Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-12-19

was IudL 4AAAy
should keep his faith In
Santa Claus. As Billy was hve years
old. and an iconoclast Of nine had
been trying to persuade him that
Santa Claus did not exist. this was
of the first Importance. There were
obstacles, however. Such as, Tor ex-
ample, the wreck of freight train
that piled up traffic for hours on a
great trunk line and drove the OPP
Grating STATS of three railroads al
most mad before they got passenger
trains going around a hundred-mile
detour such as, again. the tempo
rary obtuseness of Patrolman Ter
ence Malone of the nineteenth pre-.
cinct-although for the trouble ne
caused Terence made noble amends.
as is to be shown. Moreover, the
criminal law, which is not elastic
had to be considered. Only it wasn't.
But enough has been anticipated.
1t was really Pudge Morgan VINO
to begin this story with some &C
count of him He was Fudge only
to his friends and some hundreds OF
thousands of attentive readers OF the
foot ball news, who rememnette e. t Inc
college team. He had much more
dignified name for business use, 80
to speak. but Christmas and business
don't mix very well-in theory, at
1east-and Fudge nts the occasion
Pudge and Billy rockingham were
old friends. Fudge had known Billy
for about four and nine-tenths OF
"a hereditary, because Billy's father.
Jack Frothingham, had been in col
lege with Fudge. And there were
those who said, too. that Biilys
mother had hesitated quite q while
between Jack and Fudge. and that
this was the reason Fudge had re.
manned a bachelor. though he hadn't
gone in at all for being one OF the
cynical, grouchy sort. Anyhow. there
wasn't family in all America with
which Pudge, exiled from his own
home, and condemned to solitary
Christmas in New York, would rather
have celebrated than the Frothing-
hams.
Frothinghams in New York JACK
and his wife and Billy usually spent
Christmas and Thanksgiving and real
days like them up In Vermont, al
though between times they lived IN
had vetoed such a trip. Just as 1t had
brought Fudge to New York. ana
while he was lamenting his lonely
estate in the lobby OF the santa
Clara on ch5istm nas,e eys' tb n.s miles
away az the taxicab flies. and his
mother was sitting at the window,
wondering why the deuce Jack didn't
get home, and Worrying Just littie.
already. about Biily's Christmas. She
didn't know about that freight wreck.
nor about the frantic telegrans JACK
had been sending. And 1t was get
ting later all the time.
In the lobby OF the santa C.a
sat Fudge, chewing on the second
cigar ne had lighted since dinner
He had been annoyed. of course. at
farst. when he had found that ne
must pass up all the Christmas Jun
at home. No ono who has any SOFT
in . hotel from choice. But he hadn't
realized quite how bad 1t was going
to be. Fudge was a good deal OF an
optimist, really, but the santa cara
was-depressiing; It TN mis snd ,., nave
tire fact that it WAS Christmas eve
altogether. The management wasn't
wise enough to do that. however. 1t
rubbed Christmas in. 50 to speak.
Around the big gold and onyx pill
strung festoons OF the sort Of greens
that look as II they hadn't been
properly busted of since last Christi
mas. Then there were wreaths OF
holly. the sort Of wreaths that are
red berries they contain. At one end
of the lobby some bored electricians
were screwing little bulbs into q
sign that spelled out Merry Christ
mas" and connecting up the wires
to make that sentiment flash out at
midnight. II some one reminded him
There weren't many people around.
Only the Santa Clara's regulars were
spending Christmas 1t seemed. There
were = few old gentlemen, one of
whom growSed portentously when a
bellboy made him move to get at a
pillar, and then went back, az soon
as he found another chair. to the
stock market report. Worst of all,
there were a few children. and Fudge
decided that parents who would SO
arrange their lives as to make their
children spend Christmas in a hotel
children they were. who came in
from the street with bellboys carry
ing bundles for them, and reminded
him Of Billy rockingham Just be-
cause they were 80 wretchedly diff
ferent.
A BOUT 10 o'clock Fudge couldn't
stand 1t any longer. and went out.
He wandered down toward the shop
ping district, but. somehow. the
Santa Clara had managed to rub most
of the elamor from Christmas eve for
him. Horns were being blown by ped
dlers. and other peddIers were trying
to sell every useless thing In the
world. The Christmas spirit was
abroad, to be sure. but it wasn't the
real thing. Fudge was looking for it.
and maybe he had some vague idea
OF emulating the heroes OF some of
the Christmas stories he had read. He
was nursing q secret. q shamed sort
of hope that he might come across
Christmas cheer at the eleventh hour.
hut his mood wasn't really the proper
one. He got bluer and biuer.
The shops ought to have been bet
ter, but they weren't. The aisles were
full enough. and a lot of the people,
OF course. were happy and cheerful.
But time after time he looked into
the faces of pale, worn girls who were
lifting prayerful eyes to the clock,
of their utter WEAKNESS. And then.
too. a lot of people were spending
money and buying things grudgingly.
and because IL was the thing to do.
He didn't blame them: he was sorry
they had to feel that way. but II did
help to finish the establishment the
Santa Clara had begun. Especially
the crowd. and brought up against q
couple so that he couldn't help hear
ing the woman's rasping voice.
"There!" she was saying. '.That'n
do for the Smiths! Thank heaven. that
dinky present from them cam ahead
of time! Agnes Smith knew we
weren't going to give them anything
put something over on us-the cat!
ThAX R1Arantee though. 10 dalixAr