Middletown transcript., 1893-12-23

time came they all st0lo OUT intO Cue
night, glad to escape from presence
SO chilling. The effervescent Office boy
with all the exileration Of youth, called
/ out, "Merry Christmas, Mr.. Slade. "
but received only blunt "Get out you
young rascal, )" for his pains.
'I'll discharge that boy the first of
the year and I'll cut down the salaries
10 per cent. My people must be over
paid to be able to indulge in Christmas
presents and tomfoolery." He had
never raised the shade once, but when
he turned out his light glimmer from
the other window told him the little
typewrighter was still at work. 81
suppose that holly is withered by this
time. Such waste of money" and
he hurried away to the place that he
called home, more and more disgusted
with humanity in general and the little
typewriter in particular.
Christmas morning broke cold and
gray. When Mr.. Slade awoke he re-
membered that the grumpy housekeeper
had gone off to spend the day with
some distant relatives of her husbands
first wife and he must look out for him
self at some near by restaurant.
stEven she hasn't the sense she was
born with,n he growled, as he turned
on the water for his bath, " but must
go gallivanting out into the country to
eat a bit of turkey and mess of raisins
and meat just because happened to be
Christmas.
Out on the street he was confronted
by groups of children carrying palpa-
bly, new toys and dolls, families going
TO dine with gandma and grandpa aud
young men and Daidens carrying new
canes and umbrellas. Just when he
was about to turn iuto the first res
turant in order to escape the irritating
happiness of the passers-by a voice at
his side interrupted "Mister don't you
want ticket for free dinner, its only
for poor folks, and you look so hungry
and unhappy, l know my mamma won't
care, - and pretty little girl thrust
into his hand a bit of pasteboard and
vanished before he could over the aston
ishment that such proceeding excited.
Looking down at the card he read;
MERRY CHRISTMAS.
Annual dinner to the needy and distri-
button Of gifts to poor children.
ARTEsIAN HALL.
Please present ticket. Dec. 25. / o'clock.
His first impulse was to tear 1t up.
Then the ins inct of economy came TO
the fore and he determined TO use it.
"Why souldn't be invited out to d in
ner as we'll as all the othersPA restaur-
dinner would cost at least dollar and
a penny saved is equal to two earned" /"
AT O'Clock he found himself the
center of struggling, pushing mass
of Juvenile humanity endeavoring to
get into the hall, from which the odor
of freshly-roasted turkey was already
issuing. If he could have escaped he
would, for at the last moment sn atom
of self-respect had crowded to the fore
and he realized what a mean thing he
was doing in thus usurping he place
of some hungry person who could not
buy even loaf of bread with which to
celebrate the day. Once in tie hall he
was bewildered by the babble of
tongues and the atmosphere Of happi-
ness that perYaded the throng. Sunken
cheeks appeared to rouud cut as the
goodies disappeared, and wan faces
frightened under the Influence of
cheerful words and kindly altentson.
He had never been in the midst of so
much joy before, and somehow he felt
meaner and meaner every minute.
No one had paid any particular atten-
tion to him, as his shabby clothes made
him appear as onlya genteel needy one,
but when once the children when all
seated young girl with a bunch of
holly berries in her belt spied him and
coming up to him said in gentle, wom-
anly fashion:
:.Let me get youa place. The others
are so busy they must have over look
ed you."
The berries first attracted him, and
then his eyes Travelled swiftly to the
smooth brown head and demure face
that he knew SO well.
"She here" he thought. "Why,
even on holiday she works instead of
running about like the rest.'
I may seem curious, miss" he said
as she settled him before dish heaped
high with Christmas good things, "but
who gives all these-us poor people?"
He corrected himself as he noticed her
look Of inquiry. "Who gives them this
dinner and the pIesents?"
..Ohl lot of charitable ladies club
together and get their friends to help
them. 1 can't help with money be-
cause work for my living myself, and
am not very well off, but I help wait
on the tables and it make me 50 happy
to see what little it takes to bring a
| ray of sunshine to those little folks
that wouldn't have any Christmas at
all il they don't get it in this way
aTimes are hard, y he felt constrained
to say, as the honest eyes looked into
his. Eyes, that'sso, but they wonldn't
be SO hard If everybody would just try
and help everybody else just wee BIZ. y