HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Star, 1924-12-18, Page 1• A
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• a hundred Miles ttleii.' - '411-Iiiir-4---Fatheri---Denit•- -
____Ite foolish!"- • ..* '
• ...• • it * 'aritsv, resuenther, Bessie:. Nothing for me—noe
•
.1 heard. Mr:stiletto 'decisive 5 approaching hint. '
,• . a. thingl""and Dad did hAng up, but riot before I had
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lEtre st (111ristritas
ig Ethel Opok *not ,
P course t wasn't the first Christmas Did tett
lived ough. It ,couldn't be, since it :hop-,
pened n his seventieth winter! But, u
afterward phresed it, it was the first Christmas its
was a Chri.stAlte" to h.le thinking. This is how it
happened
About g.,:efoitth before Christmas last year Dad
and Mother ethis up on the long-distance to ask
about The kidder:3, 'who, poor lambs, had whooping
cough. It if rather expensive calling awa„) Pont
home, and l'krievi they could ill afford it; sot talked
fast and did ell t could to make the call a briet one.
But after.Mother had said "goodby," Dad want.
al a last word, although it. bad been he who had
opened the conversation in the first place. A hun-
dred 'miles away 1 heard him knocking over a ch.iir
in his nervous haste to get to the receiver, and Moth-
er's sharisbut kindly, "Take _care, Father', Theyet
•
And all he Wanted*, 'say In this telephonic F. S.
was, "Now, Bessie, don't you.and Harryetme any
thing for Christreetsthis year. I really dorettawane
anythingseencit after all you spent on theatre tickets
when. we were there 'Thanksgiving!" •
• :"What makes you think they're planning to give
yeu anything, anyway Mote Mother's tart protest
_ from somewhere back back in that familiar sittihg room.
" light words about alvaitvs having *anted such a fool-
ish folderol. He did hear them, all right a ou sae
to that! But he imagined, too. lie know what that
kind ef wanting means." '
"And believe me, your old dad, when he has
waked on all these dozens of Christmas mornings ot
;his life, he has hoped that he himself would end jut
such a tongtwanted folderol in his sock. And in-
stead of it, what has he found? Say, what has he? "
1 hung my head. "Neckties, socks, handker-
. chiefs, calendars and writing paper."
"Huhl And what has he 'hoped he'd find?"
"A phonograph; a genuine meerschaum, a tive-
pound box of chocolates, house slippers (Wither n.
• ver would let him .go shuffling 'round in slippers,
• .thoug111), a seal ring for his little tingb.r (imagine)' °
a full set of Dickens. Oh, lots of things that 'be
-reallyatidn't peed, you. knoavi-and -some that aeould-
have been ridiculous!" •
•Finishing, I looked up, at my loving, husband. •
Speechltssly, he was pointing one long tinge" at rrP,
When our eyes met, he burst forth : • - •
"And you knew all this, anntever took the pain's
to imagine how he felt? A fine daughter! All ot
• you, fine unselfish people! Well, his son-in-laa, .
can't give him alt those long -wanted folderalse--not
this year -e -bast you bet' he's going to give him the
_ _loungmulaceeLa blue velvet one. with gilt
and a cord wiUt.atts Ths loving daughter ma.
give him a tie—if-sites absolutely sure he needs otie
• —and she can fin* one.suitable. for an aged mart, ot,... . • s:.•
seventy!" rtr•
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-"Welt, Harrv, Father "says we're.net to give
anything forechilettnas," I told my husband going to
it on the ,antilaf his .chair,- and at least shWthe
newspaperi sine* it hadn't been offered the outriht.
"And I don't know but that -that lounging jacket we
had thought of will he rather aft,extravigance on our
:part. Whet io• you say to postponing it till another •
year, when have your
5tmanagership, arid1 get-
• ting a tie r
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wax
lightly by;the 'petit of My fingers, threw. it it on• •
the•rug, and ItIntself *0k the proverbiel stand of the. •
••,' bossY male before the -battle But his took Wes eubt-
• Zka,4 not irritated, as .his sudden motion pad sug-
"Now, Elizabeth, hasn't your fatherAltel4hat to
single year, all these ten. we've 'beta trial..
tied ?" , • ,
." Yea.And, he always iaid it when wenvere
,• growing up at home. He's set grtsel6sh, you see, he
just hates having us spend money on him, "* .
