The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1914-12-18
The ORIGIN OF
THE YULE LOG

| Of the Yule log in Virginia IL
| 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 u mountain
side on Christmas eve listening to the
cold wind howl over 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 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" chartered
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. A third
| time the cry came. and miraculous
power seemed to Gil 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 meetin'." BY and
by he came to a little. child caught In
snow bank. He lifted the child. and as
its little form touched him 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 Il piece Of furniture
Of which he could make fire to warm
his small guest
At that instant he saw great log
roll across the threshold and into the
fireplace The little child was looking
at it with eyes like stars. and they
sent CLEANS 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 glow to
the soul as well as to the body and
seemed to food the world with light.
AS the light wrapped the child in
shining glory lie laughed 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 opalesceni
tints over the log forming the shape
Of cross In fire.
At this point in the narrative Br'er
Simon usually became greatly excit-
ed, and his eyes kindled as he wen.
on in his rich dialect:
de flames er de cross spread eli:
chase after 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 iii blue blaze would come. den
yaller one. den II bright red one
would fare up. eli den de blazes would
all mingulate darsefs tergedder-red
en- blue en- yaller ell white would all
mix wild de kindleatiOn colors er dc
rainbow. en- crackle en- crackle en- lip
higher en- bigger en- bigger, de crackles
a-getten' louder en- louder. en- de bazes.
gittin' bigger en- bigger"
AS the old man watched all this dis
play suddenly and magically appeared
a table covered with Christmas feast
such az had never been spread before
his eyes. and never again was he hum
CRY or cold. and never was there ~
Christmas i'm old Virginia after thai
without the Yule log and the Christ
mas child to give it light and warmth.