The Gavelyte, December 1913

2 THE GAYELYTE "Buck's'' Christmas Story By Tobin. "Well, Buck, tell us th·e wors t at once, " anxiou sly pleaded !Jig Brother Ben as Buck oan:ne ho 1 me f1,o,m s 1 cho•ol on,e ,evening a1boot a week be.foJ·e Chris1bmrus. "No 1 w if ,tbJi,s were th!ree !hundred year,s ago an,d y,o,u were your gr-e.at grnnidf•a:ther ra:L 1ed to the fourl:!h ,power ,and he looked 1'ike you, I'd takce my oath that be was eiith E. r a P.urit:an or a P1;esJbyiterian. FDT of aH the long faces ou,tsid•e ·of the 2;00, you Ct!'· taiinly ,are graduated w 1 ith :firsit ihonio,r; our resp,2 cted gTanddad •aJ J l' t. · ,mentiiio,ned ,of co,urs,e e~cepted. No,w tell us all and r eli eve your mind. Which is it.: Are you to ,be shot at sunrise, or <lo you h•ave to sit with iAng,eHnia agiain nrext week?" "Niaw, it's W'OI'S·e ,th,an ,thJa,t; I lhav,e to, ·write an e1 ,s,ay. " ''Oh, that's e,aisy," s<miled Big Ben, nrow all y,ou h•ave to do is to get just chuck fulil of y,our subject an,d then"- "Aih, g,'wan; our su'bject 'is 1a ,Chds1tmaJ'< s,tory and 1 we have to · hand in our p,a,pers two day,s before." "A 1(ibr:s•bmas story; w 1hy that beco,me,s eiasin and easier, " enccur– ,ag,ingly remarked Bi·g Ben. "I ·can ,thi,nk of forty-lev en ,good stories rLgM n,ow. Fo,r instance '.Once upon ,a time the re 'W'cIB a little girl anrd ,Sihb was very lame. Her p,apa and :her mamm.a were very poor ·ainid oft.en .fihe did Il!Oit .h!ave enoug;h to eat, but s'he was, 1a•lway,s ve•ry c-hee})ful •and ha>p,py and corubented, and one night-i,t was the night of the rtwenty-fourth of December-" "Th1at wion't d 1 0," interrmpted ·Buck, "teache:r saJ:d ,this musit be an ori,g1nal ,s·bory and she ,w,ould tbiillik 1I got t:Jh,at from the Girl',s C 1 0,m– panion." "·W,ell, h!ow do you like number two then," •and Ben proc eeded: "It 1w,as Christmas at Maflti.Il! IS•ohio:oU. The ro,om, .gay,ly de,c,o-ra,ted with f,es't1oon,s of holly, ,sieemed chiarged with the SJpirit o"f the sea-on. Both 'boy,s and girls· weTe t:ense with resitrained emotion. Their l'Ong pEmt-up feell.ng ,s could' stiand ht n,o longer, lllo•weveT, for upon the cl,e a.r, froS1ty, air Dang forth"- IA:t 1this1 po 1 in,t, Buck's "pent-up" feelin•gs exploded. "Anid is numb€r t:hr•ee :and numiber four ·and t:he rest o,f your forty-leven like those? Surely y,oa hiaven't lef,t out the 1 mistletoe, and S·anta Claus and jingle belJ,s? M,ay,oe yiou want me to s,ay something •a•biout hanging up the balby's st:ock 1 iil'g •and ,a1so to s'i.,ng, 'Wibia.t do you wish him to bring you. Biay, whiat d10 you t:hin:k this, 1is anyway," ,and wl:th a snort of scorn the irate !brother jumped sitraight into t'he •air. "Peace, •be still Bucky. Have it your own way, 1but I don't see how y,ou aJre rto get a Ohri-swas sitory unle,s,s y,ou balk ,aibout mi.pee pies and lthe night before 10hristmas, to say nothing ,of hap,py faces."