The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1918-12-19

Green martyrs to His praise.
SoaWafd they lift their branches
Godward they send their perfume
FROM every hne-wrouSht limb.
IN inan-inade church or forest
Alike incense to Him.
TO little trees OF Christmas,
leach me the Truths, you know s
Teach me to and His Temps
In woods and stars and .
Ieach me through turning 8odwRrd
From fear to find release,
And steadfasf. with sweet worship
To greet thu, Child Of Peace.
By Theodore Bates Cogswel.
streets and the store windows gay in
Christmas garh stiI :ed the boy. In
great eles f.z would pluck the feathers
from h i niolner's shawl az she was
IN 8 homo with him IN her arms
as.'i sind them fleeting high into the
air.
'.e1ither. DEAR" he confided to his
sscthcr one night as they were
tering Limerick court, Its thinkin' I
anil niver be crying agin."
Mrs. Murphy smiled and maze no
manner that made him wonder.
Christmas week proved a busy n
at the Murphy tenement. Each OF the
three rooms must be made sweet and
clean for the gay day hat was com
ing. and Goosie's clothes nMst be
washed and mended and neatly pressed
and 1t must all be done after a long
days work among the feathers. Goo
sic lent his small strength and a world
of encouragement
Its not KNOWN I was, mither
dear" he explained. In the midst Of the
preparations, "how the dirt gifts into
the corners"
When the days that remained before
the day Of all days to Goosie could
be counted o N the fingers OF one
hand. the child was nearly beside him
self with joy. When his mother was
carrying him to and fro from the nur-
sery, his feet and hands beat fast time,
so that she could scarcely keep him In
the folds Of the shawl.
The day before Christmas Mrs.
Murphy and her son were up before
daylight. There vas work tosbe done
which Mrs. Murphy wished to finish
Goosie. The little fellow was very
laxative and kept plying his mother
with questions.
made the Christmas?" remarked
Goosie.
Its the birthday of the Blissid Vir-
gins SON. explained Mrs. Murphy. as
she poured the water from the kettle
int his tub.
His as is In the pictures?" asked
Gooste.
THE very same responded the
mother.
fGoosie %pondered. The real meaning
or the day was not clear to him, and
he intended to ask further questions
when his mother. who was ready to
hang out the clothes, asked him to
open the door.
The Murphy tenement was on the
top floor Of a three-story block. The
back door opened onto the roof of a
two story building which adjoined the
one in front. A large clothes reel on
the roof OF this building was available
for drying purposes. Goosie opened
the door and his mother stepped out
with her basket OF clothes. The boy
followed.
It was a cold day, and he wind came
in heavy gusts, which caught the
dampened clothes and snapped them
out like whipcor6s. The swapping
clothes, the bare roof ard the biting
win contrasted harshly with the
warmth and coziness Of he little
kitchen. Goosie shivered and chung
to his mothers skirts.
"Mither, dear" he demanded anx-
iously, " it's tomorrow the Christmas
is, and it's a-holdin' me in your arms
yer'll Beg"
Mrs. Murphy had two clothespins in
her mouth and her hands were full Of
} clothes. With one hand she reached
for the pins. One Of them fell to the
-ocs orI rc11ad noar tina niPp Tha
wind was Juggling at her skirts and
snatching at the garments in her hands.
Mrs. Murphy heard the boys question,
but all her life the demands Of business
and the pressure of hard work had re-
ceived her attention first.
BE LOVELY, swatic. and fetch mither
the clothespins.' she urged.
Goosie loosened his grasp on her
skirts and stepped gingerly oward the
errart pin. There was an anxious look
upon his face. The joy of 9 whole day
with his mother nearby to caress him,
was good fortune hat might prove as
elusive as the feathers he had chased so
many times, and he wished to hear
again from his mothers lips that to-
morrow was really and truly the-day
Of all days.
Suddenly there vas an omipous howl
among the chimney pots, and a great
gust Of wind came tearing across the
waste of root. There was a dull, rip
' ping sound and a huge piece of the tile
!; parted at the roof orner hung for an
instant, and pushed Town into the
areaway in Limerick court.
2 Goosie had heard the howl of the
wind, and had stopped near the edge of
the roof, trembling with apprehension.
l When the crash came, terror over
spread the boys face. He turned and
held out appealing hands to his moth
cr. An instant more and the great,
! sweeping wind struck him. He tot
tered, clutched the air and fell over
e the edge with a sharp cry. The little
body struck the pavement below with
p q thu6