The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1919-12-22
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY
Bradford's Christmas
StOcklIg.
BY JANE OSBORN.
~ UNNE O0bVNN'
-.EE t,nnnr SNndicat

.
IL the hair that crowned tie sweet
face flushed VITA excitement stood
\ there III the booth whore the Christ
mas stockings were given out You
take one Of these stockings she ex-
planned TO an interested one who paus
cd beside the booth, land you LOOK at
4 the card attached here at the top.
Tommy Brown, SIX years old" says
this card, so then you get things that
you think are suitable for a sx-year-
old boy land at least one article OF
warm clothing for that boy.
"Then you fill IT full and bring 1t
back here on Christmas eve. From
here the stockings are distributed"
The Interested one took Tom Browns
stocking.
William Bradford, perfectly groom
ed. middle aged, cynical at least for
hen once. listened, looked twice at
The face OF the little woman there be-
hind the booth, and walked on
He walked a block up the street from
the library steps where Miss Greely's
booth was located and paused. He
stopped at the next drug store ana
wrote on a bit Of paper: william
Bradford, forty-five years old, 81 lr,
wing Crescent" Then he walked
back. Fortunately for his purposes
there was now crowd Of pedestrians
about the booth attracted by MISS
Groelys CHEEKY smile and magnetic
voice. No passed them, paused very
near to the pile Of empty stockings
at the booth, waited moment ana
then stroued on again. =,
Weekdays Miss Greedy was q school
teacher After hours and on holidays
she did thing like this--helped to
give out the red stockings for Che
poor folk whom no charity organ1Za-
ton ever knew about, went to hospit.
al wards to sec folks who never had
visitors on visiting days. That was
Miss Greedy hobby.
The next day-Christmas eye--Miss
Grcelv faced the problem OF sorting
out all the stockings that had been re-
turned 10 her booth. She came upon
one stocking that had not been filled.
She looked at the ticket. William
Bradford forty-tive years old, 81 IT.
wing Circle" 1t read. and with 1t was
note from the person who had taken
the stocking to fill. The note explain
ed that there must be some mistake
about 1t for 1t was understood that
these stockings were only for young
,ters.
We'll, it must have been a mistake.
That was clear, Miss Greedy knew
that. Still. she thought, the ticket
must have been put there by some one
There was probably some one named
William Bradford who someone
Thought deserved Christmas stock
tng. Forty five wasn't so dreadfully
BID, There were times when Miss
Sreely felt like a child and wasn't
80 very many years this side Of forty
live.
so while she helped pile the other
stockings into the motor cars that had
been sent to carry them to their des-
tination through the poor enement sec
tions. Miss Greedy tucked the empty
stocking that bore the name Of VIII
liam Bradford into her large COAT
pocket.
That night, after her boarding house
elmer, she went to shopping section
where the stores remained open on
Christmas eve. 1t was past that
night when with the lumpy red stock
ing hidden under the folds Of her
cape Miss Greedy started out toward
Crescent Circle. She had been told
how to find it, but abe was not famil-
lar enough with the fashionable neigh
borhoods of the Town to know that
Crescent Circle was famous for a
croup of exclusive bachelor apart
1rents Had she known this, she
might have 1les4tAted. But as 1t was,
she entered the picturesque portal on
which were marked the numbers 81.
It occurred to her that William Brad.
ford dwelt IN a dingy basement room
sheltered there by some klnd-heart-
ed ,janthor. She asked the much iv'
cried man at the elevator and that me-
NAL was so impressed by the eager
ness and sincerity OF her manner that
he did not 20 through the usual form
Of announcing her on the telephone.
She rang the bell Of the apartment on
the fifth floor designated by the ele.
ovator boy. Then her misgivings be-
gan, and they were mach Increased,
when tho door was opened by very
weil-groomed middel aged man in a
dark-red brocade dressing gown that
parted to reveal an expanse Of black
broadcloth and evening shirt She
asked him II he could tell her where
she could find William Bradford.
I'm william Bradford" he said.
"You must excuse my coming to the
door. But let my man of for the
holiday" on his request she followed
him to what seemed a wondrously Co
" and splendGdly homelike sitting
room. It did not seem to william
Bradford either homellke or cozy-at
least not until little Miss Greedy had
entered and had seated herself in the
deep upholstered arm chair that he
profered to her. Ele looked intently to
make sure that It really was the same
sweet face that had cast its radiance
upon him the day before.
"Well, there Is some mistake" she
said. II am entirely at sea. bought
Christmas stocking. 1t was marked
81 Irving Crescent and the name was
William Bradford"
She produced the stocking from I'M
der tho folds Of her cape, and to her
surprise the man with gray-strcaked
hair and he locked up almost with
greediness
"Who filled tt?' he asked and when
abe said that she had done so he open
ed It with even more eagerness.
He set the little gifts in row. %
shall smoke every bit OF that tobacco, "
he looked at the pip with all the af-