The sun. (Jacksonville, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1906-01-13

BY Charles Battle LOon1iS

rear. 1t will be the first of its kind, and fully
expect our sales to be increased hundredfold,"
And then he told her Of his scheme.
"We will bring out the magazine on Christmas
Eve and from the beginning tn end there will not
be II single mention of Christmas except on the
cover
swell, but people will be expecting Christmas
stuff"
whats ExpctngY Yes; they will be expect
ing 1t. You're right and that's where we'll win
They won't get it. They will have had Christmas
issues from early in November, and when they real
ze that they spend the 25th of December reading
IL magazine that has absolutely no hint of nm over
worked holiday in 1t they will buy II and send 1t to
their friends nll over the world. Fold me on your
BOSOM little wife, for have ut last hit on money
makcrv
His little wife folded him to her bosom, but IL
was such warm weather that he asked her to unfold
him, and she unfolded him right away, because the
way they preserved harmony in the family was by
Winding each other ut once, always.
Next day he went to the hot city and told his
associates Of his plan and they were aghast.
"W.h-at!' they said Nothing about little tots
and their stockngsY Not word as to the origin
of the Christmas legend! Nothing about the genial,
iovial old saintY No Dickens story rehashedY No
peace and goodwill by the yardf Not u yuc log
nor reference to mistletoe and the old maid auntY
Why, Pnfer, you're datyv
but II PuiTer was dafy he was also editor and
what he said went
learned that they would have to spell Christmas but
And II they were happy, think how more than
happy the poets who were told that no stun
would be accepted that limited at the glad season,
and that stockings barred whatever their pat
tern
And the sketch and story writer's They came to
Mr.. PuiTer with tears in their eyes and said TO him:
"YOu have saved our lives. Now we can write with
enthusiasm, We had begun To hate Santa Claus
and wc,hatcd to hate him. for he Is such nice old
fellow, but we have had to ring NO many changes
him that the sight of snowy beard and ruddy
cheeks makes III pessimistic'
And the artists Really II was hard to stop the
artists from drawing chimneys and rcindeers. The
announcement that II Christmas number was on the
stocks had always meant many prancing deer and
many barefooted, nghtgowned tots, and more than
one artist turned in pictures OF midsummer sheep
warming their leeces mt yulc logs instead OF gamD0l'
ing on sunny hillsdes.
And the public Well, it was even IN Mr. Puiier
had prophesed At first they would not believe that
there was such magazine, and 40 they bought u 10
make sure. And IL was full of stories about every
day in the year but Christmas, and the cover had
clover and cematis II, and little naked boys IN
swimming under II summer sky. Oh 1t was great
success and for seven days the printing OF 1t went
on and when New Years Day came MIR. Puiier got
Il six months leave Of absence and went with his
wife to travel in foreign lands, and when they re-
turned they found out that every editor in America
had taken u leaf out Of Mr. Puifers book and was
going To bring out Chrlstmas'iess 'hris'm"s """
ber .
So Mr.. Puircr laid low and said nothing to his
brother editors but being now a very rich man, no
invited large number Of writers and artists up To
his summer place, and told them to write when they
pleased and draw when they pleased, but to try to
bend their energies to the making up OF the only
Christmas magazine in America
And taking it that way in the middle OF summer
in u delightful place, they found they could think
Of Christmas without distaste and they set to and
planned the best Christmas number that had ever
been thought Of.
And now the public prints contained no mention
Of Christmas, and people began to sort Of yearn for
the pretty stories and the wntry yueloggy pictures,
and by the time Christmas Day came they were pos
itiycly hungry for them.
And that is why Mr.. Pufrer's Christmas issue,
full Of Christmas stories and pictures beat all rec
ords It's circulation was only five or six short OF
sixteen millions.
And Mr. PuGer made 10 much money that he and
his wife have been travelling SINCE and they
always spend Christmas in the city where ST. Mich
olas was born, and they hang up their stockings and
20 through the motions and emotions because there's
good deal in that Christmas spirit, II you don't get