The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1914-12-19

told in the Pictorial Review by
La Sale Corbel1 Pickett in an
article dealing with Christmas In the
south In wartime:
= One time an old black man was sit
ting in Ills little cabin on a mountain
side on Christmas eve listening to the
cold wind howl over world of snow
and wishing that he had q 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 SILVER
so that his contest 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 fill 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 ego to camp meetin'-" By and
by he came to little child caught In a
81 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 piece Of furniture
] of which he could make a 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
i at 1t 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 filed with radiance
and warmth that brought a glow tC
the soul as well as to the body and
/ seemed to food the world with light
AS the light wrapped the child in 6
shining glory he laughed laugh thai
was like a song of the heart and float
ed up and away. The old man turned
his eyes to where the fire burned ant
watched the flames leap In opaIescen
tints over the log forming the shape
of a cross in fire.
At this point in the narrative Br'e
Simon usually became greatly exc1t
/ ed, and his eyes kindled as he wen
on in his rich dialect:
i ''De flames er de cross spread el
chase after one ernudder, a-crawlin
en- a-creepfn' in en- out en- around el
about, a-skadlin' hyer en- a-skadlin
dar; a-Hppin' up higher and higher
frs a Ill blue blaze would come, de-
yaller oTfe, den a bright red on
would flare up, en- den de blaZes woul
all mingulate darsefs tergedder-re,
en- blue en- yaller en- white would a.
mix wild de kindleation colors er d
rainbow, en- crackIe en- crackle en- Ii
higher en- bigger en- bigger, de crackle
a-getten' louder en- louder, en- de blaze
gittin' bigger en- bigger"
AS the old man watched all this dL
play suddenly and magically appeare
a table covered with a Christmas feas
such as had never been spread befor
his eyes, and never again was he hui
cry or cold. and never was there
Christmas in old Virginia after thu
without the Yule log and the Chris
mas child to give it light and warmth