Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1872-01-07
THREE OF A TRADE.
BY THE LATE FITz-JAMEs o'BRIEN

The city was muffied in snow. 1t was
night, and the tinkling of innumerable
| sleigh-bells made the frosty air musical.
| The last draught of poison had been
drained over the counter at the groceries.
| The last victim had staggered home to
his trembling wife.
! In the bleak shelter afforded by the pro-
| jecting wooden awning of one of the COR
ner groceries in Greenwich Street, two
! little figures embracing each other were
| visible in the dim glimmer of the night.
Presently mystic music seemed to fall
| from the arched skies upon the city. 1t
was the chimes of old Trinity ringing the
| Old Year out and the New Year in. The
| thrilling notes of the changes following
each other in measured flow, vibrated
! through the air like music made by the
feet Of marching angels. The wild melO-
! diOus clangor tiOated over the great city.
Tip, listen to the bells" said one Of the
two children, that were huddled beneath
| the grocery awning, 'listen. 1t is time
| for Kriss Kringle to Gomez
| Tips cold little lips opened, and nothing
| issued therefrOm but a low, plaintive "I'm
| hungry, Binnie."
so am I, - said Binnie with sort of
| far-Off cheeriness, as if his heart was at a
| considerable distance, and could cOmmu-
| nicate only very family. "But let us wait.
| Perhaps Kriss Kringle will bring us some
thing nice. What would you like most,
Tip?"
"Cofiee and cakes wouldn't be bad, - said
| Tip, hesitatingly.
''Or a plate of roast beef rare, with pO-
| tatoes and peach pie" suggested Binnie,
| lust such as mother used to give us on
| Sunday. Poor motheru'
What are we going to do tomorrow
| Binnie, to get some money!"
"ShOvel snow off the stoops,n answered
! BiGnie, resOlutely. "We'l 90 into Union
Square early, and ask all around at the
houses whether they want the sidewalk
cleared. Some Of 'em are sure to give us q
| quarter; we might make fifty cents, and
then wouldn't we have q time"
"When we were living in the country
with mother what fun we used to have on
New Years, said poor little Tip, creeping
up closer to Binnie, with a shiveT.
ooh golly! yes. What good mother
she was to us, and what things we used to
find in the old stockings that she gave us
to hang up! Kriss Kringle don't come to
us any more now that she's dead. | won
der if he really used to come down the
chimney, Tip, or if it was only make-be-
lieve."
81 don't know said Tip. 81 watched
ever so many nights, but somehow [ al
ways fell asleep just before he came, and
| then the things got into the stocking. [
used to dream, though, that [ saw him. A
little man with a red coat all covered with
gold lace, and long feather in his cap,
| and little sword by his side. And he
used to smile at me and say, Tip, will you
be good boy if L put something into the
stocking for youY and then | used to
promise; and when [ had promised [
used to hear music sounding all through
the house. great deal finer than the mu-
sic we heard when we went to the circus,
Binnie; and then Kris Kringle would take
off his hat to me, and make Jump, and
go clean up the chimney out of sight, like
a red cricket. All how cold it is Binnie,
and how hungry l am. Tell us q story"
The wind rose in the north, and came
down upon the city with savage howl.
The heavy snOw-fialles fled before him
into every angle and nook, like terrified
white birds trying to hide themselves from
some Vast-Winged, screaming falcon. They
thrust themselves into the crevices of the
windows, and between the Stats of the WIN
dow-blinds; they got under the sills of the
doors. They left the centre Of the streets,
and flew madly into the cutters; they
huddled themselves into the dark corner
where Tip and Binnie were covering, ran
up the legs of their ragged trOWsers and
slid down between their frail shirt-collars
and their cold little necks. 1t was a fierce
biting, scratching wind of prey, and poor
Bnnie and Tip felt his talOns digging into
their flesh.
Just as the pair of Migrants had drawn
closer together, and Binnie was trying to
stop his teeth-which began to chatter
from biting in tive the thread of the story
that the patient little fellow was about to
tell his brother, they heard faint cry,
hot n Irl,ict1o
sounding close to them. Looking out into
the dim twilight they beheld a dwartish
figure standing on the sidewalk, moaning
and waving its arms. 1t seemed to be a
little man about two feet high, clad i'll
red coat, covered with gold lace, and wear
ing little cap, in which was stuck a long
feather, that was bent nearly horizontal by
the wind. A tiny sword, about the length
of lead pencil, dangled at his side.
80 Binnie! y whispered Tip, tits Kris
Kringle come again. l know him. He
used to look exactly like that in my dream.
| amt afraid him. Are you ?"
Not a Bit" answered Binnie. HE |
looks nice little chap. l hope he has
brought us something
tBinnie. think he's cold; let us ask |
him to come and lie down with us and |
warm HIMSELF said Tip. "YOu know, i'll |
all the fairy books, if you treat a fairy |
well, he's sure to give you three wishes
Whatever Binnie may have thought of
the suggestion he braced his chattering |
teeth as well as he could and said,-
"Kriss Kringle, will you come and lie |
down with us, and we will warm youW
The little relocated man made no reply |
to this hospitable invitation, but danced, |
and shiyered, and moaned, and dotted his
tiny cap many times in succession.
Come, Kriss Kringle," continued Bin |
ME, reckoning to the dwarf, "come in out |
of the snow"
maybe he he don't speak English, |
Binnie," suggested the imaginative Tip.
Binnie began to consider the case with |
in himself, when suddenly the little man
made swift leap and landed right in
Tip'slap.
"Why, Binnien' cried Tip, 'Its not
Kriss Kringle after all, it's only a mon
key !"
Sure enough, it was poor, shivering, !