HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Advocate, 1920-12-23, Page 6if' •
\'n Christmas Made Them
Partners.
FOR LOVE OF HIS LITTLE CHILD,
THIS FATHER GAVE ALL
AND GAINED ALL.
bows on the table, her chin cupped MTh • • e Lad s Gift to Ihs or
her palms. 7
Two shepherds and a shepherd lad
Came running from afar
To greet the little new-born One
Whose herald was a star.
' But empty were their toil -worn hands,
And on the stable floor
The Wise Men knelt with precious gifts
The Saviour to adore.
"Oh, take my cloak," one shepherd cried,
"'Twill keep the Babe from cold."
"And take my staff," the other said,
" 'Twill guide Him o'er the wold."
The shepherd lad looked sadly down;
No gift at all had he,
But only on his breast a lamb
He cherished tenderly. .)-
So young it was, so dear it was—
The dearest of the °cis.=
For days he had been guarding it,
Close wrapped within his smock.
He took the little, clinging thing
And laid it by the Child,
And all the place with glory shone—
For lot Lord Jesus
• Ann Norton was the kind of woman
the Old Masters visioned when they
painted the Virgin Mother. Her large
shapely hands were viurant with ser-
vice, her deep bosom was a haven of
rest, her clear steady eyes were bea-
con lights. She was not an imaain-
ative woman, As e little girl she had
save not been a lover of fairy tales and
4, now she was nut ablo to enter into
her husbaud's dreams. Had she been
...,, A. .... et
e se y
able to doze she might have bad more
sympathwith him, but might not
• ea
L.,
.
. ...-.. dt:'d deed' have been as patent as the had been.
ea - • es . By MAY ELLIS NICHOLLS. kedAd
t.7..
. She coveted his • heart's desire for her
eh"
big boy" asshe playfully called her
"It's dredtui to get a puncture. 'sees down on the table and for a moment he questioned anxiously when she re-
cattle after (lark!" said Bobby and longer Bobby stood motionless M turned, husband, 3ust as she desired the ex -
gazed ruefully at the broken rubber I sheer amazement Then he jumped "Yes, he is feverish, but 1 hope it pensive little ear for Bobbby, because
d." she replied absently. she loved him and it hurt her to .have
band in his hand. 1, and capered and fairly squealed with• onlycol
a I him disappointed.
On the floor at his side was a dis- delight. The thing was a, tiny auto- Then she burst • out. - 1 Again a hoarse cough sent her hur-
t:ailed auto -truck, loaded down with mobile, only a few inches high but Per- "Robert, do you know that to -mor- Tying to Bobby's room. and as she
Christmas packages—at least that was ; feet in every part and it ran like mad, row M Christmas? Christmas! and we
.
•i•ed faceher motherlicod revolted.
,
looked fearfully at the delicate flush
what Bobby saw. Of course if one, flint this way andle have tothing for )3obbyl
had only giown-up eyes, it might llama`, polished surface a the table. "Have we really nothing for the
B
" - - ' 1 • •
oby bshould have a. Christmas
littlechap?! He
looked to him like a cigar box mounted i "Oh. gee, Father Gee whiz, can't - ... I should not be robbed ol his rightful
•on our little wheels, three of them 1. she go'" Bobby's little body fairly "Not a thing and no mono}! No ' inheritance of childhood for some In-
bound round with rubber bands and ' quivered with excitement. 9t's from turkey, no greens, no tree. Nothing
i to maktea real Christmas. Oh, Robert, 1 tangible future proaperity. what
the fourth. as I3obby had raournfully • Santa Mee. isn't it and it's for mer would it all be worth when dear old
deelared, minus it'rubber tire 1 The eager little hands were out.:1 give up the inVention. Many men
• have tried. 3ust as hard as you and Santa Claus bad beeu offered up to the
•
"Mother" he called, scrambling to i stretched, but before they reached the
failed." . . god, Mammon! She hastily slipped on
b'e feet. Receiving no reply., he ran coveted treasure they were struck•
"'But eleineenehas to do it" he pro- her coat and had and ran down the
to the door through whose crack a : aside and a -voice that Bobby would
tested. "It is the inventoes who make long flights of stairs to the street
ray ef light shone. "Mether, please,: never have known for Father's, shout -
the world. move." ' She returned an hour later, loaded
light the gas. rve got a blowout." i ed at him: with bundles. and followed by a boy
With the opening of the kitchen; a "Don't you dare touch that, Child!
have te suffer!" site flasked.
