OCR Text |
Show (jood Luck bXANNA L.NEWSOM EEG a thousand pardons," said f: Wade Woodburn, as he stooped A I and reached under the feet of tj-j hurrying pedestrians to retrieve some of the Christmas candles that he had knocked from the hands Of Doris Marshall. "It It was unavoidable, I'm sure," answered the girl, who, too, was trying try-ing to salvage some of the fragrant vaxen sticks. "I'm afraid that most of them are ruined," Wade went on. "It was awk-Kvard awk-Kvard of me, but -come into Brownell's and we can replace them with others so you're party won't be spoiled." "But we can't replace them and they weren't for my party," said the rll'l. Rnrrv flint tlipv pnnlrln'r. hp re placed. "You see, they are bayberry candles, and I make them." "Make them! Then the fat Is In the fire or to be more exact, the can-flies can-flies are trampled under foot What were you where were you taking them? To some one for Christmas?" "1'es, and no. Lowe's sell them for rue to order, you see." "They were orde. ed then and nearly near-ly all ruined. But surely we can buy some to replace them. Candles are candles, aren't they?" "Please don't mind," pleaded Doris. Tni sorry, but it couldn't be helped ei u I can make L.ore." "Then get into my car here and I C:'.u run you home In no time." And Wade, taking her arm, directed her to his roadster at the curb. "What direction," he asked? "I live at 2240 East Vine almost country and it's putting you to a lot of trouble," Doris answered. "Trouble? And you can mention that after all the trouble I've caused ou by my carelessness?" 'Tlease forget It. It was purely an accident, and might have happened to anyone." "But It didn't 't happened to you end me. But tell e more about the candles." "There isn't much to tell. I thought every one in New England knew about bayberry candles. They are made from the leaves and brries of the bay tree, are fragrant and '"vely to burn." "But how do you- you can't get berries Rnd leaves this time of year?" "We boil them at various times during dur-ing the summer as the berries ripen, end make tr- tallow." "Biiyberry candies don't they date back in the Turltans? And Isn't there some good luck sign about them? he asked. "I thought you ought to remember," and Doris quoted: "A bayberry candle burned to the socket Brings luck to the house, Food for the larder. And " "Gold for the pocket." Wade finished the quotation with a smile. "You have a fine memory," laughed Doris, "and this Is my "acre" the gray house In the bay trees. Thank you so much for the trouble. It was very kind of you to bring me," "But if you think my task Is done, you don't know Wade Woodburn and by the way, you haven't told me your name." "Doris Marshall," she told him, as he assisted her from the car. "You've got my Interest all aroused, and now I'm going to help you dip those candles so you won't have to work all night to make good your loss." '"Indeed, you'll do no such thing waste the rest of the afternoon on my candles with Christmas only three days away." "Then you don't want me to help you won't even let me have the pleasure of helping to replace something some-thing that I destroyed?" "Of course, if you put it that way " "I do ; so let's go in and get busy." Doris introduced Wade to her semi-Invalid semi-Invalid mother and told why he had come ; then she led the young man into the spotless kitchen and provided him with one of her own blue ging- "And Now I'm Going to Help You Dip Those Candles." ham aprons. She set the kettles of bayberry tallow on the stove to heat, and then showed Wade the Intricacies of candle-dipping. Soon he was able to do a pretty fair Job of making the several dips between the first few and the finishing plunges, which Doris did herself. For two or three hours they worked together over the fragrant wax. Wade' told her of his days In Brown university, uni-versity, and Doris confided to him that she had left Miss Baxter's School for Girls for a practical business course after her father had died, and that she had to give up her position as a stenographer when her mother became be-came partly disabled from a paralytic para-lytic stroke. "This way I can be at home, and I can make as many as 300 a day if I work hard," she told him. "Imaslne making 300 a day, and how many times Is each one dipped," he asked, "thirty-five?" The delicious New England supper of baked beans, brown bread and Christmas delicacies Mrs. Marshall prepared almost alone. She pushed her wheel chair from table to shelf and stove with ease and dexterity. Bayberry candles shed a soft light and a pleasing fragrance. "No wonder there is ready sale for them," said Wade. "They are so fragrant." fra-grant." "And they bring good luck to all who burn them," smiled the mother, jfiSL lft "Send One to Your Sweetheart to Burn Tomorrow Night." "even to uniting lovers who are true if they both burn them on Christmas Christ-mas eve." Two hours later when Wade was leaving, he asked for a pair of can dies. Doris had already wrapped a pair for him, so as she gave them to him she said : "Send one to your sweetheart to burn tomorrow night." He unwrapped the candles, handing her one. "Will you do me the honor? 1 didn't mean to tell you now that 1 love you that I seem to always to have been looking for you that I want you to marry me. Will you can you care a little, dear?" Doris thought It would not be hard to love him a great deal, and after much planning, lie said: "And at Christmas we shall always dip bayberry candles for our friends, hoping the candles will bring to them the good luck they brought us our meeting." (. 19-8. Western Newupaper Unlua.) |