Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-19
LOS ANGELES HERALD SUNDAY MAGAZINE

surprise like, on Christmas night"
And what is that?"
"A bowl of snapdragon, mum
raisins and brandy poured over them
and all set alight. It's not much, mum,
but children like 1t, and it's all we can
manage this year"
Miss DrSland looked steadily at the
man, and. to his CONSERVATION, he saw
two great tears fall over the wrinkled
cheeks.
a. gYous are a good and charitable
s1nan," she said In a trembling voice,
land l think God must have sent you
shere tonight. Now, go downstairs and
tell Johnson to give you meal. When
you have finished come un here again.
l shall have other things to say to
you then, and very important ones.
l can't explain now. Go and leave me
to myself"
rs your missis quite right in the
upper story?" said Mr.. Porter, the
plumber, to the butler as he attacked
his second helping of cold turkey.
The butler winked. 1.-THE bloke that
gets round 'er," ne said with en-
phasis, ''is a bloke what 'ud speedily
rise to be prime minister. Right!
There amt a cleverer keener old skin
flint in town! Though what she means
by 'aving you into the drawing room
beats me. There's more In 1t than
meets the heye, so you keep yours
open, my good feller-there's plenty
more in the Jug"
It was o'clock on the afternoon of
Christmas day. In the Drylands' sit
ting room the blind was down and the
faded curtains drawn across 1t.
The place, bare and shabby as II was,
had yet some hintings of refinement,
some suggestions of a happier past.
Some framed oxford and Winchester
photographs hung upon the walls
there were several shelves of books
there was a certain visible care and
order in the arrangement of the scanty
furniture.
A small fire smoldered in the crate
and the room was lit by a common pc
. troleum lamp. John was sitting at
one side of the fireplace with little
Margaret upon his knee. Upon the
other was his wife and the boy. Be
tween them was Mr.. Porter, the
plumber, smoking a short briar pipe.
while upon the table stood bowl
which had held the snapdragon, and IN
which only a few half-scorched, half
sodden raisins remained. Johns race
was very white and strained.
"Father," the little girl said sudden
ly "why didn't we have any Christ
mas dinner?"
nice piece of pork chop-and an orange
after 1t. tool"
"But that wasn't really a Christmas
dinner. father. was 1t? And then we
haven't had any presents"
"Thanta Clauth forgot poor uth'
didn't he, daddy?" came from the Ut
tie boy upon his mothers knee.
with l wath some one elthe's little
boy" ,,.., u,,
Margaret Dryland gave little gasp
of pain. In the overwrought state OF
her nerves this was almost more tnan
she could bear. The unconscious pratt
tie of the child brought back their
noverty and desolation so vividly and
strongly. They could give their little
ones nothing, do nothing for them--
only love them. .
she caught Tommy up to her breast
kissing him hungrily, passlonately;
"Yom wouldn't leave mummy for all
the presents in the world, would you'
mo. in courth not" the tiny fellow
answered.
"And besides, Tommy" John broke In
from the other side of the fireplace,
"though we haven't been able to afford
much of a Christmas this year, 1t hasn't
been so bad after ALL Think how klnd
Mr. Porter has been to give us that
lovely snapdragon!'
"Yeth. that wath lovely!" said Tom
nv with a sigh of "reminiscences. What
elthe can yuu do, Mr.. Porter? l with
you were a fairy or magithian."
Mr.. Porter, who had seemed singular
ly i'll at ease during the last Few MN
utes and whose face-though neither OF
the Drylands had noticed it-had worn
a curiously alert and watchful express
xnrnndarfIlIU tnlS.