Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1888-12-20

r'sr
CUTTING THE YuLE LOG.
l1nelt in tho rough stone chapel. Then
Helmer swung the NIX, and as il rung
far into tho green log, with a sudden
muflled sound, he prayed aloud.
Give me Of Thy aburdancea happy
| Christmas, o GodN
He did not notice Theckla again but
sent blow after blow totho heart of the
tree. until 1t fell as he desired, on the
| lucky side, and with the clean break
! that betOkeas a good year.
| Thecl1la, as soon a. the tree fell, ran
TO pick up the virgin chips with which
10 propitiate the fates nj home, repeat
ing as she did so:
"Neaeli badnie dan "a merry
log-day."
Il was not necessary for the welfare
of his family that Helmer should carry
the logs home. \ yoke of oxen with II
hired man did that work, but it WAS
Helmer, as the only son of the house,
who was to lean each log against the
! homestead, while the house. ..ther
prayed over them, and afterwards he
must carry them in and put them in
their place in the great chimney, while
all the friends sprinkle wine and corn,
and the house-father says 10 the great
| flame:
''Goodly be thy birth.
Helmer did not like this part of the
Christmas festiyity at all. He was a
I soldier. youth of fire and spirit, and
L.. Il 49, h.t iv,,
/ work like u peasant Besides, he
Eautol TO make love TO Theckla.
There was "A handsome gypsy fellow of
! hcr tribe, with . fierce mustache and
an aqUil.ns nose, who was madly in
love with the girl, and there was nJ
! bar sinister to their union. And then
Helmer had heard Of country where
every house was a palace, and money
! could be picked up on the streets, and
where all soldiers were officers. And
he had made arrangements to gothere
and como back in few years to marry
Theckla if she would have him.
When he had cut enough logs he
gave his AK n great throw, which left
| it quivering in the heart of q balsam,
and called to Thcckla:
Come, my princess, the sun is up.
We have done all that il required
come and eat. The house-mother ex-
poets you. | am hungry for pOgatch
and some of the olive wine that is
sweet like the gypsy's kiss-oh, my
| Theckla."
The two spent the day together row
| ing about at will. No mother was
| afraid To trust her son with n gypsy
| girl who could not be wife to him, and
would never be less. When Christ
mas eve came, Helmer went as re-
| quired and carried in the yule-log
while all the family stood and prayed,
leach TO himself a. he knows best"
The other ceremonies were then OBJ
served, and q low table was set, and
all sat down 10 a repast OF fruits and
pOgdtch the unlcayened bread of the
festival. They then sang quaint old
| songs.
MAY no enemy pass,
! Christmas sits on the grass;
No evil spirits come a-nigh,
Christmas watches in the sky
Another was sung by Helmer with
many loving looks at Theckla, who
was assisting his mother in her duties.
Send me a little shepherdess,
And may her shadow never be less
| UNDERSIGNED folk will wall tonight,
VIII Oft the wisps will glimmer light
! But tie TO charm on your Jacket sleeve
For Christ wns born on Christmas eve.
Good folk go merry, bad folk grieve,
Maidens must love make. Christmas
even
No sooner was this over than the
yule-log, which had burned out must
! be replenished. This ume u loaf OF
DOgdtch was broken over il, and while
the households were praying, Helmer
was pinching Theckla's chin, and tell
ing her that the dimple in it meant
Christ kissed
Then every kind of sweet cake that
ever was heard of in that country
where sweets are luXuries, was hand
| cd round and eaten. There was also
wheel cakc. so called because its CEN
ter radiated like the spokes OF wheel.
In the center of this was glass OF
wine, which was 10 be given to the
youngest Of tho maidens present. II
p, she was bad, IL would bewitch her,
but il good IL would insure her n hap
py life Inside the cake was luck
coin, which was a great gift for him
who got il. The whole was lighted by
wax tapers, which had caught the
blaze of the yule-log.
Theckla, as the youngest one, re-
eeived the wine, which she took in her
simple purity, "a a sacrament, loving
ly and religiorsly. There was a great
shout when Helmer got the coin.
Bring in there another yule-log,"
' said the house-father, christmas is a