The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1908-12-11
Hh@%k@h"
S NOEL CLAYTONS CHR|S1MAS3

JIM saunt, with clear, candid. blu
eD eyes, and his white hands. SINAI
and nervous-looking, were as well KEEP
as those of a woman.
He was thirty. and a splash Of gra,
ON either temple, a strand or two o
white In his mustache, made him lool
older.
He was broad-chested and muscular
BY all rules-he should have been q sol
dler-he looked an "open air" man, blu
for five years he had been writing shor,
stories. novelties and serials for thu
weekly press.
1t was good, nervous work. His name
was becoming known, for he had the
happy knack of blending pathos with hu.
NOR. He had Travelled widely, and an
Australian bush idyl at the beginning OF
the week would be followed again by a
story Of rustic life In the dear West
Country that he loved 80 we'll.
He lived quite alone, worked-and
smoked-from morning to night, loved
his profession, and had practically drop
ped all his friends--male and female
and when a fit Of the not infrequent
blues got him by the throat, threw his
pen into the CRATE and ordered up his
l~andlady's children, and 'pandemonium
reigned for an hour.
Sometimes he gave them pennies, but
not always-small coin of the realm Ia
not always available to authors-but the
romps were huge, and he enjoyed them.
OF course there was a woman at the
bottom of the tangle of the mans life,
n women complicate things sometimes
he would have said always"
On one particular evening he was alone
and writing, when Jim Courtenay was
shown in-and Jim was an old and tried
friend-about the only friend the lonely.
~self-absorbed man had, and DO the in
conner sat down and lighted his pipe, and
did not bother the author for quite a
quarter of an hour, and then Noel rose
n stretched himself.
what is It this time, Noelr"
"Oh, the usual thing-love; and can.
didly am getting so sick of writing
love Stories"
"Ahl you feel like that?"
Man alive, this Is Christmas Eve. and
somehow-somehow-my thoughts went
back with a jump, and l remembered n
Christmas Eve when"
"Your pipes out, Noell"
AYE, SO it is. Well, there was n
Christmas Eve when"
my dear boy, are you worrying about
her stillY"
"Yes," and then a long pause \
1t is the privilege Of chums to sit al
lent for a spell.
sand all this happened four or Eve
years age. l never heard the rights or
wrong of the story"
Noel crossed the room, and digging
both hands into his pockets, looked at
his chum.
"There is nothing to know. After the
four happy years of married life. trouble
came between us, lies came between us:
and-and-here | am and it's Christmas
Eve. VI course our baby was only a
mite-a wee, ~blue-eyed, g~olden-haired
mite; couldn' walk. crawled, you know;
but we were awful chums, and when she
went n took our mite-well," and the
mans laugh hurt his own ears. well.
then | took to writing love stories-love.
old chap. with a happy ending-bishops,
bridesmaids, bouquets and blessings.
temporary excitement had left
him-he added dryly:
"And 1t pays! Now go, old chap. l
must get my stuff done for the early
post" and Chum went out while Noel
turned again to bis interrupted work.
Between each line ON every pape
quaint turns of expression. Quaint
thoughts haunted him, a dead past spoke
to him.
The girl-wife had been very sweet
very lovable, very beautiful-and had
marred two lives.
There should be a special place of tor
ment for the person who deliberately
comes between W people who love Zach
other and smilingly warps W lives.
Pearl Clayton was as easily led as
. child. a soft, emotional, weak little
woman, and when Noel returned from a
few days holiday he found the house
closed and Pearl and Baby had depart
ed
Noel dnfted for a little bit, the shock
unnamed him terribly, but his pen was
bis sole source of income, and 1t had to
b. piled II body and soul were to be kept
together, and In a very few weeks he
had, to some extent. regained his mental
balance, and his work improved.
The eve of Christmas and the day
itself appeals to most hearts, and on this
particular eve Noel kept thinking back
and thinking back while he wrote.
How well he remembered the extra |
stocking ne induced the nurse to |
Init, and bow sulky 1t looked and fak o.