The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, December 17, 1905, Page 16

frighiengh | wde him ufcover a lady, and r to fa r the f t nd when his sobs no long pink and wide spread t swe r question in a voice as soft as his eyes, and ¥ I ) where is my mamma.” burden, and ‘ ) day at schodl ) arrive every morn- ad ernoon; and under the r his liege ‘had grown In wisdom a ppiness, but the st of t was lov Is were plannir ir- ere as ret 1 the other boys and his hands w his mother present ave no kind feel- could to have'ia r Krishts, neithe - papa Krisht,” said Morris stoutly; “all" the ! fier ent \d I'm loying mit hef; 1 1'gives har presents thé while I'm’ got such a kind feeling-over; her.” “We we.ain’'t got no money. for buy nothjng,” said Mrs, money,’ und yourspapa; e has’ all res a scare he t 16 more,“the while the Loss"—and heré followed ipconiprehensible, but depressing, 1 details, until ¢he end of the interview found Mog- and Nis® mother sobbing and rocking in, each other's So Morrjs was helpless; his mother poor, and Teacher gllewsk to e And now the great day, the Friday before Christmas, s come, and the school i§, for the first half hour, quite Doors open suddenly and softly to admit small per- ondrous ways and bearing wondrous parcels, 18, generally so placid andsso peaceful, is a howling wilderness full of brightly colored, quickly changing rsion; the : talls upon him ¢ Statement of cher wat matter the What hrouded so kes th look so strange? wle night nd explanat he form. r bundles. assembied nd cle price ch with the children methi iem bel eacher, ion is in dumb They in the corner is a Christmas tree? ve so queerly, and They seem to have grow s she notes this, n simple, though it comes in alarming 1e sounds of revelry are plerced by a long, shrill can't of children, all whispering, all. gurgling® and all A newcomer invariably causes a Dbring me a present.” multitude, mors for a glimpse of his bundie and athirst for novelty, amaze. What can be the er’ have guesséd that why do they 1 stout in a sin- arvels greatly. vell, and a pair of agitated legs spring suddenly into view between two de sks. Teacher, rusiing to the rescue; notes that the legs form the unsteady stem of an upturned mush- room of brown flannel and green braid, which she recog- ni derwitz and ye their prey, the found to suppo ibed as “s tha's , when’ the 1o rt a fat fully trigimed with purple. s as/the outward seeming of her cherished Bertha Bin- desks are forced restored to their normal position are to disgorge child—and Bertha was best de- inny”—in a dress of the Stuart tartan, taste- Investigation proves that Ber- cumulated taste in dress is an established custom. In nearly all cases the glory of holiday attire is hung upon the upon a buliding. a blue, and and hair she wear father olid foundation of everyday clothes as bunting is hung The habit is economical of time and pro- s"a charming embonpoint. Teacher, too, is more beautiful than ever. Her dress is 4 bow of what Sadie Gonorewsky, whose plush ribbon—costs 10 cents, Isidore Belchatosky, relenting, s the first to lay tribute formation, “Costs 15 cents,”teacher,” and ‘the courteous before, Teacher. He comes ‘forward with a'‘sweet. smilé:. phrase—byetfquette’ prescribed—"Wish ‘works by fancy goods,” describes as “black from cents, and it's just what I want. It is very good of you to s Isidore, st Reader C1 ; desk, and its arms round “You're welcomé,” s ice being broken, the F cast its gifts:on Teach neek. Nathan Horowitz pr ing; and then, the in a body r b 11 cup and saucer; Isi- dore Applebauin- bestows a Jarge calendar for the year before last; Sadie Gonorowsky brings a basket containing a_bottle of perfume, a thimble and a bright silk handker- chief; Sarah 'Schodsky offers a penwiver and a - yellow celluloid collar button, and Bva Kidansky gives an elab- orate nasal douch, under the pleasing delusion that it is'an atomizer, Once more sounds of ‘grief reach teacher's eaps. Rush- ing again to the rescue, she tlirows open the door and comes upon woe personified. Eva Goronowsky, her halr in wildest disarray, her stocking fouled, ungartered and down-gyved to her ankle, appeared before her teacher. She bears all the marks of Hamlet's excitement, and many more, including a tear-stained little face and a gilt saucer clasped to a panting breast. “Eva, my dearest Eva, what's happened to you nmow?" asks teacher, for the list of ill chances which have be- fullen this one of her -charges is very long. And Eva wails forth that a boy, a very big boy, had stolen - her golden cup, “what I had for you by present,” and has left her only the saucér and her undying love to bestow. Before Eva's sobs have quite yielded to teacher’s arts, vety’ long down, like a lady,” with bands of silk Jacob Spitsky presses forward with a tortolse-shell