Liam Clancy

BRATTLEBORO-I was full of Christmas cheer as I took a trolley from Cambridge to Boston to wait for the train to Brattleboro. It was snowing heavily. I was excited about spending a Vermont Christmas with my brother Paddy, his wife Betty, and their little daughter Leish, but I was also excited at the thought of meeting my girlfriend Tina in New York after Christmas. To my surprise, I began to realize how very close we'd become in a short time. I'd deeply miss this mysterious girl, with her straight black hair falling down below her waist and her long perfect legs, if I were never to see her again.

I decided to splurge with the last of my cash, so I put the train fare to Vermont in my left pocket plus $4 emergency money and went to the Salisbury Steak House, where I blew the rest on a big minced steak covered in their famous thick brown sauce. There was no reason to think there might be an emergency. I'd sent a card to Paddy and Betty in New York telling them I was taking them up on their offer to come to Vermont for Christmas at Betty's house in the woods near Townshend. It would be a great place to spend Christmas.