for holiday trimming amounts to little more than a
weeding out of superfluous growth. Many of the greens sold in the New
York market come from New Jersey. Schooners bring them from all along
the coast, freight-cars come loaded with the beauty of the inland hills,
and huge market carts trundle their precious burden from the near-lying
forests and damp meadows. Although it is prohibited by law to cut young
trees from the barrens along the coast, as the growth of pines keeps the
sand from drifting, many small coasting vessels drop into the bays and
inlets around Sandy Hook and other parts of the Jersey shore a little
before Christmas-time, and send their crews ashore by night to secure a
cargo to bring to New York.

It would be interesting to follow this woodland treasure after its
arrival in the great city; but one thing is certain--wherever it is,
even if it be only a sprig in the hand of a sick child, faces are
brighter, hearts are happier, and the sweet words, "Merry Christmas,"
have a deeper significance.

CHRISTMAS PUZZLE.

[Illustration]

The answer to this puzzle will form an appropriate motto for the card in
the centre. This is the way to work it out: First find the names of the
articles around the card, and write them all down in a row with the
numbers below them. For example, one of the words is "EYE." Put it down
thus:

E Y E
10 3 11

and all the rest in the same way. Each name will have just as many
letters as there are figures, else you may know your guess is wrong, and
you will have to try again. After you have made out all the pictures and
written down the names, you will have thirty-nine letters. Out of these
thirty-nine letters you are to make the eleven words that form the
inscription. To do this, write on another sheet the numbers

1 2 3 4 5 6

7 8 9 10 11

widely apart, so as to leave room for all the words to be written under
them. Then place each letter where it belongs under these numbers. Take
the word "EYE." E is numbered 10, then put E under the figure 10; Y is
numbered 3, put Y under 3; E is numbered 11, put E under 11. When you
have placed all the letters, arrange those under each figure so as to
make a word. The whole will be the inscription for the card.

[Illustration]

A CHRISTMAS STORY.

BY MRS. W. J. HAYS,
AUTHOR OF "THE PRINCESS IDLEWAYS."

"Now, Teddie, be a good boy, there's a darling, and, little Clover,
don't tease Daisy. P