The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1917-12-15

any Of our business what becomes OF
hem afterward. I've seen enough Of
philanthropy in business. 1t doesn't
bay. That's oil now, Miss Bland"
She left and as she went there were
two tears in her eyes, but they were
both for herself. She was part Of the
spirit about her, and, save for her feel
Ing of surprise, she felt no concern for
the old porter who had been dismissed
so summariiy.
"Sorry the old fellows got to co."
remarked Bill Clark later when he
had noted the memorandum from the
manager. "He was as funny as q
crutch. Honest, I'll miss not having
poor old Thad to listen to and
to laugh at. He says he used to be
preacher, and there's nothing he likes
10 do like preaching. Dye ever hear
him?"
Clark was talking to the new sales-
man, but it occurred to neither Of them
to feel pity for the old man who had
worked faithfully for ten years in the
big factory, ut wage barely sufficient
to pay for his frugal meals and his
cheap tobacco.
Even When the kindly-faced, white
bearded old darby ambled in, dragging
burlap trash bag behind him and
bending under the burden of his
brooms and mops, no one seemed to
feel any pity, no one wondered what
would become of the poor old fellow.
turned away from the only place in
the city that he knew as home. For
old Thaddeus, in lieu of better wages,
had been allowed tn sleep on cot in
the engine room. His hours of work
began in the late afternoon, when he
began to clear out the trash and rub
bish from the factory, and lasted into
the night with the scrubbing, sweep
ing and busting.
Thaddeus went about his work, smil-
ing as he did so.
"Guess the old gink is little
dipped. Watch him SMILE" remarked
the chief cashier.
The afternoon dragged on, but be-
cause 1t was Christmas there was little
work to do. -Four o'clock and still the
spirit of Christmas hadn't made the
least Roadway in the office of the big
factory. The telephone girl yawned
and welded the powder puff again.
The private secretary sat at her desk,
trying to read book but thinking, no
doubt, of the cashier, and the young
salesman and the cashier were swap
ping stories in the cashiers office.
Mean time old Thaddeus was am
bling back and forth through the Of
fees with bags full Of waste paper and
rubbish.
"What do you say to getting the old
fellow to perform for us?'' suggested
the cashier to the salesman. II re-
member once, years ago, we got him
going stood him up on the desk, and
you never heard such scream. He
preached about Adam and Eve and
Noah and the rest of them-preached
till the tears were running down his
old cheeks and the tears were running
down ours from laughing. Then we
passed the hat and got few dimes
for him-he said he was going to send
it back to his old sister in Virginia.
Shouldn't wonder if he did. 1t was
about two dollars, suppose, but it
looked like lot to him."
- = = 4
Ten minutes later old Thaddeus,
trembling with emotion, was standing
atop of one Of the closed typewriter
1oc1,e hn nd fno
man had lifted him. Even the man
ager, weary of looking anxiously into
space, had come out from his Office to
watch the fun. And from the first
utterance from the wrinkled brown
lips the group around him had begun
to laugh. They were in a mood to be
amused easily, and, besides, just to
look at Thaddeus was to satisfy ones
cravings for the ridiculous. Perhaps
this was because of his broad, genial
smile in the midst of wrinkles, rags
and rheumatism.
Ten minutes later the laughter had
ceased. The bent figure had straight
ened out and the eyes were shining
with the clear light and faith Of con-
viction. Every pair of eyes in the
dozen or so around him was riveted
on him intentiy.
II knows. sistern and brethren" he
said, ''that you intends to pass the
hat and take up collection for me,
and I knows it Is because Of the mite
IF Christmas spirit in yo' hearts that
you is dom this TO- me. An rs CRATE
full, that I is" Here the voice grew
clearer and the eyes shone brighter.
"But what I wants to tell you is that
I, poor Of crippled darby rs is, have
got mo- to give you all than you all