rick building right out in the prairie. There
was a smouldering fire in a miserable, worn-out stove which hardly
raised the temperature of the room a degree although it filled the place
with smoke. The wind had free entrance through the ill-fitting window
and door frames and a little pile of snow formed on the altar during
the service. I think there were twelve people who had braved the fury of
the storm. There was not an evergreen within a hundred miles of the
place and the only decoration was sage-brush. To wear vestments was
impossible, and I conducted the service in a buffalo overcoat and a fur
cap and gloves as I have often done. It was short and the sermon was
shorter. Mem.: If you want short sermons give your Rector a cold church
or a hot one!

After service I went to dinner at the nearest farm-house. Such a
Christmas dinner it was! There was no turkey, and they did not even have
a chicken. The menu was corn-bread, ham, and potatoes, and mighty few
potatoes at that. There were two children in the family, a girl of six
and a boy of five. They were glad enough to get the ham. Their usual
bill of fare was composed of potatoes and corn-bread, and sometimes
corn-bread alone. My wife had put up a lunch for me, fearing that I
might not be able to get anything to eat, in which there was a small
mince-pie turnover; and the children had slipped a small box of candy in
my bag as a Christmas gift. I produced the turnover which by common
consent was divided between the astonished children. Such a glistening
of eyes and smacking of small lips you never saw!

"This pie makes it seem like Christmas, after all," said the little
girl, with her mouth full.

"Yes," said the boy, ditto, "that and the ham."

"We didn't have any Christmas this year," continued the small maiden.
"Last year mother made us some potato men" (_i.e._, little animal and
semi-human figures made out of potatoes and matches with buttons for
eyes; they went into many stockings among the very poor out West then).

"But this year," interrupted the boy, "potatoes are so scarce that we
couldn't have 'em. Mother says that next year perhaps we will have some
real Christmas."

They were so brave about it that my heart went out to them. Children and
no Christmas gifts! Only the chill, bare room, the wretched, meagre
meal. I ransacked my brain. Finally something occurred to me. After
dinner I excused myself and hurried back to the church. There were two
small wicke