The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1910-12-16

ing to Nicodemus.
The door remained closed
Two fat palms smote 1t wrathfully.
open, he commanded; "pease
open dis door,"
Nobody answered.
Poor yittle boy" he wheedled at
keyhole; ''zere amt nobody loves
i'm"
Nlcodemus yapped and made feints
at desertion when dog barked out
side. Fawned back, and licked the
fingers where bread and honey aroma
fingered. Sat up and waved an affable
paw at him
He sat down on the floor and gath
cred his yellow dog into his pinafore
and Rugged
'Cept Nitodemus an myself" he
said.
Great-grand came up the hall.
is you been bad boy, dreat-dran ?"
he said rs you all shutted out?"
Great-grand sighed.
Seems like this horse lust will RIM
away" in doleful tone, land I've got a
bone in my foot and can't run after
him.
In a wink he was after the rampant
steed Captured and mounted, rode
1t lordily hither and yon, and when
at last he came back from the breath
less miles We had slipped down the
back way and at stairfoot waited.
Slowly, with dignity, he dismounted
put his steed in stall, came back to
stair-head, and, legs astride and head
thrown back, surveyed us from the
heights of remembered injury. Be
side him, perky, tongue lolling out,
Nicodemus squatted.
Long legs gathered to his chin
great-grand ranged himself on the top
step and twinkled.
Yes, sirs," quoth great-grand;
''shutted us all out!''
Our baby nodded confirmation and
Nicodemus yawned in our faces.
Men mys Nitodemus an mys dreat-
dram" he said. AN mys dreat-dran
is dot bone in his foot an l needed
to kiss mys muvver."
But for three long days the library
ddoor remained locked
And regularly, after each mornings
breakfast, he mounted the stairs and
tried the knob and cogitated to Nico-
demus, and poked broom straws under
the door
Christmas Eve we sat about a great
open fire. Great-grand loved to dig
and delve in the red-charred logs and
imprison the swarms of rosy bees.
Fascinated, | would watch the swirl
ing upfed sparks, wondering what
phantasms of youth he saw all-beauti-
full in them, what faces went past in
that rosy mirage that his own should
wear SO tender an answering look
Into eyes he alone was seeing. Some
times our baby weuld come to stand
between his knees, head leaned
against his shoulder, and from within
the encircling arms watch. Sometimes
he would straddle one old knee and
snug his heat under the down-leanipg
old chin, gold hair and white hair COM
mingled, and hand over the old hand.
help the poker that prodded and piled
the embers. And the wide eyes seemed
to be seeing with the old mans visions,
ing, so united he would sit.
Christmas eve we sat about the
great open fireplace. Great-grand sort
ed and piled his red-charred logs.
Grandmother was watching, lost in
idleness. Grand father had gone down
cellar for apples and in my Ian nv
baby was telling me secrets. We
listened beyond the singings of the
names; beyond the delicate soft sing
Ing and the signing and the daughters
of them, the wind in the chimney.
From the end of the new backlog the
saps distilled, all the summers rains
and dews and green growings in their
whicker-whicker We had hated tn
shut out the skies, so divinely near
they closed in upon earth. with their
starry strands garlanding the rim of
hills. Our baby had seen his first me-
teor-a feathered trail of ethereal fire
and soundless splendor as the me-
teOr burst and biggered into a globe
of slysian azure, and went out And
the black violet skies seemed vet
deeplier black with that blue glory
memoried against them, and the stars
pallid and cold. And my baby won
dered II there might not be another
Christmas baby, in that blue glory. He
wondered whether, if we'd go out we
might not find few BOYS and y;rls
and babies that got left over wbar
God forgot who had asked to have |
some left at their houses. He wished
he'd been there that night at the OK.
ems nm TO see the little child. Sos