Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1915-12-19

II knew very little about the Christmas chimes, they had heard of the service in the church on Christmas eve and had Q 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 to 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 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 ill the wall that surrounded it, when they saw ! something dark on the snow near the
 path, and stepped aside to look at it. It was poor woman who had fallen
 just outside of the city, too sick and
 tired and cold to get ill 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, land
 you will not see the Christmas festi-
 val?"
 Mo- said Pedro, and he could not
 help 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. I am sure the Christ child must know how l
 would love to come and worship him, and, oh, if you get chance, little brother, slip up to the altar without
 getting in anyones 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-
 CT 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 nren and women marched up to
 lay down their gifts to the Christ
 child. Some brought wonderful jew els, some baskets of gold so heavy that they could scarcely carry them
 down the aisle. A great writer laid
 down book that he had been mak- ing for years, and last of all walked the king of the country, hoping to
 win for himself the chimes of the Christmas bells.
 There was great murmur through the church as the people saw the king take from his head the royal crown. all set with diamonds and other pre- cious stones, and laid it gleaming on the altar as his offering to the Holy child Surely" said every one, I've shall
 hear the bells now, for nothing like this has ever been offered before"
 And they all stood still to listen, but
 only the cold, cold wind was heard in the stone tower; and the people shook
 their heads, some of them saying as they had done before, that they really
 never believed the story of the chimes,
 anyway.
 The procession was over, and the
 gifts were all on the altar, the choir
 had begun the closing hymn.
 Suddenly the organist stopped play. ing, and every one looked at the min
 ister, who was standing in his place holding up his hand for silence. Not a sOund cOuld hn heard from anyone