The daily Alaskan., 1912-12-27

the other end of phe room was bed, in which, I supposed, his nurse was sleep. ing. One Christmas present had beer given him, and he had taken 1t to bed with him. It was a tin horn. It made me vince, for it he should wake ur and catch sight of me it would be Q fine medium with which to arouse the house.
 Suddenly a clock without began to strike, and bells all over the city were ringing in Christmas day. I should have thought of my critical position, but Instead l was impressed with the ringing of the bells. The most solemn thing In the world is a tolllng bell, and the most gladstone is the sound Of bells ringing for some joyful event. I was standing listening to the merry jangle when the boy began to stir in his crib, opened hls eyes and listened intently. He had evidently been arOus ed by the bells, Then he sat up and, seizing his horn, began to blow blast that should have caused me to beat a nasty retreat. But 1t didn't The bells without and the horn within were so typical of Christmas that iu my Rp preclation of the usherlDg fin of the day I forgot that I stood, as 1t were, at the door of a prison cell. l heard a chuckle in one of the rooms and . mans voice call out:
 Merry Christmas, Benny Now, go to sleep again and give Santa Claus a chance to come down the chimney and fill your stocking"
 But the boys mother couldn't keep away from him. and the first thing ] knew woman in her nightdress came through the hall. I started down stairs, but was too late. She gave the alarm. A man sprang into the hall and before had reached the lower story seized me. He was big and strong, while I, weak from want of food, was unable to resist.
 The horror of my situation did not affect me as one would suppose ii would. A jail hasn't the terror fol one who cannot feed himself that f has for one who doesn't know depriva ton. I resigned myself to my fate. The man, seeing that there was little to fear from me, took me into his library and turned on the lights, Then he stood looking at me. The Christ mas bells were still ringing without, and lt seemed to me that they were a deterring influence upon my captot to turning a fellow being on this bless ed morning over to the police. How ever, he mastered his repugnance and started to a telephone when in walked Benny in his uighte He stood look. ing at me for a moment, then said:
 "Oh, l thought you was Santa Claus!
 Run back upstairs, sonny" said the man.
 "Who is he, plpaW
 "One who stole Into the house to take your Christmas gifts from you"
 The little fellow looked very sober "what are you going to do with himT' he asked of his father.
 Send him to Jail"
 And he won't have any ChristmasT
 "No. Wicked persons don't deserve tc have any Christmas"
 i've never had Christmas" said despairingly, but thus far I've never spent one in jail. am starving and came in here to get something I could sell so that I might buy meal"
 The man looked at me inquirngly Perhaps there was sincerity in my face that moved him. .... .. ...
 Your first bUrglary?r he asked.
 q have never stolen a penny in my life" -
 No great time had thus far passed since I was discovered, and the bells were still ringing. They were beating against this mans heart
 You can go" he said presently.
 And, papa" put in Benny, cant give him some of my Christmas giftsT
 'Time enough for that tomorrow" replied the father, then to me, "If you'n come here about noon Tn have a talk with you and see if l can do anything to help you"
 Can't he have a part of our Christ. mas dinnerT' asked Benny.
 To this the father paid no attention, but, opening the front door, told me to go forth. saying to me as I passed out: If you're sincere you'll come back to morrow; if you're a hardened criminal I shall probably never see you again. Go before those bells stop ringing
 "Goodbyp' cried Benny. Come to dinner"
 did return to dinner, and I found a friend. He dared not at once trust me fin his house, but he gave me position as porter fin hls place of business. It was not long before he discovered that I possessed gift more enduring than any that could be given at Christnas- my artistic faculty-and he sent me to an art school to study. That was years ago. and 1 am. now prominent in my profession. Benny is a young man and comes often 10 my studio. We are strong friends, I tell him that he saved more than my life Hanging to the wall of my, artists den is the tin horn which walked his parents on Christmas morning and ltd to my regeneration.
 But the Christmas bells. 1 have heard them many a time since they ava Eened in ne a consciepce. quick