Bisbee daily review., 1914-12-25
THE ORIGIN OF
 THE YULE LOG

"NhE following story or the orlgln
 of the Iuie log in Virginia is
 told in the Pictorial Review by
 Ia Sale Corbell Pickett in m article dealing with Christmas in the south in wartime
 One time an old black man was sit ting i'm his little cabin on a mountain side on Christmas eve listening to the cold wind howl over a world of snow and wishing that he had fire to warm him when he heard the cry of a little child away out in the cold. The old man hobbled to the door and looked out across the snow, and the wind came rushing in and made him shiver so that his "onliest two teef' chattered with cold Again the cry came across the snow, and he wished with all his power of longing that he could go out and find the unfortunate little one, for the plaintive cry of a little child always goes straight to the heart A third time the cry came. and a miraculous power seemed to fll the old mans veins. His muscles became tense and strong and he stepped from the thresh. old into the snow. the crutch falling back in the cabin.
 In an instant he was walking over the expanse of frozen snow with an activity he had not possessed since he used to "gO to camp meetn," By and by he came to a little child caught in a snow bank. He lifted the child, and as it's little form touched him a new strength came into him. and the small burden seemed to give him wings to speed back to the little cabin He put the child on the bed, drew the ragged quilt around it and looked about to see if there might be a piece of furniture of which he could make fire to warm his small guest
 At that instant he saw a great log roll across the threshold and into the fireplace The little child was looking at it with eyes like stars. and they sent gleams of light that kindled the log with the most brilliant fire the old man had ever seen. and the dingy little room was filled with radiance and warmth that brought a glow to the soul as well as to the body and seemed to flood the world with light.
 As the light wrapped the child in. shining glory he laughed a laugh that was like song of the heart and float ed up and away. The old man turned his eyes to where the fire burned and watched the flames leap in opalescent tints over the log forming the shape of a cross in fire
 At this point fin the narrative Br'er Simon usually became greatly excit- ed, and his eyes kindled as he went on in his rich dialect;
 "De flames CT de cross spread en- chase alter one ernudder a.crawlin' en a-creepin' in en out en around en about, a-skadlin' hyer en a-skadlin dar; a-lippin' up higher and higher; frs a lil blue blaze would come, den a yaller one. den a bright red one would flare up, en den de blazes would all mingulate darsefs tergedder-red en blue en yaller en white would all mix wid de kindleation colors CT de rainbow, en cracl1le en crackle en lip higher en bigger en bigger, de crackles a-getten' louder en louder en de blazes glttln' bigger en Digger
 As the old man watched all this dis play suddenly and magically appeared a table covered with a Christmas feast such as had never been spread before his eyes, and never again was he hum gry or cold, and never was there a Christmas in old Virginia after that without the Yule log and the Christ mas child to give it light and warmth