The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-12-18
and high salaried officers home from

and high salaried officers home from
the wholesale district.
Suddenly the chimes of Grace church
sounded in one grand outbursting peal
Of Christmas carol of melody. Reddy
halted in the midst of double shuttle
which had been keeping his blood half
moving; with his head showed partly
down into his ragged collar and one foot
poised where it had stopped in the
shuttle he looked at Corbutt.
Corbutt looked at Reddy.
Some unusual emotion was occupying
Corbutt's quick-witted mind. His
black eyes We're rapidly opening and
closing, and, as Reddy afterward eX-
pressed the sight, 'de bone in is troat
wuz goin' up an down like de walkin'
beam NV ferry boat" The fact is,
Corbutt's tough little heart was rebell-
ing over all the evidence and show of
the coming Christmas Day; he never
was inside a happy home, but his gamin
perception told him of the many con-
tented hearts that night and all the
gamin in him arose against his own
inability to enjoy the event. After
looking Reddy over from head to foot,
Corbutt said:
"Reddy, did yez ever ave Crismus?"
The heavy intellect of Reddy and his
lack of comprehension prevented his
answering such a momentous question
offhand, so Corbutt specialized:
"Aw, did yez ever dance round a
green tree all covered wild tings--de
tree mean-an' pick toys off de tree,
an stuff yerself full Nv candy, an eat
puddin an sing tunes, an jump round
de tree a singin' all de time, an have a
clean face, an"
This last was too much for Reddy.
Say, Corbutt, now on de level wat
yer givin' us; hev yer got cramps agin,
Or"
The reply was a smart slap across
Reddy's round face which sent him in a
heap upon the icy sidewalk and against
the side of the corner building. He
made no effort to arise but sat with his
back against the wall while Corbutt
enlightened him on Christmastide and
gave him an occasional kick to empha-
size some important sentence.
Got cramps hev /? Wat am glvin
yer? Don't yer know wat It's to fill
yer dirty, blubberin face wild candy an
puddin', an wear nice cloes, an smell
good, an be warm? Now, see ere, yei
sniv'lin chump, we're goln ter ave @
Crismus. See! l don't know how were
goin' ter get it-but We'll get it. Seer
Corbutt made the conclusion of his
speech more forcible by placing his toe
on some portion of Reddy's lower anat
omy, taking hold of his collar and pull
ing him to his feet.
Two hours later Corbutt and Redd!
We're locked in Jefferson Market po
lice cell. They had made raid upon {
Sixth avenue fruit stand and when ar
rested after a chase of two blocks wer
relieved of u large quantity of nuts
oranges, candy, raisins and divers othe
holiday goodies.
After being placed in the cell Redd.
threw himself on his face and for sew
eral minutes shook the bunk with sob
and groans. Under ordinary clrcum
stances his companion would have give
, him an admonitory cuff upon the ca
and kick to bring him to a philo
sophical consideration Of the situation
: but Corbutt himself was engaged in
; retrospectlon of the act which ha,
J caused their arrest and for the momen
{ paid no heed to Reddy's sniveling.
Corbutt was mortified. He, the leade
J of hundred successful raids, ha,
failed; what would the other fellow
think of him, he thought. The confine
+ ment didn't worry him, but the dis
, grace of being caught by a "peeler
, was quite too much. Soon after mid
} night he gave Reddy's big hulk