Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-12-26
Mrs,ahlz5
DockERTY SAYS mo-"

DockERTY SAYS "No.r
It's the Annual Loosening Up Time, He
Declares, and Must Be Perpstuated.
NEW York Tribune.l
TITS muffin but a knock from de
Yuletide Knockers Club-dat's all tits. !"
said Dockerty soberly, when he heard
that there was a movement on foot by
certain misguided people to abolish
Christmas.
Dockerty, perhaps it may be remem-
bered, Is q small and to some people in
consequential human atom, in g. blue
uniform, brass buttons and cap some
thing like an inverted cowbell. Decker
TVS lemon in this vale Of tears Is not q
large or juicy one. but when he squeezes
hard he manages to extract a little juice.
Between delivering telegraph messages
from Murray Hill station and eating
cold ''vittles" after work, he gets lot
OF experience, and 1t is Of kind to tenn
per his enthusiasm and make him Judi
cially minded.
".Twon't come { nuttin'." said Dock
erty, with the suggestion OF a frown on
his hard little face. Yer can't pull up
Chris'mus like pullin' a cork outer q
bottle an let it 60 at that. It's gotter
box fur de season, an when de season
comes 'roun' agin it'll have de same per-
petchal cinch on good people as 1t has
now. No amount O. knockin won't
make no difference.
Nov as fer me, wot wild workin' In
ell sorts Of wedder an bein' re oldes'
Dn Of er washin' lady in Secon' ave-,
moo, aih't got no time to hand out cost
ly bouquets to folks wot go to der Joi-
man opery, but all de same know sew
eral things about Chris mus.
Chris mus Is de annual loosenin' up
time, an 1t don't make much difference
how rich err how poor a man is, he loos-
ems up come at Chris mus time. Las
Chris mus eve I takes a messake to a
rich OF man up near st. Patrick's cathe-
dral, m he's holy terror to his folks.
He's got lame feet an stunmick diff
Guilty, an his folks go out an leave him
alone nights because he's OF an his eyes
Is red. Well, goes in an leaves de
message, an de oil man yells down de
stairs:
"'sen' dat kid up seq he. Up goes.
m wen I gifts in de room de OF man is
eatin' his dinner off Of a big silver plat
ter. Well, sits down in chair quite
close to de OF gent, an first he aste me
my name, an den he says:
"'Well, Dockerty. I'm lonesome an
I'VE got bad case err indigestion to-
night ses he, AN I'll be under oblerga-
tons ter you IL you'll fall to an help me
eat up dis here lunch seq he. An he
sent fur an extry knife an fork an
spoon. an he Civ me de bigges, half Of
everything. I kin still taste dem lam
chops and macaronni an cheese an
pcach tarts an coffee an figs an grapes
--gee, but 1t wuz good! Dat wuz case
o. loosenin' up fer fair. While wuz
putin 1t away he watched me, an den
he said:
"'Dockerty, dey amt nuttin' in IT.
all dis dern nonsense seq he, pointin'
TO de nobby things all around. Dock
erty, SEE he again, II yer folks don't
like yer de worl's IS no good seq he.
Here am. an OF played out OF Teller,
wild more money den know how ter
give away, an all my relations is walt
in for my shoes Dat wuz little too
deep fur me, till axed me mudder later
wot he wuz drivin' at. Help yerself to
anodder tart, Dockerty,' seq he. an
don't be askeered NV der figs. I'll hev
James git some more. Dockerty,' seq
de OIL man agin, 1T does my soul good
ter see you put away dat fodder. Wen
wuz boy like yuse had jes such q
border ruffln' appetite. I remember sew
enty year ago ternight ez we'll as ef
twas Yesterday SEE he. An den de oil
gent reached out an put his han on me
neck and smoothed me hair, an eff he
didn't cry jes' like me brudder Tim
wen he's licked. den I'm fakir. Dock
erty,' seq de oil man, tremblylike, 'jes'
seventy year ago terlight wuz up In
de Berkshires, an me two brudders an
me hung our stockin' aroun' de oil fire.
place in de kitchen. An In de mornin,'
Dockerty,' seq he, i had de nices' pres
emit in dat stockin' ever had in my life.
1t wuz pair O. redtopped boots. Dey
dey wuz tied to It, witch wuz jes' de
same. An de boots had high tops an
brass toes, SOS wen rode down hill
belly bumper on me sled'-dem wuz his
words = de brass toes on de boots
wudn't let de boots wear out so fas'.'
sed de OIL man. An. Dockerty', he sez,
do you know why loved de boots more
den anyt'n else ever he'd? 1t wuz be.
cause I foun' out dat very mex summer,
wen me mudder died, dat she had knit
ted mittens to pay fur dem boots-set up
nights by candle light to knit mittens
ter sell--all fer me, Dockerty. all fer
me- sed de OF man, cryin' agin.
well, begins ter git little bit mois-
ty myself by dat time, an de oil gent
seemed ter fergit wuz therefor he shut
his eyes, an tn tears dey jes' sneaked
out de corners of his eyes. an run down
de cutters of his wrinkled OF face. I