Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1888-12-25
Christmas on Change

Down the chimney Of the great TX
change. wher. hung myriad. Of 'peculst
i've stockings. lsrg. aud small. had come
no Santa Claus. but . win,fy blas'
which ,wooped down bowling. and away
again With all !, found-yes. every stock
ing OF ,hsm-up the chimney.
Anywhere from San Francisco 10 Boa
ton. on iha, memorable snowy afternoon
the expression OF the national mssculins
coun,snapce vas iden,ieal--,he entire
country had dropped i,s jaw.
Down town In the region Of the shop.
keepers. however. sll ". going merily.
There vas no hin, Of prevailing hnan'
eisl ruin In tha, quarter.
I, W. the usual eladsoms picture o!
darling show. windows ersmmsd with
holiday bravery. and gay jos,lins ,hrOngs,
filing the sidewalks 10 the curb. block
ing up the stree, crossings, and jsmmins
the stores blsek-a merry mob Of spend
,hrihs.
And nov Il vas tesinnins TO snow.
and the softly falling A,kes len, . las,
touch Of Christmas beauty 10 the scene.
A few early s.slishu a"hed out
her. and there Ia store windows. though
II "a. scarcely three o'clock. AID oil the
gay interiors. thus se, a.t-inkle aud a.
dszfle. took on . new enehan,msni,
sparkling behind ,h. misty glass. and
CARED q, through . starry blur Of 'nO-
on the eyels,hes
The wcody booth Of Christmas
wreath. and green. =, the stree, corners.
With iu ,hicke,s Of spiky little h' trees
and II. balamie heap, OF evergreen. far
ei lov.lie., In the falling snow.
Blt lovely. too. ih., phslsns OF fair
shoppers. 'no-.espPsd . TO 'uroan',
snow. po-dsred I. 10 curly bangs, snow.
v.iled over rosy cheeks and besmins
eyes, snow .broidsr-d do-n each feather
eds. and furry hsm.-yss. and soms~hs,
snow mufii a too. though never fell snow
,hs, could mutii ou, the bli,hs, bli,he
sound Of chri.,m. Joy In merry voices
on the street.
Ia, While thu. good 81. Mex vas be-
ing paid the usual hono- in the vicinity
Of the .hopk.epsr, there -. old Nick.
himself to pay. In . nsishboring quarter.
Ia truth I, "a. no gala day on State
Street. M,n hurried here aud there,
d.r,,d up into this ofh's OF strobe mood.
lily down from ,hs, ope. With troubled
looks.
Th..e fathers. brothers. lovers, OF the
pretty .psnd,hrifts around the corner.
bad never holiday face smons them.
The house Of Jerome. Halliday * Co..
banker. and brokers. ~ore externally i,'
usual calm and p.ls,isl air.
Jerome & Halliday. al-sy' took
thing. ecolly. II. operators were .
clever. gay, bold lot. no, given to hy'-
teric..
You nigh, safely guess ,h., things
-ere fr ami. when there vas such .
door .lsmming. such al in-eomins. such
rapid walking and such lively i,ltins =,
Jerome & Halliday.
Fortune. ~.re being ,ieked away each
in.,sn, there Ia the corner At the opera
tore desk.
Tha, small electric wire. tha, single
nerve. threading Jerome & Halliday.
into the gres, national tissue, quiekened
Il, pulse With the eoan,ry's fever.
In the cosy back office the g. -s'
lighted to lend some cheer TO the van
afternoon and falling snow seen through
the windows.
The room "a. full Of Havana smoke
and w,ll.dr,..ed men, seated, standing
or loanging before the blackboard. where
Johnny. th., small. red.hsaded in.,ru.
men, Of Fate. Vas putting up quotations,
Happy Johnny No rise OF fall Of
stock. could shake HI. netve. lie would
clip you of your eishth.. your quarters,
too points. three points =, blow. with.
out . qaslm.
The paper ribbon feeding from the
ticker cared ss much ~ be whs, news II
brought.
He stood ther. Ia hi, ,hr.adbsre jack
s,. plsearding OF the fs'e Of fortunes
doing ou, di.msy to brosdelo,h breasts
and diamond shir, studs ImPlseabl'
youngs,sr
Some reflections Of this sor, had evi.
deu,ly been working In the mind o.
young Mr.. Anthony Tabor. seo~ling a
the board. with bis thumb rsmmsd into
hi, yea, pocket, for presently he said
ruefully:
Look at that kid. will you , Luck,
dog He's on, Of this. anyhow |"
There WAS = unanimous laugh upor
IL. and the objee, OF envy, himself vague
" eon,ciou. ,hs, the merriment vas q
hi. expense. looked around spprehsn
sively.
A, the same instant. however. th'
general attention Was again diverted bl
the entrance OF . handsome, hale olC
gentleman. Of gallant bearing. who came
In stamping more snow of his boots an'
shaking |, on, Of his muffin
He vas greeted with chorus Of
"M,uy Christmas. Commodore Mer
~ Christmas Come In 81, down
Merry Chris,m. !"
"Yesl" growled the Commodore, saw
sgely. making . srea, deal OF noise abou
getting settled. "Yes! A devili.h mer
~ Christina. thi, is! Halo !" be add
ed, glsneing around, "whs,'s the matte
With you. Tony' You're not lookinI
smiAble."
"Thh market IL making Tabor sick
He wi.he. he was Johnny" lsughe'
Kenyon. from the other side Of the room
always told you to keep ou, OF 'hi
Office. Tony." remarked th. commodore
lighting up in lsi'ursly manner. an
grimly regarding the blackboard ,hrougl
clouds Of iocense. "You don't koo'
how to speculate. and neither did you
father before you. Look at me, nov
never lose any money"
There vas an uproarious bant At thu
| All the afternoon the eommodorss pc
concern had been furiously bombarded
and. even while he vas speskisg. bic ey
had been nailed on Johnny st the board
Who Vas. at the instant. bu'ily knockin
the value Of that particular stock int
still smaller pieces.
Tabor laughed drily.