The wageworker., 1907-12-13

milton 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
few minutes, until Bill Black came
in for three little toys. Bill was
looked up to in the alley as a 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, Biz, an
don't yer make no mistake"
Bill growled under his breath. IF
yer didn't look half dead I'd knock
yer head OFF. yer young hound" he
said, 'insinywaitin' ag'inst an honest
man. Coin to offer to do anythink
fer yer, the missus was, wot I'll soon
put a 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
somethink! 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 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
goin' to give yer a toy each. jim
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
babies at home. Boys and girls
came in to remind him of their broth
ers 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 coalscuttle,
the table-cover, 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 sneeri2g at
him.
Jimmy got into 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 vas 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 long
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
completely just as the knocking
ceased. He must have been asleep
a long time, he thought, because the
fire was low; and he supposed he
had been what they called light