1
LONG about two thou
sand yean ago a Little
Child came Into this
world through a stable.
Probably stables weren't
very clean and sweet
two thousand years ago
—not nearly as nice as
they are today. But the
things that Little Child
brought to the world
were so dear and beau-
ay grouch last with anybody ! cure
a hoot about, anyway. But you.
Bobs—"
“Drop It, Charley! Drop It!" Rob
erta laughed Utterly. "Let us pro
ceed with that stirring melodrama
which I suppose you would call The
Souse's Christmas Eve.’" He
glanced again at the girl whose face
he could see la the mirror. “I know
who she Is, Charley." he said. “The
girl opposite you, 1 mean. Do you
remember Sadie Cargill? The girl
who sang 'Corallne' and Tf You
Wouldn't—Then 1 Would;* at the
id good that most of us have
[ito the way of thinking that his
and ever-living presence and
: era- cxcluslvely-tho-propcrty-—cislhd"abbut live >gari af6T
privileges of tfaa righteous, y^u remember that everybody
lose who abide In ways and places . bar?”
are clean. 1 Cowlm looked up cautiously.
T3BBT
was
3ut It is nevertheless true that the
tug of the Little Child’s baby
ids is felt today by folks who are
very nice and who IJve in places
more deplorable thaij ever was
r that Nazarene stable. Wherefore:
Cowles and Roberts watched the
waiter set down the glasses and turn
away. Then they laughed, each at
tte other, but without gladness.
"Bobs” said Cowles, "you dont
imam to yearn tof your medicine."
“No, Charley," sneered Roberta,
"and I don’t observe an absorbent
Baste on your part What do you
suppose Is the matter with us?" 1
"We're 'fra Id, Bobs," said Cowles.
"That’s what's the matter with us.
We’re 'frald. Trald of starting In.
You've seen the kids on that slide
HUiig down at Luna park. .They
hunch themselves along toward the
start and then hang there until some
body from behind pushes them off.
That's the way I feel I’m waiting
far somebody to come along from be
hind and give me a start ’Cause I
know. Just as those kids know, that
I am going to get bumped, and
scraped, maybe, good and plenty be
fore I reach bottom."
"Right!" said Roberta “That's Just
the way I feel, too." He looked around
the room critically. "And as yet no
body seems at all Inclined to start us
along on the descent What’s the
matter with the old place, Charley?
Here It is half past nine o’clock,
Christmas eve, and there are less
than twenty people here—and all of
them cross. What are you looking
^iT
“There’s a bronze-haired, brazen
faced little person sitting right back
of you, Bobs—don’t tarn; she’s look-
' ing right at you. I’ve seen her be
fore. I ought to know who she Is.
But I can’t remember, for the life of
me."
“One of those *Where-have-I-seen
-that-face-before’ situations?" Roberts
cautiously looked obliquely into the
mirror and studied the woman’s face.
« TU bet you know her, too," retort
ed Cowles. "She is probably the lady
cashier who used to smile across her
desk at us langulshlngly when she
Cowles
I “Sure!"
be said. “That’s who she
Is. sBut what In the world is she In
this place for? Sadie Cargill in Big
Jimmy’s! Whew, what a come-down!"
T seem to remember somebody was
saying the other day that she had
gone pretty well to pieces,” said Rob
erta “Didn’t take care of herself.
Whoever it was said he had seen her
in the chorus of a fly-by-night musical
beans—before you got plutocratic and
married and shook all your friends.
By the way, how is the family? This
a lovely joint for a six-months*
{degroom to be in on Christmas
k But I’ve been so long watching
looked away from the
and caught the hurt
lend. “What’s the mat-
r you? you haven’t been
Jth Rose?"
( a Joint like this, tonight
If there wasn't trouble
Studied the Woman's Face.
comedy out Kanaaa City way and that
she seemed to have hit bottom.” -
“Yea,” said Cowles, studying the
girl’s face, “it la Sadie, all right She
teems to have kept all her good
looks, too, except that her face haa
hardened terribly. Don’t you remem
ber what a soft-cheeked, Innocent,
merry little thing she always was?"
Roberts nodded and looked again
into the mirror. He shook* his head
at what he Saw. "Tea,” he murmured;
“she was. And now, before you rec
ognized her, you called her ‘bronze
haired and brazen-faced,’ and she is."
T hope," spoke up the young wom
an, with startlingly distinct voice and
with unlimited acidity of intonation,
that the next time you two see me,
you’ll remember me! Take a good
took."
gave us our change for our beef and ) Both men sprang to their feet.
