The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1899-12-23

ssSay," observed MicKey gloom
lily. s.tings in dis world is kind OF
vat tell. anyway. ami it9 Only q,
Chris@us deys little more so.
Dat's straight. It's all right fer de
rich folks to give Chrismus ier-glad
hand an der merry ha-ha, bu,
where does der poor come into der
gamer Der limits too high an
dey's froze out. Hully gee, but it's
der time dat makes dose Of us dat
amt bloated millionaires feel like
we got lef' at de pos in der race,
an warn't in it. Say, you knows
dem signs dey hangs up in der
cheap John stores whut says: 'Ef
you wants anything youse don't see,
ask fer it?" I'm thinkin' dat Chris
mus ought to be branded 'ef youse
sees any ting youse don't want, ask
fer IT Say have youse been down
on Canal street? Derr's der velvet
push running over each odder goin'
pies, an cakes, an turkeys an
goodies-an' dere's der poor VIM
min an der kids, widout der price
of a face feed in der pocket an der
nearest dey'n get to Chrismus will
be to look in at it tro' winder, wild
a cop to hustle 'em on quick. Say,
one time, in der alley where l lived,
dere wuz a man, an his wife, an a
Ii Aot haI in
up under der roof. We warn't
none of us Rockinfellers, but dey
wuz der. poorest Of der lot. Der
lnan wuz sickly, dying wild con-
get no steady job-jess days
scrubbin' here, an a DAYS scrubbin'
tlere, an 1 guess mos of der time
dcre stomachs must have taught
used to cry wild der cold and hunger
you know how-jess a whimper-
ing sort of cry dat made you feel
like youse wuz chokIn'. an often in
der night, l would hear der man
tellin' him stories to try to make
him ferget dat he wuz cold an
hungry. Der felly-he had been a
gentleman oncet-he told der kid
deers, an all dat pipe dream, an
bout how when Chrismus come he
would come down der chimney an
leave der kid drums. an toys, an
>E'tinu
Say, der kid, he wuz little an he
didn't know any better, an he took
it all fer der truth. He didn't know
dat poor folks amt got nothin' to
do wild Santa Claus an Chrsmus,
an he go round talkin' bout il all
der time. Say l said to der felly,
'youse givin' der kid der wrong
steer. l been livin' in der alley
since 1 wuz a little kid meself, an
dcy amt no Chrismus come to il yet
It's playin' it low down on him, be-
cause he is little, to take him in any
con game Leave be- said der
man, slet him enjoy his folly while
he kin. He'll find out soon enough
for himself Well, jess before
Chrismus comes, der kid gets sick.
Der fever goes to his head, an he's
looney an he talks all der time bout
Santa Claus, an whut he's goin' to
bring him. Der woman is ont at
work all day, an der man sets by
der kid, who don't never stop talk
ing bout Santa Claus an Chr;smus. !
Chrismus eve I'se out late wild me |
poipers, but when / comes in der |
felly asks me to stay wild der kid,
WI lie he goes out, an after awhile
he comes back hiding something
under his ragged coat an brea thin
hard like he had been running, an
he went over an laid some toys on
'fer bed by der kid, jess as police
man dat had follered him, says: Il
arres: you fer stealin.' Hush, watt
says der man, fer der kid, whut had
been lynn still, opened his eyes an
saw der shining toys, ar tried to
reach out his hands fer 'em. Der
man put little woody horse on his
breast, an der kid kind of smiled,
an said: SIS it Chrismus, an did
u