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yffgfl zt ChristmasChef Mrs. Botsford sprang to her feet, her face suddenly radiant. "The very thing!" she cried. "He can do the art work and your cook the plain dishes. A chef will be so—so -chic, and you know Miss Lenox has been used to everything. He—a chef is he, isn't he, John?" "Why, yes, I suppose so. That has a a been my impression, though I don't suppose there is any law about a girl filling the position. The manager .in this case only stated that a chef could be had for two days." "Well, ifs a man. of course jv'ow, iburry to the telephone, please,, before *CVW r^TCWk-rt«WfVT»JM COPVniOHt »V UNBEKVyOOU •*UNDtR**OQD "DAVIS TTtACy. [Copyright, 1907, by C. N. Lurie.] IID you get one, John?' Mrs. Botsford spoke eager ly, almost hysterically. "Yes I sent her round to the kitchen entrance." "Can she cook?" "She Is neat and very nice looking," Mr. Botsford temporized defensively. "She says she can do every kind of housework from up garret to down cel lar." "But can she cook—fancy dishes, I mean?" "She says that she had quite a repu tation at home for plain, wholesome cooking, and she is willing to learn. I told her what you wanted." Mrs. Botsford dropped upon a stool, ilier eyes filling "Oh, John." she ejaculated, "it's 11 o'clock now. and Cousin Edward's fian cee is coming* at 3 o'clock to stay until iSaturday, and she and Edward and ifiome of her people will be here for Christmas dinner tomorrow, and yon know I have never seen the girl or any of Ihein. We must have things nicp. The girl's woi'th a clear million in lie1' own right. Oh. John, why need our cook get sick at such tirne and"— Mrs. Botsford was becoming incoher ent, but John nodded eomprehendingly. •'But what else could I do? There's a corner on servants, especially cooks. at this season. The only suggestion of one besides Sarah was a ten dollar a day chef who commences on a regular job Monday. Of course you don't want a chef for two days." 1 She waited until her husband re turned from the telephone, nodding. "Says the chef will be up at 1 o'clock sharp, Julia. Now I'll go downtown and order the Christmas trimmings and things." At 1 o'clock sharp a cab rolled up to the door, and a girl alighted. Mr* Botsford's countenance fell a little but rose as the girl opened the gate and went toward the side entrance. II was the chef, though but a girl, and "NOW YOCJ MAY LEAVE ME IN CHAKGE." the fact of her coming in a cab and be ing well dressed was significant of Sift a day. Mrs Botsford did not wait for the-! second girl to answer the bell, but hur-1 rled to the side entrance. The occa sion was too momentous for ceremony. As she threw open the door the girl was bending over a fine clump of late chrysanthemums that were smiling daringly into the very teeth of winter Mrs. Botsford's heart warmed toward her instant^. A girl who could bend over flowers with that look was not an ordinary workman, but an artist. As the girl smiled, nodded and came for ward Mrs. Botsford almost caught her in her arms. 1 "Oh. my dear," she cried, without giving the chef an opportunity to speak, "you don't know how glad I am I to see you! I will take you right into the kitchen,- and Sarah will show you where everything is. I shall not make a suggestion, for I see you are perfect ly capable. Only do make it just as— as comprehensive as you can. Miss Lenox is accustomed to everything, and—and I want to make her like me Bo much and to please Edward." She had been hurrying the chef through the hall to the kitchen. -At the door, to her surprise, the chef pressed a light kiss upon her forehead. "If you are as nice to Miss Lenox as Jron are to me," she smiled, "I think nhe will like you. Now you may leave me in charge. I will do the best 1 can." Mrs. Botsford returned to the draw ing room, rubbing^ her forehead thoughtfully. Ht ~HlJJ'? 