Show A LONELY MAN'S CHRISTMAS A Story for the Little Written for the New World by Mary J. they called Of course he had another but nobody ever asked him what iti To grown people and children alike he was plain That's what he signed to his newspaper stories and poems and that's what the grocer and the butcher the laundryman called Writing stories for newspapers is not the most lucrative employment in the but with 65 years rounded out to his credit and no friends left to care what became of Uncle Joe was glad he still could weave a tale and rhyme a line or however poor or tardy the To one or two charitable editors who knew him in his younger days he was indebted for the acceptance of his and at intervals of perhaps three or four the mail man would bring him an he old fellow's face would take on a happy expression which never seemed to leave it till the contents of the letter would be all Joe lived in a little room on the top floor of a large Here surrounded by his books and he spent a lonely undisturbed save by little his neighbor of the floor who stole upstairs nearly every day to see if there were anything she could do for the old To talk to once m a to hear some of bis wonderful more than re tor her time J V A On Thanksgiving day a party at house the excitement and pleasure ii little girl almost forgot her visit to Uncle It f S o'clock when she knocked idly at his door and asked hia he needed he J been looking Ar you all I'm feeling i and my getting worse and j too Uncle Joe suppose it is the j 1 shake up the fire and light gas and pull down the shai and your room will be T f She set about like a little ft man to straighten up T old man looked on from his at the window and chatted f her as she moved fJ a nice party tM J 1 f Uncle all and uncles and lots of little f ins were over with us for h and We had a turkey i f then we had games and sin f and a real good I you go any Uncle f I am getting old to go The boy brought me my dinner sai ate it here all I had Pi Milly stopped in her was It was a thought she was when she turned it over mind a few times she clapped f hands with joy and around the room in f Uncle Joe thought she w jj surely break every bit of f ture in the is it all What's taken of Have you lost jM lip I've just plan in my head and it mun kept I can't even Uncle and you'd able to Good if and don't forget to turn Ill The next day and the I every day for four weeks Joe tried to get m from but that brave heart refused to divulge it Christmas day arrived M first fall of snow of ft Jl 1 From his window where his rheumatism now kept him a Uncle Joe could lee the roofs' of the houses across the Not a very inspiring you will like fenta Uncle Joe made nany a journey down the of those and in his imagination talked with the hap-ty or unhappy people he found am a lonely old he often there worse off than I. I must write a holiday story he Christ- s aid nobody is likely to come f suppose even Milly will for-et me like took his pencil and paper id jotted down the title of his Lonely He get any his thoughts were distracted ithe sound of approaching foot- There seemed to be a flat many feet climbing the Probably it was visitors rolling to the family across the He was interested and his pencil down and sat ik to listen and to participate as he might in the wel- was sure to be ac-i fir ded them when they reached t On they They were He could hear voices They were happy Of not It was' the of hope and good th ought seemed a mockery to He took up his pencil again jj his when he heard ock at his not at the across the It must be a he J stumbled to the glad e to look ghis When the sight almost powered for as all the children in the were standing A cry of J merry Wk went up from about iSy lusty while Milly make a speech as head of Uncle we did not to spend a lonely we decided to bring a other good things to your we will set the table and eat dinner with We wish you a merry The word was contagious and upon was wished until the old man pleaded for mercy and allowed himself to be literally carried back to his seat near the There the little army swarmed around some on his some on the back of his chair and some on the One little bit of a mite actually found his way to the top of the table and sat there with open eyes and eager for anything that to Uncle said a curly-haired little She had visited the old man before with Milly and she knew he was a of Uncle begged who was busying herself about the We a regular We will have dinner first you will cave the broke in a half dozen we will recite our pieces and sing songs acclaimed the then you will tell a Continued followed the and Joe had difficulty in keeping himself from being hugged to He was indeed a hero his Milly's was carried out to the When every vestige of the except the had disappeared down waiting throats and the cranberries and mince pies had gone the same Milly ventured to tell Uncle Joe that her secret was now This party was her For a ever since when he spent such a lonely she and her little friends had saved their pennies and some even put in their Christmas to give a to dear Uncle Don't you think they You would feel sure of it if you saw the old man's face when that little invasion of uninvited but welcome guests left for their He took up his pencil and anxious to write his Christ mas The title he had written in the morning confronted striking out the word shall not write It will be the story of a |