Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1907-01-10


AS Policeman Barney Flynn differs
little-at least, in one respect-from
the average man of limited means, the
approach of Christmas found him
troubled, not to say pessimistic lie
heard the customary talk about Christ
mas; he saw the Christmas advertise
ments in the papers and the Christmas
goods in the shop windows; he read
the accounts of Christmas plans for
feeding or otherwise remembering the
poor; and the only effect it had on him
was to make him jingle the lucky
half dollar he carried in his pocket,
and shake his head dolefully.
"'Tis tn da-ay iv tn rich,' he said
to himself. "'Tis tn time whin ye
wa-ant twinty thousand dollars f'r to
do tn Fright thing be all tn good
people We know. 'Tis tn da-ay iv give
an ta-ake, an if ye can't give ye're
ashamed f'r to ta-ake, an there ye are.
IT was diff'rint in tn OF days whin
II was la-ad, but now livery wan
who ha-ands ye out a two-bit sca-arf
Expects FIR to ha-ave as good or bet
ther ba-ack from ye, an tn ray-sult
is we all go br-roke givin' things that's
Nv no gr-reat use to amy wan, but tn
shtorekeepers that sells thin. 'Tis
if'r me to shtall tn good woman be
little ta-alk iv har-rd times befoor she
spinds tn rint money buyin' r-red ties
an six-fra-nickel seegars be tn
box"
With this object in view Policeman
Flynn entered upon a systematic cam
paign to discourage Christmas shop
ping and he did it with his usual dip
Elomatic ability.
rye can't impriss a thing on th'
mind iv a woman be sayin' it wanst
an lettin' it go at that" he told him
self. "Ye must ding-dang it into her
head without lettin' her know what
yere doin'."
So he began to drop incidental re-
marks about poverty and hard times,
with a casual suggestion from time to
time to the effect that there would be
no Christmas in that house. Later,
whenever the moment seemed propi-
fious, he aired his Christmas views
more at length and even illustrated
them with occasional stories. All in
all. he congratulated himself that he
was accomplishing his purpose with
exceptional cleverness and strategy.
Think iv tn bargain days that fol-
lies Chris-mus!" he remarked one day
at breakfast "'Tis tn wa-ay iv tn
world Whin ye ha-ave no money
tn lads in tn shtores Is thryin' f'r
to ha-and things out to ye at liss than
ha-alf tn cost to ma-ake thin. Ohio.
they're sma-art min, those fellies. All
tn year ye're sayin' to thin that they
niver thruly sell annythin at liss
than cost, an tn day afther Christmas
they come back at ye an say: Wen
prove to ye now that we can do that
very thing be offerin' tn goods at liss
than cost whin ye're not in sha-ape f'r
ITO buy Thin. l tell ye, Mary, th wise
wan is tn felly that plans f'r to ta-ake
thin up whin they ma-ake tn bluie" ="
The logic Of this seemed unanswer-
able to Policeman Flynn, and a few
days later he supplemented it by re-
minding her that the year before she
was near dead f. thinkin' iv tn things
ye c'u'd ha-ave an comparin' thin
WltH III lDlnSo yt ulu Hd-dFt, all De-
cause iv tn ba-ad habit iv goin' br-roke
wanst a year" Next, after reason
able interval, he told her about Cullen,
one of the men at the station.
9TH only throuble with Cullen" he
said, was that his hea-art was so big
an ray-sporsive that he c'u'dn't button
his visit over it whiniver amy wan
or annythin' appealed to it, He had
a good head too, but t was nawthin'
beside iv his hear-rt. His head was
always givin' him tn fright tip, but
his hear-rt w'udnt Fave him listen to
1t. That's why tn byes at tn station
has f'r to dodge him reg'lar afther
Christmas. He come to me on tn
twinty-sivinth da-ay iv last Day-cim-
ber-I ducked him on tn twinty-sixth.
KNOWN tn kind iv la-ad he was, but
he cornered me on tn twinty-sivinth
an he says to me, he says, Barney
he says, L ha-ave up to tn house. he
says, a br-right green nick-tie, an a
red nicktie, an a polky dot nicktie,
an two pipes an box iv see-gars,
an or-gold pair iv suspinders, an
some shippers, an fut-rist,' he says;
dh tHe Soou "oiii"h Wv NO h"'ti4 d
sort iv a dolly thing, an silk pitti-
coat, an some shtockins with pale
blue clocks on thin, an pink SHIRT
waist, an little statoo iv Vanus f'r
TO put on tn kitchen shelf, an a
wather-caraffy, an a new taypot,' he
says, AN tn childher has a r-red
sca-arf, an shled, an pair iv
ska-ates, an a toy gun, an a little pa
throl wagon. an some blocks. an a