THE CHRISTMAS DOLLAR, Part One

Harry Gruffman muttered to himself as he strode down the sidewalk. Christmas! Something jumping or bobbing or circling in every store window. Lighted reindeer, blinking trees, garish reflections on the dirty snow and slush. A good month for storekeepers and electric companies. Gruffman turned in at the department store door, narrowly missing a squealing child and its mother. He ignored them.

In the doorway was the ubiquitous bell ringer, bundled to the ears, with a red nose and a red bucket. "Merry Christmas, sir!" chirped the young thing under the scarves, clanging busily.

Gruffman glared at her and dug in his coat pocket. "I tell you what," he barked. "I will give you this whole dollar if you never tell me merry anything again!" He brandished a tattered dollar, torn and taped across Washington's stiff grimace, stuffed it into the bucket, and stamped through the door.

"Well, if it isn't Scrooge himself!" Melissa Ware giggled and kept ringing.

That night, helping Captain Adams count the money, Melissa saw the torn dollar and laughingly told the story of the funny old man with the fierce, bushy eyebrows. The captian laughed too, but said, "Christmas isn't merry for everyone, you know."

"That reminds me," said Melissa, "I had this great idea! Coudn't we buy some stuff for the Christmas baskets from the farmers themselves? My neighbor, Mr. Yoder, still has a lot of potatoes, and he could use the money."

"Good idea, Melissa," said Captain Adams. "That way our money will help people twice."

Two days later, Captain Adams was at the Yoders' Amish farm buying potatoes and eggs. As he counted the money on the Yoders' kitchen table, he saw the torn dollar and smiled to himself. He prayed that the unknown man's charity, reluctant or not, would bring him a blessing.

Late that night, there was a crisis on the Yoder farm. Little Rachel's pony went down, and nobody knew what to do. "We've got the potato money now," said Grandmother. "And my egg money. Send Reuben for the vet, Jacob."

So Reuben galloped away to the next farm for Dr. Andrea Martin. An hour later, Rachel had tears of gratitude in her eyes. Lightning was much better, and Dr. Martin said he would be fine.

The veterinarian didn't charge the Yoders her full fee. She knew they had it rough right now. But as she drove away in her old truck, she was grateful for the extra money. It meant she could do something she had feared she would not be able to manage this year.

She didn't even notice one tattered dollar.