Show au florence 4 a baic wells araan CLARK and her father sat listening in it was christmas eye eve and they were alone it was the first christmas without the alie mother who had passe passed d on the previous summer marian had not gone back to college in the fall she had not been able to make herself feel it was right to leave her father alone on in tile the farm because she was always cheerful and gay mr dark clark fully comprehended the sacrifice marlan marian had made nor how much it had meant to her to drop out her last year even though she might go back later it be her class marian had bad prevailed upon her ta fa ther to get the radio a few weeks before they called it their christmas present to each other neither keither of them particularly enthused over the radio yet ret it gave gale them a contact with the outside world tonight the christmas carols were wakening tender memories in mr clarks mind so that even while he heard them his thoughts were far away living over christmas days of the past Mar marians garlans lans thoughts too were busy but she was thinking of a letter that had come that da day reminding her of the extra credits she had accumulated while in college and suggesting that it if she came back the N I 1 P next nest semester by taking a few more than the required number of hours she could still graduate with her class it was a temptation marian allowed herself to dwell on every phase of it then she sat up very tery straight she would not permit herself to think ot of it again with the long iong cold winter stealing in about them she leave her father alone with no one of his own to talk to or understand suddenly marian realized that the carols had ended and a voice was asking albert dark clark are you listening in your sister wants to get in touch with you marian jumped up astonished she shook her father now nodding in his chair father listen I 1 it may be youl the voice went on you sou ware two orphans you were adopted by a family called dark clark and your sister by people named gibbons she has never seen nor heard of you since that was forty years ago you are fifty one years old your sister Is forty seven and lives in coloma midi mich she wants to get in touch with you father that you youl marian was staring in amazed incredulity but tile tho voice was repeating albert clark are you listening in binl three kimg it gave the message and at the end explained that this was the last night it would be broadcast albert dark clark was not listening to tho ohp explanation coloma was wag only fifty miles away there much k snow and autos were still running easily They could start at once aej and start they did and aunt marlin marlan came back with them the next morning and everything was settled happily as in ill fairy tales iladio such a toor poor present after all was wag it daughter farmer dark clark questioned laughl IY as they fini finished shea their bountiful christmas dinner and rose to go into the living livin room where christmas carols were again con coming illig in 1 I should say jot marian retorted gaily it brought me the best christmas present ive ine ever had 1 and me too her aunt marian chimed in your father and I 1 will ivill have great times listening la in these long iong winter evenings when youre away poring over dry old school books 1 I had bad them broadcast that half in fun with scarce n hacker of hope that it would bring any nicy results hut but im glad I 1 chose tile the christmas ilni time because were all such fine christmas christinas presents for each other Q 19 17 west era union |