Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1914-12-25
A Mothers
Christmas Plan
After All 1t Was Not a New
Departure.
By F. A. mitchell.

AE
and delight in making preparations for
it.. that such a course is necessary.
But it costs money. and money | have
mol. Indeed. ] am afraid this Euro
pean trouble is going to throw me out
OF business"
The words we're spoken by the hus-
band and father at the breakfast table
shortly before Christmas. He had
served an apprenticeship with a pub
fishing firm. saving his money, In
which he was assisted by a frugal
wife. until he had accumulated $4,000.
This he had used to set himself up
in business. relying for success upon
an idea he had conceived that he pos
sessed a faculty for Discerning those
qualities In a novel which are calcu-
lated to please the public. In this he
was disappointed. The public did not
seem to fancy the books he published,
and he lost most of his capital. Then
came the war. and no one had money
to buy books. The prospect looked
very gloomy.
81 am perfectly willing. Ernest" re-
piled his wife. ito do anything you
deem necessary"
Il know you will. my dear. It's the
disappointment to the children that
troubles me-"
II will see that the children are sat
isfied with what we may be able to
do for them
The husband made no further re-
mark, turning over the pages of the
morning paper listlessly. He did not
hurry TO go to business, for there was
little to do when he got there. Final
~ his eye struck an advertisement and
he threw down the paper with a groan.
''That novel. "A Mystery of a Mir
ror.' has reached a sale of 100000 cop
les. 1t was offered to me, and | de-
clined 1t. There's not n particle of lit
erary merit In the whole book. What's
a publisher to do. I'd like to know.
when the public will take in such rot
as that and won't read real litera-
ture?'
THE critics say that "A Mystery OF
Il Mirror is Ingenious said his wife.
whats ingenuity to do with litera-
ture? | tell you there's no literary
taste any more"
The wife was thoughtfully silent for
awhile, then said:
1--WE have for centuries been judging
literature by the same old standard.
ind | am beginning TO think that~w
are partly wrong. According to this
standard, there is no merit in the work
of u detective story writer who has
made a great reputation and a fortune
besides. Our literary magnates say-that
there is no literary merit in these sto-
ries. once thought so myself, but
am beginning to doubt it."
There's money in them-that is. in
some of them-at least for the author.
Whoever wrote "A Mystery Of a Mir
ror' has made a small fortune. It's a
dollar book. and 10 per cent royalty on
a hundred thousand copies is $4,000.
Ii | had accepted the rotten stuff l
might Mve mnde that out of it my
self"
"Neyer mind. dear. Better luck next
time. | think myself that publishing
a novel is like buying a ticket in a lot
terry. If you succeed in tiding owe the
present trouble l hope you will put
your money into something that isn't
so risky"
Warheld made no reply, but rose
from the table with a sigh, kissed his
wife and children and went to his bust
ness. As soon as he had gone the wife
and mother gathered her children about
her and, taking them into her conf
dence. told them that papa had lost
money in his business and had request
ed that they ignore the coming Christ
mas. She had a plan that she thought
would make the anniversary just as
pleasant as usual. She didn't say what
it was, but pledged every child to make
no mention of Christmas till Christmas
came. They were all agog to know
what the plan was. but she would not
tell them. Nevertheless all agreed that,
on papa's account, they would do just
what their mother wished.
Whatever preparations for Christ
mas Mrs. Warfeld made she kept her
own counsel. If gifts came into the
house in advance she contriyed to re-
ceive them herself and hide them
But, whether they came or not, her hus
hand and children were ignorant OF the
fact. The husband being absent dur
ing the day and the children at school
there was ample opportunity to take In
articles without their knowing any
thing about it, The children. ~reposing
every confidence in their mother, made
no complaint at not receiving funds to
spend for gifts for each other, for nam
ma had told them that she would
provide presents for each to give.
When Christmas V came the
younger children insisted on hanging
up their stockings. Their mother made
no objection to their doing so. for she
had told her husband that she had pro
vided a few inexpensive toys to fill
them, After the youngsters were In
bed She brought out the packages. Her