41Anti their wives a/4 children '''''io who carried a market basket and a _____
all the things on the wide Mee Mtn it? But Bobby might other with fast beating hearts. The
'Over a flood of light, an appetizing 4 ;;----'
edor and Cerufort all entered together.' "r° anYwa3.2" spoken so and. be flushed -and
This' was the Rest time sglausv;hhaedr- small tree. Piling
telining room table, she knocked softly have had it and welcome," he added ' child stood speechless, his lips parted,
In did your mother let You come
''Mother didn't let 'me; I came,"
'ether husband's door, and, after vFait- more to himself thitn to her, "If I had a look of eestitey on les race. At last
Comfort had flushed cheelise and tend- 1' a look of pained surpeise, . i
er eyes. She wore a white apron ()ter 1
Mother even in his extremity. "Have you zo ,faith tn. me. Dear?" ing In vain, fax an .aeswer, termed the only got that last. stop -in my; pro- with a sigh of suprente content he
° reached out his band and texlerlY,
I Bobby proteeted, ready to defend
a blue muslin deess exactly the shade " knob softly and went in. Once amiss cess."
a her eyes; her aleeves, rolled above! 'The surprise and stispense in the She left her chair anchediriped, one
arm about his neck. • the titresleeld she was atteDepted. to "If," his wife repeated. "But, Rote, almeat reverently, took tho little car
pitiful little face brought Robert Nor-• ort," •site hurried uovr, realizing more and lifted it to his lips. Then he turn -
white arras. t ton to a realization of himself. With "1 iloabeietfoulthI doinfacioii•: ppe tteratye9sut,rasnadlzeI, retreat withoot Malting her preselect)
Itaowri, Robert Norton sat at the and more the audacity a- the retneest I ed and hid his face on hie father's
her elbows, dieplayett her shapely i
"Wile' You bleseen darling! All in! lieee Aarneflrhe il
-e t the marvellous ilts Mae.
P t bl o.nd with. the You will Succeed. If 1 had not had. table, but he was no longer playing she was about to make, "you have a knee.
but
the5 faith, do yOU the* I should, have con- with the little ear. His head was reed- little car mere perfect than any that I "Oh, there Is a Sante Claus, there
darere you
t. :" She lighted the other' turneeitin B ea e l •0, ,
°bb Y get
n rra1 sented to give up oar home? Would lug on. his arm and his whole attitude was ever in any toy shop. one with i is!" be said. "Just see my car! It's
I have used. up our snug little nest told of utter wearine.es and diecour- gears and a rubber tire and a lif'rene I got tires and gears and a di rential.
ga$ and with the light the room , toward the door ' •
11 "Father commit talk. nrith. yen now, - agement . .
tial ' Bobby had set his whole child- : 1'm so glad 1 - -1--rm afraid rm going
sprang into deftalte lines, like a de- f
+steeping nege.tive. It was the °rain% sou:
ary dining rem of the ordinarY i he's busy. One of these days 'egg? But it is used ap, Robert eery "I nava the Christma$ things; Itch,: ish.heart on this as much as ;on 11. ave i to cry."
e -t3"' you shall have all the ears you want, Dellny of it, There ien't enough left
- ert; come and. help roe trim the tree. set your man's heart on your great The happy day eped on. Ali the
tat: a cheap. ornate. built-in side-, I hope. Run along now, that's a man!" to pay um rent."
