The Penn's Grove record., 1912-12-20

d6O LII tu0 udyS Ol LIS UOyAOoO, dAu
he had carried 1t with him necessarily
throughout all his wanderings. Il sup
pose 1 could get the price Of a meal
and a bed from that old ticker" he
unused, then his jaw set. But l
wouldn't part with it for its weight in
greenbacks. It is the last thing she
ever gave me, and I'll hang on to 1t
If l hang for doing 1t. I'll beg. starve
yes, or help myself when nobody is
looking before I'll part with It," He
showed 1t deeper into its place and
bent forward against the wind.
Five minutes later he again paused
suddenly. BY the wayside another
light was shining, and with a quick
glance up and down the road he stood
listening. Nothing came to his ears
but the low growl of the wind and he
hesitated no longer. Sneaking into
the yard with feet that fell as softly
as the snowflakes themselves he once
more peered through a window. There
was no laden table here, but instead
he saw a bed upon which lay a white
faced boy with a woman close beside
him. He put his a to the pane and
listened. 1t was not long before he
learned that the two were alone
in the house, and at that good news
Hobo Jim smiled approvingly.
He passed quickly to the kitchen
door and tried the latch. The door
was not locked and he entered with
the stealth of a panther. A spare bed
room with door ajar was adjoining,
and forming his plans as he sneaked
along Jim crept within. Here, in the
darkness, he would hide beneath the
bed, wait until all was still, and then
in the early morning hours fill his
stomach and pockets from the pantry
and silently steal away. Instinct told
him that the woman would sleep be-
side the sick boy and he had little
fear of being discovered. And what If
he was-with a lone woman and q
helpless kid as his only bar to escape!
Noiselessly he crept beneath his
shelter and lay listening.
Through the stiffness their voices
came to him in murmurs. 1t had been
q Oo0 yCdA lO1 III LWO III lA0 nOA
room, a year of privation and want,
and the morrow would be the hollow
est mockery of any Christmas that
had ever come to them; a day when
a skeleton would preside at their
board and hunger be an unwilled
guest. Patiently the woman was ex-
planning to the sufferer, telling him
that she feared that this year Santa
Claus would pass him by without
stopping. But the boy was unbeliev-
ing.
Santa Claus does not forget.
Hang up my stocking. please" he
told her, and Jim heard her sigh as
she crossed the room to obey him.
Then as the warmth of the house
came stealing softly over him Jim's
eyelids 1uttered and closed, the last
thing he remembered hearing being
the woman's voice as it began read
ing to the sick one.
More blessed to give than to re-
ceive-" But Hobo Jim was now
| sleeping.
He was awakened and raised his
head a trife as he listened. There
had been an accident in the room, a
serious accident as he soon gathered,
for through some misfortune the
clock had been knocked from the
mantle and now lay a ruin upon the
floor. 1t was the only timepiece they
had, and the woman was worrying
over it considerably, for she no long
er had the means of telling when it
was time to give the boy his medi-
cine, and the proper administration
Of the medicine was a very important
matter to the sick one. That's kind
Of tough on the kid" thought the
hobo from his hiding place. But 1t
was no fault of his and anyway he
had troubles enough of his own.
Midnight came, and for the last
hour all had been still as a cavern.
Cautiously, silently, Jim backed out of
his lair and rising to his feet stood
alert. By the dim light from the 9TH
er room he could see the pantry.
Then he gave a snort of disappoint-
ment. There was not enough upon
the barren shelves to fill one corner
of his hollow stomach, and here were
a woman and a sick boy to feed off of
it. 1t was disgusting. Slipping mere
ly a crust of bread into his pocket he
crept out again.
From where he stood he could see
the interior of the dimly lighted room
beyond, and curiosity arose within
him. With the tread of a prowline
fox he stepped to the threshold and
peered around the corner. The boy
was sleeping now, while beside the
bed the woman was sitting with head
dropped forward as worn out from
her long vigil she had fallen asleep In
the midst Of her watching. And as
he gazed at their tired faces there
came to Jim a picture of many long