The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-12-25
Skinny Georges Xmas Story
By RICHARD f. LUssIER

| 81 like it my name in the paper and
maybe if you like-scullion is all right.
don't know what she means anyway,
SO I should worry"
| you're as much of glutton for pub
| Lefty as a city commissioner" COM
mented the scribe.
Ignoring the comment skinny"
Georges eyes let up and he GRATED:
| "Meester Reporter, 1 have it a real
| Christmas story. This is Christmas eve.
You write it Mention me-'Skinny'
George-and (hesitatingly) Harry also"
| Since when you elect yourself my
press agent?" yelped Harry Get away
from that horses head, you blunderbuss.
Advertising, I have too much
| ION with your mythical tale" sleepily
| from the scribe
You begin it, the story. like this, =
said skinny George. "Once upon a
| time"
| AT least you're original"
| "Once upon time seriously from
George, there was a Teller in Greece
what became one of those things, don t
you know, a wild guy in the woods, y'u
know crazy as h, and living all
alone"
| DO you mean a hermit?"
| That's him. A hermit is it. / read
| the word in a book. Wal, this hermit he
thinks one time he's tired of living, so
! he goes to bump himself off by jumping
off cliff. But just as he goes to
| jump
| HE wakes up
mo, this is sure enough-no dream. He
sees diamond NINE He see sa grotto-
like the story of Monte Cristo-you know
| him?'
Hes belhop at the Tutwler-''
II mean story book Monte Cristo, -
continued George, still as serious as a
prohibitionist waiting for his Christmas
package at the express office
| 'Oh, go on; you were up as far as the
cave-the Diamond From the Sky, or
something"
Diamonds, rubies, sofies and lavelars
there was Millions. enthusiastically from
George, land then this hermit Teller he
don't want to die-hcs going to live"
| what does he do after that-buy a
I newspaper and go broke again?''
"He gets married"
That's worse croaked Harry, who
was an interested listener.
HE gets married." said George, frown-
| ing at Harry, land he has a boy what
grows up
| Boys are peculiar that way
| what grows to be a man. and-and-
1 the hermit he dies But (and George was
now talking with both hands, before he
| dies he says to his boy-a no. good Teller:
| Here's all my money, and when you get
broke go in that room-and he points to
room in his house and then dies.
And the son. sadly from George; "he
no good. He spends all his money buy
ing 'mavadaphne' and in one, two-maybe
three-years he's broke. He comes back
home.''
That's the only place to go when
you're broke" This comment from
Harry.
|
George" and he remembers his father he
said, about going in the room. He goes
i in the room. Now, Mister Reporter, when
! you write his story make it read he goes
| in the room on Christmas Eve-just like
tonight.
| 81 see. put that Yuletide atmosphere,
as it were,' said the reporter.
| II don't know him." said George but
| you fix him right for Christmas, for this
| iss sure a Christmas story"
| Its that and some. You had the prod
igal in the room when you stopped. What
happened in the sequestered chamber"
| "Oh. him. said George. well, the
| son he went in room and finds nothing but
a table and rope hanging from place
on ceiling. On the table he reads a note
which he say: Dear Son:'-this letter he's
| from dead father--'Dear Son: You are
broke and damphool. I let you have the
coin to make something of yourself. You
didn't and SO there's nothing to do but
| bump yourself off. See this rope over
this table? Well, place it around your
dirty neck and kick the table and say:
| Here goes nothing. Maybe that letter
wasn't written that way, but that's what
the father he means and you can fix it
up
Sure answered the scribe. well.
what does friend son do?"
| "Oh, he thinks it over and he guesses
he might as well hang, SO he ties the
rope on his neck, which by the way,
amt dirty or rough, and saying, Here
goes nothing'-just like the directions in
! the letter-he kicks away the table-and
hangs. But what do you Think"
| II think he was nuts.
las he hangs" whispered George, the
! rope just falls to the floor and the son he
opens his eyes to find himself sitting on
| the rope. and on one end was a diamond
| big as his head, and another letter from
his father The father he says this time:
| Well, son, seeing you had spunk enough
TO hang yourself, you should he all right
| from now on and here's diamond big
enough to start you all over again. Be
good this time And the son he becomes
good man from then on Amt that
some Christmas story?"