The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1912-12-13
Christmas
Bells
They Turned the Course Of
a Mans Life
By F. =. mitchell

The other day | heard man say
| In q bored tone of voice: christmas
| is coming round again. aud we've got
| TO endure the usual Christmas racket,
! I suppose. The man Of family must
| make n hole in his bank account. and
| the bachelor must stick To his club,
| for IL he makes visits on his women
seeing him because they're working
hard preparing for Christmas They're
all makiug things which take up lot
OF time and which they can buy at the
stores Tor few cents each. lf the
| bachelor tries 10 solace himself with
magazine or his newspaper Christ
mas stares him in the face in big let
/ ters. He goes out ON TO the street and
sees no end of Salvation Army Santa
| Clauses ringing their everlasting bells.
| I'm always sorry when Christmas Is
coming and glad when IL has passed.
II that mans whole life had been
| turned from bad 10 good by Christmas,
as mine was nj a critical period, he
wouldn't talk that way. Christmas,
admit. s not the gladstone season TO
me il is TO many others. II is solemn
| season, a season for thankfupess, re.
membering. as do, what il did for me
| | never near the bells that usher in the
day tnst | don't feel great awe al
what escaped and q great comfort al
| what gained on one memorable
J Christmas.
wasn't born with silver spoon ia
my mouth. No, indeed. used one
made Of baser metal and though IL
would hold plenty OF food. there was
very little food 10 put in il. But, not
withstanding the poverty in which l
was born, ! was dreamy child, con.
staptly building castles for the future
which my imagination made all the
| more beautiful in contrast with my
miserable surroundings.
At seven gears OF age | lost all help
from others and was obliged TO rely
solely on myself. Would that | could
obliterate all remembrance OF those
| days OF suffering when | was selling
newspapers by day and sleeping any
where ! could find place 10 sleep IN
by night. Ny imaginative disposition
rendered me unfit for work that was
distasteful TO me, and ] made little for
food, clothing and shelter. But !
learned to read. and with reading !
picked mp writing and other bits Of
education. One thing astonished my
comrade gamins. With piece OF
chalk I could draw pictures on q dag
stone that were very like the objects
! represented. What surprised them
most was that my dogs ran. my horses
galloped. my men walked. As for my
policemen, they actually hustled their
prisoners to the station
The gifts of the poet and the artist
do not enable them 10 feed aud ciothc
themselves. except IN rare instances.
and I as a enid not only failed TO de
rive any benefit from my talent, but "
indicated an impractical disposition.
When ] came TO be eighteen years old
was more than impracticablc. ! was
not a worker; I was considered lazy,
but was not lazy: ] simply could not
force myself to work Of that In which
] did not take an interest During n
season when | got chance 10 attend
night school I showed myself To be
one Of the best scholars i'm the class.
When | was on the threshold OF
manhood I was in despair. ! have not
the heart TO dwell Oh the sufferiugs
that led me TO join the criminal class
I will only say that one day before a
Christmas, while passing before q
1 I'll. IAttf ri n
were being carried. looked IN through
the windows on which evergreen
wreaths were hanging and could see
q Christmas tree at one end OF room
: where blazed an open coal fire The
sight OF So much comfort maddcned
: me. hungry and ragged as was, with
no hope for my future u occurred &c
me that II I could get into that house
and carry away some OF the articles
being taken into il might sell then
for money with which to buy some
thing to eat.
While | was thinking of this I'll,
front door opened and little DO,
|. about Eve years old came out with hi
nurse. He was bundled MP in fu
coat. fur cap aud mittens and was be
e ing taken out for walk. The Durs,
was n tidy girl sixteen or seventee,
r years old and as she passed me looket
r at my rags. then up into my disconso
late face. and plying expression
\ came into her features
I I reasoned myself into the delusiol
that this prosperous family would no
miss one piece OF silver that would eD
able me TO buy good meal and tina
. I would steal this once aud ueye
/ again That same night when all II
E the family were In bed ! went arount
the house. Trying the windows, and
finding them all locked. | took q knit
out Of my pocket with one broker
blade in II and, cutting away the putt.
before a pain OF glass. removed 1t and
a reaching in. turned the catch. Then
cautiously raising the sash, went ii
on the ground door,
n found myself in the kitchen Their
was enough light coming from stree
lamps outside TO enable me to NOV
: about without stumbling. and J passe
Y through pantry TO the dining room