The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1898-12-24
A COSTLY CHRISTMAS
The Way John Halton Brought snow
and Ice In Midsummer Weather
for His Daughter.

John Halton was an Australian
squatter with problem to solve. Its
solution worried him exceedingly for
some weeks, but, being fortunately for
him q millionaire in the pound sterling
sense of the word, solve it he ultimate
ly did, to the satisfaction of his seven
year-old daughter Alice, at least And
she, after all, was the principal party to
be considered.
We have heard how, as the mountain
refused to come to Mohammed, that old
humbug, pretending to have received
sudden inspiration, mounted his sa-
cred camel and went to the mountain.
John Halton did better than Mo-
hammed; he brought England to Bal
larat and compelled Santa Claus to visit
Alice at the simmering antipodcs. He
surrounded her for the one day of De-
cember 25, 1877, with mistletoe and holly
and ivy; he showed her furry of
genuine snow, he enabled her to slide
en- the ice, and in fine to do all manner
of Christmas things, just as she had
done in her native Dcvonshire the pre-
ceding Christmas of 1876. When it is
remembered that Christmas in Ballarat
is one of the midsummer days, and that
the mercury in the thermometer
stands at 100 in the shade, it will be adj
mtted that the achievement is one
worthy at all events of a brief sketch.
Alice was a beautiful, motherless
child, with blue eyes and COLDER hair,
true descendant of the Celtic Cymri,
and her father fairly adored her. One
day, it was in October, the mail from
England brought number of colored
prints to CraigDevon, and amongst
them picture of Santa Claus, by Kaul-
bach.
"Oh, papa!" cried Alice, I'm 80 glad
Christmas is coming. Grandma told
me | should see Santa Claus and his
reindeer when was old enough not to
be scared. and I'm old enough now.
Amt |, papa?"
Tenceforth Alice talked of little but
Christmas and Santa Claus, not think
ing and not knowing that the heat of
Ballarat December 25 would melt the
poor old soul and his reindeer into five
grease spots in half day.
where is the use in possessing mil
lions," John lIalton asked himself one
day, after such a short Christmas dia-
logue, IF they do not enable fellow
to introduce q small taste of winter
into Ballarat when fellows baby
wants it?"
That same evening John Halton
cabled Prof McCulloch, of Aberdeen
college, to send him cargo of ever
greens from the north of Scotland, re-
CARELESS of expense, and to send them
via the Suez canal. He telegraphed at
the same time to James II. Muir. of Tar
anaki, New Zealand. to forward him
ECO tons of snow from Mount Tonga
rari, in the Waikato country, and the
next day he ordered the plant and ma
chinery from Sydney, New South Wales,
necessary for the manufacture OF ice
according to the hygicHic process.
He made arrangements, in fact, to
have fence constructed around the
crag within which, for one day atleast,
winter would reign supreme. With
this end in view he imported 500 labor
crs and mechanics from various points,
who were soon busy building sheds, ex-
cavating cellars. planting trees, Great
ing pools for sliding purposes, and do
ing other things to get the place ready
10 assume wintry aspect at the proper
time. Meanwhile the atmosphere grew
hotter aud hotter each day.
Alice's stockings were hung up
Christmas eve. She said her prayers
and was just about to jump into bed
| when she felt the atmosphere growing
palpably cooler. She ran to the win
dow, and, sure enough, snowfakes were
coming down-as, indeed, well they
might, seeing that four of her fathers
faithful employees were industriously