Christmas At Keno

CHRISTMAS AT KENO

How Hard Luck Hankins' Tree Was Decorated.

"Speaking of Christmas trees, " said Cyolone Murphy as he snuffed a candle on the topmost twig of the Keno Gulch Sunday school tree with his trusty six shooter and then nipped remonstrance in the bud by getting the drop on the Sunday school superintendent, "reminds me of a galoot named Hard Luck Hankins, who lived up on Tenderfoot ridge and who was the biggest kicker that ever kicked. This yere Hard Luck Hankins lived in a cabin on top of the ridge and p'tended ez how he was a miner, but he didn't never seem to mine anything and was generally regarded ez a feller without visible means of support. Some folks said he was a road agent and others opined ez how hoss stealin might be the mine he was workin.

"The only thing Keno Gulch ever really knowed him to be doin was putting up a powerful kick about one thing er another. He allers had some hard luck story to tell, and that was why folks called him Hard Luck Hankins.

"There wasn't a decent lookin tree on top of the hull ridge except one, and that tree was a mighty handsome pine that stood right in front of Hard Luck Hankins' shanty. 'She's my old Christmas tree,' Hankins would growl every time Christmas come around, 'but, dern her ole hide, Santy Claws don't never hang nothin on her fer me. '

"That was jes' Hard Luck's pesky and onery way - allers kickin about somethin - and that handsome tree never havin anything hangin on it fer him seemed to rile him 'specially every year. "What's the use havin a blame Christmas tree that never don't have nothin hangin on to it?' he'd growl. 'Have a dern good notion to cut her down !'

"This went on year after year, and the boys kep' a-wonderin and a-wonderin how Hard Luck got a livin. One Christmas eve they found out, and it put an end to Hard Luck's quarrel with his big pine Christmas tree.

"Fer the very first Christmas sence Hard Luck had been livin in Keno there was somethin hangin on his Christmas tree.

"What was it" repeated Cyclone Murphy as he snuffed another candle. 'Why, it was old Hard Luck Hankins hisself, and he was - kickin - ez - usual, and kickin with both feet. "