Show SYNOPSIS 10 while alillie trundling the clean washing up clipper hill mary alice brown Is se set t upon 0 n by some mischievous boys w who spill the washing into the dirt she isal Is escuad and taken to her home in calvert street by francis willett Wll lett a galahad knight she bile Is punished by her drunken father for returns returning ng without the wash money mary alice wanders away from home takes a trolley ride into the country and spends the night at the farmhouse of sam thomas 8 in the morning she meets little charlie 11 e thomas e cr cripple pad ae sam takes mary alice home and ft finds that he and mrs brown are old acquaintances sam takes her herand and mary alice to his home for a visit while lem brown the drunken father faher Is serving a workhouse sentence chr charlie I 1 ae la nade made a galahad knight francis 1 visits I s its the farm and Is saved from drown drowning 1 jig by mary alice lem brown sets gets out of jail and goes to work for sam thomas as hired man FF francis ancis willett Is sent away to preparatory school mary alice gets a job in a department store the hayea wonderful christinas dinner the disease of liquor love Is a terrible thing and one of the hardest to shake off Le lem brown mBrown surly beast of a man gradually steels hn hi will against the devil booze tha first sign that he Is winnins the fight appears during tha christmas season deg scribed ascribed liere here S CHAPTER vil VII continued heres some kind ol 01 0 note said lem picking up one of the planks which had bid been wrenched from the top of 0 the case it says sir S I r sir ker night charles B thomas rip ler er open chummy chos she from charlie read T to sir knight charles brashly thomas thomaa fro rom M a f few e w of hla his mul mul 1 noua bd 14 mirin friends oh dear cried charlie looking up with shining pathetic eyes 1 I never invited the girls to my party dont you fret charlie boy 11 comforted mary alice they have come they all went out of town for christmas everybody looked at mary alice an eap exp explanation la nation was waa wanted it was francis idea she ehe said first he be wanted that him and me he mid and I 1 should give it to you then the girls heard about it and they were just crazy to help I 1 went to mr wil letra office I 1 had bad to because tor for it a reason and at first he said he and mrs willett wallett would do it all but I 1 tod hotd him the girls would be so pointed and we fixed filed it this way 1 I been so nervous for fear it some mr willett said held hed have it dent out but I 1 was afraid it a dandy its better in n any staceys stachys Stace ys had in their whole art department mr willett sent way to new york for if this I 1 his was a long speech for mary alice she blushed ani retired into the shadows you lazy critters clean up this mess said martha lem went out with a big biff armful of rubbish w while bile sam followed with the empty case charlie sat fili fingering gerIng the shiny instruments hla his eyes glistening with happiness hes got a real talent martha was always insisting sam returned to the sitting r room oom alone there was waa a deal of puzzling over the exact utilities of the various articles in the outfit somebody looked up it was mrs brown become 0 lem she queried just then the kitchen door swung open and lem quite red in the face replied here I 1 be he was pushing before him a big and commodious wheelchair wheel chair what I 1 wanted to go to town for he ha said cald 1 I wrote in and had it saved caved out tor for me a friend picked it out hes a storekeeper when I 1 come home I 1 brur around the back way BOS it t see me think of ler er chummy of late sam had been allowing lem it ft little money in the interest or of clothes and self respect he wanted to see what lem would do with it this was a part of his bis treatment in the process of reclamation now sam felt a queer lumpy discomfort in the neighborhood of his adams apple as aa if that member were trying violently to climb out through his mouth he blinked 1 scrutiny showed sam that lem had bad on the same humble bumble suit off of clothes which he had worn on the day he quit jail he had bad on the same blue cotton shirt with its limp collor it dawned upon the boss that all the clothes lem had bought consisted of a necktie of not red elaborately etched by machinery with floral decorations as modest as the wallpaper to in a country hotel lems soul had bad waked up indeed I 1 behind the expressionless eyes dwelt sentiment ment tenderness hornan sympathy lem had bad gone humbly without a penny of his bis own forvour for four months hs and then with his bis first few aw dollars he be had bad bought a two bit necktie for himself ind this princely brincely offe ring to lay upon the altar of affection oh lem how could you martha said blowing her nose lookout this said lem spinning the chair about like a top that there little trall tr allin ln wheel Is swiveled see and this kind of a hoop thing on both wheels Is to grab with your hands handa sos eos it t Y you ou can push er cr round and steer I 1 er any place you want to go it works just as easy dont take no effort at all he looked about proud as a boy then he be suddenly picked up charlie cushions and all and deposited him gen gently aly in the new chair charlie was speechless gazing from one face to another in a blissful daze makes that other old homemade thing look like thirty cents dont it said sam no it dont no it dont cried the little boy IS S no such a thing I 1 aint never coln back on my old chair you come ere boss come ere lem the two great fellows went and stood awkwardly by the little boy he reached up and laid a hand band on the coat of oc each clutching both with the grip of a great affection lem understands dont you lem you dont expect me to go back on my old chair do you lem you bet I 1 dont charlie if rather have bave lt it ill take this new rat trap and PI no you wont im coln to keep lem em both longs I 1 live even when I 1 get so I 1 can walk good as anybody maybe ill use the new one more to get used to travel travella ln around but im coln to sit some in the boss every day les its awful geel im a tur terrible lucky boy there aint nobody ever comes near me that dont don it do so methin nice for me I 1 guess its it a merry christmas every day all the year round with me he paused for breath