Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1905-12-14
Leppy's
Christmas Carol
81 MYRTLE KooN CHERRYNAN
GOD rest ". merry gentlemen.
Let nothing you dIsmay."

Let nothing you dismay"
! !. !. |: ! !. !
| z-TT was the voice Of Lep
| MM n py Sanders, errand DO,
IA for Hardman q Son
T%AN who was practicing 9
fWW carol for the choirboys
I1wm14I Christmas festival al
I st. Luke's. Leppy had
S1I2ZHNv1k1 the sweetest Of voices
NN the most restless Of
" bodies, and the most
N freclxled Of faces. The
HN1&l first had won him a
~ place in st. Luke's
vested choir; the sec
ond had kept him from learning mis-
carol until he was in danger Of being
discharged by the long-sunering 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 Hartman
& Sons office, and sang, God Rest He,
Merry Gentlemen the sense Of humor
which sometimes accompanies freckles
brought a whimsical look to his face,
for the idea of calling Hartman & Son
merry gentlemen" was distinctly in
congruous.
Hartman was rubbing his eyes and
saying to himself: "To' be blind
blind! To be shut in darkness, and
ones life work not half done. | shall
never get the courage to see an oc-
ulist and hear that doom pronounced"
Son, at his desk, was looking ixedly
out Of the window, and saying to him
self: ITO be dishonored! To have got
ten the firms affairs into such mud
die that there's no clear way out un-
less throw myself on fathers mer-
cy, and shall never get the courage
to tell him."
LET nothing you dlsmay," sang
Leppy, stumbling on, boy fashion,
toward the rear ONCE
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 can, Mr.. Hartman,
but I'm tryin' to get 1t, cause If
don't have 1t straight by tonight I'll
be discharged from the choir. It's the
last rehearsal, you see. don't want
to get bounced, because get q quar-
ter week, and that helps out"
well, I'll give you a quarter now,
IL you'll sing 1t through for me. /
used to sing that thing myself when I
was 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
narvels-he sang 1t 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
topped. his look Of mingled pride and
would have been funny,
I there had been anybody to see 1t.
Hardman partially reused himself
nd handed the boy a silver dollar,
hen turned back to his desk without
word.
"shall--shall | get it changed, Mr..
Iardman?''
There was no answer from Hartman,
nd Son, coming once more to the
escue, said:
mo, Leppy-it's all right. Run
long. II
"Geel' exclaimed the boy. And then, /
'ithout thinking to say thank you," |
. appalled, was he by this sudden A. I
uence-he went out Of the once, and |
BON his silvery tones could be hard ,
shoing down the wide hall:
''0od rest ye, merry gentlemen,
Let nothing you dismay,"