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Speaker 1: An old time Christmas. When the holidays came round, the

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thoughts of Eliza Anne Lewis always turned to the good

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times that she used to have at home, when, following

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the precedent of Antebellum days, Christmas lasted all the week

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and good cheer held sway. She remembered with regret the

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gifts that were given, the songs that were sung to,

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the tinkling of the banjo, and the dances with which

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they beguiled. The night hours, and the eating. Could she

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forget it, the great turkey with the fat literally bursting

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from him, the yellow yam melting into deliciousness in the mouth,

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or at some more fortunate season, even the juicy possum

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grinning in brown and greasy death from the great platter.

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In the ten years she had lived in New York,

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she had known no such feast day. Food was strangely

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dear in the matreropolis, and then there was always the

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weekly rental of the poor room to be paid. But

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she had kept the memory of the old times green

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in her heart, and ever turned to it with the

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fondness of one for something irretrievably lost. That is how

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Jimmy came to know about it. Jimmy was thirteen and

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small for his age, and he could not remember any

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such times as his mother told him about, although he

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said with great pride to his partner and rival, Blinkie

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Scott Cheese, blink you ought to hear my old lady

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talk about the days they had down where we come

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from at Christmas. New York ain't in it with them,

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you can just bet. And Blinky, who was a New

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Yorker cleaned through with a New Yorker's contempt for anything

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outside of the city, had promptly replied with a downward

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spreading of his right hand. Ah, forget it. Jimmy felt

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a little crestfallen for a minute, but he lifted himself

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in his own estimation by threatening to do Blinky and

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the cloud rolled by. Eliza Anne knew that Jimmy couldn't

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ever understand what she meant by an old time Christmas

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unless she could show him by some faint approach to

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its merrymaking. And it had been the dream of her

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life to do this, but every year she had failed

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until now she was a little ahead. Her plan was

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too good to keep, and when Jimmy went out that

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Christmas Eve morning to sell his papers. She had disclosed

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it to him, and bade him hurry home as soon

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as he was done, for they were to have a

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real old time Christmas. Jimmy exhibited as much pleasure as

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he deemed consistent with his dignity, and promised to be

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back earth to add his earnings to the fund for celebration.

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When he was gone, Liza Ann counted over her savings

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lovingly and dreamed of what she could buy her boy

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and what she would have for dinner the next day.

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Then a voice, a colored man's voice she knew, floated

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up to her. Someone in the alley below her window

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was singing the old folks at home, all up and

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down the whole creation. Sadly I roam still longing for

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the old plantation, Anne, for the old folks at home.

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She leaned out of the window and listened, And when

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the song had ceased and she drew her head in again,

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there were tears in her eyes, the tears of memory

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and longing, But she crushed them away and laughed tremendously

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to herself as she said, what a regular old fool,

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I'm a giddin' bee. Then she went out into the

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cold snow covered streets, for she had work to do

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that day that would add a mite to her little

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Christmas store. Down in the street, Jimmy was calling out

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the morning papers and racing with Blinky Scott for prospective customers.

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These were only transients, of course, for each had his

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regular buyers, whose preferences were scrupulously respected by both in

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agreement with a strange, silent compact. The electric cars when

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clanging to and fro. The streets were full of shoppers

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with bundles and bunches of holly, and all the sights

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and sounds were pregnant with the message of the joyous time.

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People were full of the holiday's spirit. The papers were

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going fast, and the little colored boy's pockets were filled

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with the desired coins. It would have been all right

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with Jimmy if the policeman hadn't come up on him

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just as he was about to toss the bones, and

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when Blinky Scot had him faded to the amount of

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five hard earned pennies. Well, they were trying to suppress

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youthful gambling in New York, and the officer had to

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do his duty. The others scuttled away, but Jimmy was

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so absorbed in the game that he didn't see the

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cop until he was right above him, so he was pinched.

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He blubbered a little and wiped his grimy face with

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his grimier sleeve until it was one long brown smear.

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You know, this was Jimmy's first time. The big blue

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coat looked a little bit ashamed as he marched him

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down the street, followed at a distance by a few

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hooting boys. Some of the holiday shoppers turned to look

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at them as they passed and murmured, poor little chap,

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I wonder what he's been up to now. Others said sarcastically,

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it seems strange that Copper didn't call for help. A

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few of his brother officers grinned at him as he passed,

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and he blushed. But the dignity of the law must

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be upheld, and the crime of gambling among the newsboys

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was a growing evil. Yes, the dignity of the law

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must be upheld, and though Jimmy was only a small boy,

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it would be well to make an example of him.

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So his name and age were put down on the

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blotterer and over against them the offense with which he

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was charged. Then he was locked up to await trial

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The next morning. It's shameful, the bearded sergeant said, how

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the kids are carrying on these days? People are feeling

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pretty generous, and they'll toss him a nickel or a

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dime for the paper and tell them to keep the

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change for Christmas and foice thing. You know, the little

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beggars are shooting crab sir, pitchin pennies. We've got to

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make it an example of some of 'em. Eliza Ann

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Lewis was tearing through her work that day to get

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home and do her Christmas shopping, and she was singing

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as she worked, some such old song as she used

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to sing in the good old days back home. She

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reached her room late and tired, but happy. Visions of

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awakening up time for her and Jimmy were on her mind.

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But Jimmy wasn't there. I wonder what that little scamp is,

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she said, smiling. I told him to hurry home. I

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reckon he's stayin out later with the evening papers so

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as to bring home more money. Hour after hour passed

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and he did not come, and then she grew alarmed.

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At two o'clock in the morning, she could stand it

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no longer, and she went over and awakened Blinky Scot,

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much to the young gentleman's disgust, who couldn't see why

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any woman need make such a fuss about a kid.

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He told her laconically that Jimmy was pinched for trowing

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to bones. She heard with a sinking heart and went

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home to her own room to walk the floor all

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night and sob. In the morning, with all her Christmas

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savings tied up in a handkerchief, she hurried down to

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Jefferson Market court room. There was a full blotder that morning,

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and the judge was rushing through it. He wanted to

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get home to his Christmas dinner, but he paused long

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enough when he got to Jimmy's case to deliver a

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brief but stern lecture upon the evil of child gambling

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in New York. He said that as it was Christmas Day,

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he would like to release the prisoner with a reprimand,

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but he thought that this had been done too often,

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and that it was high time to make an example

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of one of the offenders. Well, it was fine or imprisonment.

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Liza Ann struggled up through the crowd of spectators and

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her Christmas treasure added to what Jimmie had paid his fine,

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and they went out of the court room together. When

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they were in the room again, she put the boy

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to bed, for there was no fire and no coal

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to make one. Then she wrapped herself in a shabby

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shawl and sat huddled up over the empty stove down

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in the alley. She heard the voice of the day before, singing, Oh, darkies,

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how my heart grows weary far from the old folks

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at home, And she burst into tears, and of an

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old time Christmas