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Show H j-yONNIB looked down to the H Lwyd DUS through a blur H Aufi of eaowflafces. At least bbbbbbbT cjCr Connla told herself doter- bbbbbbI WW rnlncdly that anowflnkwi H wero acematable for the H I blur; then, she wiped hor H I eyes. ! ' ' HU'a Merry ChriBtrana B tlmo." Connlo said to her old yellow PJBJ rat. "Who over beard of Cbrtsttnaa HBM without the SIorryT So cboor up, i Prowler, and lofa j It Uw saae." H At tl.o llttlo "Shopp" Juat around Hh l ho' corner eho Btood lonsett of 1L TO And alt at onco Into Oonnlo' brljit Hjl1 eyes enmo n BpecalatlTe Htht fn Wll window wna full of small framed plc- wf turea, most of tbem wit flU Cbrlat- W inns spirit Thero wero feo usual nlght-clnd children looking np brood HJB ehluincya, tlioro were landKapoo of W imowy fields with distant vlndowa MH nllglit Connlo studied thom alls sbe Hj war scelns In vision the winding; bill BaBBBBU roni1 of tn0 P,nce whoro eho bad spent ISAM her Inxt summer vacation ; tho church HJH with Its swaying bell In tho steoplo. BDjfi the ijueer llttlo brtdxo over tho doop Hffl and beautiful stream a brtdgo with SH cents nlons Ita sides where countlosa RD1 lovers had sat and courted. Tho old HBBf lady who had been Connie's volunteer HIM hostess told her, with the pink coming HBf nnd going In ber withered choeka, HH1 about tho lovers. For It was there BkII that her own husband had asked, and HHI had been answered hla question. Tho HBH way that Connlo had chanced to visit HHJJ1 this beautiful country place and to MBMI meet thero tho dear old lady was quite lnt remarkable chanco too. Bbo had DHI atarted out on tho trolley car for one HflHJI restful day In tho country and had Blr chosen this station at .random. And ! when sho had stopped to admlro the VMl wonderful roses In the old lady's gar- MhL den and they had spent socio agre- B&r sble tlmo together the old lady, Mrs, flHBR ; Ifartha Snow by name, bad said: HHn siy dear Why don't you come oa BHEh x visit me for a week or two? rm MVI lonely for n yonng sweet faccH Wt ' And Connie bad gone, that was. all, HBVBVBVB J 'BBKBkalalaBVBIBBalaBBBBBBBlaBBBBBlBVk Half her later water colors had been glorified memories of that dollghtfnl visit Now Connto had a new Inspiration. Inspira-tion. Sho would paint tho queer Uttle Brtdgo over an Icy stream, and Ita Mata should be covered with snow. She could fancy Just how the trees would look waving naked branches. And she'd paint tho church In tho hollow hol-low with lights In tho windows gleaming gleam-ing over tbo snow and tho bell In tho tower a-swnylng for Christmas. Oh, Connlo wna very happy as sho hurried homo to her ntttc, but thero. In tho temperamental way artists hnvo, sho began to draw Instead, working In a fever of enthusiasm tlm nlttlng room of tbo old house where iho had been n guest, with Mnrthn Snow hcrsolf seated In the firelight, Just half of her peuccful pronto pro-nto showing beneath Ita halo of white hair. Thero was holly nbovo tho1 old fl renin re-nin re nnd a boy's stocking hanging there. Connlo never stopped until she hnd completed tho picture, then ran with It hrenthlessly to tho "Shoppo" around tho corner. "Yes. wo will display If a smiting old man agreed. The picture sold. Of courso you wero prepared for thnt; but tho Ktrnngc part wna that heforo It wan sold Connlo had added her other views to tho "Hhoppo" window, and her discerning dis-cerning purchnscr had bought them every one. Whlto tho other Christ-urns Christ-urns studies pleased him not at all; Connlo could not count the numhor of 'line that sho passed thnt window, first rinsing her eyes childishly In tho 'ioo thnt hor picture would not be 'here when sho opened them. And It tvnx tho day hut one before Christmas hm the "Shoppo" mnnnger seeing her tH'p(1ng about, beckoned hor Inside. "Von hnvo pleased ono of our best rjiHtomero," snld tho mannger, "and hen we mentioned your peculiar con-tuton con-tuton of mile he suggests! talking the mutter over with yon that you might '.nth mine to a satisfactory bargain, our rtiNtumer thinks that you poes vnmlerfiil artistic ability. Wo have tlvfti him your address," "l In." asked Connie fnltcrlngly. n philanthropist T" Some wuy she did not wnnt her par-hnser par-hnser to he Just a philanthropist nnd 'poll oil" future ambitious hope. ' "Mr Armstrong Is n man who usual-y usual-y drives n pretty shrewd bargain." tip "Shoppo" mnnnger said. So. though It was early afternoon. Connie hurried homo to turn on n