Prologue Magazine

Esquire v. Walker: The Knight Before Christmas

"The Knight Before Christmas"
Quoted from a letter to Esquire, Inc., from Vincent W. Miles, November 1, 1940 (Records of the U.S. Postal Service, RG 28)

Original Esquire Version:

'Twas the month before Christmas
And all through the flat
There wasn't a sign
  Of a cane or silk hat,
Poor Doris was lounging
  In her silken bed
With visions of mayhem
  In her pretty head
When on her pent-house roof
  There arose such a clatter
She sprang to her feet
  To find what was the matter,
When in stepped in a gent
  Who was all dressed in fur
And he started at once
  Making passes at her...
He drank of her Scotch
  And he drank of her charms
And he held her enslaved
  In his two manly arms,
Resistance from Doris
  Was not very strong
And somehow the moments
  Just drifted along...
Then just as the dawn
  Started lighting the sky...
He sprang to his feet
  And he kissed her good-by...
And she heard him exclaim
  As he started to leave:
"Just rehearsing, my dear,
I'LL BE BACK CHRISTMAS EVE!"

Revised Post Office Version:

'Twas the month before Christmas
And all through the flat
There wasn't a sign
  Of a cane or silk hat,
Poor Doris was lounging
  In her silken bed
With visions of mayhem
  In her pretty head
When on her pent-house roof
  There arose such a clatter
She sprang to her feet
  To find what was the matter,
When in stepped a gent
  Who was dressed all in furs
Whose false-face revealed
  A stray husband of hers...
She gave him a drink
  And a casual hug
While wondering whether
  To pardon the lug,
With Christmas soon coming
  Temptation was strong
To let by-gones be by-gones
  Although it was wrong...
But long before dawn
  Would start lighting the sky
He sprang to his feet
  And he kissed her goodby
But she heard him exclaim
  As he started to leave:
"Just rehearsing my dear,
I'LL BE BACK CHRISTMAS EVE!"

Articles published in Prologue do not necessarily represent the views of NARA or of any other agency of the United States Government.

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