"We're
not fit to be married to a girl like
Roee. or any girl, anyway, Charley,
and I—" his voice broke a little; he
caught himself and went on. "Let’s
drop It Charley!"
They both stared at the table, for
« moment
"Bobs, ” said Cowles, after awhile,
•paftking slowly and low, “you can
kick use for being fresh, if you like.
1 know It's none of my buslneee. Yfot
1 tike you too much not to tefr^ftji
that 1 bate to see you starting eut on
a tear because you’ve got a grouch on
year wife Nov. I’m hopeless and
snatching off their hats.
‘T beg your pardon," said Roberts,
earnestly,, “but really I didn’t realize
that you could see from the mirror
how I was staring at you. I'm awful
ly .sorry and very much ashamed.
Really I am—we both are."
Miss Cargill looked him over with
approval and was obviously mollified.
“Oh. that’s all right," she said, with
a tired smile. “I’m sorry I barked at
you that way. A woman Is a good
deal of a fool to make a kick when n
man looks at her In Big Jimmy’s.
But I’m sore on the world tonight and
kind of cranky. Come on over here,
both of you. Perhaps you can talk
me out of It"
Cowles and Roberta looked at each
other and laughed. And because
Sadie, despite the hardening, waa un
denlably charming with the old grn-
ciousness of the Casino days, they
carried their glasses to her table.
Cowles smiled as they set them down,
still full, beside hers.
”We were afraid, too." he explained.
"You In trouble, too?” She sighed.
"Well, I’m used to It. Better tell your
old auntie your poor little sorrows.
Maybe I really can do you some good.
She turned to Roberta. “Flrat off,
what's biting you?"
Cowles Interrupted precipitately.
"Let me tell mine,” he urged. Tm
the worst case I’ve Just lost my Job
I’m a newspaper man and I’ve never
been noted for my saving disposition.”
Miss Cargill nodded with a smile
which seemed reminiscent Almost
Involuntarily she hitched her chair
over a little closer to Cowles The
Instinct of the stage lady to cuddle
up to the youth who may some time
“’get h#r name In the papers" la at
Imperishable as the Instinct of self-
preservation.
"Weil." continued Cowles, “my rent
cornea due in a week. Also all the
bills. Also 11 Is the Merry Yule Tide
when the young blood gets square
with all the nice girls who have been
especially nice to him. And I've been
canned! Fired! Lost my tob! And
by the latest count I have oin my per
son Just thirteen dollars and forty
cents good and lawful coin of the
United States and nothing more oo^i
Ing to r.<. That’s all" 4
Roberts took up the story.
“No, It isn’t nil. Miss Cargill—I beg
your pardon," be cried as he saw her
wince.
“It’s all right," she said wearily.
"Don't bother. It’a nil right I haven’t
used that asms for noma time and I
kind of hoped nobody wOuld remem
ber it I*ct I'd rather like you hoys
to call me that tonight Christman
eve’s kind of different Go on."
"Charley didn’t tall you how he lost
his place. He loat It because he took
tha blame for a bad break made by
another man—the other man had a
flock of kids, and Charley wouldn’t
■ee their Christmas spoiled—that’a
—■ -
“Nice boy," she said softly. "Nice
boy!" And then, after a. moment:
you ever lost, lan’t It? Thought no.
It’s nothing when you get used to it
I know." Her voice was even; but
her foot was Upping the floor under
the Uble. “It’s when you get used to
It, and think you can always get an
other and one day find that nobody
will believe you when you say that
you’re going to steady down and be
good—that’a what hurts. This time
next year you’ll be laughing at your
self for feeling down."
“No, I won’t!" growled Cowles.
Tve done my best for three goodf’
years and I’ve been decent when I
didn’t hnvetto be decent and I’ve
been straight with myself and the
game. It dpn’t pay. I’m going to
cut loose now and taka things as they
come.”
Miss Cargill studied the ugly blase
in his eye intently and shook her
head. The hard linea in her face be
came more rigid.
Cowles reached for hla glaaa. She
stopped him.
“No " she said, “let’s all start area.
I want to know your friend’s trou-
hies."
“Never mind about mine," said
Roberts, looking away from them
both. He was almost, but not quite,
surly. Cowlea shook hla head at her
surreptitiously.
“Don’t be afraild," she murmured.
"I won’t make any breaks. And he
needs help more than you do.” She
turned to Roberta again. “Married?”
she asked him.
