The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-12-25


early afternoon was a young girl in a
Bingham dress and without other COW
ering, who stood timidly at the counter
and asked for three dollars on a watch,
a keepsake evidently, which she was
loath to part with The pawnbroker
was doubtful; it was not worth much
She pleaded hard, while he compared
the number of the movement with a list
sent in from police headquarters.
Two" he said decisively at last
swapping the case shut-"two or moth
ing" The girl handed over the watch
with troubled sigh. He made out a
ticket and gave it her with a handful of
silver change.
Was it the sigh and her evident dis
tress, or was it the little dollar? AS she
turned to 60 he called her back
Here it's Christmas!" he said "TH
run the risk" And he added the coupon
to the little heap.
The girl looked at it and at him in
quiringly.
1T is all right" he said: "you can
take it, I'm running short of change.
Bring it back if they won't take it. I'm
good for it,
In Grand street the holiday crowds
damned every store in their eager hunt
for bargains. In one of them, at the
knit-gOOds counter, stood the girl from
the paWnshop, picking out a thick.
warm shawl. She hesitated between a
gray and a maroOn-colored one, and
held them up to the light. She chose the
gray and gave the salesgirl her hand
full Of money.
The girl gave back the coupon.
They don't 60" she said; give me
another please"
But [ haven't got another" said the
girl, looking appreheusiVely at the
shawl. "The-Mr. Feeney said it was
all right. Take it to the desk, please,
and see
The salesgirl took the bill and the
shawl, and went to the 4 SIX She came
back, almost Immediately, with the
storekeeper. 1T is all right" he said
"a little unusual only We don't see
and he attended her to the door.
In the street there was even more of
a Christmas show going ON than in the
stores. Peddlers of toys, of notices. of
candles, and of knick-knacks Of every
description stood in rows along the
curb, and We're driving a lively cart.
The lights were blazing out in the
stores, and che hucksters' torches We're
haring at the corners There was
Christmas in the very air and Christ
mas in the storekeeper's till. 1t had
'0N+A g NSA y IN1J va y Lit L4lOQ6li VI IL
with a satisfied nod as he stood a mo-
ment breathing the brisk air of the
winter day. absently lingering the cou-
pom the girl had paid for the shawl. A
thin voice at his elbow said: Merry
Christmas. Mr.. Stein Here's yer paper. .
1t was the newsboy who left the
evening papers at the door every night
The storekeeper knew him, and some
thing about the struggle they had at
home to keep the roof over their heads.
Mike was a kind of protege Of his.
Wait bit, Mike" he said, you'll
be wanting your Christmas from me.
Here's a dollar It's just like Yourself
it is small, but it is all right. You
take 1t home and have a good time"
was it the message with which it
mad been sent forth from far away in
the country or what was it? Whatever.
1t was, it was just impossible for the
little dollar to lie still in the pocket
while there was want to be relieved
mouths to be filled, or Christmas lights
to be lit. 1t just couldn't, and it
didn't
Mike stopped around the corner of
Allen street and gave three whoops
expressive of his approval of Mr.
Stein; having done which he sided IN
to the first lighted window out Of
range to examine his gift His en-
thusiasm changed to open-mouthed
astonshment as he saw the little dol
lar His jaw fell Mike was not much
OF scholar, and could not make out
the inscription on the coupon; but he
had heard of shin-ps 'sters as some
thing they had in the war" and he
took this to be some sort of a ten-cent
piece Mike went home between hope
and fear, with his doubtful prize.
There was a crowd at the door nf
the tenement, and Mike saw, before he
reached it, running, that it clustered
about an ambulance that was backed
up to the sidewalk. Just as he pushed
his way through the throng it drove
off, its changing gong scattering the
people right and left. A little Girl SAT-
weeping on the top step of the stooD.
10 her Mike turned for information
susie, what's up?" he asked, con-
fronting her with his armful Of pa
pers. Who's got hurted?"
Its papa" sobbed the girl "He
amt hurried. He's sick and he was
took that bad he had to go, an to-
morrer Christmas, an'-oh. Mike!"
1t is not the fashion of Essex street
TO slop over, Mike didn't. He just set
his mouth to a whistle and took a turn
down the hall to think. Susie was his
chum There were seven in her flats
In his only four including two that
made wages. He came back from his
trip with mind made up.
"Suse," he said, come on in. You
take this, Suse, see? an let the kids
have their Christmas. Mr.. Stein give
IL TO me. It's little one, but if it
amt all right, I'll take it back and
get one that is right. Go on, now.
SnSe' you hear?' And he was gone.
There was Christmas tree that night
in Susie's fiat, with candles and anDles
and shining gold on, but the little dol
lar did not pay for it. That rested
securely in the purse of the charity
visitor who had come that afternoon.
lust at the right time. as it proved
She had heard the story Of Mike ana
MS sacrifice, and had herself given tha
children one-dollar bill for the con
pom. They had their Christmas, and
a Joyful one too, for the lady went ia
Ine hospital and brought back word
that Susie's father would be all rigbt
with rest and care. which he was nol,.
setuhg. Mike came in and helped them
sack the tree when the lady was
gone. He gave three whoops for Mr.
stem, three for the lady and three fo1,
ne nospltal DOCTOR to even things nm
Essex street was all right that night
DO you know, professor" said that
learned mans wife, when, after sun
per ne had settled himself down in his
easy chair; do you know. heard
such story Of a little newsboy TODAY
IL was at the meeting of our district
charity committee this evening. Miss
Llnder' our visitor came right from
S I ne. house And~she told the story of
And [ just got the little dollar hin
10 Keep Here it is" She took tba
coupon out Of her purse and passed If
Eli what?' said the professor adj
Juslng his spectacles and reading fbe
If here isn't my little dollar
coming back to me! Why, where have
you, been, little one? L left you in Bed
FORD street this morning, ana here You
come by way of Essex. Well 1 de-
had received 1t in a letter in tha ,3o,,1e
in 80 W. illpA IL