1 ^"What's the matter, Julia," her hus band asked—"another headache?" "N-no," doubtfully "that's where the chef kissed me. I never had a girl kiss me as soon before. But I don't care if only she diffuses her artist soul through the cooking. She has an art ist soul, John. I saw it in her eyes." At 3 o'clock she was again at the window, but there was no carriage in^ffi light. Two minutes later the tele- {Shone rang. She went to the tele phone VT Ml "Wha that you say? Can't come? Why, that's too bad. But you will be here tomorrow, of course? What? Will send note? Yes. Well, come as early as you can." An hour later the •ote came. Mrs. Botsford read It with a perplexed face, then passed it to her husband. "I didn't know she spelled her name that way, John," she said, "though of course we never saw It spelled out. I'm af*aid she's not so well educated as we thought. And of course a lover's opinion isn't always reliable. Poor Edward!" LC^ Mr. Botsford nodded vaguely and opened the note, which read: Dear.Mr. and Mrs. Botsford—Sorry 1 cannot come according to agreement Imperative summons elsewhere. "Will see you tomorrow. Faithfully, etc., M. LBHKNOCKS. "Rather abrupt for good form, isn't It?" queried Mr. Botsford. "The name might masquerade almost any nation ality that's foreign, but never mind, Julia. We must be as nice to her as we can for Edward's sake." At 9 o'clock that night after the palms and mistletoe and holly had I been arranged Sarah suddenly burst upon them with face full of consterna tion. "The chef!" she gasped. "She's gone —left entirely! I was at the range, watchin' the turkey, an' she come in with her hat on an' said that every I thing was ready, so I could attend to it now, an' she left this note for ye." "But why did she go?" gasped Mrs 1 Botsford. "I "She said everything was all ready," Sarah repeated stolidly, "an' that I could attend to it now. There," as a clear car tinkle sounded outside: "that's her car startin' now. She said she wanted to catch the 9 o'clock." Mrs. Botsford opened the note with trembling fingers. As she read she frowned, looked mortified, laughed and finally passed the note to her hus band, with shining eyes. "She's all right," was her only comment. /The note read: Dear Mrs. Botsford—You really must forgive me. I had an errand downtown and so called at your house an hour earlier than I intended, thinking that I would stop there awhile, and then per haps you and I would do the errand to gether. A sight of your lovely chrysan themums drew me straight through the gate to the side entrance. Then you opened the door, and some way we drifted into the kitchen before I quite realised what I was doing. Then your straits and a remembrance of former triumphs conspired to do the rest. I really do love cooking and have taken a lot of courses In special things. I think I have excelled myself this time and believe you will be satisfied with the result. Sarah and the second girl can manage the rest very nicely. I shall do my errand now and will stay with my aunt at the Marl borough tonight. It will be more con venient. You may expect us quite early tomorrow morning. Lovingly, MARGUERITE LENOX. In the Kitchen. Miss Ella (the cook)—Go 'long, now, Mistah Johnsing! How dare yo' kiss man ruby lips? Mr. Johnson—Fo' de Lawd, Miss Tacksing. Ah jess couldn' ersist claim In' de privilege when Ah seen dat mis tletoe. Miss Ella—What mistletoe yo' all talkin' 'bout? Mr. Johnson—Wy, dat hangfn' f'oni 3e shelf right 'bove yo' beautiful haid. Miss Ella—Huh! Dat's nothin' but a bunch o" spinach! For the Present. "I ani very glad to learn," said the pirl friend who had come to spend the Christmas holidays with her. "that yon are on good terms with Mr. Smiley for th» present." "Yes,"' replied Miss Smirkey, "just Tor the present, you know The gifts had all been given, The holidays were past, T?y And, dozing in his armchair, With his eat upon his knees, The good saint smoked his honest pipe And took his honest ease. *:?*f But something roused him quickly.* He started from his seat. A soldier bold, a maiden fair, Were kneeling at his feet. "St. Nicholas," the maiden cried, "Behold my fearful plight! These wounds have been inflicted Since that dreadful, dreadful night When you left me in the stocking Of a being I dare not name." She paused. The soldier raised voice And said: "I blush with shame To stand before your saintship In the dress you now behold, But the way I have been treated Makes my very blood run cold. I've been nursed and kissed and died cod I've been rocked and sung to sleep A. SOLDIER BOIiD, A MAIDEN FAIR, WEBB KNEELING AT HIS FEET. Oh, were I not a soldier still I'd almost like to weep." "Ah," mused the good St. Nicholas, "I think I understand," And he smiled a merry little smile And coughed behind his hand. •"Twas on that busy Chrislmas eve, When all was in a whirl, This doll was given to a boy, This soldier to a girl." And then aloud he gravely said: "I grieve to see your pain, n*«t if you'll stay with me a year All shall be well