The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1915-12-10

from the church who said that his
mother mad spoken OF hearing them
when she was a little girl, and he was
the only one who could say as much
as that. They were Christmas chimes,
you remember, and were not meant to
be played by men or on common oc-
casions.
On Christmas eve all OF the people
In the city brought their offerings to
the church to offer to the Christ child,
and when the greatest and best Offer
ing was laid on the altar, there would
come sounding through the music of
the choir the voices of the Christmas
chimes far up in the tower. Some
said the wind rang them and others
that they were so high angels would
set them swinging. But for many long
years, as was said before, they had
never been heard. The minister said
that people had been growing less
careful of their gifts for the Christ
child, or gave them rather TO make a
display for their own honor than for
love of him, so that no Offering was
brought good enough to deserve the
music OF the chimes. Still, every
Christmas eve, the rich people of the
city crowded to the altar, each one
trying to give some better gift than
anyone else, and the church was filled
with those who thought that perhaps
the wonderful bells would ring again.
But, although the music was sweet
and the offerings were plenty, only
the roar OF the wind could be heard
far up in the old stone tower.
Now, a number of miles from the
city, in a little village where nothing
could be seen Of the great church,
save glimpses Of the tower when the
weather was fine, lived a boy named
Pedro and his little brother They
knew very little about the Christmas
chimes, they had heard of the service
in the church on Christmas eve and
had a secret plan that they had often
talked over when by themselves for
going to the beautiful celebration.
Nobody can guess, Little Brother"
Pedro would say, "all the fine things
there are 10 see and hear in the
church, and l have even heard it said
that the Christ child himself some
times comes down to bless the meet
ing. What if we could see him?"
The day before Christmas it was
bitterly cold and few lonesome snow
flakes were flying in the air and
there was a hard white crust on the
ground.
Sure enough, Pedro and Little
Brother were able to slip quietly away
early in the afternoon on their way
to the celebration; and although the
walking was hard in the frosty air,
before nightfall they had trudged so
far, hand in hand, that they saw the
lights of the big city just ahead of
them Indeed they were about to en-
ter one of the great gates in the wall
that surrounded it, when they saw
something dark on the snow near the
path, and stepped aside to look at it.
1t was a poor woman who had fallen
just outside OF the city, too sick and
tired and cold to get in where she
might have found shelter. The snow
made a soft pillow for her and she
would soon be so sound asleep in the
winter air that no one could ever
awaken her again. All this Pedro saw
in a moment, and he knelt down be-
side her and tried to rouse her. He
turned her face toward him, so that
he could rub some snow on it, but he
soon sighed and said:
Its no use, Little Brother, you will
have to go on alone"
"Alone?" cried Little Brother, and
you will not see the Christmas festi-
val?"
No. said Pedro, and he could not
help a little choking sound Of disap-
pointment in his throat "See this
poor woman, she will freeze to death
if nobody cares for her. You can
bring someone to help her when you
come back, and | can keep her alive.
You can easily find your way to the
church, and you must see and hear
everything twice, little brother, once
for you and once for me. l am sure
the Christ child must know how l
would love to come and worship him,
and, oh, if you get a chance, little
brother, slip up to the altar without
getting in anyone's way, and take
this little silver piece of mine and lay
it down for my offering when no one
is looking. Don't forget the place
where you left me, and hurry, now, so
you won't be late"
He winked hard to keep back the
tears as he heard the crunching foot
steps of little brother sounding farther
and farther away in the darkness.
It was also hard to lose the music
and the splendor of the celebration
that he had planned so long, to lose
the chance of offering his silver piece
that he had saved for the offering to
the Christ child, and to spend the
time instead in the lonesome snow
outside the dreary walls. But it neV-
er occurred to him to leave the poor
woman in the freezing cold.
The great church was truly won
derful place that night. Every one
said that it had never looked so bright
and beautiful before. When the or
gan played and the thousands of peo-
pie sang the hymns, the walls shook
with the sound, and little Pedro, out
side the walls of the city, felt the
earth tremble all around him AT
last came the procession to bear the
offerings to the altar, when great and
rich men and women marched up to
- an Al ID, oif+s IN tho Christ