Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-12-14

little face, glanced casually at Slick Bill, and
grinned with sympathy as he turned away,
saying, Wish could be home tonight givin'
present or two to Pat of me own!"
Up the street they went, Santa Claus with
his bundles and suitcase and the Princess
of Coal, she chattering excitedly, he striving
to quiet the beating of his heart, and Won
dering how he could find the excuse to put
her in taxicab and send her home. He saw
one, two, and three pass him, and on this
night they all seemed busy. Another passed
them from whose open windows roared
rough song that made him scowl and men,
tally curse the roisterers; for was he not
walking with the pure and innocent? And
SO block after block they trudged, until in
desperation he too boarded a streetcar,
hoping to find cab or taxi farther down the
island. Men and women smiled at him as he
deposited his bundles and chung to the Prin-
cess hand. And her Highness' eyes danced
with delight at the oldest and finest intoxica-
ton in the world, the wine of adventure.
Now they were near the street of the tene-
ment of five fights. He must do something!
But how could he send her back? And all
the time she whispered joyously to his ears
her anticipations of Mary Kathleen and
Lou and Pat. 1t would be like numbering
the trust of trusting soul to send her back
alone. All right, she should see them, if
only for few minutes; then back she should
go! This was the only way. He shut his big
Jaws grirnly and lifted her from the car.
THERE have been for more than nineteen
hundred years Santa Clauses who have
brought girdle of joy round this weary old
world that whirls and whirls, needless of
space or time; but never was there one who
did more than Slick Bill Skaggs on this
Qsrx1,+r
dingy room where the SAVIOR of cabbageS and
onions, of garlic and beans, chung like ghosts
to environment. The Widow Callahan
found them there at two o'clock in the
morning, man on the floor rapt in his in
spection of marvellous mechanical doll that
could walk, sing, and talk, and four sleepy
heads, close together in the commodious bed.
"What's this?n she demanded, as, putting,
she deposited her empty basket on the floor,
and caught her lodger's sign Of silence. She
went to the bed and lifted the covers back
and remarked, "The Saints presarve us!' as
she saw that Patrick was closely hugging
strange young lady to his breast. How
could she, the apple woman, know that her
son held to his bosom a Princess of Coal?
kid | found in the street., lamely ex-
planned her ledger in hoarse whisper.
"Tried to send her home; but she bellered.
III take her back in the morning or turn her
loose and let her get run in. | wanted to-
says to her, says but say! You see she
was lost, and she amt quite sure where her
NAV is, and
lord bless herr exclaimed the widow.
"Sure she can stay here And l didn't think
you were the kind of man that would send
such angel out into the night, Mr.. Skaggs.
Shame on We for thinkin' of it! Get out, and
leave the blessed thing to sleep!"
She doubled a finely developed fist to
smite the offender, then discovered the toys,
which Skaggs explained had been given to
him by an old friend of his; after which,
troubled in mind as to how he was to ship
the Princess, he tiptoed up his creaking
stairs as if fearful of arousing those below,
and for a long time sat and smiled, as a
Santa Claus should smile, or looked rest
1essly round, as burglar should look. He
went to bed with his clothes on SO that he
could relieve himself of the Princess at a
very early hour; and somehow, even then,
he hated the thought of letting her go.
A GAIN the room watched him, and a
morning slit of sunlight shot across by
his bed before he awoke, and then he leaped
to his feet with start, terror stricken be-
cause he had oversight himself. He rushed
down the stairs and along the hallway to the
front window, out of which he thrust his