Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1904-12-23
A Christmas
Deception
By LLOYD OSBOURNE
cegyrishi. tse5. BY Lloyd 0sbssrss
THE sea fog rolled In through the
Golden Gate, and with its COM
II ing the short lived dusk of
By LLOYD OSBOURNE
cosyrisht. ises. BY Lloyd 0sbssrss


Golden Gate, and with its COM
II ing the short lived dusk of
Christmas day melted into the
chill blackness of Christmas night
"a raw. muddy, piercing night: a
coughing, nose blowing. buttoned up
night. when II WAS good to roast
before fire and share something
hot with friend; to muse In the
sad, kindly fashion we all must, IL we
be old enough and fortunate enough to
have shared the common lot on the
Christmases of long ago and the old
faces now gone forever All San Fran
cisco was making ready for its Christ
mas dinner. and countless happy chill
dren were watching the slow clock
hands as they solemnly toiled toward
the hour for turkey and mince pie. In
the lowest dives, in the squalidest al
leys, in the poorhouse. in the city lock
ups, even across the bay in grim San
ny OF the great and tumblel city. the
sound Of mirth and the steam of Christ
mas dinner rose in the foggy air.
Thanks to its generous citizens, TO its
iDnumerable charities, to the Salvation
Army and the newspapers that took up
the cause of the poor children, few in
deed would go hungry to bed that
night.
But there were two at least-two so
proud so backward, so shrinking from
the very notion Of charity, that none
had called them to the feast, not even
those red coated fighters for God to
whom there is little hid in San Fran
cisco. A pinched. hollow checked pair
on the city front shivered miserably
on the brink of the dock, perhaps on
the brink of another world listening
with dreadful intentness and minds
half made up to the ebbing black wa
ter below. The dismal light showed to
each that he was not alone and that
his companion was regarding him with
suspicious, furtive glances. At last one
of them spoke, tall, thin man in rag
ged working clothes worn to the last
thread, his neck tied up in an old hand
kerchlef.
Say" he said, edging up to the other
with menacing air. Il guess you've
no call to stay here, my boy. Why
don't you make tracks, why don't
you go and gobble turkey like re.
spectacle citizen instead of loaf1ng
around here to the annoyance Of the
poor and lowly? Mayn't a miserable.
starving devil have as much as the
pleasure of his own company Christ
mas night? l pre-empted this place" "
he continued, pressing up little
closer "and I'll just trouble you to
move off of it."
The other drew back, a shrunken,
spectacled creature in the battered
black of bookkeeper or merchants
clerk in distress.
go away" he said, with mirthless
laugh. Eyes, shall go away. l shall
not trouble you for long. | am sure |
beg thousand pardons II have caus
ed you inconvenience, but the fact is I
should have already done it If hadn't
taken you for a night watchman."
And he made gesture toward the wa
ter.
Great Scottw cried the other. "Was
you a-going to do that? Why, look
a-here! That's my road. too, mister,
and l took 1t that you were standing
me off,"
I'VE will go together" said the man
in spectacles. peering over the dock and
hearkenlng to the dull ripple of the wa