The Gift
The Twelve Days of Christmas
A young fellow named Paul received a new automobile from his brother
as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve, when Paul came out of his
office, a street urchin was walking around the shiny new car, admiring
it. "Is this your car, mister?" he asked.
Paul nodded, "My brother gave it to me for Christmas."
The boy looked astounded. "You mean your brother gave it to you, and
it didn't cost you nothing? I wish..."
He hesitated, and Paul knew what he was going to wish. He was going to
wish he had a brother like that. But what the lad said jarred Paul all
the way down to his heels. "I wish," the boy went on, "that I could
be a a brother like that."
Paul looked at the boy in astonishment. "Would you like to ride in my
automobile?" he asked.
"Oh, yes, I'd love that!"
After a short ride the urchin turned with hi eyes aglow and said,
"Mister, would you mind driving in front of my house?"
Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the lad had wanted --
he wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big
automobile. But Paul was wrong again.
"Will you stop right where those two steps are?" the boy asked. He
ran up the steps. Then in a little while Paul heard him come back, but
he was not coming fast. He was carrying his crippled brother. He sat
down on the bottom step, then sort of squeezed him, and pointed to the
car.
"There she is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave
it to him for Christmas, and it didn't cost him a cent, and someday,
Buddy, I'm going to give you one just like it! Then you can see for
yourself all the pretty things in the Christmas windows that I've been
trying to tell you about."
Paul got out and lifted the little lad to the front seat of his car.
The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him, and the three
of them began a memorable holiday ride.
That Christmas Eve Paul learned what Jesus meant when he said, "It is
more blessed to give than to receive."
