The herald., 1893-12-25
TINS CHRISTMAS.
BY JOHN Law.

ASS HhhNtCo fOiC CyNo OLtt COIAGoCeL OAO .
senses.
There, in a garret, two little boys stood
with their faces pressed to pane of glass.
watching the red ball and wondering
A knock at the door made the children
draw their faces quickly away from the
window
"'Ushl'' whispered Tim to his brother.
81 guess it's school board after us.''
The knock came again. Tim went softly
to the door and pceped through the key
hole.
"It's Sallyr' he cried 'I'll unlock the
door"
II thought you wos school board" he
explained as an old woman came into the
room carrying jug. Mothers took our
boots, and Ter said if school board coined
we wosn't to let i'm in What ave you got
in that jug?"
'Wos mother drunk" inquired the Wis
itor, without needing his question.
well, 'er slept 'eavy last night"
"'Ave yer had any breakfast?"
"Nothink. Baby's cried 'isself to sleep,
and Bill and mes been lookin at the har-
vest moon, what you and me seed when we
was 'opping."
"'Ere's summat for the fire." she said,
opening her apron, which she held together
with horny hand, and showing Tim some
bits of paper and few cinders Got any
sticks9"
Now I'll be off" she said when fire
burned in the CRATE. "If any cne comes
after me, just yer say, Does yer want rags
sortedr and if the party says Yes then
yer say, Well, Sally wun't be 'ome for
bit.'"
"All right" said Tim. "When will you
be back?'
mot before |, sonny"
Saying this, the old woman left the
room, casting a glance at the fire that
CLEANED through the fog, and hasty look
at the red ball in the sky which Tim called
the harvest moon" She knew it was the
sun, but why should she confuse the minds
of the children9
After the door was shut the boys went to
the fire and crouched down on the hearth
Yellow fog filled the room, hiding the old
bed where the baby lay under dirty blan-
ket and throwing a curtain over the broken
chairs and boxes Tim held his hands up
before the burning sticks. He looked Won
drous wise in the freight. Cleans fell on
his small white face, showing his wizened
features, from which all traces of childhood
seemed to have vanished. He had been sole
DIOOcCbOf VI LIS bWO llbtl0 DlObucES LUZ buc
space of year and half-ever since his
father found home in the cemetery. His
mother drank, and when drunk she was
sometimes violent. He had seen a good
deal of life, although he was only s, for he
lived in a lodging house. Fights, murders,
suicides and deaths made epochs in his ex-
istence, and he talked of when 1 wos
young" as though the time lay far back in
his memory.
Presently the baby began to cry, and Tim
went to fetch it from the bed. He brought
it to the fire and fed it with some of the tea
which old Sally had given him for his
breakfast While he was busy with the
baby, Bill crawled to the window
"Oh, Tim," he said, ''the red ball 'as
gone out O. the sky"
II guess" said Tim, "'er's gone back to
the country"
Then Tins thoughts wandered to the
days when he had gone hopping with old
Sally, to the harvest moon and the hop
fields. He would have been perfectly happy
then if he had not ''worrited" about the
children.
when I wos young" he said aloud,
81 never Worried about nothinkp'
Just as the words were said shrill cry
came from the window.
whats the matter?" asked Tim.
"I's cut me thumb wild a bit O. glass;
sobbed Bill.
"Come to the light and let me see," said
Tim.
The little boy came bowling to the
hearth, holding out his thumb and point
ing to the blood upon it.
Whatever will dol'' exclaimed Tim.
tits lockjaw he's got, knows it."
Only the week before a man had died
from lock jaw in the room below the garret,
and Tim had heard his mother discussing
the matter with her neighbors. IF they'd
stuck his jaws open directly he cut his
thumb, he'd have pulled through" some
one had said, but all the doctors in Lon
don couldn't force his jaws open after he
got to the hospital"
Tim laid the baby on the bed, where it
lay crying as loud as it could cry, because
it was cold and famished. Then he went
back to the fireplace and found square
piece of stick.
'"Old yer mouth open," he said to Bill.
The little boy stopped crying and opened
his mouth
Tim slipped the stick between his teeth.
Now" said Tim, come along to the 'os-
pitalr
What is it9" inquired the hospital por-
ter as he passed through the gate.
"I.ockjaw, STRIP painted Tim.
Loud peals of laughter made him stare
at the doctors and students who had gath
cred round Bill
'Ain't it lockjaw9" he whispered to
nurse, who was standing by.
NO" said the woman, ''of course it
isn't"
For moment Tim could not believe his
senses. Then an awful vision foated be-
fore him, a vision of his mother. Supposing
she came home while he was away and
found the baby alone, crying? What would
happen then? 1t is but a step, they say,
from the sublime to the ridiculous, but
sometimes that step is across precipice
Tim shuddered when he heard the students
laughing at his mistake. He had meant to
save Bills life, and all he had done was to
make himself laughing stock.
Without a word he took his brothers
hand and left the hospital. Bill trotted by
his side through the foggy street, pointing
to the sticking plaster on his thumb, and
chattering about the penny he had received
from one of the medical students.
"P'raps mother amt come home"
thought Tim, ''or p'raps 'er's so drunk 'er
wun't see us!"
receiving room were pushed open by old
Sally, the rag sorter. She hurried through
them, carrying little Tim, whose head lay
against her ragged dress, while his arms
and legs dangled down and blood streaned