Again the holiday season had come to the great and turbulent city. On the streets were hurrying throngs of shoppers. About the hotels and public houses cheerful-faced people came and went in unwonted numbers. Even the weariness of long and hard days of work could not wholly drive away the air of gladness from the busy clerks in the big department stores and in the little shops. The butcher, the baker, and the grocer were doing their best to bring what the good housewife wanted. The big delivery wagon, overloaded with packages of all sorts, shapes, sizes and suggestions, rattled busily from house to house. And the little boy caught with ecstasy the sight of a hobby horse’s heel, and the little girl of the doll’s nose peering warily out of the paper. How sharp the eyes of little boys and girls are at Christmas time.
“Is this where Mrs. Asleson lives?”
Thru the narrowly opened door a round, fat, rather homely face looked out. The man scowled into the dark. Perhaps he was not cross, but only trying to make out the figure in the dim light of the hall. A narrow window opposite the stairs let in a few struggling, very feeble rays. It faced blank up a nearby brick wall. Slowly the eye made out the figure of a rather young man with a basket on his arm.
Whether the man scowled or not was settled by his gruff, “Other door!”
“Thank you, thank you, sir,” answered Frank cheerily. “You’re done brown as a turkey with Christmas good nature, sir.” He spoke none too soon as the door banged shut.
Frank Wilson was employed at a grocery store some distance down the street. His brown eyes flashed merrily as he hurried from customer to customer, from salt to celery, from potatoes to lemons. The people liked to trade with him because he was so willing. He was just delivering a basket at the rear flat on the fourth floor of a tall tenement. His breath was still coming by jerks from the climb as he rapped at the “other door.” After a moment of perfect stillness the lock rattled,the knob turned, and the door opened as a little boy said:
“Who’s there?”
“Mrs. Asleson live here?”
“Ain’t home.”
“I’ve got a Christmas basket for her.”
At the magic word Christmas the door swung back, and a queer scene was revealed to the surprised gaze of the grocery boy.
“You all belong to Mrs. Asleson?” asked Frank as he set the basket on the table and pinched a little youngster. The group drew back. “Red, black, yellow, brown! Well, well—who’s the canary?” he continued, as he gave a whistle and looked around at the blinking youngsters. “Talk about your Indian chief!”
“I belong down stairs, Mister,” said one of the little girls.
The group was remarkable. Even aside from the dirty marks accumulated with a day of play. The young girl who had spoken was red-haired. The little tot in kirtles had golden locks, rather almost white. The other little girl had dark curls. While the two boys, brown-haired and blue-eyed, were enough alike to look like the brothers they were, except that the larger had an amount of frecklessuch as the younger had not found time to acquire. The four were the widow’s children.
“Hello!” exclaimed the grocery boy, “what have you got here?”
“Christmas tree,” said Freckles.
“Of all things!” Frank dropped on a chair. A Christmas tree! In a small-sized tub set on the middle of the floor, full of clothes and anything that might help support, stood a broom, brush in the air. It was ornamented with scraps of colored tissue paper, while from the top stood a bit of candle, burning sweetly and brightly. The girl with the black curls reached up and put it out, to save candle, no doubt. And yet Frank felt in no laughing mood for the moment. His heart was touched, and touched deeply.
“What’s that?” asked Maggie, tallest of the girls, as she pointed to the basket.
“That? Oh, I guess I’m Santa Claus this time, all right. Is your mama away?”
“She’s workin’,” vouchsafed the boy, number two for size, and scared at his own boldness, withdrew behind his sister.
“You don’t say. Where’s your freckles?” asked Frank as he snatched at the hiding boy. “Well, never mind, time’ll mend that. You’ll get them. I thought you were all singing?”
“Christmas songs,” was the answer.
“Good. Round the tree? Let’s have another.” And in a moment Frank with the five children of assorted shades and sizes, and in that doubtful shade of cleanness children will sometimes put on, was marching and dancing around the tree, hand in hand. Before they knew it they were all together singing a Christmas song, and shouting with glee, all forgetful of the basket. Frank, laughing and out of breath, had just picked up the smallest child, and they had begun to march around the room, shouting in chorus, when a loud sound broke upon their ears.
Bim, bam, boom! How the big cathedral bell sounds out over the city! Above the noise and clatter of the street, over the passing crowd, in and out among the tall buildings and little cottages that snuggle between, up and down the alleys and avenues, the mighty ringing goes forth. Above the very mist and smoke that bedims the air rises the tall spire with its heavily buttressed tower. Have you ever climbed the tall ladders far up into the belfry? Far down below, the men pull the ropes, and out from the huge latticed windows rolls forth the volume of sound. Three bells there are that chime out upon the fading day.So strong are they and vibrant with melody that the tower trembles. Even the cement walks and asphalt pavements seem to quiver under the heavy strokes of the bell.
As Frank opened the window the children with him crowded about. Over the gravelled roofs and dusty housetops came the welling music. It beat about the trembling stones, rolled in great billows over the house, searched out every nook and cranny that promised entrance. About the doors it gathered and quivered as tho ready to shake them from their hinges. Who could think that thin glass could have withstood such onslaught.
Bim-m-m! Ba-m-m! Boom! Christmas bells. “What a world of happiness their harmony foretells.” All silent, entranced with the splendid music of the cathedral chimes, Frank with the children still stood before the open window. They had not observed the click of the door. As they turned about they saw Mrs. Asleson standing in surprise beside the table. She was just about to exclaim at the children for leaving the door unbarred when she paused in surprise at the basket on the table and the stranger standing by the window.
“I beg your pardon, ma’am,” said Frank. “But I came up here with that basket. It wasordered from the store by the ladies from the church down the street, and I forgot myself looking at the children’s Christmas tree. Besides, ma’am, the chimes are glorious up here on the fourth floor corner flat. Beg your pardon, ma’am.”
“Basket for me?” exclaimed the widow in pleased surprise. Her profuse gratitude was interrupted by the welcome of the children and their eager desire to know the contents of the basket. As he hurried down the stairs to the work which he had almost forgotten, Frank felt that it was truly blessed to give.
“If those folks knew how much good they did with that basket, they’d be happy,” was his comment.
About the table the little ones crowded as mother took out the packages of necessities as well as of Christmas goodies. Their exclamations of joy were many. Nor least of all, when a very suitable gift appeared for each of the little folks, the brown-haired boys, little tow-head, and sister with the dusky curls. And each little heart felt that they had not sung in vain about the broom as a Christmas tree; but that the Lord Christ had known to bless the faith of a little child. And a prayer of fervent thanksgiving arose, as thegood mother saw joy shine in the forlorn home of the widow on that night, all because a kindly heart had gone forth in sympathy to her loneliness and her need.