DECEMBER 8, 1911
The Commoner.
13
I i .
The Lookout Man
.Again we offer explanation for repeating the following verses.
They appeared originally in The Commoner some seven years ago.
Every year since, about this time, requests begin coming for their
repetition. They are beginning to arrive now. The author thanks
all of the writers for the compliment they pay when they make the
request; also for the chance to All the weekly allotmentof space with
out the work and worry of grinding out something new. W. M. M.
Now, listen, little children, and I'll tell a story true
And better you remember, for it means a lot to you
For if you heed the . lesson, then when Christmas time is here
You'll get a lot of presents and a lot of Christmas cheer.
The Lookout Man is walking when the stars begin to peep
To see if little children are in bed and fast asleep;
And all who act up naughty and don't mind their ma's and pa's,
The Lookout Man is watching, and "he'll tell old Santa Claus.
I knew a little fellow once who got real 'bad, and said
He didn't care for Santa Claiis, and wouldn't go to bed;
And said he didn't have to mind 0, he was awful bad,
And didn't seem to care a mite in making folks feel sad.
But when it came to Christmas Day he didn't get a thing,
For Santa Claus had heard of him and not a thing he'd" bring.
He knew that bad boy's record better mind your ma's and pa's,
The Lookout Man is watching and he'll tell old Santa Claus.
I also knew a little girl who was just awful bad.
She wouldn't get her lessons and she always got so mad
If anybody told her to be still and hush her noise
Well, she was always wishing for a lot of Christmas toys;
But when 'twas Christmas morning, to her wonder and surprise,
An' empty stocking hanging in the corner met her eyes.
You see, she acted naughty better mind your nla's and pa's;
The Lookout Man is watching and he'll tell old Santa Claus.
The Lookout.,Man is peeping through the windows every night
And counting up the children who are always acting right.
And going off to bed at once when told it's time to go,
And never pouting, not a bit, or taking clothes off slow.
He puts them in the good book, but the bad ones in the bad, .
And when he writes a bad one, 0, he looks just awful sad
Forheknows they will get nothing better mind your ma's and pa's -The
Lookout Man is watching and he'll tell old Santa Claus.
A Christmas Story
We'll call him "Billy" because
lots of people call him that, and
also because that is as good a name
as any. And Billy will never forget
one Christmas about seventeen
years ago. He was living in a big
western city then, but not working.
Bis idleness was due to no fault of
his; it was the fault of Industrial
conditions which threw many men
out of work, and which caused Billy
to' lose his position on a big daily
paper.
And as Billy had a wife and a boy
dependent upon him, and the Satur
dav nierht before that particular
Christmas found him with Just one
lonesome silver quaner in ui
pocket, porhapB you can imagine
how he felt. That was the situa
tion on this particular Christmas.
Now to hark back about six or
seven years further. Billy was
working then. A politician of state
wide note had been nominated for
office and he wanted a speech a rip
roaring, hlghfalutin' speech and
he asked Billy to take the facts and
figures he had and write up just that
kind of a speech. Billy did it for
old frledship'a sake. It must have
been a pretty good speech for tne
candidate was elected. But iii tne
excitement he never thought of ask
ing Billy what Billy wanted for the
work
Now hack to that particular
Christmas once more. Billy and his
wife canvassed the Christmas situa
tion immediately after supper, first
seeing to it that the boy was in bed
and asleep. They Just knew that
boy was expecting something, for
the Christmas or two he remembered
had been full of joy and presents and
things. So Billy and the wife de
cided to ask a neighbor to come over
and watch the youngster while they
trekked down town and expended
that sole remaining 'quarter. The
neighbor came over all right and
and Billy and the wife walked three
miles down town' through the cold
and snow walked to save carefare.
It was about the first time either of
them had taken much thought of
what Christmas fixin's cost, but they
had to this time. A quarter won't
go far in making Christmas for a
lusty boy. So the pair of them wan
dered through two or three big
stores, and finally decided on an
orange, a trumpet, a pound of very
cheap candy and a nickel "Mother
Goose" book. That would exhaust
the quarter. But before they
squandered all their wealth they
paused to gaze at the expensive
things in. one Dig snow wiuuuw.
And as they gazed some one
slapped Billy on the shoulder and
shouted, "Hello, Billy; merry Christ
mas!" Whereupon Billy grasped the hand
of hifl old-time political friend, and
smothering his real feolings returned !
the greeting in kind. A few words
passed and then Billy introduced hiai
wife. A few more words and Mini
subject of politics came up, and as1
uiai didn't interest the wife sho
turned again to the show window.
Then said tho politician:
"By tho way, Billy, I never paid
you for that littlo articlo you fixed
up for mo."
"Forgot it," said Billy. "That
was squared by friendship years
ago."
"Say not so," quoth tho politician.
' I insist on paying something for it
and paying it right now. Name the
amount."
