OCR Text |
Show - - - " " " - " " ' - ' " " riGim&s riGims i5tina & II riGim&spouglas ' 1 pouglas pouglaso [ kd3W1)itney kd3W1itney kd3W1)itneyTHIS ! \/o o \ ) ( / ) < tney tney'TPHIS 'TPHIS TPHIS ' friends li Is a Christmasstory Chrlstm- Chrlstm Chrlstmttory Chrlatmu Christmas Chrlatmustory " THIS - ttory story th ugh IUgh nigh ) slOrles stories ( > ] rlea of klndllneas klndlineas klndllneassl klndlineasa kindlinsl * ' a sl ouldn t only bob up with wUh Kril Kris KrisKringle KrilKrlngle K : Kringi Krlngle Kringle * Our tkle bile tale I Is la * conc concerned med w with withRobert withRobert : Robert Parker ParkerIf P rker rkerIf If you don t rcm remember mb r him aseme ask asks askacme s acme ( me of ot the older o1cler foU tolks folks < Parker wonce wal was walonce wasonce once one of the th * leadln leading , character characteractors characteractors ch r ct ctctor r actors ctor * of ot the Icgltlrrrtt leilUmate legUlmate stag stage * Fyears For Foryears Foryears years he h * trouped the th * hinterlands hinterlandsin hinterlaniin in tupport support of ot the great name names namesThe namesThe * Th The week before Christmas al always always iway ways found tound Parker In Nw New * York Yoric0 attl attl at tl e center ta table ble of the th * Leopards Leopardsclub Leopardsclub Leopanclub club the noted aclor actors orfnIzaUo organization organizationI I , / ' ( i \f f \ " 1 Thil This was wal his hi * day dayThe ay ayTh Th The * room w was alwayi always wll well filled ned 11 11week ttweek the theweek i week before Chrhtmas Chrtstmas Christmas It Is I * a tra tradltlon trn trnditlon tnditlon dltlon ditlon In ihow show business bu lne that tt ttweeks the theweeks ttweek weeks * preceding Christmas anE and andEaster an anEaster . Easter ter lire are the wout worst wor t In the theate theater theaterBorn theateBorn ; Born of ot extremely poor parentParker parents parent parentsParker parentParker , Parker had never forgotten Ur tile the ml mls mlserles mlcries : erles cries erlc of ot poverty Each year It had hadbeen ho hobeen habeen been his hl'J hlJ ' custom to to arrarge arrar arrlll fie ge a varely varl varleLy var varety eLy ety she * hc w Jslng ising j lng the Ule talent of the theLeopards ti tiLeopards thLeopard e Leopards * club The money moi mor ey realized realizedwent realize realizewent realizewent went tc t ( ward tl It tie e purchase punhase o of ( toobaskets tood toodbaskets too toobaskets baskets , which yhlch were distributed e\ e ev every ei eiery ery \ ery ry Chrlstmns Chrlstmnll Christmas day from ( rom the lobby lobbyot lubb lubbof lobbof ot of th the * ch cliihh cltebh h useWhen useWhen use useWhen When there was snow 1 t I stead of ofthe c cthe cthe the carnage carflage carriage he w uld ise cse l se a sleigh sleighand aleig lelland ( ] and like ' > Sai al ta to set act et out on h s an annual annual annual nual round It hx to took < k a great deal ot otmoney a amoney omoney money but a as * a result . . Bob wabcl was wasbel wa wabel bel v.d vd vtd vcd ( . by everyoneDub everyoneBub everyone everyoneBob Bob Dub Bub fcfw "rew rew brew " older and his stafle stage enCagements en en8agements engagements 8agements gagements becnm became * fewer tewer fewerOn tewerI tewerOne fewerOne I One On * day at a club meeting Bob Bobatood Bnlstood Bol Bnl atood stood tood up and addreiaed addressed the he th member mem members membars bers bars Gentlemen I m getl1fl gettlnfi getting old oldIt oldIts oldIt It Its l . time for tor me to put away mT mTereale m n-igrease n igrease - ; ] ereale grease paint and costume costumes * and rtire re retlze retire * tlze tire Bcfor Before * doing 10 .0 0 so . I want to ez ax eztract axtract xtract tract a promise trom from ( rom the tb genera generamembership eeneral eeneralmembership generamember membership hlp I ask that you gentiemen ien gen ienUemen gentiemen Uemen tiemen continue conUnue to run the th * annual annualChristmas annua annuaChristmas annuaChristmas Christmas basket baaket benefit beneftt tor for thtpoor th thpoor the tht thepoor < poor I cannot askurn an\Ulle an Ulle eaaurne anUllehe ' \ * \he he the th \ * talk task any anyloner anylonger anjlonger loner longer , Will you do this thll tor for ( or me meT ? ' Actor Acton Actors * ar are a entlmental .entimental entimental sentimental . and gneroua gen generou generous * erou erous . lot . . Thy Thel They * promise prom.ed promed promised ' . * Bob that thatthe thatthe thaiUr the tradition would be faithfull faithfully faithfullymaintained faltbfulljmaintained , . IDalntatn.d IDalntatnd maintained . and honored bonored him bJm turtitelby further turtitel furtherbp ( urUnby bp by ; voting votlna him a ute 111 Ill * . member m inber Andao And ao 10 o , retiring reUrln . from frombe tha \be be the \ cene .cene scene * . hi his * . viaif vi vie vieits . lu its to the th * club became intrequent infrequent InfrequentTh . . 