0n Christmas Eve

A friend of mine named Paul received an automobile¹ from his brother as Christmas present. On Christmas eve, when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin² was looking around the shining new car, admiring it.

 

"Is this your car, Mister?" he said.

 

Paul nodded, "My brother gave it to me for Christmas."

 

The boy was astounded³, "You mean your brother gave it to you, and didn't cost you anything?"

 

"Boy, I wish..." he hesitated.

 

Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he has a brother like that. But what the lad said jarred Paull all the way down his heels.

 

"I wish," the boy went on, "that I could be a brother like that."

 

Paul looked at the boy in astonishment⁴, then inpulsivly he added, "Would you like to take a ride in my car?"

 

"Oh, yes. I'd love that."

 

After a short ride, the boy turned his eyes aglow⁵, said, "Mister, would you mind driving in front of my house?"

 

Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the lad wanted. He wanted to show his neighbours that he could ride home in a big automobile. But Paul was wrong again.

 

"Would you stop at those with two steps?" the boy asked.

 

He ran up stairs. Then in a little while, Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled brother. He set him down on the bottom step. Then a sort of squeezed up against him and pointed⁶ to the car.

 

"There she is, buddy⁷, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and didn't cost hime a cent. And some day, I'm gonna give you one just like it. Then you can see for yourself all the prettiest things in the windows that I was trying to tell you about."

 

Paul got off and lifted the lad into the front of his car. The shinning eyed old brother crimbed in beside him. And three of them began a memorable⁸ holiday ride.

 

That Christmas eve, Paul learned what Jesus meant, when he said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive..."

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