The Washington herald., 1915-12-19

WHO'S there" And before they could
stop her Sara piped up. oh. please. we're
out here in the cold and we want to come
in
In another moment the door was thrown
open and the old man exclaimed, Its
| little girl" and he picked Sara up in
his arms and set her in front of the fire
before the boys were hardly over the
threshold.
How in time did you get here" he
| demanded, and Sara leaned forward and
said. in spite OF the boys mods and winks
We started down to Rockcrest to sur
prise my grandmother on Christmas Eve.
and while we were on the train some
nen told Tommy that there was a pirate S
louse over here on the rocks-so We
.rossed the causeway at low tide. and
hen we forgot how late it was get
ing
!, SO YOU were looking for the pirate
aid the little man. Well. now, you
snow, he's dead"
''Then-then you aren't a pirate" gasp
II Tommy.
Me" He threw hack his head and
lughed. why. bless your heart. there
lint been any pirates in this house for
"" hundred years. But they used to
i've here. and bought this old house and
,ut up that sign. and in summer the
people come here to look at IL. and to
buy shells and things that ! SELL
But you sang song" said Tommy.
about no. no. no"
Why. it's Christmas Eve said the
old man. "and that's a Christmas song"
And while he sliced more bacon and broke
eggs into the sizzling pan, he sang in his
jolly voice:
"Ho. no. no. who wouldn't GO
HO. no. no. who wouldn't 60.
Up on the housctop. quick. quick. quick.
Down through the chimney comes Saint
Nick
1T was in that cupboard that a pirate
was captured two hundred years ago"
he explained. as he served their supper.
But he got away. dressed In women's
clothes
Sara was nodding by the fire. Il told
the boys you looked like Santa Claus. :"
she said drowsily. and now-if you don't
mind-Im going 10 sleep
The little man made her bed on the
couch. and he and the boys shared an
adjoining room, and presently the little
house was still. while outside the storm
ragged and shrieked and howled.
"A Merry Christmas was the cry that
woke Sara and the boys. and there was
the little old man. with the snow on his
shoulders and his ruddy face beaming.
I've been over To the lighthouse to tele-
phone to your folks he said. You
can't get back until this storm lets up.
And you're going to have Christmas din
ner with me. and l guess it's the first
time you ever had a canned Christmas"
"A what" they demanded.
The little man opened the cupboard
and displayed row after row of brilliant
ly labeled cans. There's tomato soup"
he said. proudly. and oysters and
chicken and plum pudding-I brought
them over from the lighthouse last night
when I couldn't get to the mainland
1t was great fun to watch the little old
man convert the contents of the cans into
appetizing dishes. From the steaming
soup to the steaming pudding everything
was delicious, and when late that night
the anxious parents arrived. they found
three happy childrn In a circle around
the fire. listening to the modern pirates
tales of the sea.
And when they bade him good-by. Sara
put her arms about the little mans neck.
1T was the very incest Christmas IN
the world" she said. "and we are COM
ing in the summer. to see you. and next
year you're to hive turkey with US
mother says so-but I'm perfectly sure
it won't be half as nice as your canned
Christmas dinner"
Copyright BY the Associated Literary PresJ