The Carlisle independent., 1907-12-12

woman he lived with then had thrash. ed him for spending on marbles a penny of the money he had taken for papers. It was his own money, he held, or he wouldn't have done it. For, by some freak of nature, Jimmy was honest But now he could hard | ly sit up in chair, and he didn't believe he could walk; but when a woman came in for a ten-cent doll, he managed to crawl to the window to serve her.
 There was wild chorus of recog- nition when he appeared between the dingy green curtains that slid along rail. Jimmy" Jimmy" Want any one to run your errins, Jimmy?' Yer might give us somethink, Jim- my?" He heard all these greetings and dozen more.
 He shook his head and returned to his seat He certainly did feel i'll, and he seemed to lose things for a few minutes, until Bill Black came | in for three little toys. Bill was looked up to in the alley as man who did "big jobs." and the Blacks were generally reckoned. well-to-do; but Bills transactions hadn't been very profitable lately, and he had to be careful, because he knew that the police had their eye on him. So they were hard up, like the rest ] Found the long stockin', Jimmy ?'' he asked, casually, when he had taken the toys.
 "No," said Jimmy. And if I had it 'u'd be at the lawyers, Bill, an don't yer make no mistake"
 Bill growled under his breath. If , yer didn't look half dead I'd knock ~,head orf, yer young hound he io'n "insinywaitin' aginst an honest lksan. Coin to offer to do anythink \ Her yer, the missus was, wot I'll soon put stop to now"
 He gave Jimmy ferocious scowl as he went out, and Jimmy resolved that if he found the stocking he would take it to the lawyer at once.
 He went to the door and faced a crowd of excited faces that ranged in rows from the front of the shop right across the alley.
 Jimmy" they cried Give us somethinkl Yer might, Jimmy!" Jimmy always said afterward that he only did it because he thought he was dying, and the toys would be no use to him, and the pains in his heart "drawed him out of himself" /" He tried to speak, but his voice was only a whisper. So he beckoned to a big boy and whispered to him; and the boy stood up on the doorstep, and shouted to the crowd: "Jimmy's s goin' to give yer toy each. Jim- l my"
 The big boy went sprawling before the crowd that swayed and struggled in, and Jimmy was driven back to the counter.
 Women came in to plead for their 1 babies at home. Boys and girls came in to remind him of their broth CTS and sisters. By nine o'clock he had given to every small inhabitant of the alley.
 Then Jimmy tried to go to bed, but was so weak and giddy that he could not climb the stairs. So he sat in the armchair instead. He felt strange as well as poorly. The chairs, the fire-irons, the coal-scuttle, the table-coveT. everything, seemed to turn into fantastic figures, and long tailed demons were running up the blinds. Santa Claus on the mantel- piece was scowling and sneering at him.
 Jimmy got into a sudden rage with Santa Claus and struck him with his fist.
 Santa Claus tottered on the man telpiece, but righted himself. He was more solid and weighty than Jimmy had imagined, and there was a clink. ing sound as he swayed-a sound of clinking money. The truth flashed upon Jimmy as he sank back exhaust. ed in the armchair. The Hong stocking" was In Santa Claus, and he could not get to it, and he never would, because he was going to die He saw Santa Claus leering at him when he woke, and in his dreams and when he dozed. Then he sudden. ly looked frightened. Some one was knocking loudly at the door, That was what frightened him. Jimmy woke -.-~'~S-~~-~~-~~-~-~~~~~~~