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

infinite good nature oEsSnestSef. sthe
people, the kindly help that police
men at crossings gave to pArcel-laden
women. the happy eyes Of children
feasting on the blazing store win
dows. Oh. Christmas in New York
was a long way from being as bad as
Fudge Morgan thought it was. His
mood had grown worse. and he was
looking at everything through dark
glasses.
He almost wished. now. that he had
gone to a theater.:, He felt that It
wouldn't go back to the Santa Clara.
He dipped into a restaurant or two.
but the efforts of Broadway to be gay
seemed CHASTITY. Broadway. he de-
cided, might do very we'll with New
Year eve. but when it tried to en-
tract too big for it. And so he just
wandered around. He distributed
dimes and quarters pretty literally.
where they seemed likely to do some
good. And just before midnight he
saw a girl. in 42d street. looking
wistfully into the window OF a store
that sold jewelry-cheap jewelry. at
that.
Moved by An impulse Of giving. he
performed the madness Of addressing
her. He wanted to buy her Christ
mas present, he said. But Just then
her young man emerged from the ad-
joining cigar store, and the passing
brought no enjoyment at all to Fudge.
The final-and Observation-Disclosures
was that he was drunk or mad. or
both. But 1t may be that the breadth
Of his shoulders also helped to re-
strain the young mans desire to as
sault him.
FUDGE hurried east. simply because
most Of the crowd was going the
other way, and reached the Grand
Central station, calling himself choice
names. his cheeks still a fiery red.
For solace he sought q certain select
had been unjustly accused OF imbib-
ing already. 1t was his first OF the
evening, as a matter Of fact. and it
didn't taste right, because he felt so
utterly friendless and forlorn. But
as he turned away. after finishing 1t.
Jack rockingham. whom ne sup
tant, emerged from telephone booth
perspiring, crimson. He looked like
a man in real trouble, and was soon
able to prove that he had reason for
looking 50.
being surprised at anything. He took
the naturalization Of Fudge calmly.
very calmly.
THANK goodness I'll have some
help, anyhow he said, simply.
And then. with a few broad strokes.
he sketched the outlines OF his dis
aster and the peril in which Billys
II was hung up in Chicago till the
last minute" he said. II knew I'd be
cutting it fine. and thought
wouldn't take any chances. I bought
Santa Claus outfit-white whiskers
ana all. And packed the whole shoot.
ing match into q couple Of trunks and
saw 'em on the train myself. And then
that filthy freight has to pile itself
ali over four tracks-and when 1
asked where the baggage car of the
limited was Bill Hannis threatened
to shoot me! l tell you. Fudge. you
can think you know man-but TILL
saw Bill working at his Job I thought
explain. or anything-he was worse
than liners captain in a fog"
Fudge looked at his watch. Twelve
forty-hve. The big stores were
closed He undsrst too, the, the situation
be done about Billy Frothlneham's
Christmas. That was plain. He led
the way to the street, where there
were taxicabs.
1--WE been phoning MArge.' said
rockingham, duly. ia sent her
about forty eleven wires, telling her
But she never got any Of them.
"women haven't got even a rudi-
mentary sense Of Justice" he broke
out. two blocks west. You'd think.
from the way she talked to me, that
I'd wrecked that freight myself"
Fudge tried to make appropriate
sympathetic noises. But he was think.
ing, and he was family amused, too.
The chauffeur, to whom vague ex-
plantations had been made. was lead
Ing a gallant forlorn hope. He didn't
pretend to know much about toy
stores and such places, but he thought
that in 9Th avenue. or in some OF the
Acf ~ ia