Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-12-24

proper person, unless you are willing to
live as she livesY
MARRY her? Whya Because she Is
the most beautiful woman on earth to-day
and has my heart"
'No, she has not. You don't love her
enough to give her even sweet breath.
Bah! | can do this with the fumes from
your shapely mouth, even now"
And quicker than | can say it, the
Thing, whoever it might be, struck a
match on the bronze shield of st. George
the mantel ornament on which he sat
astride that minute-and set fire to my
respirstiOns. My breath burned with
sickly blue flame, suggestive of a place |
had read about in school exercises in
Dante.
''Put it out! Fire! Quench It'll" l
screamed, spinning my cnair back across
the room.
Exactly. Suppose you put 1t out your
SELF" Knocked the Thing.
The blue flame flickered out of itself
and sat with drops of ice on my fore
head as far away from the mantcl as l
could drive the chair with both heels in
the carpet,
snow be manly" calmly continued the
creature. Il have suggested an eXpen-
sive gift. Say here and now that you will
give it to sweet Mary Parker. Pm your
friend, l mean good to you both, eh?'
Then he began to fan himself with two
prismatic WINS.
[ looked hard at the imp who was
curIed up there on the bronze of the
mantels. lie was surely quzZing me
now; n fine sneer was discernible on his
old, ebony face. | was sure he thought /
could not do it. He wound his snake-lIke
legs about the figure OF st. George and the
dragon, and dropping his mead began to
finger his chin.
Cant afford it, my boy. Haven't got
riches Of honor and love enough to knock
of drinking to please the girl you love.
Ha. hal"
"But, you wizard, she has never asked
it,"
"No? Don't be so sure. / have just
read it in her eyes,"
limp! She's in Boston,"
''From whence / nave just come. See
here. young man, have just danced on
the tips of the flames that glow in the
CRATE before her tiny slippers. She
is thinking you over. She is dreaming of
you. HI, ho! Out on the smoke / came,
up chimney and on the winLry wind to
you.
| can live in the flame. can live in the lood
But love the soft June and The calm OF deep
wood.
l emerge on this frosty air
AT connvanCe of this maiden fair
That /"
"YOu wretch! Spare me! Anything
but the annual infiictiO of hoilday po-
etryl"
Whereupon without further solicita-
ton this creature of my dreams broke off
two rays from the lamplight that fell over
my shoulder, hammered them into pinions
on his hard little knees and flew out into
the night.
dare say you are Interested to know
how this affair terminated. Well, wnen
L awoke l found the cold gray light of
winter at the morning windows. | got OFF
to Boston as soon as | could and resolved
to go to work on that present. Ihad only
four weeks to begin it, but now these five
years the coming Christmas | have been
working on it. This truthful narrative OF
an actual fact in human life have con-
seDted to give to my friend for a Christ
mas story. know that truth is stranger
than fiction and harder 10 be believed.
| All right. Do as you please. But only
| yesterday afternoon, up here ut our coun-
try place on the Hudson, whittier Mary
| and take the two children for Thanks.
| giving and Christmas, as we came in
from rou country ride, all glowing IN
health, Mary stood haltiug by the horse
block a minute, clutching her habit 50
pretJily, and said:
"DO you remember that it is Just five
years ago to-day since we were en-.
| gaged?"
"What makes you remember that
day?" l asked. "Most married couples
| forget it and recall only the wedding
! date"