gns Mnt mid don her most prosentnblp Im'ks so thnt sho might make a favor- title linpress'on a a successful young .vtehV.r t tho brush. The purchaser U'iV'ire any tnlnutw Out It war in 'rt ufarnoon when he enrae and 'nntite was wearing a bungalow ipron, TI'O purchsser was young nnd tall ut good looking, and the golden cat v'iil him with a purring rub, which tii to Connlo a recommendation as to his honesty, ji-ii-mijijnJiJiJiJiJi383iJi Mr. Hubert Amttrmg coma direct y to Business. "Tour skotches have for mo a loubla tatsreat, Ulsa Carroll," ho said. "To save drawn remarkably some f tho hipplwt scenes of my boyhood. Jcencs which I ass ashamed to say I had BBlf-forgettB. The world of mslneas absorbs rnven of human kind-toss kind-toss I am afraid, and spmetlmes a itrugglo for avecesfl cau8.os us to leave nuch that la teeder behind. I am crateful to yon for awakonlng In mo hat tendemasa which I had almost hurled." The man'a voice broko huskily. II o drew forth an old sitting-room pie-tura, pie-tura, ' I'eaco oa Barth" waa tbo name she had given rt "That," said Hubert Armstrong, "Is the living room of my home In HIII-crast HIII-crast tbo placo where I was born. This whlto-halred woman's profllo Is tho peaceful proflla of my long-lost mother. That llttlo bulging stocking might have beea cay own stocking, Just aa It used to hang thero years ago Tell mo" hla tono was onger, "fcew did jo como by your droamr "I visited last summer," Connlo told him, 'In that samo old houso in Dill-crest Dill-crest with Mrs. Marthn Snow, who Invited In-vited me," Tbo man nodded hastily. "I soo," bo said, "It is qulto simple after alt Martha Snow Is ray moth art wldowod sister." A dull red crept to his cheek. "I had almost forgotten thnt Aunt Martha asked mo years ago to allow bar to contlauo on in tho old homo-stead, homo-stead, ft was loft mine by will. So ana's there yet, and tho church bell SUM cnlmefl out for Christmas I Tea ,tmva eoundod tho memory batla for mo, Mtsa Carroll." It seemed that tho purchaser had almost forgotten bor In his musings. Row that sho looked at him closely Mb faco wne threaded by lines of care, bis flno eyas sorrowful beneath their starnness. Cbnnto put forth a friendly friend-ly hand. "Why," she said, "so you aro Martha Snow's nephew. Then thero can be no question of bargain between us, Ibs pictures are freely yours." The man spoko nbruptly. "Tou paint to sell do you notr he asked. "Isn't that what your studio ta forr Connlo shook her head ruefully. "Mostly," sho replied, "my studio Is Just to llvo In," "And you live nionor "I am qulto olono In the world," she told him gravely. Then her Irrepressible smile broke fcrth. "Unless," sho added, "you would count rrowlerr 8ho caught tho cat I tn her arms. I "I live atone too," Hubert Arm-strong Arm-strong said slowly. juuuuijuuijuyyui. "1 Know what It means. There's not much dllTcronco between tho glided walls of an apartment and theso walls of yours hero." "Not when It cornea to loneliness," Connie agreed. "We wero going to look much mora cheerful," sho went Connie Studied Them All. on, "when you Interrupted us with your knock. I was climbing tho ladder lad-der to hang a holly wreath." "Let mo do It for you," the mnn said. Heforo sho could could refuse his nsslstnnco ho was on tho ludiier. the wreath In his hnnds. "That's hotter," Connie told him ns side by 'side they stood looking up nt the crimson berries. "It's the first tlmo In yenrs." Hubert Hu-bert Armstrong said with a boyish laugh, "that I've done thnt sort of tiling. Gives me n thrill of old Christ-mns. Christ-mns. Makes mo wish for a flreplare with a filled stocking before It. The llrepluco of your picture rnnkw me long to go skating on a creek your crock, back nt Ulllcrcst. Makes me wnnt to taste turkey ogaln over the old dining-room tnblo." "Yes I" breathed Connie, "nnd hear the church bell ring out across the snow." Enger-eyed tho mnn gnzed Into thoso other eager eyes benenth his own. "Let's do It." he said Impulsively. "I.ct us hnvo n real. Joyful old-fash-loncd sort of Christmas, you and I. back at Aunt Mnrthn's. I will cull her on thP phone. It would delight her tienrt." "It would bo Just 'pence on earth to me." Connlo snld happily. Anil that Christmas eve as she gnzed wldenwnke through her attic window the moon shono down through tho hotly wrenih. "Merry Christmas." whispered Connlo Con-nlo while tho old moon smiled benignly be-nignly with n promlso of happy Chrlstmnses to come. I (& It:. Wmrn Nwippr Ontos.) |