Evening journal., 1912-12-19

You don't have to keep your eyes
and ears so wide open these days TO
discover that all the children in town
are as busy as spry young bees.
While their mothers and aunts and
cousins and gradmothers are atrug-
Cling with early shopping and shop
ping not so early and poor old iathef
is wondering how the family eNche-
quer Is going to stand the strain OF
Christmas shopping and the high cost
of living in joint combat, the kid
dies are just as busy as their par
ents. Doing what? Listen.
Il is a small, rosy-cheeked girl on
the corner who has paused to talk
with another little girl with her
schoolbooks i'm her arms that speaks
NO. Annie Smith, ! didn't get kept
I'm at all. / stayed to say my piece
ocer to teacher. / am in the Christ
mas entertainment at my school.
I'm in the fairy drill at church.
have to rehearse at 4 O'Clock. !
will be late; good-by.'
Piping Days Are These.
One child you meet is in a school
/ entertainment The next is in fairy
drill at church All the youngsters
| i'm the countryside, in these piping
days when children reign, have their
! important parts to fill I'm the merri-
ment OF the season.
Listen to the talk OF two staid-
looking business men on the Wash
/ ington street car:
"Got your invitation. old man, for
/ the 9th My wife is answering IL.
II would be all sorts Of fun
You're coming. sure?"
Nothing I'd like so much, and
maybe we can come around for a
while late in the evening, but you see
/ that is the night that Mollie and
Fred are in the Christmas pageant
they are holding for the entertain
ment of the poor little chaps It is
the first thing the children have ever
been in and my wife simply Wont
hear to our missing II.
Those children are mighty bright
youngsters even II say Il, as
shouldn't Mollie is going to recite
Twas the Night Before Christmas
and Fred is ONE of the reindeer in the
Santa Claus tableauX. You just ought
to see
This is my corner. So long-sorry
you can tOluhs" NOoN-D9Ns
In the midst of the shopping dis
trict when everyone is rushing
through the gift departments. mothers
with worried looks, who completed
their gift buying early in Noyembei
in order to avoid the Christmas
crowds, arc sorting over iowere,
silks and barred dimities and Japan
csc Grape in an effort to decide which
| .ft
for small Angela, who is going tC
be a grande dame in school Christ
mas closing fete
At the same time, other worrie,
relatives visit costumers and theatri
cal agencies in the hope Of finding ;
wig that will fit Bob" who is TO pla,
the part of Santa Claus in the sun
day school party. and still Others
search diligently for proper costumes
for the participants on the masqu
Of an Old English Christmas
Girls in a Ferment-
The older girls of the family-th
high schools girls-are in fermen
of fun and excitement getting read,
for a Christmas play, or a German
play or a French farce or some OF tn
other just-before Christmas festivi
ties tndl marx tnt utbiuuiuS VI III
: Christmas school vacation.
One would imagine. just TO judg
= from the talk and the excitement on
: runs into every time a venture /
made into the home of friends wher
children add to the Christmas ful
, that every boy and girl in Wilmington
b is getting ready to stand upon NOR
4 or less spot-lighty stage and recite.
''vou'd scarce expect one of my ag
= To speak in public on the stage"
= and so on through the regular roun
) of "pieces" that children so deligh
to speak and which their fond par
? ents so enjoy listening to and ap
? plauding.
3 tt is possible that one or two Of III
4 thousands Of children in Wilmingto
will have no part in a Christmas pla