The Snowflake herald., 1917-02-09

the room from winch she naQ come anu
resumed her Christmas preparations.
For an hour the gentleman ques-
toned Billy and drew from him dis
connected account of his life. He was
principally interested in that part of
Billy's wanderings which pertained to
the childs visit to San Francisco
when gold was discovered in the ter
ritory and there was great hegira of
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 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
ters at the top he opened his eyes in
establishment The certificate was for
a 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
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 / couldn't do that. | never
slept in a house."
Its time you did. We're going to
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 a 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 a new sensation, for nothing had
ever yet been bestowed upon him
Then he suffered himself to be led up
to bathroom, and after lie had been
soaked and the softened dirt rinsed off
him he was taken to q little room with
a white iron bedstead and snowy linen
on it 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 a mirror to note the change in his
appearance. II would be impossible to
say whether he was more astonished at
his clothes or his reflection Both were
a wonder to him. Then he was taken
downstairs, where the children 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
manger; 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 if he would ever become sufi
GENTLY 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 pocketbook
and opening it drew forth the certif1-
Gates of stock that Billy was going to
San Francisco to see about.
"My boy" he said, Christmas re-
minds us that we must do for others
beside ourselves. We have given you
a pleasant Christmas, but it behOoves
me to do something far more impOr
tant for you. / do not doubt that you
are heir to that which will buy every
thing you can wish for-far more than
you can enjoy. What was probably
worthless when your father made an
investment in it Of few hundred dol
lars is now worth hundreds of thou.
sands of dollars. Tomorrow ] will take
the matter up for you and hope to es-
tablish your claim to your property"
This was lost on Billy, but Christ