HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Advocate, 1919-12-18, Page 6r- Olft==,:ah
S`
Here is a brilliant and unique Christmas Story from the
pen of the late 0, Henryanow recognized as one of the
world's greatest storytellers, tt Is a charming tate, full
of character= sentiment --and surprises!
Qsie dollar and ninety-four eenats,' stance alone, and not by meretricious
That was all. And seventy-four cents! ornamentation, as all good things.
of it was in coppers saved one and! should de.
two at a time by bulldozing the grocer;It was even worthy of the watch,
and the vegetable man and the but -I As soon as she s.aw ,it she knew that
cher, until one's cheek's aliened with, it must be Jim's. rft was like him
the silent imputation of parsimony; Quietness and value—the description
that such elo:e dealing implied. Three; applied. to both. Eighteen dollars
titaes Della counted it. One dollar and they teak from her for it, and she hur-
ninety-fur cents. And the next day ried home with the two dollars. With
would be Christmas. t that chain ea his watch Jan night
There was elea ray nothing left to do properly be anxious about the time in
but to flop down on the shabby little' any company.: Grand as the watch
couch and howl. So Nelda did it, I was, he sometimes looked at it on the
Which incieates the moral reflection! sly, on account of the old leather
that nee is /nada up of sobs, sniffles, strap that he used in place of a chain.
sobs, and smiles, with sniffles pre-! When Della reached home her in -
dominating. j toxieatiof gave way a little to pria-
While the mistress of the home is derce and reason. She got out her
gradually subsidizing f_om tho firstt�a.Ira irons and
lighted the gas, and
stage to the seeond, take a look at went to work repairing the ravages
the home. A furnished fiat at $7.50 made by generosity ; added to love.
per :reek. It did net exeetly beggar Which is a'.:'.a.ys e tremendous task,
description, but it certainly had thatbear frieards--a mammoth task.
word on tihe loo's -out for the nnendi-: W:thin forty minutes her head was
earey squad.,covered with tiny, e;ese, lying curls,
In the rest!ibele below was a tetter -which made her look wonderfully l:lie
box, into which no letter wYouhl go,, a truant schoolboy. She looked at her
and an electric button, frena anion no reflection in the mirror, long, care -
mortal finger eoleld coax a ring. Also AMY, and critically.
appertaining thereunto was a card "If Jim doesn't kill me," she said: to
hearing the name of "Mr. James DU- hereelf, "before be takes a second
lingham Young." look at me, he'll say I look like a
The "Dillingham" h."d been fitting Ceney Island ehorns-girl. But what
to the breeze during a f,.*rmer period could I do? Oh, what could I do with
of pr?: perity , whet ae pee =.•or wee one dollar and ninety-four "een te?"
being paid thirty dollars per week. At seven o'eleck the coffee was made
Now, when the inmate was .'hrunk t i and the frying. lean was on the back
twenty dollar, the teeters of "Dining- _„ ,.,.
ham" looked blurre*d, as though they - ---._ __t
were thinking seriously of eontr'aet ng
to a modeet and rerese sumin 9) " Batt
whenever Mr. James Dillingham
Young came /wale mai n e be d lois
flat above he was e lle°i -Jim."' end.greatly hugged by, ItIrs. Diiiirtgbara
Young, already introduced to tic:; as
Della. Whieh Le all very gocd.
Della finished her ere and attended
to her cheers whit the powder rag
She steed ti the witalow and looked
out dully at a grey rat w ^alai;'`::;• ? inner
fence in a grey back yard. T..-1„t,rrew
would be 4: l•r etri a . Dar, eat i ='°a;: h Ial
only one dollar and ninety -freer cents
with whi,.h to buy Jima present She
had been saving every eent he eould.
for months, with this result. Twenty.
,
dollars a week doesn't go far. Ex-!
;;sense's had been greater than she had;
calculated; s ,6 , +
u te' t12 e �
Only �
Della looked long and anxiously in
the mirror.
Jiro drew a package from his over-
coat pocket and threw it on the table.
"Don't make any mistake, Dell," he
said, "about me. °d don't think there's
anything in the way of a haircut or a
shave or a silaupoo that eould make'
me like my girl any less. But ;II you'll
unwrap that package, you may see
whyyou h
going awhile
x,
a n
d tie
can v
first."
�.at fr..t
White fanners and nimble tore at the
string and paper. And thenanecsta-
tic scream of joy, and then, 'alas! a
quick feminine changer to-.-bysterical
tears and wails, necessitating the inn.
mediate employment of all the conn -
forting powers of the lord of the flat.
For there lay the cembs-the set of
combs, side and back, that Della had
worshipped in a. downtown window,'
Beautiful combs, pure tortoi'eshell, !
with jew ailed rims, jut the shade to
wear in the beautiful varnished ha.:.
They were expensi: e combs,, fume knew,1
and her heart had simply craved and!
yearned over them without the least!
hope of I1cc ession And now they!
were hers; but the tre.,cs that should,
ren"
{1 • attt'a; t; are. la anon •
dollar and ninety-four cents to buy'. v d 1y✓ �� Pfl%/�:e1"�"
'4/1
Many
apresent for Jima Her Jiro! �v F .(,.,Ra, °q
J coat neee . L"ttee t . �., . ' :.. `' :
•!any a happy hour she bad spent; "Dell,"' he said, "•I sold my watch4o buy the t ::t}s, eue ;;;;1a!
planning for something nice for him, l
something fine and rare and sterling,! of the stove, hat and ready to cook the have ade.•ned the coveted crnamcnts;
' were gone. '
lag tt-orthy the honor of being owned! Jim was never late. Della douhied' But she hugged them to h t o gong
"ybJim. theIfob-chain in her hand and sat on' and at length she was able t,' leo]: up'
There wigs a pier -glass between the! the corner of the. table near the door' ', ith nee :an s''''
:y 0.. t.ip, .1, , , c,.n 1
windows of the room. Perhaps you, that he always entered. Then she; •guy:
have seen a pier -glass in a $7.50 flat? .heard his step on the .stair, away do:v.r. '";lay 11ir ,r;r:,;vs •;:s :