again. Next Chriczmas eve, try children, When you arc well znd strong, I will put yo,. in the stockings Where you really do belong." "*l vonder v.here r.y soldier is!" Cried gent'e little Moll, And Baby, gazing round him, sobbed, "Where is my baby doll?" But, though they hunted high and And searched both far and near, The maiden and the soldier bold Were seer, ro rrora thr.t ytzr. FWtiM low The Mistletoe 'By 'RO'BE'RTXrs LOVE. [Copyright, 1807, by Robertus Love HE N you step under the sprig of mistletoe hanging from the chandelier to get your Christmas kiss you may not' be particularly interested in the gen-1 esis of the peculiar little vegetable, growth which Cupid seems to have ap propriated for his own. Nevertheless the process of mistletoe production and reproduction is highly interesting. In some parts of England, where, most of the mistletoe of Christmas BEKK1ES CRUSHED ON A BKANCH. time comes from, the gardeners prop agate the parasite artificially Mistle toe, as is well knoTivn, is of the para sitic kind, taking its sustenance not from the ground, but from a tree. The apple tree seems to be its favorite, though the hawthorn, the lime and the poplar frequently carrj- the parasite. The scientific inoculation of trees with the mistletoe growth is practiced with excellent results in the north of England. The gardener takes between his thumb and forefinger one of the little berries of the mistletoe, crushes it so that its sticky juice oozes out and sticks it upon the surface of a branch of the tree. Usually he select5* a young branch, on which the bark is soft and easily penetrable. If an older branch I be chosen, the bark is slightly scraped on the surface. The berry is mashed flat against the bark. The seed which it contains is thus held in place by its own gum. j, Late April or May is the proper sea son for inoculating The seed soon sends through the bark a little -'feeler" yr root, and a small twig, bending in toward the branch of the tree, appears. SWEIZXB BBAXCH AKD TWIG. Aftvr a ecwi&iderable period this twig, which looks like a small fishhook •tricking in the tree from the top of the hook, falls off. The uninitiated thinks it is all over, but the experi enced gardener knows better. He knows that after a time the branch will begin to swell at the point of in oculation, gradually rising to a little peak at the place been. This tip gets green^and^sl a bud pushes up, and in a few an unmistakable twig of mistl visible, with a stem and a Ion two. After this the mistletoe come: ly into its kingdom and tak sion. The close observer wil little swellings and peaks aflon branch, the thin roots of the^J toe having traveled under sprout up in fresh places travels along until sometimes tree is in its possession, fin of the Christmas hanger grow dantly. When once the mistletoe tafe^s session of a fruit tree the effect the fruit is quite noticeable. TlU tletoe takes its nourishment f: tree to whieh it clings. That soil in which its roots live and Naturally this reduces the amorn.. substance which formerly went the fruit. If the captive be an a tree, the apples become smal scraggly. The mistletoe has away their sweetness and plumpnef Man grows by what he feeds on. does mistletoe. And as the pofck fl**"* man visits the penalty of death the pig so does the penalty of ing and souring fall upon I whose progenitor feeds the spt* parasite. Nature is full of wo and the growth of mistletoe the most wonderful when studied. Cram* Mistletoe erows naturall of England and Scotland, gated by birds. In some ern counties of Scotland no Is found. This is believed to the absence Qf the mistl this name is exceedingly*^** mistletoe berry. After the bird flies to another tree.' cleanly, it uses the buanch -of^, upon which it alights for $ wiping its sticky biUvther'jjfc ciuentlv a mistletoe &] posited and glued to tl the reproductive prpcej urallyf^ r-J An official fnquiry mistletoe is still to be 1 trees, as in Druiflieal d& the discovery of severe rounty of England bea s*ite. But modern misii to le Cupidical rather 3 When the mistletoe and the mister, get in the p" ^|the result .rhymes with, ||Jv "Well. Willy," said tJo IjjBometimes talked slang* ou had a hot time ohjQ id?S| sh'd say- I did, Santy Claus filled fflv^ that they fell down hj^l an' ketehed on fire, gether up tne-seB^fts'thC found paw $tere iryin'lg thing, an' I igot $rf?$ul burned so 1 na t' sta^^ un' then paw Heked, wje so early *m ii nx I -J