"But he always spent it on you, didn't he;•even
• when he didn't have it toipead?r
Why do you -Sul-
•-; : •
at,posee" ,
"Why, just because he is so ridiculously fond of
us all. He wanted ta." .•
"Yes. But think beneath that fora minute. Het*
• do you suppose lre knewitwould please 'you so to
• get alt the nice things_he-gave- you? ----Why did he
• spend so much time and thought, as Well as money?• :
' Why, just because he Imagined what your pleasures
would be. And how could he imagine it unless he
•Jilmielf in his secret heart looked fosavard to Christ -
fuses just..0 .you. did, and cherisheSet secret hope
that he might get a few of the things he rather want-
ed himself. Knowing his sneaking hope, he c
imagine yours! Why; that's why he gave you t
• impractical pearl gray handbag last Christmas!
knew you wanted it, even against your own goo
sense!"
"Oh, Harry! You neidn't go so deep as all that •
for -Dad's reasons. He'd heard me say I coveted
that handbag, impractical•as it was, 'TWairet 'MAU.
!tattoo on his part—justmatter•of knowledge."
• "That's all very well." A steady light of deter -
Initiation ) earned from Harry's eyes, as he spread
•his legs fat her apart on his hearth rug. I could see
that this .t _ ..0.3dle"argutnent with old Harry. He
WAS deadly riotts, and had been planning this ow-
'versatiort in s every detail.
• "That's all very welt, wife of mine. But with-
out imagination he would have taken your word fat
it that the handbag was impractical—yoe insisted"
tin that every time you mentioned it-,antt given yotr
• soinething else. No, sir, he didn't just bear your
er
.•
But Harry's earedesti, by now, was being wasted.- '• •
• Lhad taught his,opiy.40ple seconds before. For the'
first time 1 saw.Eled. ne, a new light. Why, he had .
never .had a proper Christrlas, poor dear;
his whole life.-Andflivei, all of his childree, had laieit"._!
•
brought up city perfect -Christmases; all our hearts' • •
desires bulging' aft Of Our stockings and shining from •
the tree t And he had dome it for aneetesimply
cause he kneve.the itiadoote,ehlltlish:disappointettoel,
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if
back front, the landing at
the first turn of the stairs.
And when I had fum-
•bled for, it through e the
deak.in our dark room (1 was too ht
'patient to find the switch) and returned
to the sitttng room,: I explained.
can't do it alone, Hal. Not
a register,' hang-up Christmas like he
deserves! I'm going to write to my brothers and
sisters,:. all six of 'efti,'; and say they must come Lt.
Well just not give presents to one ^another. at ail
this year. We'll concentrate on Dad. And Ititother, •
too, of coursek "Onlk ive• Mains did give her nice* '
s.'
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things anyway.", •
'Buq for you! tit say you are quick in getting
-an idea, hlizabethi You know. you— But lid.best
leave oat alt that. Harry is en old dear, and entire-
ly overrates his perfectly ordinary little witerN
So that is how Dad's firsrChristmas came about
Hatry and 1 and the children got home for it.
The others, unfortunately, live too far away to eolue.
But they,had alt fallen. in. with our scheme, and we
found their exciting-lookittg bundles. for Dad there.
bidden' by -Mother safely in the attic. Their bold .
"Don't open till Christmas'i inscriptions glared out
at us from the attic awiliglit• )•,-• • „ •
But it didn't seem fair that ail of us shouldn't
have had the fun of seeing tad the next morning itt
his bewildered , delight! ,, - ----- •• • •
-Oft Christmas Bve, after we had Istuffed the
thit4ren's itockings, and then hung •up our own, and
put 'Our bundks for each other around (hent, or in
thane Dad eyed his urious and bulky packages
keenly.
"Those., don't -look' • like handkerchiefs and
socka,'he said, with -almost a rinaver, of eagerness.
"And how crit Mate be so many! Haven't yon mix-
ed my pile with Mother's? "
.
tint we reassured hint, on tiptoe ourselves, like
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children, with expectation of his surprises of the
morrow.
