The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1914-12-17
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christmas
s lf Re s
Chnrle@sDfckens

I(nd[leS DICKENS
HAVE been looking on this even
| Ing at u merry company of chill
dren assembled around that pref
ty German toy. u 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 encircling
walls or soon reached ceiling. 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 it appears to grow down
ward toward the earth, look into my
youngest Christmas recollections.
All toys at first 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 ut frog"
OF course he was: He was an apple
pie also. and there he is: He was q
good many things in his time. was A.,
and so were most Of his friends. except
X. who had so little versatility that |
never knew him to get beyond Xarxes-
or Xantippe.
But now the very tree itself changes
and becomes 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 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 OH his
appetite and then ate her after max
ing that ferOciOus joke about his teeth.
She was my first love. | felt that II
could have married Little Red Rid
ing Hood should have known perfect
bliss But 1t was not to be. and there
was nothing for it but to look for the
wolf in the NOah's ark there and put
him last I'm the procession ON the table
as monster who was to be degraded
Oh. the wonderful NOah's ark. 1t
was not found seaworthy when put In
washing tub. and the animals were
crammed in at the roof and needed to
have their legs we'll shaken down be-
fore they could be got in even there.
and then ten to one they began to tum-
bic out at the door. which was but I'M
perfectly fastened with Il wire latch.
But what was that against It?
Again a forest and somebody up In
a 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 and tur-
ban. 1t is the setting in Of the bright
Arabian Nights.
Oh. now all common things become
uncommon and quite enchanted to me!
All lamps are most wonderful. All
rings are talisumns. Common flower.
pots are full Of treasure. with little
earth scattered OH the top: trees IRE for
Ali Bahia to hide In: bpefsteaks are to
throw down into the Valley Of Ola.
monds. that the precious stones may
stick to them and lie carried by the
eagles to their nests. whence the trad
ers. with loud cries. will scare them.
All the dates imported come from the
same tree as that unlucky one with
whose shell the merchant knocked out
the eye of the genie's Invisible son.
But. bark. The waits are playing.
and they break my childish sleep.
What images do ! associate with the
Christmas music as ! see them set
forth on the Christmas tree. Known
before all the others, keeping far apart
from all the others. they gather round
my little bed-an angel. speaking to
group Of shepherds in field: some
travellers. with eyes uplifted. following
u star: baby In manger: q child In
a spacious temple. talking with great
men; a solemn figure. with a mild and
beautiful face. raising dead girl by
the hand: again. near q city gate call
ing back the son of widow on his
OlST CIOWO Va pcOpsC iOOhio6
through the open roof Of chamber
where he sits and letting down q sick
person on bed with ropes: the same.
in tempest. walking on the waters:
in ship again. OH q seashOre. teach
ing great multitude: again. with
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 a cross. watched by
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!
El.circled by the social thoughts OF
Christmas time. still let the benignant
fipure of nv childhood stand unchang-