..
boara, a yellow.eak dining talee, four : Bobby stopped -in the passage, his
eheirs and a divan thee teethe be used email frame sleeking with the sobs ot
fer a bed, made up the furniture. L
a very small boy. He felt stunned and
"See my puncture, wither?" Bobby humiliated anti desolate. He crept into
Leh1 up the rubber band and voluted. the kitchen. • . tit tt . Robert. hIasn.toinydo,• u You
ertiself -
Et) the little handless wheel. I . -Father wouldn't. mend my tire," he know
Bobby, what more could I want? But
Tie mother's serene eyes suddenly sobbed.
saddened, "Cars, ears, ears, always ' For once his gentle mother turned .,
i•ar::-.! Put up your play. Bobby. anti ': on him almost fiercely as his father
no some examples." 1 bad done. "Bobby: You don't mean
There was a cadence in the motto: you bothered Father?"
eret tone that the'eltild felt though he , "He isn't working, Mother -dear.
did. not understand. He reluctantly I That's --what—" choking back the
cbeyed. Ws Wild was not on 'MO ache that seemed to fill his throat,
• question of how many two's make i "hurts my feelings so. He isn't welde-
d 1 ing! He's just playing. He's playing.
four. After hie mother Mid returned
,to. her dinnengettiug he tied the with the eunningest little touring car
broken rubber band and stretched it ' you ever saw in your life • and he
over the fourth wheel: it broke shorter wouldn't let me touch it."
than before. Once snore he tried but • Mother held out her arms and se -
with the saute result. cure in the privace of the kitchen,
"If I had only a big: rubber!" he Bobby ran into them. It was all such
mourned. puzzle. Father playing with toys
He tried to Meter: it with a string in the parlor, Mother getting their din -
but the rubber was rotten and he I ner in the kitchen, e -hen Father used
threw it down with tears in his bigj to. go to business every day, Nora used
gray eyes. "The mean old thing!" he' to get dinner, and Mother used to sew
cried. • 1 and read and play with him. And the
Suddenly he sprang to his feet, a 1 worst of it was Father did not seera
look of determination ert'Itis face. to enjby his play and sometimes lie
"I've a great mind—" he said and thought Mother did not lace to get the
put his hand on the knob of the hall dinner—anyway she had:looked sorry
door. For a full minute he stood de- enough when a man came with a pia
liberating, then he turned the knot, per and she had counted money out of
walked slowly the length of the dark an, old pocketbook: and giveii it to him.
hall and paused outside another door. And another time a 'man came and
For weeks Bobby had been forbid- there didn't seem to be enough•money
den to enter that room. "Father is at in the pocketbook, and he said some- HERE WE ARE -AGAIN!
work and must not be bothered," was thing cross and went away. It was a
the law laid down to him every morn- comMrt to lie still, cuddled agenst her Bobby can't wait till next year Mr his upon tte and its guard was gone. The
Ins end never repealed. Each morn- soft shoulder, for all at once he felt Christmas. It is exactly like asking man looked still more puzzled for an
Mg after breakfast that room swallow- tired and sleepy and knen- that his YoU to wait until eternity for your in- instant, then started to his feet.
ed Father. Sometimes he came out• head was aching dreadfully. . vention. You want it here and now.
to -night?" "Your ring—Dear—?"
• for lunch, sometimes Bobby did not "How hot your head is, dear," What do you think Bobby said to me
see him again till the next. day. When Mother said, raising his chin. to loo?'It has turned into red and green
bet!"
"Something that fioored you, I'll and yellow balls and a turkey, and a
looking at something far awhy and you feel sick in any way?" .• Christmas tree." Then, as he still
he did come out, he seemed to be into the tear -stained little face. e"Do
hardly spoke to Mother or Bobby. Yet "Only when I swallowe' Like a burst of sunshine in a dark looked dazed, she gave him a hysteri-
father's sombre eyes. cal little hug. "Goosiel" she laughed,
he was not angry with them. Oh, no! Mother carried him to the light. day was the smile that lighted the
When he did see them, he cuddled and "I will give you your supper right ' •
"don't you understand yet? I pawned
kissed them as if he had been "'ay away, Dear, and put you to bed. You "'He said he should not believe •
for a long time and only the other day, have played too hard to -day," there was any Santa Claus, if he did "You pawned your engagement
when the auto -truck was out of order, "I've got to hang up my stockings, ring!" His tone could hardly have ex -
not get a little touring car with an
he got right down on his hands and Mother," Bobby reminded her re- engine and gears and a difrential. preseed more consternation had she
What is a diferential, Robert" confessed to petty larceny.
knees and fixed it quicker—quicker— P
why, quicker than Bobby could think roachfully.
