New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1923-10-25
CHAPTER I,
mo Christmas Tres

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Here ana there above the roofs and
sablss caves and steeplss thar are
the skyseFape OF New York. there
towers an occasional church spiFe, q
sfsai. sensitive, kindly hngeF pointing
10 Heaven,
The Church Of the Nativity holds
aloft Just such q nnseF-hut II rises
from q smus. sleek. soft hand,
An habitue OF New feFk's most
fashionable club would feel quite Al
home IN the Church Of the Nativity,
There IL the same rich simplicity in
both. the same warm eemfeFt. and,
above all. 1.-THE same exelusiyeness,
Hut a thrsadbare man would be as
sslf.eonseious In one institution as In
the other.
A neetlng winter sun. homeward
bound on Christmas eve, peered
through stained glass windows upon
q scene Of disorder not In keeping
with the primness II usually found IN
the rich shadows of these stately
walls.
crumrled paper. boxes and wood
shayings were scattered everywhere.
Bits OF abandoned string serawled
strange figures on the eoor.
Rising above this confusion tow
cred giant mr. tree. decked with the
lights and eolors OF an Aurora Bore
alis. Tinsel and trinkets weighted Its
boughs. A young Girl poised on n
step ladder. draped a strand OF silver
on already overloaded branches. then
cat down awkwardly on one OF the
steps.
A woman. dressed too youthfully
for her 10 years, and too tightly for
her $50 pounds. turned slowly. sur
veying q dazzling ball held level with
her eyes. As she faced the ladder
she glimpsed other ornaments.
'.DilIyl" she reproved. "Dilly. for
PHYS sake pull down your skirt"
She turned to a third feminine figure
bending over box. II don't know
what skirts are coming to-"
They're not coming to the ground.
mother, you can be sure OF that"
piIly rejoined fiippantly.
Oily. otherwise Dafodil Gillian.
was pretty even before she learned
that nature had adjuncts sold In
small round boxes. Twenty years
old, she was 80 years witty, 40 years
wise, so years worldly and so years
cynical.
81 can't understand why our young
women want to go around looking like
chorus girls" Mrs. Gillian complained
irritably.
perhaps they've noticed the kind of
men that marry chorus girls" Leila
Thornbury remarked, looking up from
a box OF toys. At 80 Leila had left
one marriage behind, carrying away
court-awarded spoils of war. There
was something feverish and restless IN |
her eyes, something deliberately at
tractive In her manner.
1--WE two engagements before din
ner," said Mrs. Thornbury, finally,
land I've got to go home and UNI
dress for the opera"
II gave up the dance for this,
boosted Dilly
but you all waste your time so
dreadfuly," objected Mrs. Gillian.
I'm busy, too, but my life Is given
to the service Of Others"
What could be sweeter!" her
daughter Knocked.
'Dilly! Nobody knows better than
you that I've never had a selfish
thought Mr.. Gillian"
"Of the Gillian Groceries, Inc. in
terjected the girl.
"Mr. Gillian says I'm far too good!
Only yesterday gave 500 pounds of
coffee and sugar to the Salvation
Army"
And today" interrupted the in
corrigible Dilly, father jumped the
price of sugar to 80 cents!"
Mrs. Gillian saw the futility of
further argument.
Zone gets precious little reward, l
can tell you," she said with rising
emotion. II sent helpful thoughts
from the Bible to all Mr.. Gilliam's
emplcyesl Now they're on strike,
and the man that got BE content with
your wages is leading the strikers"
She rummaged in the toy box to
conceal her agitation.
AsWhere's the Star of Bethlehem"
1he asked absently.
1T doesn't work, mother" ex-
planned Dilly.
Are those your husbands men on
The front steps?" Mrs. Thornbury
asked after a moments pause.
"Oh, no." said Mrs. Gillian. Those
IRE people from the sweat shops.
They're starving, l hear, and Mr..
Gillian rays It serves 'em right" BY
this time she had found the object of
her search--a large, brilliant star
shaped ornament. whats the mat