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Speaker 1: MacCarthy's Christmas Eve by Brian O'Higgins. MacCarthy kept telling himself

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that it was Christmas Eve and that he must remember

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the spirit of the season and keep his temper and

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his patience unimpaired. But it was no easy task. He

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had purchased several of the Christmas numbers, and for days

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the thought of an enjoyable read before a blazing fire

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in the parlor had carried him buoyantly through the busy

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hours at the office, where all was fuss and flurry.

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But alas and alas for the day dreams of married men.

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On Christmas Eve, there was wood to be chopped, and

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presents to be packed and posted, and broken toys to

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be mended. And in the middle of the day Missus

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mack had implored him to take the children for a

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walk while I try and straighten things up a bit.

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And she looked so weary and worried and rushed that

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Macarthy had not the heart to refuse. So, with a

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longing look at his cozy parlor fire, he went for

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a walk. Towards evening, things grew quiet, the children were

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absorbed in their toys, herself was cooking something in the kitchen.

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The parlor was as snug as snug could be. The

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lamp had just been lighted, so Macarthy crept in very softly,

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pulled an arm chair near the blaze, took up his

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favorite magazine, and in a moment he was the happiest

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man in that quiet Dublin suburb. Wasn't it just glorious

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to be at peace with all the world? While other

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people rushed frantically from shop to shop in the city,

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seeking everything only what the shops contained, Rat tat, rat tat.

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MacCarthy nearly jumped out of his easy chair such as

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start did the sudden and imperative knock at the front

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door give him. There was a scurry of feet from

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the kitchen, and a shout of the postman again when

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herself opened the door, and in a moment the whole

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family invaded the parlor, Missus Mack armed with a big

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cardboard box. The latter was quick opened while Macarthy sighed,

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resignedly and fondly fingered the pages of his magazine. And

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then there was a shout of admiration from Willie and

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Ita and Brian and little Molly. As a beautiful, brand

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new suit for a boy came into view to Brian

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from his godmother herself read from a card which lay

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at the bottom of the box, and then there was

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another cheer. While the lucky godson danced with delight. Missus

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mack was thinking hard, and Macarthy, dreading something that was

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to come, shivered. He must wear it tomorrow, she said

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at last, partly to herself, in honor of the day.

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And he hasn't a decent hat or cap to wear

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with it. What are we to do at all? Her

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pretty face was puckered, but suddenly it brightened again. Daddy, Yes,

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MacCarthy was deeply absorbed in his magazine, though he didn't

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see a word on the page that lay opened before him.

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Would you mind running into town and getting a little

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hat or cap that would suit this any sort at all?

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So long as it's the right size for Brian, and

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either dark green or brown, you won't be more than

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an hour away. MacCarthy felt that he must rebel at last.

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He looked up with a frown, but his glance fell

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upon her eager motherly face, and on the faces of

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the other four, and he hadn't the heart to say nay,

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all right, he said, in a tone of resignation as

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he laid the magazine on the table and took the

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overcoat that she was already holding out to him. It

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was just at that moment that she remembered, one by

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one about seven other articles that couldn't possibly be dispensed with,

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And on his way to the tram, MacCarthy was obliged

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to repeat the full message over several times, fearful lest

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he should forget even one item. When he reached the city,

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the streets were crowded, and every shop was packed, and

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every shop assistant was blind, deaf and dumb. MacCarthy got

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a hearing at last, after pushing and shoving and dodging

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and waiting patiently for half an hour. But when the

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hats and caps for little boys were shown to him,

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there was no green or brown in the right size,

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and the ones that would fit Brian were awful to

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look at. He knew very well that herself would not

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dream of putting them over that unexpected suit. So MacCarthy

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was obliged to fight his way towards the street again

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and go through a similar struggle in another shop Before

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the hat he wanted turned up. He was at least

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another hour pulling and pushing and beckoning to unseeing shop

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assistants before all the other things herself had asked him

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to get had been secured. And it was after ten

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o'clock when loaded with tiny parcels, he boarded a home

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bound tram. The car was crowded and everybody was armed

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with packages and parcels of various shapes and size, and everybody,

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though weary and perspiring after their struggles in the shops,

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seemed pleased that the Christmas shopping was over. The tram

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was pretty well cleared of its passengers before it came

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to McCarthy's stopping place, and the only persons to alight

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at the road in which he lived were three country

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women who had a long tramp before them ere they

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would reach the quiet district away beyond the township in

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which were their homes. As McCarthy passed out of the tram,

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he noticed a small parcel lying on the seat near

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the spot in which these women had been sitting, and

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picking it up, he hurried after them. They had already

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passed out of the ark of light thrown by the

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big electric lamp and were making all the speed they

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could towards home. McCarthy ran until he overtook them and

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inquired if they had lost anything, at the same time

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showing the parcel he had picked up. They counted all

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their belongings, and they were many, and then recounted them,

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but they could not see that there was anything missing.

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You'll find it's yours, said McCarthy, who was in a

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hurry to be off. It was on the seat just

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where you were sitting. I'm sure it must be yours. Ah. Sure,

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we'll take it anyway, sir, said one of the women.

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At last, seein somebody's lost it. It's lost, and it's

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as good to us as anyone else, whatever it is.

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McCarthy handed over the much discussed parcel, and the women

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proceeded on their way while he turned his steps towards home.

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Herself was busy upstairs when he arrived, so he flung

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the parcels on the parlor table and himself into the

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easy chair, feeling, as he inwardly expressed, it, just flattened out.

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She came fussing in a little while later, welcomed him home,

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thanked him most heartily, and proceeded to examine the contents

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of each parcel. Everything was there except the little hat.

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They searched for it here, there, and everywhere, but it

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was nowhere to be found. MacCarthy groaned suddenly as a

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thought flashed into his brain. The parcel that was the

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sole cause of his having to go into the city,

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the parcel that had kept him shoving and shouldering and

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struggling in two shops for nearly an hour, The most

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important parcel of them all he had pressed upon those

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three protesting countrywomen half an hour before MacCarthy sat down

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and said nothing. And of MacCarthy's Christmas Eve by Brian

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O'Higgins