Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-26
mo HOLIDAY FOR ALL
BIacksmiths Have Christmas
Leisure Broken Into.
SNOW DID THAT FOR THEM
And Then There Was an Army Of
Other Workers Who Never Take
a Day Of.


ment to look up those who work all day
Christmas and write a story about their
sentiments on the subject OF yuletide,
as seen through the eyes Of men and
women who get no holiday.
Well, he thought, here's where I get
a chance to do something real original.
What should it be?
There are policemen, firemen, letter
carriers, telephone operators, street car
motormen and conductors; walters. who
carry joy from the man in the white
apron to the sport who confuses Christ
mas with a Bacchanalian revel; barkeeps,
street cleaners-they did finally get TO
work-telegraph operators, Journalists,
watchmen, actors and actresses, moving
ann and
Whew! what list!
To interview them all would take day
and days BY the time the interview
Washington's birthday.
Blacksmiths Of All Men.
So what does the new reporter do but
take a business directory and say, after
the manner Of children choosing to see
who will be TT"
my mother told me to take this
one" And his finger fell on BLACK
Did it ever occur to anybody outside
the trade that perhaps a blacksmith and
horseshoer has as much feeling about
Christmas as any one? He does He
tree, and works hard all the week and
does not go near the shop Christmas,
generally.
But listen. This was fierce Christ
mas morning for the blacksmiths.
Take just one example, for a starter.
He had arisen just temporarily to see
that the children did not set fire to things
in their first onslaught on the lighted
Christmas tree, and had gone back to
hard-earned slumbers' when jangle. bang,
bang, jang, went the front door bell.
After minute Mrs. Blacksmith comes,
saying:
Jack dear. Mrs. Ponsonby- Rutledge's
coachman is here and says he's got to
Alright" mutters Jack. And away he
goes to sleep again. snoring like a bel
lows. almost including the sparks.
Coachman waits outside. Waits ten
Mrs. Blacksmith opens the door and
alphabetically says she thought her hus-
band had attended to his wants.
90 as done nothink of the kind. hand
Hi must say that for good customer e
treats me has hif Hi was a sweep" They
have sweeps In London to clean the
streets at the corners. and you throw
them a hapenny. you know.
What Must Be, Must Be.
Then back trots Mrs. Blacksmith and
hauls Jack out Of bed. She Is the only
person, barring the strongest policeman
on the force, who would dare to commit
such an assault upon that hard-muscled
man.
me 'orses are smooth. Hive got to
ave 'em rough. Mrs. Ponsonby- Rutledge
Is driving today
He meant that the shoes were all worn
down and the horses were slipping badly
In the sloppy snow. Well, Of course there
was nothing else to do. The team was
right there, and the cOachman simply
would not go away.
Jack. the blacksmith, climbed upon the
box. The English coachman drove eau
tiously around to the forge.
And there that lusty blacksmith, who
wanted to be abed snoring, had to mt on
eight big rough shoes on those two
horses-shoes with great iron cleats on
them that would prevent the animals
from sprawling all over Connecticut ave-
nue., a matter which would greatly en-
barrass the English cOachman, who had
been in the English army for seven years
and never had feck of dust upon his
boots.
So there was one blacksmiths Christ
mas morning broken up. So 1t was with
the other blacksmiths.
This was the first Christmas that such
thing has happened in long, long
time. The streets were SO very. very
sloppy and slippy in the morning that the
blacksmiths say that nearly every one Of
the craft had to discard the smoking
jacket 70 the brand-new velvet-trimmed
gift-from-wife smoking jacket-lay aside
the GifterOso brand smokes and put on
the rubbers, the work pants and the
leather apron and take UP the pincers
and Sledge.
So after all the new reporter actually
stirred UP something new.