Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1912-07-05
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Santa Claus
And the "Hap ~ Man" Are
One and tine Same
By Clarissa Mackie
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1911.


The hall on the third floor Of Mrs.
Ramselrs boarding house stretched a
dark and gloomy tunnel from front to
rear. Halfway down its length small
nimbus of light surrounded d tiny gas
rh,r,e. There was an undiscovered
! leak In the pipe here. and the air was
always foul with the escaping gas.
White painted doors led from the
hall into rooms at front and rear ano
on the west side. The stairway went
down the eastern blank wall into the
dimly lighted brussels carpeted gen.
tility of the second floor. Up here'
however, there was merely brown OIL
cloth on the floor, and it was worn
into uneven hillocks and was slippery
With age.
Honora Burr came up the stairs and
thrust a key into the lock OF the tnlru
floor rear room. The door swung back
against the wall and made 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 1t. There were washstand ana
a rocking chair and Honora's shapDy
trunk. That was all.
L.I
| cloak and hung them in the tiny closet
Honora attached a piece of gas hose
to her jet and lighted a small gas
stove, On this she placed a saucepan
of water and then sank YEARLY into
the chair. With the stove Lighted
there was q 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.
"I can't stay here" she sobbed. u
can't stay all alone in this big city at
Christmas and know that there is no
body to care whether | have n good
time or not. nobody to give any pres
ents to. nobody to say Merry Christ
mas as If it were really meant"
Honora Burr's position was pecul
lar one She had been delicately nur
tured In comfortable home in II
Dleasant suburb She was the only
child of parents who had no relatives
except very distant cousins In anoth
er city who were almost strangers t.
the Burrs. Honora's father had been
confidential man in large city house
and two years before this Christmas
eve he bad been arrested for embez
zling money from his employers anc
in despair had killed himself. ieavin.
his wife and daughter almost penni
less.
The disgrace of the affair, combined
with the shock Of her husbands death
ended Mrs. Burrs life within anothe
year, and Honora was left to face
the world alone. After she had SOLD
off most Of the household effects anG
stored the remaining few with frienc
Honora paid the debts and went tt
New York to seek q situation.
She Had keenly felt the humiliation
and disgrace attendant upon her ia
theirs death. but nevertheless HONOR.
Burr never believed that he was ell
tirely guilty. That he had not liveG
to make q fight for his honor was his
weakness. Honora was proud. and sht
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 fol
$8 week she sold sheet music and
demonstrated the quality of pianos By
her brilliant playing. for Honora was
a skilled musician. Her life was 4
very lonely one in the dreary board
ing house. but she could not afford to
take brighter and better room. for
she was saving a dollar a week from
her wages. hoping to accumulate
enough money by spring to give ur
her situation and seek some music pu.
pills.
The kettle was boiling merrily now
and Honora poured some OF the wate.
into the little Japanese teapot she had
brought from home and set the re
mainder back on the stove to boil an
egg for her supper. As she moveG
about the blue dusk Of the room on
could see that she was small and sen
der and gowned In black from head &"
foot Her face and-the white OF her
little hands and the snowy glimpse o1
white Mt neck and wrists shone out.
Somebody came up the stairs three
steps at u time whistlinc nlerrlly
tramppd noiSily down the hall and th'
door of the large front room opened
and closed. The whistIing continued.
''lt's the happy man. said Honnra I"
herself ;lS she pxtinguiShrd the stove
md turned uu The gas light.
This was he worst Christmas eve
HonOra had ever spent. Last year II
had been sad but her dear mother
was alive. Now she was a II alone anr
more than she could bear
"ln the story books" said Honora
fororniy. "if one is unhappy on Christ