Arizona republican., 1891-12-20
A LIVELY OLD PAIR.

Harders tlnt, Esq, lawyer, sat alone in his bachelors den in big easy chair his feet incased in a pair of dilapidateG old slippers, resting on the fender, hi: hands thrust half way into his trousers pockets and his head bent forward until his chin rested on his breast. On the table beside him lay couple of newspa. pers and a yellow covered law book, open at the page he had been consulting.
 Lawyer Flint was deep in perplexing thought, to judge by the expression of his face, for his brow was clouded and his lips compressed, and occasionally he turned his head toward the open volume as if inclined to seek further aid from it, but with slight shake of the head relapsed again into his former attitude.
 He had sat thus for long time when there was knock at the door.
 Come in," said the lawyer. without looking up.
 A servant girl entered, handed him a note and withdrew
 Lawyer Flint opened the note, read it, utteriug an exclamation of impatience, arose and paced up and down the room.
 "So ROlingold cant meet me tomor- TOW because it's Christmas" he nut tered, as he stalked across the floor; lev cry day is important in this matter and yet he the one most interested, delays proceedings twenty-four hours simply be- cause it happens to be Christmas. Gad! ] cant see how business man like Rol- iugold can be so foolish. We'll" he con rnued, ".aJ him take his holiday and enl0yit if Inc can; couldn't. It's many and many a long day siuce Christmas mter!erel with my business"
 He returned to his chair, but the train Of his thought had been interrupted and his face now wore cynical, hard look ashe g3z,i into the cracking fire. Once, long ago, h,s Christmas days had been bright, too but their brightness was ob- scurei by more vivid recollections of other Christmas times in later years, when ambition and disappointment and poverty and greed had steeled his heart and left uOToOm for Christmas thoughts Oh, the years that he had worked and starved and hourded to reach his present condition of comfortable independence! As he looked back upon them now his hps closed tighter and the bitterness deepened in his face.
 From distant part of the house came the sound of music, and the laughter of children, and the hum of conversation. But ihe lawyer remained motionless with his head upon his breast.
 Rat-tat, rat-tat, rattle-tattle, rattle tattIe, rut-tat, rattle-tattle, rat tat-tat.
 What was thatI It seemed to come rom the closet at the other side of the room. The lawyer went over and opened the closet door; there wal nothing to be seen except a lot of old law books piled upon the shelves and pair of heavy old boots on the floor.
 That noise must have come from be- low stairs, after all, he said, but it seemed to be right in the room; sounded just like some one dancing on a bare floor"
 "l was just thinking of Uncle Tom," he continued, and there are the boots the old man left here when he got his new ones at the close of his visit, a month ago. must tell Joe to take them away
 lie went over to the chair and sat down again. Uncle Tom," he said to himself Bah! hope he enjoyed his visit here. didn't I'd go crazy with mat blundering old man around me, IuaSng Inc and skipping me on the pack, trying to get little fun out of We' as he said, with that everlasting, good uatured laugh of his. Christmas |" soon be here,' he said, as he was leav- WS, n hope you'll brace up, Harders, ana enjoy yourself, I'd show you how to uolt If l could stay with you Well, l wonder now what he'd do to show me now to enjoy Christmas" said the law yer as he settled down in his chair.
 Again the sounds of laughter and con 'eIsation came faintly from below. The 'Gilns struck up a lively air and
 hattie-te-tat-te, rattle-te- tat-te, rat-te- "ltie-te-rattle-te-tat!
 The lawyer looked quickly toward the ''Oset, the door of which he had left oPeh' He rubbed his eyes and looked "Saiu. Yes, there could be no mistake aOout 1t, there were Uncle Toms boots s.Seppihg about on the closet floor, rat Hng off the time with heel and toe, I%lNng across and back, right boot first, ,git ,gIt boot first, up with the right, up r''u Ihe left, and, as the music grew tD'ler, up with both, crack! crack! the loelo came together twice in the air, ,.auu4ng on the floor in exact time with ~e music. and finishing up with a live