The daily Alaskan., 1912-12-27
Christmas
 Bells
They Turned the Course of
 a Mans Life
By F. A MITCHELL

NNA7s~A-H"--7H-a-
 The other day l heard a man say in a bored tone of voice: "Christmaf Is coming round again, and we've got to endure the usual Christmas racket I suppose. The man of family must make a hole iu his bank account, and the bachelor must stick to his club for if he makes visits on his women friends they ask to be excused from seeing him because they're working hard preparing for Christmas They're all making things which take up a loi of time and which they can buy at the stores for a few cents each. If the bachelor tries to solace himself with a magazine or his newspaper Christ. mas stares him in the face in big let. ters. He goes out on to the street and sees no end of Salvation Army Santa Clauses ringing their everlasting bells I'm always sorry when Christmas is coming and glad when it has passed"
 If that mans whole life had been turned from bad to good by Christmas as mine was at a critical period, he wouldn't talk that way. Christmas, admit, Is not the gladsome season to me it Is to many others. IL is solemn season. season for thankfulness, re- membering, as do, what 1t did for me. l never hear the bells that usher in the day that l don't feel a great awe at what | escaped and a great comfort at what I gained on one memorable Christmas.
 I wasn't born with silver spoon in my mouth. No, indeed. I used one made of baser metal and, though it would hold plenty of food, there was very little food to put In it. But, not withstanding the poverty in which ] was born, I was a dreamy child, con. stantly building castles for the future which my imagination made all the more beautiful in contrast with my miserable surroundings.
 At seven years of age lost all help from others and was obliged to rely solely on myself Would that I could obliterate all remembrance of those days of suffering when was selling newspapers by day and sleeping any where I could find a place to sleep in by night. My imaginative disposition rendered me unfit for work that was distasteful to me, and I made little fOl food, clothing and shelter But l learned to read, and with reading l picked up writing and other bits of education. One thing astonished my comrade gamins. With piece of chalk I could draw pictures on a flag stone that were very like the objects represented. What surprised them most was that my dogs ran, my horses galloped, my men walked. As for my policemen, they actually hustled theh prisoners to the station.
 The gifts of the poet and the artist do not enable them to feed and clothe themselves, except In rare instances, and I as a child not only failed to de rive any benefit from my talent but It indicated an impractical disposition When came to be eighteen years old was more than impracticable. l was not a worker; was considered lazy, but l was not lazy; I simply could not force myself to work at that in which I did not take an Interest. During a season when I got a chance to attend night school I showed myself to be one of the best scholars fin the class.
 When was on the threshold of manhood was in despair. have not the heart to dwell on the suferings that led me to join the criminal class. will only say that one day before a Christmas, while passing before house into which boxes and bundles were being carried, I looked in through the windows on which evergreen wreaths were hanging and could see a Christmas tree at one end of room where blazed an open coal fire. The sight of so much comfort maddened me. hungry and ragged as was, with no hope for my future. IL occurred to me that if could get into that house and carry away some of the articles being taken Into 1t I might sell them for money with which to buy some thing to eat.
 While I was thinking of this the front door opened, and a little boy about five years old came out with his nurse. He was bundled up in a tm coat. fur cap and mittens and was be ing taken out for a walk, The nurst was a tidy girl sixteen or seventeen years old and as she passed me looked at my rags, then up into my disconso' late face. and pitying expression came into her features.
 I reasoned myself into the delusion that this prosperous family would not miss one piece of silver that would en- able me to buy good meal and that | would steal this once and neyeI again. That same night when all in the family were in bed went around the house. Trying the windows, ana finding them all locked, took knife out of my pocket with one broken blade in 1t and, cutting away the putty before a pain of glass, removed 1t ana reaching in, turned the catch. Then, cautiously raising the sash, l went in on the ground floor.
 I found myself in the kitchen. There was epough light coming from street lamps outside to enable me to move