Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-12-22

SIN years ola. lie mad TO BUY pres
ents for his daddy and his mother.
Give the ordinary kiddoo SS cents to
spend as he wishes and his own pos
sessions will be enriched S8 cents
worth. But this particular kiddoo
was tempted and didn't fall.
"Old dear" said his mother (she
was with him). you don't need to buy
I anything for me or Daddy. Just buy
something for yourself"
Which the Kiddo didn't!
lie bought his mother a teapot and
his Dad little hickey filed with an
assortment of lead pencils; and when
ne was through buying he stuffed the
remaining eight cents in his pocket as
II 1t went to join a million. Honestly,
we'd like to be that Kid Christmas
morning, Judging from the look on
his mothers face.
| Everywhere we went we ran across
Daddies who were telling other
Daddies that by jingo! they'd never
mad real Christmas when they were
young, and they were going to see to
It, by George! that their own children
mad something to remember.
You know, that doesn't speak very
well Tor the fathers of these Daddies
-some or them gone long ago on the
Most Beautiful Adventure, and prob
aoIy little mournful over in Val
halla because their sons regard them
now as not having been fatherly. Why
DAD blame it all! I'll wager that the
fathers OF these Daddies of to-day
said the very same thing to other
fathers back in 1878 or 1SS6-thatl
they were going to see to it that their
sons had real Christmas. That's
one of the eternal things, you know
Christmas!
But now were getting solemn, and
one shouldn't be too solemn at Christ
mas time. It's time enough to be
solemn next week, when you figure
out how you might have bought q
new rug for the best bedroom with the
money you spent for Christmas. It's
time enough to be solemn January 19,
when your wife has a birthday; and
ITS up to you properly to remember
1t. It's time enough to be solemn next
July, when the sixth instalment is due
on the diamond ring you bought her
following the store mans suggestion
that you Buy Now-Pay Next Year"
| Sullivan and l wondered if the toilet
set industry isn't on a par with the
manufacture of war materials and
steel rails. No man has experienced
All OF ines varied sensations until he
buys HER toilet set What moots
1T (very good, that phraseD that on
February 18th he may have the final
quarrel! He buys her a toilet set
though the wel-known heavens fall.
Ia like to make wager with some
one on the subject of toilet sets. I'll
bet anyone that If there are eight mil
lion married women in this country
who have toilet sets on their dressing
tables these toilet sets were bought for
them by some other man than their
husband. But the husband has re-
venge, at that. He knows that while
some other guy is using the toilet set
HE bought before he married. he is
using the set some other guy bought
HIS wife. 1t all evens up!
"Ok, the good old dear! Just what
I wanted! A toilet set!' is the most
worked Christmas morning phrase.
When in doubt, young man, buy a
toilet set,
So Sullivan and I put in a dandy
half-hour on the streets and in the
stores. We saw folks throwing money
away because they had it to throw.
We saw folks who had no money to
throw away spending what they had,
and making it go mighty far. We saw
| gifts that made our mouths water
and we saw other gifts that caused
us to/wonder if many of the absolute
! ly useless things of this world weren't
catalogued as Christmas presents.
| Eyes met ours in which joy was re-
| f1ected.
And other eyes met ours in which
was reflected the light that, to some
makes Christmas the Feast of Aching
! Hearts
The managing editor wanted pathos
| in this story. Shall I write the story
of the many tiny codgers whose shoes
are very thin? Shall l write the story
of the little old woman who secreted
very cheap-mighty, mighty cheap
doll beneath her spotted, thread
| bare coat? There was pathos. Shall
/ write the story of a little girl some
/ t1yl.a w re hi ia1,
the little old woman would have sold
| her soul? Shall I write the story of
the pretty young girl last night who
walked down Market street, ready, for
the first time, to go along with some
one who looked like money? Pathos?
| Why, the story of why that pretty
girl walked Market street would be
pathos in the Nth degree!
But all of this ore-or-less pathos
fades into insignificance alongside of
one thing Sullivan and 1 saw.
There were two of them - big
brother and little brother. The little
brother was coming five years old. The
big brother was nine. Neither had
an overcoat; neither had mittens.
Gee" said the little fellow down
in the basement of the Pomeroy store |
Gee, Johnnie, look at the sand ma
chimes. Let's ask Sanity Claus to get
us one for CLristmasi"
SANITY Claus, hell" said the big /
brother. There amt no Sanity
Claus"
~ETDTcUxFAc TnAnc INN