Welcome to the conclusion of our seventy-fifth Tale for Our Time: Christmas by Injunction by O Henry. In tonight's episode, in pursuit of some Yuletide urchins to add festive cheer to a childless mining town, Trinidad and the Judge have finally found a likely recruit:
On the steps of the eating house they found a thin and glowering boy of ten smoking a cigarette. The dining-room had been left in chaos by the peripatetic appetites. A youngish woman reclined, exhausted, in a chair. Her face wore sharp lines of worry. She had once possessed a certain style of beauty that would never wholly leave her and would never wholly return. Trinidad set forth his mission.
"I'd count it a mercy if you'd take Bobby for a while," she said, wearily. "I'm on the go from morning till night, and I don't have time to 'tend to him. He's learning bad habits from the men. It'll be the only chance he'll have to get any Christmas."
The men went outside and conferred with Bobby. Trinidad pictured the glories of the Christmas tree and presents in lively colours.
"And, moreover, my young friend," added the Judge, "Santa Claus himself will personally distribute the offerings that will typify the gifts conveyed by the shepherds of Bethlehem to—"
"Aw, come off," said the boy, squinting his small eyes. "I ain't no kid. There ain't any Santa Claus. It's your folks that buys toys and sneaks 'em in when you're asleep. And they make marks in the soot in the chimney with the tongs to look like Santa's sleigh tracks."
"That might be so," argued Trinidad, "but Christmas trees ain't no fairy tale. This one's goin' to look like the ten-cent store in Albuquerque..."
Could you resist an invitation like that? Members of The Mark Steyn Club can hear Mark read the conclusion of Christmas by Injunction simply by clicking here and logging-in. Part One can be found here.
O Henry officially inaugurates the Christmas season here at SteynOnline. Mark will be back with another Yuletide yarn in the coming week. In the meantime, a word on listener reaction to our other Tales: some like the ripping yarns for boys, some the more genteel social comedy for girls, and some of you even enjoy our ventures into summer whimsy from the "niche Canadian". But of the tales in total all seem to be in favour.
If you've yet to hear any of them, you can enjoy eight-and-a-half years' worth of audio adventures - by H G Wells, Kafka, Wodehouse, Gogol, Dickens, Baroness Orczy, Jane Austen, George Orwell, Robert Louis Stevenson and more - by joining The Mark Steyn Club. For details on membership, see here - and, if you're seeking a terrific gift for a fan of classic fiction, don't forget our Steyn Club Gift Membership. Sign up that special someone today - it's the perfect Christmas present!
Tales for Our Time will be back in the week ahead, and don't forget the latest episode of Mark's audio adaptation of America Alone.
