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Show First Prise Story BENJI Alain Robb You have al! heard the story of the "Littlest Angel," or of the "Littlest Stork," or maybe of the "Little Donkey." But have you ever hoard the story f "Benjl?" Perhaps not, well I'll tell it to you. Benjl was not a' boy or a girl, a bird or a fish, Benji was a puppy. He had no home and no friends- and the other dogs harked hark-ed at him and chased him away. No one ever fed Benji. If he wanted something to eat he had to stand on his head in the garbage gar-bage Cn to C"t It Vnnr TAnj no one loved him. Many times a little boy or girl would see him and say, "Oh, Mommy such a tiny puppy, may I have hlm?"J But the answer was always the same, "Most certainly not, that little piece of dirt might have some disease." One night as Benjl was trying to keep warm In the corner of a dark, cold alley, he heard someone some-one sobbing. Benjl was very softhearted, soft-hearted, so he Immediately forgot for-got about being cold and went to see who was so sad. A tiny child with eyes red and swollen from crying, sat on a stone doorsteo. Benjl touched his cold black nose against the little bovs' le? in sympathy. "Oh," said the child. "A puppy." He reached down and picked Benjl up, cuddling cud-dling him in his arms. "You poor thing." he whispered into Benjl's ear, "I bet you're cold." Benji wiggled from happiness, his tail Joyfully and licked the tip of the boy's nose with his soft pink tongue. The little boy giggled and wiped the end of his nose with the palm of his hand. "Do you have a name?" he asked Benjl. "Mine's Bobby. I think I'll call you Cuddles, is that O. K.?" Benjl licked his nose again and settled down in the arms of the child. Bobby and Benjl (Cuddles) sat together listening to the singing, of carolers as they went on the street. They caught the faint sound of church bells ringing, telling the story of the nativltv with music. At last both fell asleep on the cold doorstep. As the clock struck 12 on the mantle of a fireplace in a larff old brick house at the other end of town, a light, soft and lus-trous, lus-trous, settle around the little dog and his ne.. friend. "Why j look." said a soft voice, "Just the j this we needed to make our gifts complete." Bobbie did not move nor did Benjl. for both were snuggled under a blanket of soft new snow. The light brightened then faded, but with It went Benjl Ben-jl and Bobbie, cradled In the arms of a larpe man, happy with the spirit of Christmas. . Benjl and Bobbie were happy and warm now for on Christmas In the stone house across town, a pretty little rlrl with gold curls was cuddling the most charming little toy doll and the most lovable toy puppy she had ever seen. |