balls and ropes of
red popcorn, the work of painful hands after the childher are abed. Mr.
Dooley knew Christmas was coming by the calendar, the expiration of his
quarterly license, and Mr. Hennessy coming in with a doll in his pocket
and a rocking-chair under his arm.

"Prisints?" said the philosopher.

"Yis," said Mr. Hennessy. "I had to do it. I med up me mind this year
that I wudden't buy anny Chris'mas prisints or take anny. I can't
afford it. Times has been fearful ha-ard, an' a look iv pain comes over
th' ol' woman's face whin I hold out fifty cints fr'm me salary on
Saturdah night. I give it out that I didn't want annything, but they'se
so much scurryin' ar-round an' hidin' things whin I go in that I know
they've got something f'r me. I cudden't stand it no longer, so I wint
down town to-night, down be Shekel an' Whooper's place, an' bought these
things. This is a fine doll f'r th' money."

"It is," said Mr. Dooley, taking the doll and examining it with the eye
of an art critic. "It closes its eyes,--yis, an', bedad, it cries if ye
punch it. They're makin' these things more like human bein's ivry year.
An' does it say pap-pah an' mam-mah, I dinnaw?"

"No," said Mr. Hennessy, "th' pap-pah an' mam-mah dolls costs too much."

"Well," continued Mr. Dooley, "we can't have ivrything we want in this
wurruld. If I had me way, I'd buy goold watches an' chains f'r ivrybody
in th' r-road, an' a few iv th' good Germans. I feel that gin'rous. But
'tis no use. Ye can't give what ye want. Ivry little boy ixpects a pony
at Chris'mas, an' ivry little girl a chain an' locket; an' ivry man
thinks he's sure goin' to get th' goold-headed cane he's longed f'r
since he come over. But they all fin'lly land on rockin'-horses an'
dolls, an' suspindhers that r-run pink flowers into their shirts an'
tattoo thim in summer. An' they conceal their grief Chris'mas mornin'
an' thry to look pleasant with murdher in their hearts.

"Some wan has always give me a Chris'mas prisint, though no wan has anny
r-right to. But no wan iver give me annything I cud wear or ate or
dhrink or smoke or curl me hair with. I've had flasks iv whisky give
me,--me that have lashin's iv whisky at me elbow day an' night; an',
whin I opined thim, blue an' yellow flames come out an' some iv th'
stuff r-run over on th' flure, an' set fire to th' buildin'. I smoke th'
best five-cint see-gar that money can buy; yet, whin a good frind iv
mine wants to make me a prisint