American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-01-04

the tree you knew. and give us the oranges
, where old Purdy was. I say. Bill, il was
"A mean dirty shame To make such a row
, there. when we was bid to party, and
: want to make the gal a present, Tor see
her CRYING, Bill. Crying COS it was such
a row." Again. | omit certain profane
, expressions which did not add any real
energy to the declaration.
''ThiS is handsome said Bill. meditat-
ingly. ''Ain'G the blue ones handsom
est.''
No" said Pat. who saw he had gained
his Iodgment, and that the carryin. his
point was now only matter of time.
The e uld ones is tie ones for me.
Wen give en- to the gal for Christmas
present. you and | and Tom Mulligan.
Bill Floyd did not ,iiss, 1T. being indeed
in the habit OF going as he was led as
were most OF the rebel rout" with whom
he had an hour ago been acting. He as
sente,i entirely 10 Pats proposal. BY
''Christmas'' both parties understood
that the present was TO be made before
18th night. not necessarily on Christmas
Day. Neither of them had penny. but
| both of them knew, perfectly well. that
| whenever they chose to get a little
money they could do so.
They soon solved their first question,
as to the cost OF the coveted slippers.
True. they knew, perfectly well, that they
| would be elected from the decent shopi;
wait, they soon discovered Della Sullivan.
a decent-loo>ing girl they knew. passin.
| By. and having made her their confident.
| so far that she was sure she was not
fooled. they sent her in to inquire. The
| girl returned to announce, to the aston
ishment of all parties, that the shoes cost
six dollars.
How cried Pat, six dollars for them
arel l bought my mothers new over
| shoes for one. But not the least did he
| bate of his deter minatiOn. and he and
| Bill Floyd went in search OF Tom Multi
| gan.
Tom was found as easily as Bill. But
it was not SO easy to enlist him. Tom
was in regular corner liquor store with
men who were sitting, smoking, drink
| ing. and telling dirty stories. Either OF
| the other boys would have been whipped at
home, if he had been known to be seen
sitting in this place, and the punishment
would have been well bestowed. But
| Tom Muligan had had nobody thrash him
for many day till John FIagg had struck
out so smartly from the shoulder. Per-
| haps. had there been some thrashing as
| discriminating as Jerry Flaherty's, it had
| been better tor Tom Muliigan. The boys
| found him easily enough. but as l said,
had some difficulty in gettiug him away.
With many assurances. however, that
they had something to tell him. and some
thing 10 show him, they lured him from
| the shadow of the comfortable stove into
| tine night.
| Pat Creiore who had more of the tact
of oratory than he knew, then boldly told
| Tom Mulligan the story OF the Christmas
| tree, as it passed after Toms election.
Tom was sour at first, but soon warmed
to the narrative, and even showed indig-
nation at the behavior of boys who had
! seemed to carry themselves less ObnoX-
ously than he did. All the boys agreed,
but that for certain others who had never
been asked 10 come, and ought to
be ashamed 10 be there with them as
they We're, there would have been no row.
They all ayr ed that on some suitable oc-
casiOn unknown to me and to this story
they would take vengeance on these Tidds
| and Sullivans. When Pat Crehore wound
IN his statement, by telling how he saw
the ladies CT ing. and all the pretty room
looking like a pig-sty, Tom Mulligan was
as loud as he was, in saying that it was
all wrong. and that nobody but black
guards would have joined in it. in partic-
ular such b!ackguards as the TiddS and
Suilivans above alluded to.
Then to Toms symp 'thiZing ear was
confided the project of the gold sho :. lis
the slippers were always called in this
honorable company. And Tom com
pletely approved. He even approved the
price. He explained to the others that it
would be mean to give to lady anything
of less price. This was exactly the sum
which recommended itself to its better
Judgment. And so the boys went home,
agreeing to meet Christmas morning as Il
Committee of Ways and Means.
TO the discussions of this committee !
need not admit you. Man, plans were
proposed. One that they should sc: We
through the holidays at certain t'f-pin
alleys. known to them. One that they
should buy off Fogarty from his newspa-
rtn tcr Rnt hn Al
III was, that Pat, the most decent in APP
pearance. should dress up in certain San
day suit he had, and offer the services of
himself and two unknown friends of his,
as extra cork-boys at Birnebaum's brew
erv. where Tom Mulligan reporie ell they
were working nights, that they mi ght fill
an extra order. is device succeeded.
Pat and his friends We're put on duty. for
trial, on the night of the Goth, and the
foreman of the corking-rOOm being salts
fled, they retained their engagements till
New Years Eve, when they were paid
three dollars each, and resigned their po-
sitiOns-
Lets buy her those Shoes said Bill.
in enthusiasm Mt their success. But this
proposal was rejected. Each of the other
boys had a private plan for an extra pres
ent to her by this time. The sacred
six dollars was folded up in a bit of straw
paper from the brewery. and the young
process they lad no chance to go through
on Christmas eve. After this, there
was really no difficulty about their going
into the shoe-shOp and none about con-
su,nmatin@ the purchase-to the utter as
constituent OF the dealer. The gold shoes
We're bought, rolled up in paper, and ready
tor delivery.
Bill FLOYD had meanwhile learned. by
inquiry at the chapel. where she lived,
though there were doubts whether any
of them knew her name. The Others re-
jected his prOpO ais that they should take
street cars, and they boldly pushed afoot
to Clinton avenue. and rang, not without
terror, at t.. door.
Terror did not diminish when black
George appeared, whose acquaintance
they had made at the tree. But tortu-
nately George did not recognize them i'll
their apparel of elegance. When they
asked for the :. lady tlIat gave the tree"
he babe them wait minute, and i'll less
than a minute Alice came running out to
meet them. 70 the boys great delight
she was not crying now.
IF you please, ma'am," said Tom,
who had been commissioned as SpOkes-
man, If YOU pi asc, !hem's cur Christ
mas presents to You, ma'am. Them's
gold shoes. And. please ma'am, we are
very sorry there was such a row at the
Christmas. ma'am. Ii was mean. ma'am
Good-by, ma am"
Alice'S eyes We're opening wider and
wider. nor ut this moment did she under
stand. Gold Shoes" and ROW 1t the
She understood there was a present. So
of course she said the Ri lit thing by acct
dent. and did the right thing, being u
lady THROUGH and through.