Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1886-04-08
river, and selects it by a sunken door.

Crouched there, he watches the peo-
pie pass the narrow opening at the
top. First, in twos and threes, laugh
ing, talking, and boisterous; then sim
gle stragglers, hurrying past each time
at longer intervals. Every minute it
grows darker as light after light is
turned out, till at last the dim street
lamps are left to burn alone.
He feels more wretched than ever
now-now that it is all so still, and
there are no people to watch; so he
tries to go to sleep. He twists and
turns, and shakes himself, and grunts,
and resolutely shuts his eyes, but the
drowsiness will not come. Indeed, he
finds himself thinking. 1t is new eX-
perience to him, and he cannot quite
make himself out. 1t is what he over
heard the two little boys saying that
still keeps worrying him. He cannot
get the idea OF Christmas parties, and
trees, and new knickerbockers out of
his head. Does every one 90 to q
party at Christmas, and have lots to
eat, and not feel cold? he wonders, as
he wriggles about with n vague, inn
practicable idea of getting his head
llluCI Ills aIiil lOl W lIllllll, tNS IL hC
agined himself some sort of u bird.
He went to a party once. He recol-
lects it now. There were ever so many
other boys thereSall ragged and dirty,
like himself, and they had bread and
butter, and tea-hot tea-so hot. 1t
makes him feel warm to think of If;
and how comfortable it made his IL
side! He wonders ii those two littl,
boys will have any tea, and il it will
be as nice as the tea he had. Then,
were ladies and gentlemen there, too,
They didn't have any tea or bread
and-butter, but they talked lot, and
some of the gentlemen, when they
talked, shut their eyes and stuck their
hands up in front ofthem, which made
him laugh, it looked so funny; and
then pretty lady came and told him
they were praying, and asking some
one, called Jesus, to help him. She
told him such n lot of rummy things
about this Jesus. She said that He
had once been little boy Just like
Chubby, only not dirty, and that He
loved little boys, although he didn't
live here now but in ever such
q Jolly nice place ever so
far away. Chubby can't remember
the name OF the place, only he knows
the lady said it was somewhere up
where the sky was, and that one day,
perhaps, he might 60 there; and he
wonders how he is to ever to get up to
it. And she said he must try and love
Him, because Jesus was very good, and
had done lot for him, and Chubby
wondered what it was And she said
this Jesus was so fond of him that if
Chubby asked Him for anything Jesus
would give it to him-that is. il it was
good. So the pretty lady told him.
Sitting there, looking up at the stars
above him, Chubby began to puzzle as
to who this Jesus is that is so fond OF
him, and what he has done to make
somebody he has never seen care or
him and ready togive him anything he
asks for.
wonder ii He really would, " thinks
Chubby, guess they've been a-codding
me-"
But the pretty lady said he would,
and Chubby thinks she could't have
told lie, she looked so beautiful.
But what is the good OF asking for
anything, if he lives all that way up.
He can never hear him. He heard
those gentlemen, though. The lady
told him they were talkingto him, and
they were Just as far off. and shut up
in a room, besides. Why shouldn't
He hear Chubby out here, with moth
ing between him and the sky.
"Wonder if He'd send me an invita-
ton to q Christmas party?" thinks
Chubby out loud to himself That's
good. There amt no harm in that.
I'll arst i'm, anyhow, and chance it.
But Chubby suddenly recoilects his
rags, and looks down at them. Some
how, little as he knows about fashion,
they don't seem quite the correct GUS
tune for a party. 1t occurs to him. too,
that he is rather dirty. He begins
to feel doubtful. Perhaps he isn't fit
to GO to n party at all. The other
little boy was going to wear new
knickerbockers, and sppposing new
knickerbockers are expected at Christ
mas partiesl II guess, though, he
knows all about it," Chubby argues;
perhaps there's parties where it don't
much matter, like the one where had
the tea.
Chubby folds his hands before him,
and, shutting his eyes, like he saw the
gentleman do, says very earnestly:
"Oh, Jesus if you please sir, send me
an invitation to Christmas party
somewhere where these yer rags won't
matter, and where they won't mind
me being dirty-like."
He opens his eyes, and feels more
cheerful, after that. He is quite GER
tain now that he will have an invita-
ton. OF that he hasn't the slightest
doubt, and he will sit there and wait
for it. He forgets that he is cold and
hungry, forgets E 214 and his bulls
eye, forgets to huddle himself up out
of the way of the wind. 1t darts I'M
derneath his tattered rags and plays
with his matted hair. But he does
not feel its icy touch. He sits there,
bolt upright, his hands clasped round
his knee, and his big eyes staring
straight before them, and seeming to
be looking at something q very long
way off.
So the night with her rustling gar
ments passes slowly on her unknown
way, and the mighty City, like rest
less child, sleeps fitfuliy, and ever
starts and cries, and sinks once more
in quiet. And Chubby still crouches
in the corner of the sunken doorway
still waits and watches for his invi-
tation.
At last it came.
Children brought it. Such host OF
children. Chubby could see them
stretching away in a never.ending
throng past where thes were shin
ing, and the dingy lane was radiant
with O great light. They all knew him.