The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1910-12-15


resumed his climb OF the stairs. the
button buttoned: "Das a daryin' yittle
gentleman"
He shook the knob. Waited, jug.
cling on the toes OF him and discours-
Ing to Nicodemus.
The door remained closed.
Two fat palms smote It wrathfully.
Open" he commanded; "pease
open dis door"
Nobody answered.
Poor yittle boy" he wheedled at
keyhole: ''zere amt nobody loveS
I'm"
Nicodemus 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 myssef." he
said.
Great-grand came up the hall.
49, JOo pcOh u buu IVY, Ill
he said. rs you all shutted QUIT"
Great-grand sighed.
Seems like this horse Just will run
away" in doleful tone, land I've got a
bone In my foot and can't run after
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,
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 Quit"
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 I 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 great
open fire. Great-grand loved to dis
and delve in the red-charred logs and
Fascinated. would watch the swirl
ing upfied 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 lool
into eyes he alone was seeing. Some
times our baby would 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 head under the down-leanins
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 vision
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 ir
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; beyond the dellcatc 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
Wicker whicker. We had hated &c
shut out the skies. so diylnely neal
they closed in upon earth, with theiI
starry strands garlanding the rim OF
hills. Our baby had seen his first me
teor--a feathered trail of ethereal fir,
and a soundless splendor as the me
teor burst and biggened into a globe
OF slysian azure, and went out. And
the black violet skies seemed vel
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, II we'd go out, we
might not find a few boys and girls
and babies that got left over. when
God forgS 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
1e could have brought 1t home to his
AN reE. nOugp He wanted n hohv