The daily Alaskan., 1914-12-17
THE ORIGIN OF
 THE . YULE LOG
TS HE following story of the origin of the Yule log in Virginia is
 told in the Pictorial Review by

! Ol tue l ulc lOtS III flLbl 10
 told in the Pictorial Review by
 La Sale COrbell Pickett in an article dealing with Christmas In the south in wartime:
 One time an old black man was sit ting in his little cabin on mountain side on Christmas eve listening to the cold wind howl over n world of snow and wishing that he had fire to warm him when he heard the cry of little child away out in the cold. The old man hoUblCd 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 little child always goes straight to the heart. third time the cry came. and miraculous power seemed to fjl 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.
 Tn an instant he was walking over the expanse of frozen snow with an activity be had not possessed since he used to "gO to camp meetin'." By and by be came to little child caught in a snow bank. He lifted the child, and as its 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 1t and looked about to see If there might be a piece of furniture of which he could make fire to warm his small guest
 Al that instant he saw great log 1 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 tue log with the most brilliant fire the old man had ever seen. and the dingy
 
 and warmth that brought glow to the soul as well as to the body and seemed to flood the world with light. 1 AS the light wrapped the child in shining glory he laughed q 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 q cross in fire.
 At this point in tue narrative Brer Simon usually became greatly eXclt- 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-Iippin' up higher and higher; ! frs a Ill blue blaze would come. den a waller one, den q bright red one would flare up, en den de blazes would all mingulate darScfs tcrgedder-red eu blue en yaller en white would all mix wid de kindlcatiOn colors CT de rainbow. en cracklc cn crackle en lip higher en bigger cn bigger, de crackles a-getten' louder en louder, en de blazeS gittin' bigger en bigger"
 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 hun Sry or cold, and never was there ! Christmas in old Virginia after that without the Yule log and the Christ mas child to give if light and warmth