Part 6 (2/2)
CHRISTMAS
It was Christmas, and the snow was still falling in large, soft flakes.
It was about ten inches deep out on the hills, among the trees out along Capilano and Lynn Creeks, but it had been churned into slush on the streets and pavements of Vancouver. The church bells were ringing, and our gaily clad and happy acquaintances of the evening before were again thronging the streets; but to-day they were on their way to church to praise the One whose birthday they were observing. Our friend of the large heart was also there, and so was his wife--two tiny drops in that great bucketful of humanity. The match vendor was also there--another very tiny drop in that great bucketful. ”What! Selling matches on Christmas day?” remarked a pa.s.ser-by. ”You should be taken in charge by the Inquisition.”
”Matches, sir?” said the tiny voice, and she again touched the hem of our hero's garment. The big-hearted man looked at his tender-hearted wife, and the tender-hearted wife looked at her big-hearted man. ”Yes, give me them all,” he said again, and he handed her another dollar. He was evidently trying to buy up all the available matches so that he could have a corner on the commodity. ”Here,” he continued, ”take this dollar also. Buy yourself something good for Christmas, and go home and enjoy yourself.”
”I have no home, and the shops are all closed,” she said, brus.h.i.+ng the wet snow from her hair.
”No home!” exclaimed the lady, incredulously, ”and the world is overflowing with wealth and has homes innumerable. Is it possible that the world's goods are so unevenly divided?”
The girl began to cry.
”Come and have your Christmas dinner with us,” said the lady.
The girl, still weeping, followed in her utter innocence and helplessness.
Ding-dong, went the merry bells. Tramp, tramp, went the feet of the big, voluptuous world. Honk, honk, went the horns of the automobiles; for it was Christmas, and all went merry as a marriage bell.
The fire was burning brightly. The room was warm and cozy. The house was clean, tidy, and cheery. It was a dazzling scene to one who had been accustomed to the cold, bare, concrete pavements only.
”My!” exclaimed the girl as they entered. It was a perfect fairyland to her. It was a story. It was a dream.
”Now, we are going to have the realest, cutest, Christmas dinner you ever saw,” said the lady, producing a steaming turkey from the warming oven. The girl danced in her glee and antic.i.p.ation. ”But first you must dress for dinner. We will go and see Santa Claus,” smiled the foster-mother. She retired with a waif, and returned with a fairy, and they sat down to a fairy dinner.
”What a spotless tablecloth! What clean cups and saucers, and plates and dishes! What s.h.i.+ning knives and forks! What kind friends!” thought the orphan. ”I had no idea such things existed outside of Heaven,” she exclaimed aloud in her rapture.
”It is all very commonplace, I a.s.sure you,” said the man, ”but it takes money to buy them.”
”And yet,” philosophized the lady, ”if we are dissatisfied in our prosperity, what must a life be that contains nothing?”
Ding-dong, went the bells. Tramp, tramp, went the feet of the big world outside. Honk, honk, went the horn of the automobile; but the happiest heart of them all was the little waif who had been, until now, so lonely, so cold, so hungry, so neglected. They were the happiest moments in her whole life. Her time began from that day. But that is many years ago. The orphan is a lady now in Vancouver; and every Christmas she gives a dinner to some poor people in honor of those who adopted her and saved her from the slums.
Of the Retreat from Moscow
Once upon a time four Ashcroft Napoleons, known locally as ”Father,”
”Deacon,” ”Cyclone,” and ”Skook.u.m,” invaded Vancouver to demonstrate at an inter-provincial curling bonspiel that was arranged to take place at that city. Their object was to bring home as many prizes and trophies as they could conveniently carry without having to pay ”excess baggage,”
and donate the balance to charity. It was decided later not to take any of the prizes, as it was more blessed to give than to receive, and they did not only give away all the trophies, but they gave away all the games as well--games they had a legitimate mortgage on--and they were glad to see the other fellows happy.
As a man often gets into trouble trying to keep out of it, so the Ashcroft chaps lost by trying to win; and here it is consoling to know that all a man does or says in this world sinks and lies motionless in the silent past, for in this case it will only be a matter of time when people will cease to remember. But to leave all joking aside, we beg to advise that the adventurers were dumped unceremoniously into Moscow by the C.P.R. officials at about three good morning and had not where to lay their heads. You could not see the city for buildings; but even at that embryo hour of the morning the streets were not entirely deserted.
Some people seem to toil day and night, for there were dozens of forms moving hither and thither like phantoms in the powerful glare of the electric illuminations. Being Ashcroft people our heroes were accustomed to city life, and the embarra.s.sment of the situation soon evaporated.
They bundled themselves into a nocturnal automobile which was no sooner loaded than it ”hit” the streets of Vancouver like Halley's comet. It went up and down, out and in, hither and thither. It tried to leap from under the invaders, but they kept up with it. It went north forty chains, east forty chains, south forty chains, and thence west forty chains to point of commencement. It went here, then there, and ultimately arranged to stop on Richards Street (named after our John), at the foot of the elevator of the Hotel Canadian. This was the end of steel for the auto, the rest of the journey had to be made on foot via the elevator. It is a very pleasant sensation to have the floor rise and carry you with it to the third landing, and it only takes three seconds to make a sixty second journey. At the third floor, after having been shown their stalls for the night, the bandits went out on an exploring expedition while the stable man let down some hay.
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