The mirror., 1919-12-25
He Hated Christmas
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I10 ll0ISO OIlI1StI1loS
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Again Mr.. Clinch ran his lean, hard
fingers over his chin. They had reached
the main floor of the building, and the
crowds were greater than ever.
"H'm," said Mr.. Clinch. "And who
would you buy things for, if you had all
the money have, eh?"
There followed succession of punches,
and good hard punches, too, to that per-
son of whom Mr.. Clinch was afraid-or
whom he hated and old Father Christ
mas must have smiled at the sight of the
man and the boy on their rounds of the
| departments of that store. Nor was
Father Christmas the only one to smile
the pair left a trail of smiles behind, as
it were; customers smiled, and salespeople
smiled; mothers and fathers smiled; even
Mr.. Clinch was smiling before they got
through-and well he might. Never be-
fore had he presented such a spectacle to
the world. Big bundles and little bundles,
big boxes and little boxes, and bundles
and boxes that kept tumbling out of his
arms and having to be picked up, and
boxes and bundles that bulged in every
pocket-and Mr.. Silas Clinch carrying
them all, while an excited boy kept adding
to their number. Surely, that made a
a wonderful sight, indeed; and it was a
sight at which old Father Christmas must
have smiled with that very tender smile
which mothers and fathers bestow upon
little children who have been naughty
and are trying to be good.
| There were some in the crowds of
shoppers who recognized him, and for
got to smile and could only stare; but
they met no one whom they recognized
until they were passing the counter where
pipes and such things are sold. There
the boy made his way through the crowd
and pulled someone by the sleeve.
| "Hello, Miss Matty," he said and in a
tone so glad and loud that the other shop
pers looked around to see who it was who
was so happy.
| The one whom he touched turned
around, too, and looked, and stared !;
when she saw Mr.. Clinch and his bundles
and boxes, her face took on an express
sion almost of alarm. 1t was little Miss
Hallam-the same little Miss Hallam
who had spent the past fifteen years of
her life working in the offices of Mr..
Silas Clinch, and who was so sorry for
him in her heart, and to whom Christ
mas was not such very glad time of
the year any more than it was for him.
Mr.. Clinch had never before heard her
called Miss Matty; he had never thought
of her having first name at all. Nor
had he ever before noticed that she had
kind eyes and tired ones, and that her
cheeks flushed quite prettily, and that her
face was probably the sort that makes
children trust it and sick people want it
near, and certainly the kind you are
most Unexpectedly glad to see when you
are shopping on Christmas Eve-that day
and hour when the heart of every man
reaches out toward some woman and some
child. Again Mr.. Clinch recalled the
| phrase about eyes that see not; but all
these thoughts went through his mind in
the merest fraction of a minute. The
boy was explaining, both to himself and
to little Miss Hallam.
| "Miss Matty buys papers off O. me, too,
don't you, Miss Matty? An oncet when
was sick
"Hush, Benny" said little Miss Hallam,
her cheeks pinker than before. She tried
to say something to Mr.. Clinch, but the
boys excited chatter went on.
"Me and Mr.. Clinch are out shoppin'," )"
he said cause it's Christmas Look what
he gimme! got gloves in me pocket,
too! And l got coat for me mother,
and lot O. things for Grampy; and
them two boxes is for Of Misses Killigrew
and we got about peck O. toys for Missis
Ryan's twins and Billy and Jo; and them
things in his pocket is for"
Gail right, sonny, all right" cried Mr..
Clinch, resting his free hand repressively
on the boys shoulder. He was actually
smiling, and Miss Hallam found herself
smiling back; suddenly it seemed as
though they had been, for years, the sort
of friends who have these little secret un-
derstandings and things to smile over that
other people know nothing about. Then
Mr.. Clinch asked Miss Hallam, quite as
though they were in the habit of COM
pairing notes, about their Christmas shop
ping.
"How are you getting on with your
shopping, Miss Hallam? And who are
you buying things for?"
Probably little Miss Hallam, thus ques-
toned by Mr.. Clinch, could not have
found anything but the truth to say; but,
|
when hearts open easily.
"Oh, Pm getting on splendidly, thank
you-and thanks to your present, Mr..
Clinch, Ive been buying shoes and stock
ings for the children-they'll be so proud,
tomorrow! And there's a very pretty
doll for the baby-it's astonishing what
wonderful dolls they make, now, and how
cheap they are-you'd be surprised! And
my sister"
"Tut-tut!" said Mr.. Clinch. "Shoes
and stockings are not proper gifts for
children. Whatever made you think of
getting them shoes and stockings? You
come along with me, and I'll show you
the way to buy things for the children
How many are there?"
Again Miss Halam answered as though
it were the most natural thing in the
world to be talking like this to Mr.. Sias
Clinch; and as she talked that sad feeling
of pity in her heart was somehow grow
ing less sad.
"There are three" said she, "and my
sister. She is the childrens mother, of
course; but she is like a child to me-so
much younger than l, and so sick and
helpless"