The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-12-13

great Christmas stories that came rom his pen to delight and touch the
 Tn these sixty-nv years the power of the stories-.A Christnas Carol" Hearth" and .sThe Hsunted Mans--has grown steadily. Every year in all those years the stories have softened for people of this generation to realize how much more charitable. how much more kindly and loving. Chrisfmas is because Charles Dickens wrote.
 Whoever reads these stories in this season makes Christfnas more true. more beautiful for himself and for oth- indeed that remains insensible to. their appeal to be upltfted and made better In some degree at least.
 Everybody said that he looked like a haunted man. His sunIxen. brilliant eye. his grizzled hair hanging like 'seaweed over his gloomy face. his black attire. and his distraught air as of one, who was forever listening to old, old echoes in his mind--all these stamped him as a haunted man. He was famous. Hundreds of eager, aspiring ears hung daily on his words. hundreds of eyes watched his keen face and the work of his hands. Wher. ever science was worshipped the name of Redlaw the Chemist was great |. Yet at night, his work done, he sat
 
 his lips as If in speech though silent as the grave--a haunted man; haunted by dead past, haunted by memory of past sorrows, past wrongs endured, past disappointments that never lost their bitterness. but seemed to gain new gloom with every year, like the old houe in which he -dwelt.
 It was an ancient house. huge and vault-like, an old endowment for poor students, lowering and worm ca ten, yet strong and defiant of time, with echoes that rumbled through a mage of low passages and vaulted rooms tiiI they lost themselves in the heavy air of the forgotten crypts where the Nor man arches were half buried in the earth.
 When night came and the bustiing youth and life Of the students disap- peared, he sat quite alone in the great place alone and staring at the fire that painted no changing and hopeful scenes In It's embers for him as other fires were doing for happier dreamefs.
 Christmas was drawing ncar. Every year 1t came and went, unmarked by him. He did not realize that 1t was approaching agaia till he was startled by a knock and Is response to has Come in!" there entered the family that kept the house in order.
 cheerful and pleasant sight they were in that old grim room--Wiliinxn Swidger. fresh-colored, busy, smiling with respect ana kood nature as he bowsd to the chemist; Mrs, William, as fresh-colored as her husband. with dark brown hair carefully smoothed down around her pretty, innocent face. with her nowered skirts as orderly as if the very wind that blew so hard out of door could noe disturb single f6Id, and her little bodice as placid and as neat aa all her ,dslightEpl little person, ana. eeaas.a Asss asr v sshsg. white hair; but with . face as briRht as hts aon's a ",
 Merry Christmas to you. str,p said the old man, "and many of 'erii. Have had pretty many of 'em myself--ha, has ha!--and may take the liberty of wishing 'em. I'm 87r'
 Have you had SO many that were ist.
 "Ay. sir. ever so many" replied the old man.
 ''Is his memory impaired with ageY' asked the chemist tn a low voice, turn ing 70 the son, Tt Is to be expected
 Not morsel of it, sir," answered MT. William. That's exactly what | say myself, sir. There never was such memory as my fathers. He's the most wonderful man in the world, He dont know what forgetting means. It's the very Aobservation I'm aIways rnak . ing to Mrs. William sir if youII be-. lieve mey
 Mr. swidger, in his polite desire to acqptence at all events, delivered this as if there were no iota of contradic. tion in 1t and 1t were alr said In un- qualified and unboundod assent.
 The chemist stepped to the, old man who was looking at the gIistenihg holly that he held In his arms for Mrs. William, who was decorating the room quietly.
 Merry and happyT' asked Redlaw, observing him aEtentively. Merry and happy, and remember welI9,s
 "Ay, ay. ay," replied Philip, ''I4is mother-rny son William is my young est son-and have sat under the holly many times with 'em all, boys and girls. Many of 'em are gone. She's gone; and my George. our eldest. who was her pride more than all the rest IS fallen very low. But I can see them when I see the hollys alive and we'll as they used to be; and I can see him. thank God, in his innocence. It's a blessed thing to me. at eighty seven" ?"
 The chemists keen look that had been fixed on aim So earnestly sought the ground.
 When my circumstances got to be not so good as formerly. through not CS@A3 A~nOSt@S A0@@4% Uys ana q sLltHk came here to be custodian" said Philip. (which was upward of fifty years ago William, my son. more than half a century ago. William!
 That's what l say, fatheT.' pvempk- ly and dutifully replied Mir. William That's exactly where 1t is. What Q wonderful memory you've got father"
 Tt was quite a pleasure to know that one of our founders, OF more cor- rectly speaking" said the old man with a great pride in his knowledge, "one of the learned gentlemen that helped endow us in Queen Elixabeth's time. left in his will, among other bequests. so much to buy holly every Christmas to garulsh the walls There was some. thing homely and friendly in 1t. Be- inR but strange here then and coming ct Christmas time, we took e liking for has very picture that hangs in what used to be ancIently. afore our ten poor gentlemen commuted for an annual stipend in money. our great Dinner He'll. A ssdate gentleman he Is. in a peaked beard. with a ruff round his neck and . scroll below him in old EuRlish letters. Lord keep my mem. ory greenl' You know all about him. Mr. Redlawf'
 T know the portrait hangs there' Philip" said Mir. Redlaw.
 eyes sir" said Philip. He has help ed to keep my memory green, I thank him. Going around the halls with these branches freshens up my old brain. It brings back sll the years It seems to me- as if the birthtime or