e longest that ever
I can. And you'll
hang it by mine,
dear mother, right
here in the corner,
so! And leave a
letter to Santa, and
fasten it on to the
toe. * * * Write--this
is the baby's stocking,
that hangs in the corner
here. You never have
seen her, Santa, for
she only came this
year. But she's
just the blessed'st
baby. And now
before you go,
just cram her
stocking with
goodies, from
the top clean
down to
the
toe!

FATALLY BURNT IN CHRISTMAS COSTUMES.

The Christmastide of 1885-6 was marred by two fatal accidents which
again illustrate the danger of dressing for entertainments in
highly-inflammable materials. In the first case a London lady, on
Boxing Night, was entertaining some friends, and appeared herself in
the costume of _Winter_. She was dressed in a white robe of thin
fabric, and stood under a canopy from which fell pieces of cotton wool
to represent snowflakes, and in their descent one of them caught light
at the candelabra, and fell at deceased's feet. In trying to put it
out with her foot her dress caught fire, and she was immediately
enveloped in flames. So inflammable was the material that, although
prompt assistance was rendered, she was so severely burnt as to become
unconscious. A medical man was sent for, and everything possible was
done for her; but she sank gradually, and died from exhaustion. The
second of these tragical incidents plunged a Paris family in deep
sorrow. The parents, who lived in a beautiful detached house in the
Rue de la Bienfaisance, had arranged that their children and some
youthful cousins were to play before a party of friends on New Year's
Night on the stage of a little theatre which had just been added to
their house. The play was to represent the decrepit old year going out
and the new one coming in. The eldest daughter, a charming girl of
fourteen, was to be the good genius of 1886, and to be dressed in a
loose transparent robe. On the appointed evening, after the company
had assembled, she donned her stage costume and ran into her mother's
bedroom to see how it became her. While looking at herself in a mirror
on the toilette table her loose sleeve came in contact with the flame
of a candle and blazed up. She scream