The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1905-12-16
Selett Stnrp.
A CHRISTMAS DECEPTION.
BY Lloyd Osborne.

The sea fog rolled in through the Gold
en- Gate, and with its coming the short
lived dusk of Christmas day melted into
the still blackness of Christmas night-a
raw, muddy, piercing night; a coughing,
nose blowing, buttoned up night, when it
was good to roast before fire and share
something hot with friend; to muse in
the sad kindly fashion we all must, if we
be old enough and fortunate enough to
have shared the common lot on the Christ
masses of long ago and the old faces now
gone forever. All San Francisco was max
ing ready for its Christmas dinner, and
countless happy children were watching
the slow clock hands as they solemn toiled
toward the hour for turkey and mince pie.
In the lowest dives, in the squallidest al
leys, in the poorhouse, in the city lockups,
even across the bay in grim San Quentin
itself, in every nook and Granny Of the
great and tumbled city, the sound of mirth
and the steam of Christmas dinner rose in
the foggy air. Thanks to its generous
citizens, to the innumerable charities, to
the Salvation Army and the newspapers
that took up the cause of the poor chill
dren, few indeed 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 coat
ed fiohters for God to whom there is little
hid in San Francisco A pinched, hollow
checked pair on the city front shivered
miserably on the brink Of the dock, per-
haps on the brink of another world, listen
ing with dreadful intentness and minds
half made up to the ebbing black water
below. The dismal light showed to each
that he was not alone and that his COM
panion was regarding him with suspicious,
furtive glances. At last one of them spoke,
a tall, thin man in ragged working clothes
worn to the last thread, his neck tied up
in an old handkerchief.
Say" he said, edging up to the other
with menacing air, II guess you've nc
call to stay here, my boy. Why don't you
make tracks, why don't you go and gobble
turkey like respectable citizen instead of
loafing around here to the annoyance of
the poor and lowly? Mayn't miserable,
starving devil have as much as the pleas
ure of his own company Christmas night
1 -empted this place, he continued,
pressing up little closer, land I'll just
trouble YOU to move off of it.
The other drew back, shrunken, spec
tacled creature in the battered black Of
a bookkeeper or merchants clerk in dis
tress.
"Go away" he said, with mir.hless
laugh. eyes, l shall go away. I shall
not trouble you for long. | am sure Ibee
a thousand pardons if have caused you
inconvenience, but the fact is should
have already done it if I hadn't taken you
for a night watchman. And he made
a gesture toward the water.
"Great Scottp' cried the other 'Was
you a-going to do that? Why, look there
That's my road, too, mister, and | took il
that you were standing me off.
"We will go together, said the man
in spectacles, peering over the dock and
hearkening to the dull ripple of the watel
below. ''It's hard lot to die hungry,
let alone it being Christmas night, Of al
days in the year. Wish could see the