Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1908-12-11
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+ NOEL CLAYTONS CHRISTMAS3


SA eyes, and his white hands, small
and demonstrating, were as well kept
as those of a woman.
He was thirty, and a splash Of gray
on either temple, a strand or two Of
white in his mustache, made him look
older.
He was broad-chested and muscular
by all rules-he should have been q sol
dier-he looked an ''open air" man, but
for Eve years he had been writing short
stories, novelties and serials for the
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
story of rustic life in the dear West
Country that he loved so well.
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
landlady'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.
or course there was a woman at the
bottom of the tangle of the mans life,
and women complicate things sometimes
he would have said always"
On one particular evening he was alone
|
shown in-and Jim was an old and tried
friend-about the only friend the lonely.
self-absorbed man had, and so 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
and stretched himself.
"What is it this time, NoelT
"Oh, the usual thing-love; and can
didly l am getting 80 sick Of writing
love stories"
"Ah! you feel like that~
"Man alive, this Is Christmas Eve, and
omehOw-somehow- thoughts went
back with-a jump, and remembered one
Christmas Eve when"
Your pipes out, Noel!'
"Aye, so it is. Well, there was one
Christmas Eve when"
"My dear boy, are you worrying about
her still?'
4 eyes" and then a long pause
1t is the privilege of chums to sit ST.
lent for a spell.
"And all this happened four or five
years ago. l never heard the rights or
wrongs 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 Christina.
Eve. or course our baby was only 6
J mite-a wee, blue-eyed, golden-hairet
mite; couldn't walk, crawled, you know
but we were awful chums, and when she
went and took our mite-well," and thu
mans laugh hurt his own ears. well
then | took to writing love stories-love
old chap, with happy ending-bishops
, bridesmaids, bouquets and blessings
, and"-his temporary excitement had lef
him-he added dryly:
"And it pays! Now go, old chap.
must get my stuff done for the earl,
post" and Chum went out while Noe
turned again to his interrupted work.
4 Between each line on every pag
, Quaint turns of expression, Quain
thoughts haunted him, a dead past spok
, to him.
; The girl-wife had been very swee
: very lovable, very beautiful-and ha
marred two lives.
There should be a special place of tol
Q ment for the person who deliberatel
comes between two people who love eac
other and smihngly warps two lives.
Pearl Clayton was as easily led a
child, a soft, emotional, weak lit
woman. and when Noel returned from
few days holiday he found the hous
L closed and Pearl and Baby had depar
ed.
d Noel drifted for little bit, the shoe
n unnamed him terribly, but his pen WI
his sole source of income, and it had
be piled II body and soul were to be kel
together, and in a very few weeks
had, to some extent, regained his ment
, balance, and his work improved.
I The eve of Christmas and the de
o itself appeals to most hearts, and on tn
% particular eve Noel kept thinking ba'
and thinking back while he wrote.
lr How well he remembered the extr
7 sized stocking ne induced the nurse
knit and how milky II looked and fax