard; but she
was q true-hearted little patriot, 80
did not fslter, but bore up nobly,
even when, with her own fingers,
she sewed the little label to the lining
of his uniform coat, on which she
had carefully written his name and
address, so that he might be known in
any case Of fatal accident.
All through the summer, however,