"Of course, you may hang them be- She laughed again.
The father laughed aloud.
about it Mother could cure bad cuts fore you go to bed." "'It's. only pawned, Dearest; I can
"Wants a ear with a differential,
and black-and-blue spots by kissing "I Mina want any supper, Mumsie; does he. ' The young rascal knows
. get it back again, if 1 ever.have money
them and could make wonderful things and you may hang up my stockings. 1 enough. But. suppose I never redeem
more about cars now Than half the
chauffeurs do. Well, I must get back '
it what is it after all but a stone. A
to my work." But he till sat, looking very precious stone to me, because it
into space, his brows knit, his teeth has always been a symbol of our love
set on his under lip. • - for each other but not half so precious
"Never mind, Little Wife, we'll pull money!, .
"I thought you saki you had no invention, and Ito Is ill—ole Rol erto Within Father and Bobby played
through some way and another Christ- it frightens me to Minh how 111 he with the little ear. Father pointed out
Inas, God willing, there will be enough For answer elle held her left band ' 'might be! What would success or , all the •complicated utechantems at
raoney to gratify your every wish." before his eyes. The anger nails were: wealth or life itself be without our ; the •tiny machine ana Bobby looked
trimmed ilose and, though the band 1 darling boy? Robert, will you not give' and lietened and marveled. Ile could
was carefully kept, it bore the unmist 1 Bobby your little car?" I not be separated from it even tor a
talatble marks of rough work. Her! He stared at her, honestly ignorant ., minute. It. stood by his plate while
plain gold wedding ring hung loose i of her meaning. "My little car? I the sacred ordinance of turkey and
have no little car." 1 cranberry sauce was observed. and
"The one you were "playing with' now, while Mother washed the dishee,
he lay on his stomach, chin in hand,
when Bobby found you. he
he understood. Hi,3 wife was with eye a riveted on his teeesure. He
asking him, seriously asking hint, to was enjoying to' the full one of the
give his workbag model—the model on. rarest experiences in life—the posses -
which he was trying to perfect his sion of his heart's desire.
wonderful Invention—to hid child as a Father stood at the window, gazing
Christmas plaything. The blood surg- moodily at the merry crowds in the
e' e et- -
"i'-._'1 ih ad purple to the roots of his hair This streets far below. Ho was trying to
--- " ., e '
ee " IL" then was the measure of her faith in , reconcile himself to the inevitable, to
' e , his power. He looked iis a man might accept cheerfully if he could, and at
h,.eseseethee:eseen-e
took who has just been told he has a least bravely as he must, what the
4..d mortal disease. New Year held for him. Suddenly his
77'7/ model!"
"You want me to give Bobby my trained ear caught a new sound from
the little ear -it peculiar buzz followed
She did not rely at on:e. She saw by a brief interval of silence, and then
I; she had wounded hint beyond beliefe a second slightly different sound. He
The mother -love and the wife -love Whirled and crossed to where Bobby
struggled within ber. "Never rend. lay.
Dearest," she;said at last. "'Believe "That sound! What makes that
me. I did not dream you cared like sound?"
' that." Then she reached out her hand "Mat sound?" Bobby asked placid -
‘,..e. j to him. ."Colne, let's have a look at ly,
It ' Father flung himself down on the
I 4•6\41 I
1 1 Iii
\ '4---
1 ), 1 1
' 111
• him with a startled look.
him."
by opened his eyes and gazed about ing eyes, every muscle tense, at the
As they leaned above hl' bed, Bob- floor by Bobby and gazed with strain -
"Hew are you, my man?" Father part of an old toy train outfit, a min -
gyrating model. Bobby had set up
• lature hill with a roadway 'winding up
asked gently.