'lbe lbe The ' basket baskets * . were wr * * forottenA forgotten forotten forgottenA , A year ago Bob cam came * back toth to tothe tothe the * club dub a Uttle titUe Utti * before Chrlstmaa Christmas ChrlstmaaHe Christmaslie ChrlstmaaH He lie * looked much mucb older his hi . shouldrsbent ahouldeu shoulders ahouldeubent shouldersbent * bent and hia his & chock &bodl bodl of 01 white wnit * hair hairnoUceab hairnoticeably hairnoticeably noticeably noUceab thinnedGentlemen thinned * . Gentlemen " he be lalel saki ( aid on rilingthi rlsln rising risingthis , , this li Is probably the th * last lut Ume time Urn * Ishall Iahall I : ahall shall ball address addre.a addrea . this thla group 1 I am anold an anold anold I old man now There la b one on * favorI favor I wish to ask of you 70U As A * man many , . of ofyou ofyou ofyou you may recall . , the tbe distributionof distribution of Christmas Christmal Christmaa baske baskets . was waa m my , . hob hob- bob- bob bobby hobby hobby - by and sole Interest outsld ouuide outside * the thetheater thetheater thetheaterHis theater theaterHis His voice breaking breaklna he continued'I continued 'I I . ' 1 I wish to request requea ' you to Biv give oncemore onemor once oncemore * more * your Ume time tim * anil and talents for ( or a abenefit abenefit abenefit benefit . , , tlIe the th * proceeds to go toward towardthe towardthe towardth the * basket fund tund fundMoved tundMoved fundMoved Moved by the appeal of ot " their "their old oldmaster oldmaster oldmaster master the Leopards Leopardl gathered alltheir all sit alltheir sittheir their resources and achieved an un unusually unusually unusually usually successful respons response * Everyprominent Every Everyprominent Everyprominent prominent actor and actress withina within a day s a traveling dittanc dittanee dl tance * ap ap- appeared appeared - peared peered The Th * theater was jammed jammedto to capacity capacl\ capacl capaclA \ ] ' A larg large * sum lum of moneywas money moneywas moneywas I I was realuedTo realizedTo realized realued realizedTo To Bob s I a supreme delight deUgM It wasa was wasa wasa a white Christmas Since Sine * be b * was wastoo wastoo wastoo too old and teeble feeble feebl * to sit ait again alaln on onUJe onthe onth UJe the * driver a * seat aeat and guide twoprancing twoprancing two twoprancing prancing horses hones , , the th * club arranged arrangedfor arrangedfor arrangedor for ( the needy nee-dy nee dy - to come com fr for ( or ( ) their bas bar ba barkets baskets . kets keb All day Bob . attended ttellded to thedistribution thdistribution thdistributionHe the thedistribution * distribution distributionHe He took look the subway home Hissmile His Hts Hissmile Htssmile smile remained des-lt des lt despite - * his wear weart weartness wearlness wearlnessAn ( ness nessAn An hour later laler he be was seated leated at asmall a asmall small 81small table in a plainly plalnl , furnishedroom furnished furnishedroom furnishedroom 81 room A tiny white haired blilred Isdy lady satopposite sat satopposite satopposite opposite him Robert will WIU youcarve you youcarve youcarve carve pleaseT please ! ? she requested with withmarked withmarked marked deference deferenceWith deferenceWith With pleasure Mrs Mr * Parkl'f Parklf Parker Parkl'fWhite ParkerWhite PsrkerWhite ' White ment7 ment ment7Yes meet ' > ' Yes if it you please Robert RoberL RobertThis RoberL"This . " This "This 18 is 1 a wonderful wonderru.l wonderrul . occasion occasionhe occasionhe occsilonhe he said Were you embarrasseddear embarrasSfd embarrassed embarrasSfddear embarrasseddear ! dear ' ' ' 1 I hated to do It It . , , Uary Mary Wben When Wbenyou Whenyou Whenyou you came to the Ult ! head hea hF d of the Une line Uneand lineand linand * and I banded handed you the basket . . I wasafraid was wasafraid wasafraid afraid that aortic some of ot the boys would wouldrecognize wouldrecognize wouldrecogniic recognize you aa as my wife wifeHe wIfeHe wifelie He lie seemed a trifle trlde tribe perplexed"Strange perplexedStrange perplexed Strang "Strange Strange " * I 1 1a.hould 1 . khould a.hould ahould should have hav * felt uncom uncomtortable uncomtortable uncorofortable tortable about It lt It . . " . ' b be * muJed mused m ed . . . "Sure Sure 'Sure- 'Sure "Surely 'Surely " ' ' - - ly . , two as poor as a . . W we . degerve c d serve erT * aChristmas 8 a aChristmas Christmas baxicel baJlket basket . . , d don dbn D t yu f'OU fOU you ' think talnkT , ? |