The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1917-01-04

taken place. Then she went back TO
the room from which she had come and
resumed her Christmas preparations.
For an hour the gentleman ques-
toned Billy and drew from him a dis
connected accent Of his life. lie was
principally interested in that part Of
Billy's wanderings which pertained TO
the chld's visit to san Francisco
when gold was discovered in the ter
ritory and there was IA t,eat hegira Of
gold hunters. For Billy told him about
the printed papers" as lie called
them, and that he had come to the
city on its account. But the trip TO
the gold fields had occurred when the
boy was too young to remember much
about it, and he was enabled to give
the gentleman very little information.
Billy took out the pocketbook and
showed the certificate. The moment
his interviewer saw the name of the
mining company printed In large let
tiers at the top he opened his eyes in
establishment. The certificate was for
thousand shares of stock, and each
share was worth several hundred dol
lars. 1t was plain that this little or
phan boy, If he really owned that bit
of paper, was very rich. Never before
had the gentleman seen such wealth
conferred In a person SO near to the
brute creation. The woman returned
and said
Little boy. you're going to sleep in
this house tonight"
/ Reckon | couldn't do that. | never
/ slept in Il house.
Its time you did We're going to
show you what Christmas is. Come"
: "0ne moment" her husband inter-
/ posed. let me have that old pocket
/ book you showed me-"
Billy gave him the pocketbook, then
went with the lady to the room where
the children were. His attention first
fell on a row of stockings dangling
from mantel.
This Is Christmas eve" said the
, lady. Tonight, so the tradition Is,
Santa Claus will come down the Chin
ney and fill these stockings with gifts.
This is your stocking. Tomorrow
morning you will find it full of nice
things
This was all Greek to Billy, except
that something would be given him. 1t
was new sensation, for nothing had
ever yet been bestowed upon him.
Then he suffered himself to be led up
to bathroom, and after he had been
soaked and the softened dirt rinsed Off
him he was taken to little room with
white iron bedstead and snowy linen
on 1t and told to get between the
sheets. He obeyed, but when half an
hour later the lady looked into the
room Billy was not to be seen. She
sought for him and found him curled
up like dog under the bed instead of
in It. She thought best to leave him
where he was
The next morning Billy was dressed
in some borrowed clothes and stood be
fore mirror to note the change In his
appearance. 1t would be impossible tC
say whether he was more astonished al
his clothes or his reflection. Both were
a wonder TO him. Then he was taker
! downstairs, where the children were
opening their stockings, and given his
! own Santa Claus offering. He had II,
r idea as to what most of the things
t were, but demonstrated that possession
| is a human instinct by being much de
E lighted with everything he took out.
e After breakfast the lady took Bill!
g into the library and told him the stor,
: of the birth of the Christ Child In
] manger; how the sins of the worlt
l had been redeemed and how the even
had been celebrated once year. Thel
3 Billy was taken back to the children
who taught him games and told hin
? stories about what they did, how the.
went to school. and Billy absorbed
every word Of 1t. All day 1t seemed t,
him that he had been translated {,
e heaven. His lair In the forest begai
3 to seem horrible to him, and he won
dered II he would ever become suffi
D GENTLY polished to live among thes,
lovely persons.
: And the Christmas dinner. Bill,
l looked at the table, loaded with good
] things, and seemed to be In a stupo
t Of wonder. He ate till he could Gran
Y no more into him.
: After dinner the gentleman who hat
questioned him took Billy's pocketbool
and opening 1t drew forth the certifl
Gates OF stock that Billy was going t,
San Francisco to see about
"My boy" he said. christmas re
minds us that we must do for other,
beside ourselves. We have given YOU
a pleasant Christmas. but 1t behoovei
/ me to do something far more impor
tant for YOU. ! do not doubt that yol
are heir to that which will buy every
thing you can wish for-far more thar
you can enjoy. What was probabl!
worthless when your father made al
: investment in it OF few hund~n9 dol
lars is now worth hundreds of thou
sands of dollars. Tomorrow ! will taxi
D the matter up for you and hope to es