The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1905-12-23
IN THE CHRISTMAS TREE FOREST.

| gathering around the aim, OdOrifer-
Gus lamp, the boys learning their les
sons to the patient rhythm of the
fathers hammer.
"Only nine days before Christ
mas" she announced, as she sat down
by Jacks wadded chair. lack, do
you suppose Santa Claus has got my
,, letter yet? Do you think he'll send
US the Christmas tree?"
eff we're too poor to buy tree,
why don't you go get one, Bette 7"
asked Tom, holding dripping pen
suspended above his book.
"Get one? Where 7"
why, where the groceryman gets
his, Tom answered easily, pretend
ing to resume work.
"Oh, Tom. where does he get
them -
I'm the woods, I suppose. There's
lots of 'em growing there, just for the
asking"
mot real Christmas trees, Tom %
Sure, heaps of 'em. Dandies
Big fellows and little, with pink and
red popcorn and candy and angels on
the top. And at night they're all lit
up. Oh. it's grand p and once more
Tom, with the skill of an artist, ap-
piled himself to arithmetic.
who plants 'em? Who do they
balong tor" asked Bette, imagina-
tion overcoming her doubts.
Bette was long time falling to
sleep that night, for her active brain
had been fed too royalty. But the
bewitching story was completely swal-
lowed, and an overwhelming longing
had arisen to see for herself the forest
of trimmed Christmas trees.
X X X X \ X
Bette was supremely happy. Six
pennies, shaken rather guiltily from
her.cherished china pig, were securely
tied in corner of her handkerchief.
The car was not full, and she had
ventured to kneel upon the seat to
enjoy to the extreme the unusual ex-
element of ride in the trolley.
"Goin' far - asked the conductor
as Bette gave him her three pennies.
Eyes. quite ways. Out there"
And the child waved her hand vaguely
toward the place where the tracks
seemed to meet, pointing to land of
promise.
Sure you know where you're to
git off 7"
when we reach the woods"
"Oh, Browns Woods" and the
conductor looked relieved as he pass
ed down the aisle.
Browns Woods Here you are,
little girl ~ the conductor shouted.
Bette, trustful and happy, said shy
goodbye" to the man as he helped
her off with a playful warning not to
"git lost"
Browns Woods seemed to be a
general store and a few wretched
houses. Bette looked about her with
a sinking heart. The woods, dark
but promising, were quite distance
beyond the settlement. but the child
set bravely out.
As she became tired her feet grew
numb, for in spite of the stout half
soled shoes the cold had struck
through. The poor child was terri
fed and for the first time began to
think of home. She had found not
even a solitary evergreen tree, but
she still believed them to be there,
and as the Christmas Eve settled
down over the gloomy woods she re-
hearsed to herself all the details Of
Toms wild story, this time remem-
bering his saving clause, that only old
people could see the wonderful vision
Of Santa Claus stepping from tree to
tree, trimming the swaying branches
and lighting the little candles.
Bette listened, painfully intent.
Then, with a sob and a shiver, she
stumbled on. She put her hand in
her pocket for her handkerchief, but
she had lost it.
She imagined she was retracing her
steps, and cropping desperately in the
unknown dark she hurried on, often
knocking against low boughs and
sometimes falling over half buried
roots. Finally she tripped on fallen
limb, and, bruised and half frozen,
the poor child was too tired to rise.
When she opened her eyes she was
staring at light, distant and twink
ling, but bright and reassuring. She
was spellbound, no other thought oc-
curing to her than that il was a
lighted Christmas tree. She rose like
one hypnotized and made her way
steadily toward the light, as though
drawn by magnet.
The woods were more open now,
and fear and cold were forgotten, as
the child was conscious of nothing
else in the world but the tree, which
she expected to see any moment be-
low the guiding light. After walk
, ing much further than she knew she
stopped-for she was within reach of
a real, trimmed Christmas tree Not
the great, glimmering one of her
imagination, but a small tree, bios
soning with all the strange fruit OF
the. season-popcorn, red, white and
pink striped candy canes and bas.
kets, shining balls aud angels, and
little red candles twinkling from the
tips of the branches.
Not until there was a sudden open
ing of an inner door and merry burst
of childish laughter did Bette realize
that her face was pressed against a
window, her fascinated eyes gazing
into a room glorified by the tree ol