Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-20
CHRISTMAS IDYLL

The man bent YEARLY over his desk.
/ shading his eyes with his left hand. and
| scratching idly on the blotting pad with
| the pen in his right
He looked worried and care-worn
Only two more days. he sighed. gianc-
| ing at the calendar, "and then
| He gazed out of the window duly at the
! slowly falling snow. Then he suddenly got
/ up from his desk-chair and began to stride
4 up and down the Office running his hands
through his hair In sort of frenzy.
| How shall break it to the poor. faith
full gtri?' he muttered holloway. "A better
wife no man ever had, and now, after all
1 Of these years. all of the cheerful, happy
| Chrtstmases-now--
| He gave groan as he dropped into his
| chair again.
his married life, and he tried to remember
some circum stance connected with each
Christmas that he and his wife had passed
| together.
And now he murmured again. He
picked up his pen and endeavored to con-
| centrate his mind upon the pile OF work
| heaped up before him. trying to force back
| the flood of memories that poured in upon
| his mind. But work he could not.
II there were any way
The words beat upon his brain with all of
1 the power and persistence of a steam ham,
| mer.
| He donned his hat and great coat and
| strobe out of the office. But trudging
| through the snow-covered streets In the
/ biting air oriy aroused his faculties to a
| fuller appreciation of the hopelessness Of
4 the situation.
| 1T cannot be done-absolutely cannot"
! he muttered to himself as he went along.
! Notwithstanding pedestrians, their arms
| as they passed along. but he never looked
/ up from the path OF snow which he pur-
| sued, nor seemed to notice their wondering
4 glances.
| II dare not tell her-it will break her
| hearth the man exclaimed in q muff1ed
| tone. Then he observed that huge police
| man standing on corner was watching
| him narrowly. and he fastened his steps
| Perhaps" he said to himself half aloud,
| as he wendell his way toward his Office. ut
would be better for me to write to the poor
| girl and thus prepare her for the blow.
could never stand before her and brutally
| tell her without In some way preparing
| her.
When he reached his Office he sat down
| at his desk and tried to compose his mind
| In order to write the letter to his wife. For
| a full half hour he sat with his head buried
| On his breast, in deep thought. Then he
reused himself and, picking up the pen,
began sss
| ing you this letter, and sending 1t to you by
| messenger, because 1 have something to
| say to you that I simply cannot. dare not.
boy " yOu Ia SpOhSn WOEOS i COulQ never
stand that. You yourself know how l
shrink from wounding you. You will do me
| the justice to admit that during all Of these
happy years of our married life I have
| never wantonly or cruelty
Something that was almost sob shook
the frame Of the strong man as he laid the
pen down.
NO." he murmured when he had partly
| recovered himself, that would not do.
| Such preliminary words would fill her
! mind with awful apprehensions. and the
reality Is bad enough, heaven knows.
Maybe it would be better for me to see one
| OF her brothers. and tell him all. and let
| him go to her and break the force OF the
| blow. That is what I shall do
| Once more he donned his hat and great
| coat. He was still buttoning the great
| coat about him when the office boy pushed
| open the swinging Office doors and an
| nounced:
Mr.. Giglamperino. sir"
Show him In" the man was barely able
| to gasp, and then he tottered back into his
| chair, his face gradually assuming an ex-
preston of amazement. mingled with ex-
| pectancy.
| stout, oily, smiling man entered the Of
| fee. The man in the office chair was at
! the oily mans side in two bounds and
! grasped him by the shoulders.
WELL" he shouted, hoarsely into the ear
| OF the individual who had been announced
| as Mr.. Giglamperino.
| We'll, SIR replied the oily man, with a
slow smile. Il guess it's all right"
| An expression of almost speeches., idiotic
| happiness appeared upon the countenance
| Of the man, who but moment before, had
been bending over his desk the picture Of
gloom.
''Do you mean" he contrived to circulate,
| that you have got them7"
II do" replied the oily man. pulling long
morocco leather case from his pocket.
| Heaven bless you, mani excitedly ex-
| claimed the now cheerful,looking man, ex-
| citedly wringing the oily mans hand. "Yoh
| do not know-you can never know-what
you have saved me from"
| well, I'm glad of that, SIR respectfully
replied the oily Individual I'm sure I've
| worked hard to fill your order. And had
| but little hope, can assure you, until quite
| recently, that I should be able to I'LL It in
| time for this coming Christmas. But, with
| out saying anything about 1t to you, l
| cabled orders, about two months ago, to my
agent in Ceylon to put every unemployed
| diver on the island at work. He immediate
| ly got together force Of 248 unemployed
| force-and here, sir, is the result-they
! found the three matching pearls necessary
| to complete the chain. and here it isr'
The oily man touched spring on the
| side Of the morocco leather case and the
| lid flew up, revealing magnificent rope of
| 375 perfectly matched pearls.
'My boy" frantically exclaimed the multi
| millionaire, jumping from his seat and once
more wringing the paw Of Mr.. Giglampe-
| rino, you're all right! My wife was count
| ing on those pearls for a sure thing this
| Christmas and I'm a-telling you that
| wouldn't have dared to even show up at
| home on Christmas day without them.
| think our arrangement, when I gave you
| this order, that the rope should cost
375.000-a thousand for each pearl, Ell?
Well there's nothing ungrateful about me,
and when a man does me a favor in the
way you have done I want to reward him
for 1t. I'll just make 1t even $500, Co., +"
and the multi-millionaire scrubbed a check
for that amount and handed it to the dealer
in gems.
Then, in his elation, he wired to the presi-
going to make the institution a Christmas
present of 81 OOo, 900.
And SO there was merry Christmas, after
all, in the multi-millionaire's little 237- room
home.
PLENTY OF SUFFERING.