Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1914-12-22

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Charle@sDickens
r HAVE been looking on this even
Ing at a merry company Of chill
dren assembled around that pref
ty German toy, q Christmas tree.
Being now at home again and alone,
the only person in the house awake.
my thoughts are drawn back by fas.
cination which l 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 enclrcllng
walls or soon reached ceiling, a shad'
owy tree arises, and, looking up Into
the dreamy brightness Of Its top. for
I observe in this tree the singular prop
erty that 1t appears to grow down.
ward toward the earth, look into my
youngest Christmas recollechons.
All toys at first I find. But upon the
branches of the tree. lower down. how
thick the books begin to hang-thin
books. In themselves at first but many
Of them. with deliciously smooth covers
of bright red and green!
"A was an archer and shot at frog"
OF course he was! he was an apple
pie also. and there he is! he was
good many things In his time. was A.
and so were most Of bis friends, except
Y, who had 80 little versatility that l
never knew him to get beyond Xer1es
or Xantippe.
But now the very tree Itself changes
and becomes q beanstalk, the 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 q 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 ate her after max
Ing that ferocious joke about his teeth
She was my first love. felt that II
I could have married Little Red Rid
ing Hood | should have known perfec:
bliss But 1t was not to be. and there
was nothing for 1t but to look for the
wolf in the Noah's ark there and pu'
him last In the procession on the table
as a monster who was to be degradrd
Oh, the wonderful Noah's ark. II
was not found seaworthy when put In
washing tub. and the animals were
crammed In at the roof and needed t.
have their legs well shaken down be
fore they could be got In even there
and then ten to one they began tO tum
ble 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
n 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 becoIn"
uncommon aud quite enchanted to me
All lamps are most wonderful. Al.
rings are talismans. Common Hover
pots are full Of treasure. with II little
earth scattered OIL the top: trees are Tor
Ali Baba To hide In: brefsteaks are I"
throw down into the Valley OF Ola
muuds. that the precious stones may
stick to them and he carried by thr
eagles to their nests. whence the trad
ers. with loud cries. will scare them
All the dates imported come from the
same tree us that unlucky one with
whose shell the merchant knocked out
the eye Of the genie's invisible son.
But, hark. The waits are playing.
and they break my childish sleep.
Whit Images do ] associate with the
Christmas music us | see them set
forth Oh the Christmas tree! Known
before all the Others. keeping far apart
from all the others. they gather round
my little bcd-an angel. speaking t0
u group of shepherds In field; some
travellers. with eyes uplifted, following
a star; baby In a munger: child In
a spacious temple. talking with great
men: u solemn figure. with mild and
beautiful face, raising dead girl by
the hand: again. near a city gate call
ing back the son of widow on his
bier to life: a crowd Of people looking
through the open roof Of chamber
where be sits and letting down q sick
person on a bed with ropes; the same.
In q tempest. walking on the waters:
In q ship aguin. ON seashore. teach
Ing a great multitude; again. with a
child upon his knee and other children
around: again, restoring sight to the
blind, speech to the dumb. hearing to
the deaf. health to the sick. strength
to the lame. knowledge to the ignorant
again. dying upon cross. watched b!
armed soldiers. u darkness coming on
the earth beginning to shake and only
one voice heard. Forgive them for
they know not what they do
EncircIed by the social thoughts OF
Christmas time, still lei the benignant
figure Of my childhood stand uncIlans
ed! In every cheerful Image and s'ls
gestiOn that the season brings Inny
the bright stur that rested above the
poor roof be the star Of NIL the Chris
tian world
A moments pause. D vanishing tree.
of which the lower boughs are dark To
me yet, and let me look once more !
know there are blank spaces on thy
branches, where eyes that have loved
n Lab