"How did you know that?"
asked, his face still turned away.
"Oh, I knew,” she said.
’"Well?" he said.
“You’ve been having trouble
home?”
Roberts nodded.
“Tell me! What about?" She
leaned across the table toward him,
speaking very softly with misty eyas.
Roberta did not raise hla head.
“Chrlstmaa presents," he aald.
She drew back her head and
laughed, just three or four pearly
notes and then became grave again—
sincerely grave. T •
' ? Nowr
out, looking straight into the woman’s
pitying eyes. “I am going to tell
you about It I know it isn't decent.
But I haven’t told anybody and I
know I’m right—anyway, more right
thSU she is!—and you've been up
against things a lot—and I want to
tell you about It"
“That’a right,” she whispered as
gently as though she had been petting
a curly head at her knee,
“Well,’’ he recited in a monotone,
“she asked me to meet her at Tiff-
where between amaaement and amuse
ment
"And Is that all?" he begaa, “that
“Stop!" Idse Cargill aald to klm
sternly. Tt’a enough! Let me tell
you two something. Now this lan’t
to print" She looked at Cowles. He
nodded, that simple nod of the genu
ine American reporter which la worth
all the gold bonds of Wall street Tt
never got out why I left the Casino.
But It was because I was married on
the quiet” She looked up and saw
the waiter standing near. She plucked
a 'pencil -ffrem Ubwlea^^walitcoatr
tore the margin from a newspaper
sticking out of hla pocket and wrol
“name o
“Married Xo him," she said, showing
the slip to Roberts and Cowles in
turn. Cowles whistled In astonish-
ha
at
"Charley
Didn't Tell You
Lest His Place.**
Hew He
"It Is Sadie, All Right 1
rV<jU>ds^ and I did. And she picked
; a ring
out a v ?iBg and I told her I couldn't I can hear everything
come within five hundred dollars of down there. And the
paying for it unless—unless 1_ broke
my promise to increase my brother’s
college allowance. And she was hurt
and then she waa angry and ahe aald
things. You don’t know—but there
waa a man—a rich mao—an old man
—over In Brooklyn ana—wnen she
flrat met me she had almost made
up her mind to marry him. Anyway
—ahe aakf things and I said things
and both of us were uasty—and bit
ter. This was all going uptown in
a cab Ami when we got to tbe dooi
she saM ahe wasn’t going to get out—
that she waa going back to her own
people in Brooklyn—and 1 said 1 didn’t
cafe And 1 don’t!" * Hla voice broke,
even oa the deflaot note. “But it
hurtr. '. . and/ don’t you think 1
waa right?"
Cowles waa staring at him nome-
ment Roberta atared at the paper
with dimmed eyes; they cleared and
he looked up quickly. “It didn’t get
out," ahe explained, “because I really
cared. I didn’t want any press agent
foolishness about him. Besides, 1 waa
going to quit the business, anyway. 1
did, all right, all right!” She laughed
sourly and went on. "He was just
out of college, gnd I was a lot younger
than I am now and different—I waa
sort of different from anybody around
the Casino, I guess.” Her voice
caught, but she tossed her head and
continued: "And that made him like
me. And 1 liked him and we were
married and went away. But as soon
as he came-to know me better ha
found (what I'd known all along) I
wasn’t up to hla family standard. He
knew he would have to tell them about
our being married, and that when the
time came and they looked me over
I wouldn’t exactly stack up with hia
r, you know, and when
to do things and how to do them and
the sort of people I liked. And he
tried to tell 'me. And I got mad—and
we came back on different "boats. An
If I'd told him how much I wanted to
learn to be the way he wanted me—
if he’d told me that he wanted me to
try—why then—why then it would
have been Just one of those funny
little married tiffs. But I was mad..
I said I didn’t care. Not even when
they came and took my baby. 1 didn’t
care. I’ve never cared.
“Well, that was Just a sthrter.
And . after the very first, I
didn’t care any more. Something
broke and all the care dropped away
from me. You’ve got your troubles
of where to eat and sleep and drink,"
ahe said to Cowles. "And you’ve got
a heart /hat’s pretty near to break
ing—and maybe will," ahe aaid to
Roberta. “But as for me, I've had all
those troubles for years and I haven’t
cared. Because I haven’t any heart."
Her eyes began to shine and her
eyelashes became wet suddenly. “At
least I thought I didn’t, until today.
T live about twenty blocks uptown.
