Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-01-01
AROUND THE CITY
by MAMIE LANCASTER.

! beautiful with the spirit OF young.
stcrs who could forget their own
| happy times in the delight of making
| n holiday for the tiny creatures of the
streets and trees. They were set in
| their respective yards and before
school closed the children supplied
neighboring trees with pieces of suet
to make sure that no bird around
should miss its Christmas feast. And
so much happiness did this generosity
give them that the children have de.
cided to make it an annual affair.
The children Of one family came to
love their big tree that they had
danced around all Christmas week, so,
instead of letting the ashman cart 1t
away, they hauled it out to their back
lot ana dressed it with chains of
bread crumbs. suet and grain. They
said they didn't want their beautiful
tree to he thrown on dirt heap with
old bones and rags and tin cans. They
wanted it 20 have Il happy death, with
the BIRDS around it.
There was another trce--a small
tree that held memories of an out
stretching cedar of the Maryla nd
NopuS II WIS uItSStu ny All OillSf
gentleman who lives in a prominent
hotel and it was gay with tinsel and
colored lights. Visitors came to see
it throughout the week, the guests
ranging from the hotels fashionable
colony to the friends Of the gentle.
mans colorcd valet. And all of them
know about the little trees beginning
about like this:
Many years ago on a Maryland
farm there was colored hand who
was getting too old to work. The
farmer kept him in small jobs around
tho garden and house, and when he
had his free times he would go into
the piney woods and preach. Out there
in the green silence he would lift his
voice and arms in prayer to his "Lawd
and Marster" the people were
so used to it that they took no notice.
knowing that the old soul was kinder
soft and queer"
One day in early Fall he began
whiting whistles and rubbing peach
stones into rings and to look over
the mornings sweepings from the
house to pick such gay junk as old
post cards. shreds of ribbon and fancy
strings. and. for one eventful time, a
toy wagon with its red handle broken
and one of its red wheels gone. And
each Of these was carefully hidden
away.
One time just before Christmas. the
farmers nephew. rich man from
Washington, went down for a bit of
hunting, and in making short cut
through the woods came across
wonder-trce, decked out in grotesaue
gayety with whistles and peachstone
rings and post cards and shreds of
fancy ribbons and string-with
chains of shelled corn looped among
the branches, and at the foot toy
wagon with red handle that was
broken and one wheel gone. The old
hand had dressed the tree for his
"Lawd and Marster." for why?
Wasn't He a little baby on Christmas
day? And don't all little chillen want
a Christmas tree?
And so 1t went on until one Christ
mas time the old hand was too far
gone into the shadows to dress his
tree. And it grieved him so that the
farmer wrote up to his rich city
nephew, sort of amused and sort of
Sorry-and the city man came down
loaded with crates of those shiny tree
ornaments and gilt and silver fringes
that make all the trees of this city
look like Christmas twins And be-
cause the old fellow was unable to
leave his bed. the farmer had n tree
cut and placed in snowy sweep out.
side OF the window. and when Christ.
mas eve came, the tree. lighted and
blazing glory, was crowded around
with singers. white and coiored. with
negro minister apd the parish priest
to tell of the old hands "I.awd and
MarSter."
That was near 10 years ago. and
never Christmas has come since
then that the rich city man doesn't
set up little tree in memory of a GER:
tain old farm hand and his love for
his good ''Lawd and Marster." He
promised. And he Is keeping his
word.