The Springfield herald., 1910-12-16

button In q button that
would not stay buttoned. It required
much time and he sat down on the
step and with all his ten fat, wee m
gerr labored. Then. "Das doodle
boy" he ob1urgated himself as he
resumed his climb of the stairs. the
button buttoned; "Das a daryin' yittle
gentleman!"
He shook the knob. Waited. Jug
ging on the toes Of him and discours-
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 ain't nobody loves
I'm"
Nicodemus yapped and made feints
at desertion when a dog barked out
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 hugged.
"'Cept Nitodemus an myssef." he
said.
Great-grand came up the hall.
/ is you been a bad boy dreat.dran ?"
he said. "ls you all shutted out?''
Great-grand sighed.
Seems like this horse Just will run
away" in doleful tone. land I've got a
In, aFf
him."
In 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.
rut 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.
sreat-grand ranged himself on the top
step and twinkled.
Yes. sirs.' quoth great.grand: !:
"shutted us all outt"
Our baby nodded confirmation and
Nicodemus yawned In our faces.
Men mys Nitodemus an mys dreat.
dran." he said. AN mys dreat-dran
is dot bone In his foot an needed
to kiss mys muvver."
But for three long days the library
ddoor remained locked.
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 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 lap my
baby was telling me secrets We
listened beyond the singlngs OF the
flames; beyUnd the delicat- 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
WnlCkeT-WnlCkeT we na0 mated to
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 a soundless splendor as the ne.
teor burst and biggened into a globe
OF slysian azure. and went out And
the black violet skies seemed yet
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 girls
and babies that got left over. when
God forgot who had asked to have
some left at their houses. He wished
he'd been there that night at the OK
EMS inn. to see the little child Sos
he could have brought II home to his
own SETS house He wanted a BABY
so bad. And even his sweets. freigh,ed
babble picked up that blue sky-mlster,
End wondered about 1t And his eyes
were Wide and fathomlessly sweet In
the freight. and his hand clune al,
the while to my face and deared ii
and wove heavenly weave into my life
In every least little touches OF Il to