comb ps A'{'k\ve,ms'(rmun-d with the eye of art. In her of terrifying aspect and hungry teeth, and an air showing fortli a determination to adjust it in its destined place. meacher meekly bows her head; Jacob forces his offering into her long-suffering hair, and then retires with the in- you ' health ' to and a tall.candlestick—the candy has geny:t& g;ullqngsuam‘e weart.” He 4s'plainly & hero, and is heard remarking to —and Teacher. for a moment dannot be made’ to utiderstand” ithat all that length.of bluish-whit: s Teall; Toh ol 2 “Is to-morrow hoilday,” Isidore’ assives gives you presents, the while we have a kind feeling.” Can. dlesticks could to cost 25 cents. “for keeps.” i “It's @ le. Three for 10, says ute china: really hexs vy and, wi a volce in the back- léss fhvored admireisithat “teachers’ hair is awfully softy, “and smells off”of/perfumery.” . 2 "« Heke & big. boy, @ very big boy, enters hastily. He ‘does not belorig”to-roofit 18, but ’ he has long - knowh ) uache_r‘ [e has brought out a present; he wishes her a merry cnfi‘nu‘m-. The present, when produced, proves to be a pretty gold cup, and Eva Gonorowsky, with renewed ground. but Teacher hastens te respen te Isidore's test of emotion, recognizes the boy as her assailant and the cup her credulity: “Indeed, they could. This candlestick could have cost 50 boy, not at all so. Teacher s dreadfully embarrassed; the as her property. His policy is simple and entire denial, in this he perseveres. even after Eva's sauce proclaimed its relationship te the up too, be: and co Teache piece mind i all of she had rece jeweled v where achin h love: w and berib zot sometk troubled to w vou even how T kind feel should give y a a glax the 1 desk— or ry, and my mamm: none by the store; ner, I'm g9 nice for you by br “And what¥is it, asks the alread h and gifted young person. “What is my new present? “Teacher, it's like I don't know; I ain't so o I could to know™ pd truly, God pity him! he all—“it ain't for boys: 1 the night comes my papa on my ise \amma the present. Sooner she looks on it, a awful glad; in her eyes sgands tears, like that—out of Jewish—‘Thanks,’ un’ she ¥ a;a kiss.s Und my papa, how he is polite! he says—out of Jewish, too—'You're welcome, all right, un’ he kisses my man kiss. So my mamma, she sets and looks on the present, und all the time she looks she has a glad over it. Und I didn't to have no soap, o you could to have the present.” it did your mother say T might?” Teacher, no ma'am; she didn't say like that, un’ dian't to say not like that. - She didn’t to know. But for ladies, un’ I didn’t to have no soap. You could to look on. It ain’t for boys.” A4 here Morris opens a hot little hand and discloses a tightly folded pinkish paper. As teacher reads It he watched ‘her with eager, furtive eyes, dry and bright, un- til hers grow suddenly moist, when his promptly follow suit. As she looks down at him he makes his moan once more: t's for ladies, und I don't te have no soap.” But, Morrls, dear,” cried teacher unsteadily, laughing a little, and yet not far from tears, “this is ever so much nicer than soap—a thousand times better than perfume; and you're quite righg, it is for ladies, and I never had one in all my life before. I am so very thankful"” You're welcome, all right. That's how my papa says; it’s polite,” says Morris proudly. And proudly he takes his place among the very little boys, and loudly he joins in the ensuing song. For the rest of that exciting day he is a shining point of virtue in a slightly confused class. And at 3 o'clock he is at teacher’s desk agaln, carrying on the conversation as if there had been no Interruption. “Und my mamma,” he says Insinuatingly—“she kisses my papa a kiss.” “Well?" ‘says- teacher. “Well,” says Morris, “you ain’t never kissed me a kiss, und I seen.how you kissed Eva Gonorowsky. I'm loving mit you, too:: Why don't you never kiss me a kiss?" “Perhaps,” suggests teacher mischlevously,-“perhaps it aln’t for. boys.” . But a glance at her “light face” with its cro®n of sur- prising combs reassures him. “Teacher, yis ma'am; it's for boys,” he eries as he feels her arms about'him, and sees that' in her eyes, too, “stands tears.” “Ii's polite you kisses me a kiss over that for ladles’ present.” Late that night teacher sat in her pretty room—for she was, unofficially, a greatly pampered young person—and reviewed her tréasures. She saw that they were und she 'sa kis ny ver. .fdumerous, very touching, very whimsical, and very p‘u): cious. But above all the rest she cherished a frayed pink- ish paper, rather crumpled and a little soiled. For it helq the love of .a. man and a woman. and a little child, and the magic of a home, for Morris Mogilewsky's Christm: present for ladies was the reeeipt for a mont 100m on the top floor of a Monroe-street s r—-— e