The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1907-12-20


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 a dozen more
He shook his head and returned to
his seat He certainly did feel i'll.
and he seemed 10 lose things for a
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 welLto-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 had
it nd be at the lawyers. Bill. an
Bill growled under his breath III
yer didn't look half dead I'd knock
yer head orr. 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 a ferocious scowl
as he went out, and Jimmy resolved
that IL 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 il because ne 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 MP on the doorstep,
and sho$ed to the crowd: "Jimmy's
goin to give yer a toy each. Jim
my"
The big boy went SPRAYING 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 10 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 III
felt strange as well as poorly. The
chairs. the firelrons. the coal-scuttle
the table-cover. everything. seemed L
turn into fantastic figures, and long
tailed demons we're running up thu
blinds. Santa Claus on the mantel
piece was scowling and sneering a
him.
| JIMMY EOl luNO ~ VIII
I Santa Claus and struck him with hi
/ fist
Santa Claus tottered on the man
telpiece. but righted himself. He wa
more solid and weighty than Jimm.
had imagined, and there was a clink
ing sound as he swayed-a sound o
clinking money The truth nashe,
upon Jimmy as he sank back exhaust
ed in the armchair. The 'loni
stocking" was in Santa Claus. and h
could not get to 1t, and he neve
would. because he was going TO die
He saw Santa Claus leering at hin
when he woke, and in his dreams
and when he dozed. Then he sudden
~ looked frightened. Some one wa
knocking loudly at the door That wa
what frightened him. Jimmy wok
completely just as the knockin
ceased. He must have been aslee
long time. he thought, because tn
fire was low; and he supposed h
had been what they called lighl