Then, he suddenly began his old song: "Now I
really don't want anything this Christmas, chiltitint,
I do hope you haven't gone and spent a lot of ntonkt,
foolishly. I do need some socks, and I've lost my
last handkerchief, since Mother took to sending out.
clothes to the steam laundry. Hut I don't need. any-
thing else." -
But the laughed down this Adult protest, as we
said "good night." At last, thanks to Harry, Motile,
;lard I had had.our eyes opened about Dad!
battear% -"tit esurdlor : "- '
to Harry, "What do you het bad lies awake awhile
tonight thinking of those big, queer -shaped bundles:
Why, its going to be •more fun watching him tomor-
row- morning than watching the children, 1 do he.
'level There was a took in Itis eye."
"Yes," agreed Harry, "there was a look in his
eye! And last Christmas, when he opened his boxes
of handkerchiefs and socks and so forth, here was a
look in his eye, too--eone that made me feel cheap,
eart telt you. 1 was noticing especially. Don't knote
.
Amason their' barrefelittlistarm had been
• o nees1ty a•,•' Slim affair. Atte talte tearly married .•
ears had' beeiYa stieggle„.•teo, An %twee:tit, 'Childs-- •
hearted youtitinaking. his wey,agitinAeodds, ." '
insurance in a 40ff-stakedold town!' '
• Hat these later yearseeethitigs might have beer
• different.. He had. ntada good. There was tt-com,
•
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• 6 • ** • •
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• . •••••.la .111.1, •
•
• round Did .eittirev ilobtratiasted, In his new
blue velvet 19umatiog jacket •
• 7
• . tortable hrinte AtlpkId'fOr.tra the last mortgage, and•
a sufficient 'Mom. atom, .renewals"—now that all
• of us children had flown to nests of our (rwn. Ye:., •
, things „Might have been different now. . .
"And they shall be ditTerent this Chrktma,. " I
cried out of my ;Sudden waking. "Well giveDad
real Christmas, the kind --sly,. dear. 01,1
alwaytidreamed of!".
site,re are you nil to, filizabe.th? " shouted ni:. •
• husband, frtr.:I.liad Jumped from- the altair-arm and
out in the hale talking W ingsitlf as 1 .Went. • •
going' to gel my writing paper. ". 1. -sauo!
what ihade me; but it was sort of disappointed,' hi)
look. Do you know, wife of mint, I think he's beer,
almostitoping every single Christmas that some da:.
somehow, somebody would get foolish and spend a
little imagination as well as money on him! 1 Oda
sp!" . _ • • .
, And the next morning the family found Dad sit
ting, flabbergasted, in his blue velvet lounging jaci
zee surrounded by his new reading lamp (the kind
yon carry around anywhere and stand by your chair
right at your elbow), his genuine Meerschaum, hi.,
• seal ring, -his, riex steel trout rod, kb
of
fivelatted-boie---
of chocolates, his phonograph, with a heap of re-
cords of alt his old. favorites, his house. slippers, his
whole new'set of his old friend Dickens, done in rich
red bindings and gilt edges—in fact, alt the thin,
Itis family, when they set their imagination to work,
knew he wanted—well, alt 1 can say is that (bet.
Mas morning held no disappointment for m!
Dad finally found words.
"Bessie," be said sternly --that is 'stern for Dad,
which, of course.. is only an approach to -$ternness
VoltAlst3thOttutultulta
4
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"WS% yOt.1 hiIdrcn ShOlikingt thIAV %%ins! and !pent
all this money on met. It wa•ofoolish. And ,trt•eway
you knew your mother will never let me wear `the:,,e
slippers around the house, or the, lounging jacket
either. °She'll call it shiftless:'
Mother had heard, • • "Yes, I too,. Tither,"
she cried.. "Why, just thinking it them lts.
made pm tett years younger. tiff .loing t refm,
and nut IT so old-maidish!"
,, why! Whatever—" }Int tmd ne‘er
finished; Ile laughed with us instead„ ft!I uddenb.
• twAznew that he hadlletar Etnind " • '
So Dad, at the age of seventy, celebtated his
first Christmas, the Christittas when -big (..,:ret dreams
came trrie.
And since- then it has often come Pt triN niad
that most dads are- like my Dad. It's time some-
body woke up and played Sarita Claus to them, if,
them who have played Santa Claus to us ktt Item
\S 1t4 about your Dad
Oh, Heavens! A new thought breaks. %%tut
about Harry? is 'Ulf NI how ht• knew,
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