The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1917-01-25

resumed her Christmas pTepaiat4ohS'
For an hour the gentleman qnes-
toned Billy and drew from him as
connected account of his life. lie was
principally interested in that part OF
Billy's wanderings which pertained 10
the child's visit to San Francisco
( when gold was discovered in the ter
ritory and there was a great hegira oil
gold hunters. For Billy told him about
/ the printed papers," as he called
| them. and that he had come TO the
city on its account But the trip 10
| 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
| q thousand shares Of stock, and each
share was worth several hundred dol
lars. It 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
| centered 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 l couldn't do that never
slept in house."
Its time you did. We're going 10
show you what Christmas is. Come.
Zone 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 1t 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 a little room with
a 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 1t. She thought best to leave him
! where he was.
The next morning Billy was dressed
In some borrowed clothes and stood he.
I fore mirror to note the change in his
! appearance. 1t would be impossible to
say whether he was more astonished at
, his clothes or his reflection. Both were
wonder to him. Then he was taken
downstairs, where the childBen were
, opening their stockings, and given his
own Santa Claus offering. He had no
idea as to what most Of the things
were, but demonstrated that possession
Is human instinct by being much de
lighted with everything he took out
After breakfast the lady took Billy
into the library and told him the story
of the birth of the Christ Child in a
manager; how the sins of the world
had been redeemed and how the event
had been celebrated once year Then
Billy was taken back to the children.
who taught him games and told him
stories about what they did, how they
went to school. and Billy absorbed
every word Of it. All day it seemed to
him that he had been translated to
heaven. His lair In the forest began
to seem horrible to him, and he won.
dered II he would ever become suffi.
ciently polished to live among these
lovely persons.
And the Christmas dinner. Billy
looked at the table. loaded with good
things, and seemed to be In stupor
Of wonder. He ate till he could cram
no more into him.
After dinner the gentleman who had
questioned him took Billy's pecketboob
and opening 1t drew forth the certifi
Gates Of stock that Billy was going tc
San Francisco to see about.
'My boy" he said, Christmas re
minds us that we must do for other.
beside ourselves. We have given yor
pleasant Christmas, but 1t behoove.
me to do something far more impor
tant for you. do not doubt that yo,
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 1t of few hundred dol
lars is now worth hundreds of thou
sands OF dollars. Tomorrow / will TAX
the matter up for you and hope to es
tablish your claim to your property"
This was lost on Billy, but Chris
mas was not. As 1t was his first Chris
mas n uoS bfs hanpiact Ana u-yo,, ,