Troy weekly news. (Troy, Idaho) 1897-1933, 1908-12-11

SNOEL CLAYTONS CHRISTAAS1


40 DEL, CLAYTON was tall and
I'M gaunt, with clear, candid, blue
lNJ ewes. and his white hands, small
md demonstrating, were as well kept
A, those of a woman.
He was thirty, and splash OF gray
an either temple, a strand or two OF
White in his mustache, made him look
oder.
He was broad-chested and muscular
ny all rules-he should have been sol |
iier-he looked an "open air. man, but
for FIVE years he had been writing short
stories. novelties and serials for the
weekly press.
It was good, nervous work. His name
VAS becoming known, for he had the
Isnnv knaclx of blending pathos with hui
nor. He had Travelled widely, and an
australian bush idyl at the beginning of
he week would be followed again by a
dory Of rustic life In the dear West
@untry that he loved so well.
He lived quite alone, worked-and
uOked-from morning to night, loved
profession, and had practically drop
"A all his friends-male and female
md when a fit of the not infrequent
s. yues got him by the throat, threw ms
zen into the CRATE and ordered up ms
hndlady's children, and pandemonium
eigned for an hour.
Sometimes he gave them pennies, but
not always-small coin OF the realm IL
not always available to authorship the
nmps were huge, and he enjoyed them
OF course there was a woman at the
bottom of the tangle of the mans NE
and women complicate things sometimes
he would have said always"
On one particular evening he was alone
and writing. when Jim Courtenay wa
shown in-and Jim was an old and tr1et
riend-about the only friend the lonely
'elf-absorbed man had, and so the IN
cmer sat down and lighted his pipe, an'
did not bother the author for quite
quarter of an hour, and then Noel ros
and stretched himself.
"What Is it this time, NoelT'
"0h, the usual thing-love; and car
ddly 1 am getting so sick OF wrlun
owe Stories"
"Ah! you feel like thatr
Man alive, this is Christmas Eve, an
how-somehow-my thoughts wel
back with jump, and l remembered on
Christmas Eve when"
Your pipes out, Noel!'
AYE. so it is. Well, there was OF
Christmas Eve when
my dear boy, are you worrying ado
her still?'
"Yes," and then long pause
It is the privilege of chums to SIT
lent for a spell.
"And all this happened four or n
years ago. l never heard the ngnus
wrongs of the story"
Noel crossed the room, and diggi
both hands into his pockets, looked
his chum.
There Is nothing to know. After {
four happy years of married life, trout
came between us, lies came between
8 snd-aRd-here 1 am and it's Christn
Eve. OF course our baby was oD'y
mite-& wee, blue-eyed, golden-nan
mite; couldn't walk, crawled, you Kho
but we were awful chums, and when
e went and took our mite-well, ana
70 mans laugh hurt his own ears. W
at then took to writing love stories-lo
D. old chap. with a happy ending-bisnc
bridesmaids, bouquets and blessiI
aad"-his temporary excitement had
mm-he added dryly:
d, And it pays! Now go, old chap.
'tA Gust get my stuff done for the e'
Yo post" and Chum went out while !
wrred again to his interrupted worl
ew Between each line on every
md quaint turns of expression, gu
son thoughts haunted him. a dead past 81
to him.
AIN The girl-wife had been very sv
ork very lovabie, very beautiful-and
marred two lives.
"a There should be a special place OF
g ment for the person who dehber'
comes between two people who love
nus oOner and smilingly warps two lives.
ten fearl Clayton was as easily LEI
cAiid, a soft, emotional, weak
"oman, and when Noel returned fro
Ae" days holiday he found the ,