The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1911-12-12
~ Her
Santa Claus
And the "dappy Man. Are
One and the Same
BY CIarissa Mackie
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation. 1911.

4 Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation. 1911. 1
The hall on the third floor Of Mrs
RamselPs boarding house stretched a
dark and gloomy tunnel from front Ia
rear. Halfway down its length small
nimbus of light surrounded tiny gas
dame There was an undiscovered
leak In the pipe here, and the air wai
always foul with the escaping gas.
White painted doors led from the
hall into rooms at front and rear and
on the west side. The stairway went
down the eastern blank wall Into ths
dimly lighted brussels carpeted gen
tility of the second foor. Up here
however, there was merely brown oil
cloth on the floor. and it was WORE
into uneven hillocks and was slippery
with age.
Honora Burr came up the stairs and
thrust a key into the lock of the third
/ door rear room. The door swung back
/ against the wall and made a passage
for her to squeeze in between the mar
row white iron bedstead and close the
door. In one corner was a battered
oak bureau with a distorting mirror
above II. There were a washstand and
q rocking chair and Honora's shabby
trunk. That was all
When she had removed her hat and
cloak and hung them In the tiny closet
Honora attached piece Of gas hose
to her jet and lighted small gas
stove. On this she placed saucepan
| Of water and then sank YEARLY into
the chair. With the stove lighted
there was a dim blush glow In the
room, and Honora sat there waiting
for the water to boil and looking out
Of the window at the dreary prospect
Of tall brick structures and distant
blinking lights. From the next block
came the clatter and bang of elevated
| trains.
Suddenly all the view from the win
dow was blotted out in mist Of tears.
Honora's bright head pressed heavily
against the back Of her chair. and she
placed her hands against her eyes.
II can't stay here" she sobbed. II
can't stay all alone in this big city at
| Christmas and know that there lis mo-
body to care whether have good
time or not. nobody to give any pres
ents to. nobody to say Merry Christ
mas as If 1t were really meantp
Honora Burr's position was pecul-
lar one She had been delicately nur-
tured in comfortable home in a
| pleasant suburb. She was the only
| child Of parents who had no relatives
except very distant cousins in anoth-
er city who were almost strangers to
the Burrs. Honora's father had been
confidential man in large city house.
| and two years before this Christmas
| eve he had been arrested for enlbez
cling money from his employers and
In despair had killed himself. leaving
his wife and daughter almost penni-
| less.
The disgrace Of the affair, combined
with the shock of her husbands death.
ended Mrs. Burr's life within another
year, and Honora was left to face
the world alone. After she had sold
OF most of the household effects and
stored the remaining few with a friend
Honora paid the debts and went to
New York to seek situation.
She had keenly felt the humiliation
and disgrace attendant upon her ia
i thnrpr Noafh hrTk uava,.+halaou uov,npa
Burr never believed that he was en-
tirely guilty. That he had not lived
to make a fight for his honor was his
weakness. Honora was proud. and she
would not approach any Of her fathers
friends or acquaintances In her quest
for work. She would not embarrass
them by counting refusal.
BY her own efforts Honora secured
| a position In music store, where for
| So a week she sold sheet music and
demonstrated the quality of pianos by
her brilliant playing. for Honora was
skilled musician. Her life was a
very lonely one In the dreary board
ing house. but she could not afford to
| take a brighter and better room. for
she was saving dollar week from
her wages. hoping to accumulate
enough money by spring to give up
her situation and seek some music pu-
pills.
| The kettle was boiling merriIy now.
and Honora poured some of the water
into the little Japanese teapot she mad
| brought from home and set the re-
| mainder back on the stove to boil an
egg for her supper As she moved
about the blue dusk of the room one
could see that she was small and slen
der and gowned in black from head to
| foot Her face anG the white of her
little hands and the snowy glimpse Of
| white at neck and wrists shone out
| Somebody came up the stairs three
steps at time whistIing merrily
tramped noisily down the hall and the
door Of the large front room opened
and closed. The whIstIinR continued
"It's the happy man. said Honora to
herself as she extinguished the stove
and turned on the gas light.
This was the worst Christmas eve
| A4VLOt4 uoO CrCA 6RGhls Inst year IL
had been sad. but her dear mother
was alive. Now she was all alone. and
| the horror of loneliness seemed almost
more than she could bear
''In the story books" said Honora
forlornly. If one is unhappy on Christ
mas eve they go out and do some good
to the poor and unfortunate, but when
one hasn't got but dollar and forty
cents to last until next pay day wOul-
| der what one ought to dol"
The question was answered at once
The door of the front room opened
again and the happy man." as Homo
ra had designated the good looking
lodger who ran up and down the long
stairs of Mrs. Ramsells gloomy house,
whistied through the hall. He started
down the stairs and Honora heard u
| ripping sound. sharp exclama ton
and the thud of heavy fall. Then all
was quiet for moment
By the time she had reached the foot
Of the stairs there was an excited gath
ering of women about the PROSTATE
form Of the happy man"
Mrs. Ramsell was loud in her lamen-
tations. "As II didn't have enough on
my hands tonight" she walled. with
out him falling downstairs and killing
himself"
'It might be cheaper If you'd put a
new carpet on those stairs. Mrs. RAM
SELL" said bleached looking woman
| In red silk waist
That carpet was new last spring. -
retorted Mrs Ramsell. quick in defense
Of the tattered furnishing of the third
door. He oughter looked where he
was going"