Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1914-12-18

| uTtu uSSGIuDlGu tuuL pieI-
| ty German toy. II Christmas tree.
Being now at home again "nd alone.
the only person in the house awake.
my thoughts are drawn back by o fas-
cination which do not care to resist
to my own childhood. Straight in the
middle Of the room. cramped in the
freedom of its growth by no encirclins
walls or soon reached ceiling, shad.
owy tree arises. and. looking up into
the dreamy brightness of its top. Tor
observe in this tree the singular prop
erty that it appears to grow down
ward toward the earth. look into thy
youngest Christmas recollections.
All toys ut first l find But upop the
branches Of the tree, lower down. iow
thick the. books begin to hang-'hin
books. in themselves at first. but ln-uy
of them. with deliciously smooth covers
of bright red and green!
"A was an archer aud shot ut fro" :"
OF course he was! He was an apple
pie also. and there he is: He was q
good many things in his time. was \.
and so were most Of his friends. except
X, who had so little versatility tina,
never knew him to get beyond XerXes
or Xantippe.
But now the very tree itself changes
and becomes beanstalk. tho marvel
Gus beanstalk by which Jack climbed
up to the giants house.
Good for Christmas time is the rud-
dy color Of the cloak in which. the tree
making forest of itself for her to
trip through with her basket. Little Red
Riding Hood comes to me one Christ.
mas eve to give me information of the
cruelty and treachery Of that dissem.
bling wolf who ate her grandmother
without making any impression on his
appetite and then ute her after max
ing that ferocious joke about his teeth.
She was my frst love. felt that II
l could have married Little Red Rid.
ing Hood should have known perfect
bliss But it was not to be. and there
was nothing for it but to look for the
wolf in the Noah's ark there and put
him last in the procession on the table
as monster who was to be degraded.
Oh. the wonderful Noah's ark! 1t
was not found seaworthy when put in
washing tub. and the animals were
crammed in at the roof and needed to
have their legs well shaken down be-
fore they could be got in even there.
and then ten to one they began to tum-
BILE out at the door. which was but I'M
perfectly fastened with wire latch.
But what was that against it!
Again forest and somebody up In
a tree-not Robin Hood. not Valentine.
not the Yellow Dwarf: have passed
these and all Mother Bunch's wonders
without mention-but an eastern king
with the glittering scimitar aud tur.
ban. 1t is the setting in of the bright
Arabian Nights.
Oh. now all common things become
and quite enchanted to me!
All lamps are most wonderful. All
rings are talismans. Common flower.
pots are full Of treasure. with little
earth scattered on the top; trees are for
Ali Bahia to hide in: beefsteaks are to
throw down into the Valley Of Ola.
that the precious stones may
stick to them and be carried BY the
eagles to their nests. whence the trad.
ers. with loud cries. will scare them.
All the dates imported come from the |
same tree as that unlucky one with |
whose shell the merchant knocked out !
the eye of the genie's invisible son.
But. bark! The waits are playing.
and they break my childish sleep. |
What images do ] associate with the |
Christmas music rs I see theiu set |
forth on the Christmas tree. Known
before oil the others, keeping far apart |
from all the others. they gather round |
my little bed-an angel. speaking to
! group Of shepherds in field; some
with eyes uplifted. following |
1 star; baby In q manager: child In
! spacious temple, talking with great
men; a solemn figure, with mild and
face. raising dead giri by |
he hand; again. near city gate call.
ng back the son Of widow on bis
bier to life: crowd Of people looking
through the open roof Of chamber
where he sits and letting down u sick
person on bed with ropes: the same.
u tempest, walking Oh the waters:
y a ship again. Oh a seashore. teach.
ng great multitude; again. with Q
.hild upon his knee and other children
lround: again. restoring sight to the
blind. speech to the dumb, hearing to
he deaf. health to the sick. strength |
o the lame, knowledge to the ignorant:
lgain. dying upon cross. watched BY
lrmed soldiers. a darkness coming on.
he earth beginning to shake and only
me voice heard. Forgive them. for
hey know not what they do!''
Encircled by the social thoughts OF
Christmas time. still let the beniguant
igure Of my childhood stand unchang-
ID! In every cheerful image and sug-
,estiOn that the season brings may
he bright star that rested above the
,oOr roof be the star Of all the Chris
ian world.
A moments pause. o vanishing tree.
# which the lower boughs are dark to
ne yet. and let me look once more