The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1898-12-23

were SO near
81 can't take you TO see it," he said il
a low voice to the little son. "Thepe-
there wouldn't be time"
He was ashamed of the subterfuge as b.
looked into Tony's innocent eyes, Blu
Tony was only half attending after all.
"And Santa CLAUSE he said. "Will h
come down the chimney to give M
things, as he did you when you were Lit
tie boy?"
Really, Tony, we must look after you
English. Chimney, indeed You know
better than thatP'
ut don't matter said Tony fearlessly
"Will he come down ir-that's what
wants to know"
"Not down attic chimneys. I'm afraid,
said the father, with sigh
"Oh-h, but In at the door maybe Per
haps his sack would be too heavy for the
chimney He'll come all the way VI
the stairs, bump, bump, bumpity- bump
won't hes And 1 shall stop awake ant
hear him.
Better not" said Guy rather sadly
Santa Claus has forgotten us this year
mamie. He comes only to rich people.
That's shame" said Tony eve
aren't rich people, are we daddyp"
Certainly not" answered the your
man, thinking of the guinea weas rol
he was accustomed TO receive on 5rs ~ al /.
day Not precisely rich Tony, but not
paupcrs-yet
The bitter accent in his voice was caused
by vivid remembrance of some words
that the angry old father had once address
ed to him. "You need not darken my
door again, sir. and when you and your
wife are paupers don It think that you will
get money out of mel" The word pau
pers" always recalled the bitterness of that
moment to his mind.
whats paupers?'' said Tony. Then in
an distracted tone, II suppose Santa Claus
always came to the big house where you
MvedP"
I suppose he did
And does he come still?'
IF there were any children there, dare
say he would.
"Oh" said Tony, with very solemn
face. Then he said no more, but sat mo-
tionless, looking thoughtfully at the op-
posite wall, while his father rose from the
bed and began to busy himself about vari
Gus household matters, which might have
seemed to an observer almost pathetic
when done by the clumsy fingers of man
Not that Guys fingers were clumsy; they
had all the delicacy of the born musician
and the gentleness of a woman, and IL
came quite naturally to him to build up
the fire, hang Tony's flannel nightgown
the child and finally make and drink cup
of strong tea before he went back to the
orchestra.
"Good night, Tony Go to bed soon,
there's good boyl Shall unfasten your
clothesp''
"No, thank you, daddy I'ze not a
baby" said Tony, with dignity. And
Guy went away laughing at this manifes-
tation of infantile pride. He had little
enough to laugh at, and it was good
thing for him that Tony's smiles and
frowns and baby wiles as well as the
child's innate genius for music kept his
heart from growing hard. The amused
light was still in his eyes when he reached
the theater, but it would soon have died
away had he known what Tony was doing
while he was gone.
cts dreat pity" Tony soliloquized
as he ate his bread and milk when his ia
TIERS steps had died away-'it's a dreat
pity that Santa Claus does not come to
poor little boys as well as rich ones.
s'pose he'll never think Of coming here,
but If l lived in the house where daddy
used to live he'd come, because daddy said
If there were any children there-oh, I