The wide dark eyes stared at him and down around it, and up and down
with no sign of recognition. "Don't this hill the little car was speeding.
you know Father, dear?" his mother As it reedited the beginning of the
questioned with mingled love and ascent there eame the momentary
terror in her crooning voice. pause and then the change of sound as
"Father is playing with the little it began to climbs The man watched
car," •drowsily answered Bobby. There it -with unwinking eyes, perspiration
starting up, "Santa! Please, Santa! .starting on his forehead. .After sev-
bring me a little car. Father won't seal breathless minutes he snatched '
the model from the track and stared
let me play with his." ,
"Yes, he will," broke in his father at it as. if his gaze could melt it part
and hastened from the room to get from part. At last he drew a long,
the cherished model, but before he sobbing breath.
could return. the boy had dropped into "I see it at last," he whispered, "I
see it at last!"
a restless sleep. •
Bobby's stocking had been hung be- Bobby /scrambled to his feet and
side the tree and now Father stuffed looked at Father with troubled eyes.
the model into the top of it. "I want, ,yeleat could he have done to the pre -
him to see it the first thing in the cious car? He had never seen Father
look like that ,before.
morning,' he said.
The mother watched him with brim- * "That's it! Good heavens, of course -
ing eyes. Usually tele most self -coin thetes. it! Blockhead, not to have seen
trolled of women, she could not trust thaHtebeofaeurgehlt"
Bobby up in his arms.
.
herself to speak. .
"After all, it is best that way," he "Let's find Mother!" he shouted.
"I know it is absolutely simple," he as our other jewel—our living little added hoarsely. "I could not have 'What have you two boys been do
said at last; "just a trick that a child son. Come along; let us trim the tree. given it up for anything but love. To- ing?" Mother asked, before she caught
Leave your week for one night and morrow I will enjoy Christmas with a glimpse of Father's face. Then she
could do. I am always on the verge
you and Bobby; the day after I will turned pale. She who was indeed one
of getting- it; and to -night, Anne just eme""
, I was The tree was small but perfect and start out to hunt a job." , with him, understood "ph, Robert!"
before Bobby interrupted me
sure I had. it at last. I seemed to see when they had finished It like "Oh, Robert you don't mean you hr face and ce
sheecriedandvholisjoy reflected through
it slowly coming out before me just a- pillar of fire. Ann Norton smiled have given up?"
happily as the last tinsel threads were „ "I mist Bobby will break the model They found each other's arms and
amountain peaks rise out of a fog .-
and e held my breath—one moment spun like dew -starred cabwebsd frorn the` first day—you have no idea how Bobby put his arms around both their
s ,
branch to branch, where already hung delicate it is, Annie. Well it will be-. necks and bouncl them close together. • -
more --one single step—and—and then the glittering red and green and yet- the breaking of my idol and "eere "'Just to think, Annie," n'ather said.
Bobby spoke and it was gone. That
low "How complete it is !" her husband never was a dearer little 'lad than at lest, "it was Oilobbyke running the
. I - balls,
was the reason I was so hard on the Bobby' • little car up and dawn the hills that
poor little 'beggarFor a moment
, I was said, stem:hug back to get the full Ann Norton had intended to keep linallY put me on the scent If I had
could have knocked him down
so furious: But 111 make it up to him are
"and so little to do with. You vigil bY her son's bed during the en. not given it to him, I should be puz-
."