into h his Is cheeks had crept the delicate warm A 1 there aint nobody ever cornea comes near me M e that dont do something nice for me M 0 11 pink his great eyes swam and shone his aureate curls shook vigorously an animated and genial halo balo about ills bis clear cut little face geel he said again im a tur tar lucky little boy three cheers for christmas 1 everybody laughed there had bad been a tension a constraint lems big white teeth glistened his mouth widened and the little lines of good humor spread away up to his eyes haw bawl he be shouted haw I 1 bawl a good one three cheers for christmas roo hoo raw rawl 11 the laughter waked up ando and seared cared the drowsy dick who failed to catch the humor of the situation and howled bowled dismally only to get laughed at and squeezed and kissed and tucked away with another warm bottle it paid to be cross then even on christmas now folks said sam beginning to fidget and pull with large futile fingers at his collar its gettin late and I 1 aint sprung my part of this celebration yet the young ones has had their presents and some surprises has happened bapp ened I 1 got a word to say its about this lem here and you other browns now lems ben with me quite some time and im gettin more or less dependent on him aint 1 I lem i 1 1 I dont know said eald lem be you sure be ta T other day I 1 bought a little addition to the farm the ive five acre piece on the sheffield road down toward the car line theres a right goo good d little house op it it waters the feller I 1 bought the property from has gota got a job else I 1 jest wondered longs lem lein seems to like us as folks and contented with his job how bow I ten rou browns id d like to move out here i handy bandy to us all be together and set up housekeep house housekeeping kee this abeln christmas Chris tinaa I 1 know but if the idea pleased ye td id give ye a years rent that suit you lottle lottie how flow bout it mary alice car lines handy you can go g to town every day and so at had bad come around agam again the little cottage with the green grass mrs birs brown had never dareo dare dream of it two children a home and a husband good clean industrious the bitter years rolled up like a dingy and soiled curtain I 1 mary alices arm stole around her mothers neck and one hand groped out for the big paw of lem brown as hard and anu by as the field stones he juggled so earnestly but unlike them quite warm and capable of giving a comforting and cheerful squeeze CHAPTER vill VIII mr stubbs and doctor billy in the early spring of every year the city of fled elected a new mayor and council under the law of the state too the cities decided for the ensuing year the question of license or no license for many years sheffield an industrial town had bad voted to permit liquor selling under a system of high license but of late the no license element had gained ground now it appeared that after years yeara of 0 i struggle public opinion had bad si sa far swung to the coldwater cold water side that the saloon brewery distillery faction would have difficulty in holding its majority of votes from the ranks of the no license forces a leader had arisen a young man with an incisive way of thinking a lawyer whose eloquence not inconsiderable was matched by coo booi judgment and practical shrewdness ile he was astute resourceful adroit some of his own followers were inclined to squirm at his bis exceeding exceed exceedingly in gly practical methods but they had to admit that he got results early in january a clerk brought to john willetts Wll letts desk the card of amos K stubbs willett smiled directed the clerk to admit the caller and also to bring him his hi personal checkbook hello amos said he how goes the battle great said stubbs glad to hear bear it have a cigar no thanks mr willett ing makes me so nervous ive cut it out aso so have 1 I 11 said willett Wll lett but for a different reason my boys growing up and I 1 dont want him to say th the old man sets him the example the young politician viewed john willett with an admiring eye you certainly are a five fine man mr willett Wll lett he be said 1 I wish we had twenty men in sheffield like you stubbs spoke from the heart H he was capable of using flattery where it would do the most good but his bis ap precha t ion of willetts Wll letts qualities was so genuine that his praise came forth un bidden recognizing the young mans man sincerity willett wallett felt a pleasant glow of glorification he smiled hi his S thanks a trifle embarrassed by the outspoken compliment weve got lem em on the run went on stubbs scared to death of us our wagons just at the top of the bill a good strong push and ashes nicely over what I 1 came to see you about willett reached for his checkbook how much this time amos stubbs held up a hand band all very nice he said well come to that later but its your personality we need to win this fight but stubbs you know I 1 never have meddled in politics in my life besides merely the knowledge that you have voted toted for no license all these years has been of great value to us said stubbs eagerly how much more valuable it will be it if you will take an active P listen my dear amos ed Willett Wll lett even if I 1 were willing to go into this thing personally I 1 think of it mrs willett and I 1 mil for europe next week oh said stubbs abashed too bad he got up and began pacing the floor restlessly you re reconsider consid er you postpone your trip its most important most important im afraid not amos uy my plans have all been made besides id be of no use to you anyhow I 1 should distinctly refuse to do any personal work im not that sort of a man I 1 cant see that I 1 would be of any value to you im no speech mak you dont understand said stubbs politics a game of oratory any more politicians make speeches of course for effect for publicity the real work vork Is done by more telling and practical me methode met boda thoda if you would stay home until after election now amos stop right there the use of your wasting breath let I 1 me and stubbs telling exactly the truth still if every family that has suffered directly and indirectly from the use of C liquor entered the fight against the traffic it seem that C two thirds of the people in this C country would be lined up with C the id dry ry forces TO BE CONTINUED |