The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-12-13


whose fortune it is to live in remote
and lonely parts of the tropics, often
times spend strange Christmases. Talk
to the wife of any American merchant
or planter in Cuba, Hawaii. Porto
Rico, the Philippines, or a hundred
other tropical countries. and, ten to
one, she will tell some quaint story
or exciting adventure which centers
around Christmas Day. The same, of
course, is true of English women who
live in similar surroundings.
A woman who now lives in New
York looks back with pleasure to a
Christmas Day which she spent, many
years ago, aboard liner in the torrid
heat OF the Gulf of Mexico. She was
a girl of five then, and it happened
that she was the only child on board.
Naturally, everybody made a great
pet of her. Men and women whose
own youngsters were waiting for them
ashore in Mexico, or had been left
behind in England, showdered upon her
all their parental affection and Christ
mas sentiment, which would otherwise
have run to waste.
Mother, the child asked on Christ
mas Eve, "how will Santa Claus come
aboard? Can he swim?''
Santa Claus can go anywhere,
dearie," was the comforting answer.
BE sure you hang up our stocking"
Those passengers who had little
ones of their own at home in Mexico
and were taking presents to them,
managed to spare something to add
to the stock of toys which the father
and mother had brought with them
for their little girl. The stewardess
and the stewards helped to fill the
Yt5
sweets and crackers. until it was filled
to the bursting point.
When the child woke up early on
Christmas morning she beheld, besides
the stocking full of gastronomic joys,
a whole lot of toys and picture books
and a beautiful doll.
After her mother had dressed her
in her best bib and tucker and sent
her on deck she found herself the
queen of the ship for the day.
The gray-headed, genial captain
came down off the bridge to wish her
a merry Christmas: the sailors COM
most with new games, and the passen-
gers, thinking wistfully of the Christ
mas frolics of their own youngsters,
could not make enough of her.
In the evening, after dinner, the
captain organized a fireworks display
in her honor. He set off lot Of squibs
and Catherine wheels in a barrel-the
barrel being used to prevent the sparks
from flying about and setting fire to
the ship. But the little girl had be-
come a tyrant during her brief reign.
She wanted rockets and insisted on
having them.
But, my dear" said the captain,
sorrowfully II can't do that. II l send
up rockets, other ships will think we
are sinking, and will come out of their
way to help u.s."
THAT doesn't matter, captain"
urged the little lady, Il do so want
rockets. l have never seen rockets at
sea-and it's Christmas"
she got her rockets. The captain
said he would rather have lost his
ticket than spoiled her Christmas. and
luckily no ship was deferred from its
course by the celebration.
Going to church for the Christmas
morning service is not an easy matter
when church is ten miles away, with
no way of going than by a narrow
bride path with a precipice on one side
and a steep cliff on the other.
Two American girls in Jamaica start
ed for church one Christmas morning.
There had been heavy rains during the
night, but Christmas morning dawned
bright and clear. They started in
great spirits. chatting gaily as they
rode.
After a time, the girl in front got
no answer from her companion, and,
looking around, found she had disap-
peared. CHANGING over the precipice
She was Mortified to see her caught in
the branches of a tree fifty feet be-
low. The horse had lost its footing
on the slippery path and fallen to its
death a thousand feet beneath, with
hardly a sound. But the rider was
caught by the spreading branches Of
a tree, and escaped unhurt. The other
girl had to ride five miles to get some
negroes with rope to rescue her COM
panion. Needless to say, both Of
them missed the Christmas service.
This is a common kind of accident in
tropical countries where torrential
rains wash away the narrow noun
tain paths, but the white women re-
ioice in riding at dashing gallop
along cliff tracks which apparently
even a goat could not safely pass.
They never even think OF danger
when there is prospect OF fun. Many
a woman rides twenty miles or more
over dangerous roads and through
swollen rivers to get 10 her Christmas
dance. One family OF girls In the
Walla -Walla district OF Australia had
10 cross a deep river 70 get to the
house 10 which they had been invited
20 a ball on Christmas eve. When