She smiled atid kiesed him in sil- are a wonder, Little Woman." He tire night, but as the hours wore on zling over it yet.e
and to you, toehAnnie
drew her to him and teaderly kissed his troubled mutterings ceased, his "I am so thankful, Dearest," she
said; the happy tears glistening in her
sleep became quiet and peaceful and
her lips. •
work . she stille sat listlessly, her el
, ... • She laad made up her mind. to ask the weary mother slumbered too. She tender eyes. Then shel?,oaraddbedidn,"stmiaoninsp;
lleini?tvi°t1?thilYN.or"tIotisa
nandg 1S. eoant
ince. •After he had gone back to his
=seep, caress her courage almost failed her. pressed tdoo_
a certain thing of him but after this was awakened by his soft ' cool cheek e
yhoeursthainndk Shaisn'toeaogiearu, s"h0ahs,
wondered what she meant .•
She knew elle must ask at once or she Maiasie,
should never do it at all. She spoke brought me the car?" The first rays
hurriedly. - of the sun • glittered en the fleecy
'Complete, Robert! Look again!' snow heaped on the window ledge,
He gazed, squinting a little, as ;if the crisp air was full of the sound of
actually dazzled by the glitter. "e• bells, and in a neighboring church
don't see what more any reasonable sweet boyish voices were caroling:
kiddie could ask"
Sing, oh, sing this blessed morn
•
"But tbe little car. I may aswell them Christ to -day is born. -
confess all. I had made up my mind Father rolled Bobby up in his blan-
to buy that car for him, if it took all Let and carried him, blanket and all,
the money 1 had,, but I bought the into, the adjoining room. The boy gave
other things first, and when I went one hurried glance in the direction of
for the car what do you think was his stocking, wriggled from the en
-
the price of it? One hundred dollars! tangling folds and rushed to seize his
treasure, In the eilence that follbev-
I had lees than fifty."
ed, Father and Mother looked' at each,
Tao man gave a wbistle. "It did
to eat but she did not seem to know
one wee bit about automobiles, and
sometimes Bobby thought she acted.
as if she did not want to know. Why,
Bobby himself knew more about autos
than Mother did!
For five long minutes he listened
outside the forbidden door. Well might
he pause: it was the first time in the
six years of his short life that he had
• sever deliberately disobeyed those who
• :had authority over him. But his mind
was made up. He was going to face
rather as man to man. and, no matter
what resulted from it, ask him to fix
• the truck. .
He opened the door noiselessly and
entered the room. For a moment the
• glare of light almost dazzled 'him, for
it was as light as six flaring gas jets
could make it. Blinking, he advanced
on tip -toe. At a table in the middle
of the room sat Father—tall, slim, his
mop of black hair thrown back, his
dark eyes fixed on something he held
• in his hand and was adjusting with a
• tiny tool, At last he put the thing
It's a New Year, dears,
And a good year,
Still better years shall be,
For the heart of map goes for-
ward
To wider victory—
• To meet the days, the holy days
Of stalwart Brotherhood,
When each for ,all and all as one
Shalt forge the whole world's
gOod.
only want one thing anyway and I
wrote Santa Claus about that."
"And what was that, Dearie?"
"A touring oar—a real one like the
one we saw in the window of .the big
toy store. It has an engine and gears,
and. a dif'rentiat 'You remember!"
Yes, she remembered. Two weeks
ago she had taken Bobby to see the
wonderful display at the largest toy
shop in the city and he had had eyes
tor only one thing, this little car, a
marvellously intricate miniature ofa
grown-up's expensive plaything—the
killa of toy this extravagant age pro-
vided" for its pampered darlings.
"Mother! You think Santa Claus
•
•
will bring me a little car like that,
don't you?" be • questioned. vristMlly.
"That was all I asked—no candy, nor
guns, nor anything. Some way if he
• doesn't bring me the car I shall think
Richie Davis knows."
"Knows what, Darling?"
"Nothing; only Richie is nine and
he ,says there isn't any Santa diau."
The mother slipped off his clothes,
'gave some simple • home remediei,
tucked her sou into bed and turned
out the light. Theu she hastily put
the frugal d.thner on the table and
caliqd her husband.
He sat down with the far -away look
that Bobby had so resented. Ile. was
pale and the purple shadciws under
his eyes made them look larger and
dltrker than they really were. He
Iseemed hardly to know where he was
U11 a hoarse cough sent the mother
•,horrying ttt lcb13y's room.
I "Anyth1,14 the mattor with Lobby?"
• -°"'"•eonete•,..tadedeld.Y•t
"It Was alvays said of him,
that he knew how to keep
Christmas well if any man
alive possessed the knowledge.
May that be truly said of us,
and all of us !—Dickens.
1