You know what these New York flats
are. And In the flat under me there’s
aome respectable married people, with
a baby. A little girl about five. And
■he’s been sick. And I guess the
father hasn't had a Job in n long
time. Anyway, the other day 1 taw
him taking a china clock under hla
coat—it looked like a wedding present
—and I guest people don’t hock their
wedding presents until pretty near the
last And the floors are so thin you
can hear everything that goes on
baby—anyway,
the little girl began taking two weeka
ago about a Christmas tree. And yea^
terday they told her that Santa Clans
waa getting snobbish nowadays and
wasn’t interested In poor people—or
poor people’s little giria—not even
when they were sick. And ahe cried all
day. She was crying when I came out
last night She was still crying when
1 got home this morning. She's cried
all day today. And I’m broke. I’ve
only got ten dollars between me and
the river. And my rent’s two weeks
overdue and I’ve got to pay that be
fore I quit, because the lanu'ord'a
been dead white to me. And I’ve
never cared before for four years, but
—1 care now—I c^rc—I eaa’t help tt
they were long, dry, heartbreaking
nebs.
"Don’t cry; Mlsa Cargill.” nrged
Cowles, patting her shoulder clumsily.
"Don’t ery—Sadie!" She Jerked away
from under hla hand and cried on.
“Mias Cargill." aald Roberts, lean
ing over toward her and apeahing
very softly, “you have been very kind
to both of at. Will you let ua he kind
to you. Please stop crying. Please!
And then try to tell me Just how much
money you need."
She. lifted her .head and glared at
him. * '
— “Waat geer win nfSney de thlt-pcefr
baby when ahe wakes up tomorrow
morning and finds—’’ She gritted her
antT^reacEeJnfof 1 BerwornTun
rusty gloves and then for the long un
touched glaaa.
“Wait!” cried Cowlea in a tone that
made them all start Hla voicq fairly
rang. “Walt, wait, wait!" he repeat
ed. pulling out hia watch and looking
at It They were both staring at him
curiously.
“It’a Christmas Eve,” he said. "The
stores are open until midnight! It’a
only a little after ten o’clock. Come
on for a cab and Eighth avenue!
Here’s where we knock the eye out of
one set of troubles!"
The fat little proprietor of the
Eighth Avenue Five and Ten Cent
Emporium waa galvanized from weary
somnambulance into new life when
two young men and a very fluffy (even
though a bit shabby) youag woman
leaped out of a cab to hia counters.
He bounced around and scolded hla
clerks Into a state of thorough Irri
tation. But their work-sick wrath
gave way to curiosity and then hilar
ity aa the three cuatomera went laugh
ing, quarreling and consulting, up and
down the disheveled counters. The
fat proprietor went down Into the cel
lar and' came up with an armful of
pasteboard packing cases in which
two clerka especially detailed laid
away each toy as it waa singled out
There were dolls and tin railroad
trains and whirligig things and rattles
And stuffed rabbits and woolly doga
that squeaked, and more dolls and
building blocks and flying machines
and Noah’s arka and little atovea and
doll’s furniture and more dolls—to
say nothing of candelholders and sil
vered angels and shiny balls.
“Time! Call the game a minute!
cried Cowlea. “Let’s count up. - How
much have we bought?”
The fat proprietor, exuding greasy
appreciation, made figures on a pad.
"Fifteen dollars and thlrty-alx centa.”
and with a burst of generosity, added:
"I’ll throw off the six cents.”
Roberts laughed, hut Cowles was
aerioua.
“Bobs,” he said, “I’m afraid we’ve
gone far enough- Half of fifteen la
about as far aa I really ought to go
“Rut where,” insisted Miss Cargill,
gently shouldering between them,
“do I come In?”
She thrust a five-dollar bill into Rob-
den of Eden. Honeatl . . . Aft*'
when tt was all fixed, the folks waat-
e«* to go In and wmke up tbe baby
and bring it out, and light up, and let
Sadie see the fun ... Sadie
wouldn’t have 1L She laughed a little
. . aaid she didn’t believe 1ft
Christmas Eve trees, morning waa the
time to have 'em. I didn’t laugh.
