Perth Amboy evening news., 1905-12-21
Leppy's
Christmas Carol
Bu MYRTLE KooN CHERRYNAN
''God rest We. merry gentlemen.
Let nothing you dismay."

wv A&1N ~
Let nothing you dismay."
c|ETT was the voice of Lep-
n |. |. !. |. ! !. !. !: :. ! |. ! !: !: ]: !: !. !. !. !. !. ! !. /. !. !; !. !. /: ! !. /.
WIM py Sanders, errand boy
IA for Hardman & Son,
AN who was practicing a
K< carol for the choirboys'
INwxMN Christmas festival at
-W st. Luke's. Leppy had
~NN% the sweetest of voices,
NNM the most restless of
w bodies, and the most
@N freckled of faces. The
N~ first had won him a
N@ place in St. Luke's
vested choir; the Sec
ond had kept him from learning his
carol until he was in danger of being
discharged by the long-suffering choir
master; and the third had won him
the name of Leppy, which is the d.
minutive of Leopard" and was given
him by his friends because of the spots
which he could not change-those en-
during freckles.
AS he opened the door of Hardman
& Sons Office, and sang, God Rest Ye,
Merry Gentlemen" the sense of humor
which sometimes accompanies freckles
brought a whimsical look to his face,
for the idea of calling Hardman & Son
merry gentlemen" was distinctly in
congruous.
Hardman was rubbing his eyes and
saying to himself: ITO be blind
blind! To be shut in darkness, and
ones life work not half done. l shall
never get the courage to see an &C.
ulist and hear that doom pronounced"
Son. at his desk, was looking fixedly
out of the window, and saying to him.
self: ITO bs dishonored! To have got
ten the firrs's affairs into such a mud
die that there's no clear way out I'M
less l throw myself on fathers mer-
cy, and l shall never get the courage
to tell him"
"Let nothing you dismay," sang
Leppy, stumbling on, boy fashion,
toward the rear Office.
Hardman suddenly looked up, and
with unusual interest in his voice,
said:
Come back here, Leppy. Can you
sing the whole of that?"
Don know if l can, Mr.. Hardman,
but I'm tryin' to get it, cause il l
don't have it straight by tonight. I'll
be discharged from the choir. It's the
last rehearsal, you see. l don't want
to get bounced, because l get a quar-
ter a week, and that helps out"
WELL, I'll give you a quarter now,
if you'll sing it through for me.
used to sing that thing myself when
was a kid, and"
Hardman had stopped speaking, and
seemed to have forgotten all about
Leppy, who hardly knew what to do,
until Son nodded to him, and said
kindly:
"Sing 1t, Lep, if you can"
Then Leppy began, and-marvel OF
marvels-he sang it perfectly from be-
ginning to end. What would the choir
master have said if he could have
heard it? Leppy was much impressed
with his achievement, and when he
stopped, his look of mingled pride and
establishment would have been funny,
if there had been anybody to see it.
Hardman partially reused himself
and handed the boy a silver dollar,
then turned back to his desk without
a word.
"Shall-shall I get it changed, Mr.,
Hardman?"
There was no answer from Hardman
and Son, coming once more to the
rescue, said:
mo. L%eppy-it's all right. Run
along
'Gee!' exclaimed the boy. And then
without thinking to say thank you,'
so appalled, was he by this sudden af.
ffuence-he went out of the Office, and
soon his silvery tones could be heard
echoing down the wide hall:
'God rest We, merry gentlemen,
Let nothing you dismay.''
Son rose suddenly from his chair
and laid his hand on Hardman's Shout
der. Father" he said, II have some
thing to tell you"
Son." said Hardman, unsteadily but
bravely, Il have something to tel
YOU"
1t doesn't matter who began first
or how much each one hesitated and
looked out OF the window to hide the
embarrassment of d mans confidence
to a man. At last, both stories were
told, somehow, and when Hardmar
and Son started out to lunch together
they looked several degrees more like
merry gentlemen" than they had two
hours before.
Hardman was saying: Wei
straighten that out in a weeks time
Son. You did right to tell me now
And in the meantime"
I'm the meantime, dad, well see thai
oculist together, and l know your
sight can be saved.
And SO 1t was-not only the physical
sight, but that finer sense which
makes us see the struggles of those
we love, and understand and helr
them. AT that moment there was
only the hope of this in Hardman's
eyes, but that was enough to make
E tho WOrld o1raadv hrfObtor - -