The Irish standard., 1914-12-26
JOE AND THE OTHERS
A Christmas Story.
Written Specially for the irish Stand
ard by Celia Hord Kenny.


"Hello. old pal. It's considerable
time since our last view of each other
and 1 must say you look rather the
worse for wear" @
It was a matutinal apostrophe ad-
dressed on Christmas morning to the
speakers image in the looking glass,
and it might have been longer II his
necktie had not become incalcitrant
in the matter of being tied at the very
same moment that the room door was
pushed open by somebody's elbow, the
aperture Immediately evolving me-
dunn sized young man in the cautious
attitude and progress Of carrying a
breakfast-laden tray. The tray was
dainty and decorated with piece Of
holly though the room was only "a
small one in an upper story over q
cheap restaurant in large city.
The necktie tief turned about to the
newcomer and said, elk this up for
me, Joe."
"What are you doing out of bed?"
answered Joe. who told you you
could get up?"
The breakfast had been set down
and it's eater sat down on the edge of
the bed to take it, saying: 81 do feel
awfully shaky on my feet, as if they
were somebody else's. But / thought
if you knew l was going to get up you
might take my clothes away to keep
me in bed. But found everything
just where l had put it when l first
came in here" and at this point rem
iniscence got the better Of the speak
er's appetite and he disguised his ris.
ing emotion by saying loosely, Il
guess I'll stretch out now before I put
my coat on and finish my breakfast
lying down. Just draw that blanket
over me, will you?"
Joe, whose care was habitually ex-
pressed by business-like readiness,
soon had his friend comfortable, got
him to swallow the breakfast, took up
the trayful of empty dishes to go and
help his young wife in the washing of
them, saying, as he left the room,
when you get ready to go out to that
dinner I'll come UP and help you. /"
Joe did not make his patient talk un,
necessarily and previous conversation
had made him guess the purpose of
the others rising. He now left his
friend to close his eyes upon the i'm
preston Of his Christmas of a year
ago. This was the picture:
A holiday hotel and holly bedecked
dinner table with group of six sur
rounding it, all young people, two of
them girls. The girls were dressed in
dark red, suggestive Of Christmas,
with bright neckwear Of green and
white. Each sat at one end of the
table and they could easily be told as
sisters Near one of them, standing,
young man was making a CHEEKY
speech and his five seated listeners
were responsive to the words of his
toast, "Our next reunion"
Friends" he was saying, there is
no need of going over the story of how
we got to know one another and why
we are here. Since we first met as
students in the same class room we
have been firm friends and now we
have got together to form little pact.
We have all agreed that each of US
should give each of the others gift
on each Christmas, that no such gift
must place the giver in debt and that
it should be something that would give
the recipient real pleasure. We have
also agreed that the gifts shall be &C.
knowledged according to their char
acter, no gift being really perfect until
it has been accepted. l take pleasure
in announcing that this year am par
ticularly pleased with one of my own
Christmas gifts. My fair neighbor to
the right has given me leave to let the
s~o'SAAOA0N SOWpeAAy AnIV IuS SSCTSL
that her present to me this year is
nothing less than herself. When we
all see each other at dinner on Christ
mas a year hence she and want it to
be at the home we shall then have
newly established, as we expect to be
married next fall"
Many had been the joyful congratu-
lations and sincere promises of unfail-
ing attendance. Also much child-like
enthusiasm at the actual gifts ex-
changed, all of them elegant and we'll
chosen and filling all three of their
conditions of bringing genuine pleas
ure, of not involving the donors in debt
and of being fittingfy received. After
the party had left the table the three
young men, besides the speechmaker,
had congregated about the unengaged
girl and she had been gracious to them
all,-and when the "reminiscences
reached this stage the dreamer ceased
to follow up the impression by literal
steps. Sickness, loneliness and dire
poverty had held him prey since that
comforting memory and often he had
thought that il they made her image
clearer he was glad of their coming to
him, because through much thinking
his next words with her might mean