The Carlisle independent., 1907-12-12
Jirnnie's 
 Stocking
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By OWEN OLIVER.
Copyright. 1907. by Joseph B. Bowies.) )

- HERE is honor among the deni ALL zens of Paxton alley, but MT.
 Smiths toy-shop stood at the very entrance, and they reckoned him out of bounds.
 From time to time evil-looking men muttered to one another about the long stocking that MT. Smith was supposed to have filled; but he had figured in the prize ring in his young CT days, and he was said to sleep with a big knob stick beside him. So the matter ended at mutterings. A big, powerful man was MT. Smith; and he had a powerful edge to his tongue. Every one in the alley feared him except Jimmy.
 MT. Smith knew him as the extra. ordinary paper-boy who brought back a dime given him in mistake for penny, an event which was his torical in the alley. At the time 1t gave rise to doubts as to Jimmy's sanity, but afterward it was held tn he was playing up to the
 man." Anyhow, Mr. Smith took two pers regularly afterward; and the da.
 after his funeral-which was the day before Christmas eve-a sleek man in shiny top hat invaded Paxton all ley, escorted by policeman, and took evidence as to the identity of
 ''the boy called Jimmy who sold pa pers" to the public generally, and in particular to the late MT. Smith | When the sleek man was satisfied upon this point he proclaimed Jimmy | the sole legatee of the estate, which
 comprised the little shop and house and all their contents
 You'll find long stocking some
 where, l expect" the lawyer said,
 'and you'd better bring it to me to
 take care of; and if I were you 1 should take the name of Smith" | Under ordinary circumstances Jim my would have been elated by his | good fortune, but somehow the world | had not interested him lately. He had had a terrible cough for weeks his business exposing him to the climate-and just now he felt tired, and had nasty pains in his side. and
 seemed to be burning all over.
 He moved in on the morning of Christmas eve, and explored the house with kind of numb curiosity He spent most of the morning in the
 shop parlor in the armchair in front
 of the fire. He did not even go out to the quick-lunch room for the beau tiful dinner that he had promised
 himself He had taken lot of milk from the milkman, and he kept drink ing that. He did not seem to care about anything but milk, and every thing felt strange and uncanny. The figure on the mantelpiece-a white
 bearded old gentleman which he be- lieved was called Santa Claus-was the strangest and uncanniest of all. The fire was almost out, so he put on some more coal. He saw that it
 was nearly four o'clock. 'Lumme!" 'aven't done no business. This won't do I'll take down the shutters, an open the shop"
 It had been hard autumn, and the people on whom Paxton alley preyed were short of money. So Pax ton alley was short of money, too If few entered the shop, there were
 enough outside. A dozen cold, red
 blue noses fattened themselves
 against the glass; dozen shrill
 voices clamored; dozen little hands pointed with grimy, chilblainy fingers here and there.
 Jimmy remembered when he was a
 kid" how he used to spend hours at
 the toy-shop window, and how the