Now Billy yearned mightily to say
"ton dollars." or such a matter, but
boing somewhat proud and unwilling
to expose his poverty ho grinned
cheerfully and said:
"Oh, well, If that's tho way you
feel about it, old man, Just buy tho
misses a littlo trinket sho can hang
on the wall, and that will remind
us both of you, and we'll call it
square."
"Agreed," said the politician, "but
I haven't got time to buy it; got to
make a train. But I'll give you a
piece of money and you can select
it and give it to her with my compli
ments." "Nuff said," replied Billy.
Whereupon the politician pressed
something into Billy's hand, ehouted
a cheery farewell and rushed for a
street car.
Billy watched the departing poli
tician until ho disappeared from
sight, then turned to the wife and
remarked:
"Well, sweetheart, we've got more
than a quarter now."
"How's that?" queried the wife.
"Why, Blank just gave mo some
paper money to buy you a Christ
mas knick-knack, and they don't
make paper money in less than dol
lar bills it's a cinch we've got at
least a dollar and a quarter, and I
guess it's five and a quarter maybe
ten and a quarter,"
"I hope it's ten and a quarter,"
said the sordid-minded woman,
"Well, here's seeing," said Billy,
opening his hand.
And lo, and behold, there before
the protruding eyes of Billy and tho
wife were three beautiful, artistic,
perfectly lovely bills two twenties
and a ten fifty good old dollars!
Maybe the Christmas lights didn't
grow brighter. And maybe two
hearts didn't follow suit. And maybe
there wasn't a sudden change of
Christmas program. "And don't you
believe Billy and the wife went home
with any little old quarter's worth
of Christmas fixin's for tho boy.
Billy has often told us that it was
the gloomiest "day before Christ
mas" he over experienced and tho
brightest glorious Christmas day of
his life.
And from that day to this Billy
hasn't been out of a Job, for on that
particular Christmas morning he re
ceived a telegram tolling him a good
Job was waiting for him In a city not
far away, and having money for car
faro In his pocket and somo over,
Billy wired that he'd bb thoro tho
next day and ho was, too, bellovo
mo.
Not much of a Christmas story,
perhaps. Might havo been fixed up
with a lot of hlghfalutin' languago
about "Christmas bolls' and all that
sort of thing. But Just tho same, as
that story is horo presented It will
be to Billy and his wife Just about
ao good a Christmas story as waa
over wrltton.
Perhaps that politician really
meant It aa payment for BUIy'n
work. Maybo ho had loarncd that
Billy was up against It good and
hard and romomborlng tho speech
had seized upon tho Incitlont an a
good way of giving Billy a lift with
out wounding his pride. Wo don't
caro a rap what tho politician
thought about It all wo know la
that whorovor ho Is, Billy and hln
wife novor forgot him on Christmas
day, and never fail to send him a
telegraphic Christmas greeting from
hearts that will novor cease to be
grateful.
AWFUL
Henry Clews, at a dinner in Now
port, said of American traveling:
"It is delightful to travel in
Amorlca, but 1 think that American
porters handle our luggago a littlo
too roughly.
"Once, at a certain station, I was
amazed and pleased to hoar a uni
formed official shout to a burly
porter:
" 'Hi, what aro you knockin' them
trunks about like that for?'
"Tho porter had ben listing groat
trunks nbovo his hoad and hurling
them down onto tho floor furiously;
but now ho stood stock-still in as
tonishment. " "What'B that, boss?' ho 3aid.
" 'What do you moan by knockin'
trunks about like that?' repeated tho
official. 'Look at tho floor, man.
Look at tho dents you're raakln' in
tho concrete. Don't you know you'll
lose your Job if you damage tho
company's property?' " Epworth
Herald.
UK PASSED
There were some questions in
geography required In tho prelimi
nary examinations for law students
who aspired to admission to tho bar.
Among them was "Name ten ani
mals that live in the Arctic zone."
One young man wrote: "Five polar
bears and five seals. N. B. Permit
mo to call your attention to tho fact
that the question does not spocify
that the animals should bo of dif
ferent varieties." Ladles' Home
Journal.
PERFECTLY SAFE
"I should think you'd be afraid
to let your boys run your automo
bile?" "Oh, nc; I have it insured."
Homo Herald.
"Kiddies Six"
A little volume of verse about children and
home and old times, from the pen of Will M.
Maupin, a member of Tho Commoner staff and
"Architect" of the "Whether Common or Not"
department. Bound In cloth;200 pages; picture
of tho "Architect," the "Little Woman" and
"Kiddies Six" for a frontispiece. Foreword by
Richard L. Metcalfe. Lots of "speakln pieces"
for tho school children. "Kiddles Six" Is a com
pilation into book form of the verses Mr.
Maupin has contributed to The Commoner dur
lne the last six or seven years. The book will
make a most acceptable Christmas present to
any friend or relative. Sent postpaid to any address in the United States
or Canada on receipt of $1.00. Address all orders to
WELL M. MAUPIN, Care Commoner, Lincoln, Nebraska
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