The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-12-22
WHILE SHEPHERDS
WATCHED.
CHRISTMAS STORY, BY ADELlNE SERGEANT.
Copyright, 1895, BY The Author.

let MIN know that his son ana grandson
wore so near.
II can't take you To SEQ IL, I" he said In
low voice to the little son. There
there wouldn't be time"
Ho was ashamed of the subterfuge as he
looked into Tony's innocent eyes but
Tony was only half attending after all.
"And Santa Claus" no said. "Will ho
come down the chimney to give me
things, AS he did you when you were a .it-
tic boys"
Really, Tony, we must look after your
English. Chimney, indeedl You know
better than thatr'
at don't matter" said Tony fearlessly
"Will he come down it-that's what
wants to knowf"
Not down attic chimneys. I'm afraid
said the father, with sigh.
"Oh-h, but in at the door maybol Per-
haps his sack would be- too heavy for the
chimney. He'll come all tho way up
tho stairs bump. bump, bumpity-bump,
won't he? And / shall stop awake and
hear him."
Better not" said Guy rather sadly
Santa Claus has forgotten us this year
mamie Ho comes only to rich people"
That's shame" said Tony. 1--WE
aren't rich people, are we, daddy"
Certainly not" answered the young
man. thinking of the guinea a week which
he was accustomed TO receive on treasury
day Not precisely rich, Tony, but not
paupers-yet
4 T..
by vivid remembrance of some words
that tho angry old father had once address.
ed to him "You need not darken my
door again, sir. and when you and your
wife arc paupers don't think that you will
get money out Of mel" The word pau.
pers' always recalled the bitterness of that
moment to his mind.
Whats pauperss" said Tony Then in
an abstracted tone, II suppose Santa Claus
always came to the big house whore you
lived?"
II suppose he did.
"And does he come stills"
"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 OPP
posite wall, while his father rose from tho
bed and began ~ busy himself about yari
Gus household matters, which might have
seemed to an observer almost pathetic
when done by the clumsy fingers of man.
Not that Guys fingers wero clumsy; they
had all the delicacy of the born musician
and the gentleness Of a woman, and it
came quite naturally to him to build up
the fire, hang Tony's flannel nightgown
before it, warm some bread and milk for
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 boy Shall unfasten your
clothesg"
mo thank you, daddy I'ze not a
baby" said 1$ny, with dignity. And
Guy went away laughing at this manifes-
tation of infantle 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 wassstill 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.
"It's dreat pity" Tony soliloquized
| as he ate his bread and milk when his fa-
| ther's steps had died away-"it's droat
| pity that Santa Claus does not como to
poor little boys as we'll 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
! II there were any children there-oh,