Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1911-12-28

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between mo nnovp. ls.., Ieahed
against his shoulder. and from within
the encircling arms watch. Sometimes
he would straddle one old knee and
snug his head under the downleaning
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 redcharred 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 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 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 soundless splendor as the me-
teor burst and biggened into a globe
of slysian azure, and went out. And
the black violet skies seemed vet
ieeplier black with that blue glory
memoried against them. and the stars
pallid and cold. And my baby won.
dered IL there might not be another
Christmas baby. In that blue glory. He
wondered whether. II 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 It home to his
own SETS house. He wanted baby
30 bad. And even his sweets-freighted
)abble picked up that blue sky-mistery
md wondered about It. And his eyes
we're wide and fathomlessly sweet In
the freight. and his hand chung all
the while to my face and deared 1t,
md wove heavenly weave into my life
in every least little touches of II to
my lips, my cheeks, and In the COM
ings home Of 1t to slip into my bosom
and there nest.
Then We told him that It was going
to be the Christmas baby's birthday
tomorrow, and because we so love
Gods little son We give. year after
year. all life long. gifts to him and to
each other on that day. And the
library door, tomorrow, would be un-
locked. and surprise inside for us
each and all.
"Dracious!" was his sole comment;
and slowly the happy eyes slipped
from us behind their curtain-fringes.
the little warm body lay heavy in my
arms. Slowly Great-grand unbuilded
the house of red embers. and coming
over took the little sleeper into his
lrms, rocked and crooned and Rugged
md God-blessed him. And with
grandmother's kisses on the wee feet
that never were still save In slumber.
and grandfather's proud look into the
unwilling face following after. bore
him away to his crib; SO loved. so
owed!
rs Trismus tum?'
Weakened with the words break
Ing the crystal OF my dreams and kiss
ing themselves against my lips and
fat white body embracing my head.
yes. SIR" managed to say through
the strangling arms of him Happy
Christmas, Bob-for-Short!"
Happy Christmas. Bob-for-Shorti"
echoed from the doorway: and Han
by Christmas, Bob,for-Short!" 6oated
In from beyond the east and west
shoulders OF great-grand.
He shouted. He danced. Never be-
fore had he been met by all the fam
lily at crib-side. He jigged all over the
bed. trickling blarneyments and
daughters at the three gray heads that
waggled in unconscious tune to the
prancings of him.
Then, all his yellow body apant with
haste. Nicodemus hustled his fat self
up the stairs into the fun he was
missing. and In his wake. Katy from
her kitchen.
A.s With ".Hannv Christmas to