Couldn’t ... I saw her face and
it 'moat broke my heart. . . . Then
they asked her to come down In the
morning; she said ahe couldn’t Said
ahe waa going away on a long journey
befgxa morning—ohu. no. Bob*, it'j ail
rlghf: Tihe ma? hSve mehnt to’ kill
herself—I think she did—but she
I tell you. And we walked up to her
flat . . . Oh. I forgot to say. that
on the way uptown she got to crying
like a little girl becauae she didn't
have an; dolly of her own, and I
bought her one; horrible thing; paint
ed china face and moat as big aa she
was . . we walked up to her flat;
she Wild tye doll in her arms with her
head do*n on it I lighted the gas.
She walked Into her bedroom . .
laid the doll under the cover with Its
head on the pillow and threw herself
down beside it.
“I started to say something and she
lifted her head and told me to get
put and the quicker the better . . .
then she fell down beside the doll
again and began to cry. I never heard
“We Had to Waka the Family.*'
anybody cry like that 1 went out to
the door and rr.ttled the handle . .
sneaked back to her door again, be
cauae I didn't dare leave her—you
know—after the way she had been,
feeling and talking. She had cried her
self to sleep with her arm out across
that doll. . . . So I turned the
lights out and came away.”
“What are we going do-now?”
“No.” said both of them In a
breath. She flushed, and to the neit
breath they both cried: “Why, yes,
of course.” •
“Thank you,” she said quietly. *
In a hansom laden with .bundles
and a Christmas tree cut away from
the sidewalk decorations of the Em
porium, Miss Cargill and Cowles de-
parted northward. Roberts couldn’t r
go because there wasn’t room after
the Christmas tree had been put in.
“I’ll meet you,” he called to them,
"at Big Jim—no, not there. At tho
little drug store on the corner above.
Merry Christmas to the kid.”
/ It waa nearly twelve when Cowlee
alighted at the drug store and met the
1 dq. I do."
She dropped her hands to the table
and her head oa them. She gobbed;
“She Picked Out a Ring."
eager Roberts In the middle of tha
sidewalk.
“Tell me about It” demanded Rob
erta. “How waa It?**
Cowles' eyes were brimming.
“We had to wake tho family up la
the flat below,” he said. “At first they
were sleepy and kind of mad. Thought
wo wore patronising thorn. But Sadia
was so everlastingly tactful and sweet
.... pretty soon they began to
ery. and I thought we’d never got
tho tiarued old tree up. for the moth
er’s hugging her. Say/lt was tha
graadaat looking treo tinea tha
said Roberts after a while.
“I tell you what we’re going to do,”
said Cowles. “You and 1 are going
down to the Metropote and get hold
of Ted Tonwill and make him give
"Sadie Cargill a chance—a good chance
—in his new show. He’ll do It if wo
ask him, both of us together. .And
she will keep steady and* make good.
And we’ll send her a telegram about it >
ao she will get It first thing In tho
morning, before she gets to thinking
any more about ‘long Journeys.’ ”
“Good! Of course that's what wa’B
do,” cried Roberts. “Only let’s hurry.
Because I am going over to Brooklyn
to get Rose and tell her what a cad
1 know I am. And” (not without the
hurry qf embarrassment), “1 don’t
want to wake her father up any later
than la necessary.*
Cowlea reached out and took hla
hand and gripped It, saying not a
word. They turned toward the Met-
ropole. In* twenty steps Roberta
stopped short and pulled Cowles un
der a street lamp.
“But look here, Charley," he said,
“what are you going to do? We’ve
fixed Mias Cargill up all right And,
bleat her, she haa fixed me up. But
1 don’t see that either of ua has done
anything for you."
“You have done Juat this," said
Charley, a little unsteadily, “instead
of taking to the rosy and thorny path
of graft Tm going over to the sta
tion to get the one o’clock train for
Statonvllle where I’ve got an aunt
who haa been begging me to coma up
over Chrlstmaa And when I’ve got
a little rested and my nerves steadied
down. I’m going to take a night desk
on the Planet that’a been offered me,
only I was soured on tbe game. But
Bobs—’’
Through a break in the roar of tho
city's night came the far-off tinkle of
chimes ringing In the Christmas morn.
Cowles looked up at the sky So did
"Roberta. The sky waa dark, all but for
a single star twinkling through the fly
ing clouda, over the dome of the Grand
Central station. They locked at eacb
other and then, because they:,both
saw things In their faces that wouldn’t
quite bear looking at turned their
eyes away and walked on.
“But, Bobs," continued Cowlea soft
ly after a while, “dila baa always
been ft day for beginning things over
again, rather.?- . . And It wasn’t
1 who helped—or yob—or even Sadie
CafgUL it was—a Little Child."
r
\
i ?
—- • k Jb£jsk‘