Show Brices Brice's Christmas at Old Farm Home Jolly Girl Gives Uncle and nd Aunt and Young Friends Happy Surprise By FRANK PRANK HERBERT SWEET RICE nICE HARPER stepped happily from the tram train A AI Aj I whole month vacation vaca- vaca Uon tion with Christ Christ- Christmas Christmas mas only ten days That meant away ri r fit Hf i R I nearly three weeks for Christmas after after jollification skating vIsiting around and curled up before the big biff fireplace popping corn and reading and tal talking Ing just just playIng lady After three steady teady steady grinding years In the depart depart- department department department ment store It would be heavenly Wouldn't Aunt Margaret and Uncle Jack be surprised and pleased I 1 It was to be a surprise She had bad not written them She Sho flashed a look down the plat platform form Yes Yes there was was wooden legged wooden Sam tho the peering Into the baggage room for possible business bool hoo boo I 1 she challenged The mn old ni i looked u up I stared then stumped forward Brice Harper for a n fact l 1 I ho he cried Back home a agin Come to stay or a Just visiting Uncle Sam A whole month though After Alter three years rd never have haye believed I could stay away awa that long I want you to take my trunk right out out and Ill I'll ride rids with you Aint ye had had a letter nor asked the old man whose face had been growing troubled no N Anything the matter wIth sudden anxiety No except they aint there Folks round here know all other folks do yo ye So I did hear your Aunt Magret Holmes said Christmas was so lonesome here she ahe wouldn't spend an- an another another another other like Uke the last Two three days ago she an your Uncle Jack went over Into the next county to spend Christ Christ- Christmas Christmas inns mas with a cousin who has bas a regla o 0 children I was b by there thero yes yes- yesterday yesterday an the house did look dIsmal all shet shot up with hens an turkeys com com- all over the place there anyone to look after atter I them One Ono o 0 the Dill boys boy was asked to toI I but hes he's cm em shameful shame shame- shameful shameful ful lie He- lieA HeA lie A shrill hall came from a store across from the station Say Brice wheedled the old ex- ex pressman would ye mind waltin three thre l K J Take the Box Over Uncle Sam Sh-Sald Sh She Said or four seconds seconds- That mad shouter vas storekeeper Tomson Ben Been sped In moren In a n bol box p- p Q Christmas stuff moren n a week an t was wa just oft off this thi train lie was ydUn to me Spose I take the box over to h him m t then en come connan an curry carry you and trunk tho-trunk out out to one oneo on ono o 0 your our girl friends They'll all nIl be b glad to have ye re visit ems em But Brice had been thinking rap rap- rapidly Idly J i Take the pox box over Uncle Sam she h saId ald and Ill I'll run across to the post postoffice office while youre you're gone I want to to tow w Ull u Come omo mo And no I wont won't embarrass any of my girl friends You I may maT carry my trunk right out to the farmhouse I know where there Aunt Mar Mar- Margaret Mar caret garet hIdes the key And I know she and Uncle Jack would want me to go 10 right there and use uso everything as aa my myown myown myown own Ill I'll take caro carp of ot the tb poultry enthusiastically and Ill I'll bako bake one ot of the turkeys for Christmas and cook everythIng that goes with It it pies plea and cakes and all Wont Won't It be fun funi I You can a lot of your girlfriends girl girlfriends girlfriends friends to eat with you too too grInned the tho Afterward a agreed eed Brice They will all nIl want to eat at home on un ChrIst ChrIst- ChrIstmas Christmas ma mas Then well we'll have a round of nice visiting But for the real ranI Christmas Im I'm going to depend on tho the There are arc lots of nico nice girls In the de- de department de- de department de department haven't any home and who will have to depend on the cheap boarding houses honses they live at at atril Ill I'll write a postal to Aunt Aunt Ma Margaret aret and fi five e or six lx to girls I know will be glad to spend pend their week or 01 ten tan days vacation with me me And say any ay Uncle Sam Ill I'll look around the house bouse and then Ulen make a n list ll t of groceries and other things I want you to bring briny out out and and- and any place where I can buy a Christ Christ- Christmas Christ mas tree Aint none better than grow right down on your uncles uncle's lower shed bed med med- medder medder med med-der der All right Ill I'll get the Dill boy to help and well we'll cut and rig up a n nice one Or Or no Ill ril watt walt a n few days day until some of the store tore girls come corne If It they feel like me and me and I know they will- will will they'll want to help get the tree tree and trim It and to help cook the dinner Need any Christmas present stuff chuckled old Sam been satin sayIn he was WIlS bavin Navin the grandest holi holl holiday holiday day goods ever opened up hero hero comIn In that box like to see seo him pry the cover ort off Deed I would promptly Ill ril be right over from the post office Tho The girls condemned to a prospective boarding house Christmas accepted BrIces BrIce's invitation On the third day old Sam brought the tho hilarious five out In his ancient express wagon la In the three days Brice and the boy had been making the house ready t a h 1 1 1 1 V Greens Green Were Found at the Edgo Edge 0 of f the for them and looking over the root and apple cellar and preserve closet wIth an eye to Christmas Then the girls piled plied in like a whole jolly Christmas In lt Itself elf and the old farmhouse seemed like lIe to burst itself The Christmas tree was cut and drawn home with all aU the appropriate songs and carols and they could think of at and trimmed as never a Christmas tree had been trimmed before Greens Green found among the leaves at nt the edge of o othe f the swamp a small holly dIscovered and a 0 sprig of mistletoe bought at some store The kitchen became filled with fragrance and song the evening crackled with popping corn corn rang ning rang wIth voIces about the awakened a organ and the fireplace glowed with the logs be be- behInd behind behind hind and the halt circle of baking apples In front And then right In the midst of It the hearty voice of Uncle Jack roared through the door mellowed by the th 6 softer happy laugh of Aunt Margaret that accompanied It It Tm rm going to have haye that dinky post postoffice postoffice office over yonder Indicted guffawed Uncle Jack Kept that postal four fou days before the R It n F D deH delivered ered It FIfteen minutes after atter that we were on our way Of course we had to come more girls to help wake the old oldhouse oldhouse house up Whoopee I 1 Why didn't you write so we needn't ha have e left the lonesome lone lone- lonesome some place Why didn't you yon write you were go- go goIng goIng I lag Ing away so 80 rd Id have known what to toI t expect retorted Brice I Lucky none of us UI didn't laughed Aunt Margaret for then we might not have these nice five extra girls But come I must get Into the kitchen But weve we've cooked and cooked and cooked UIl- UIl till Not enough declared Aunt Mar Mar- Margaret Margaret nr- nr garet firmly no matter how bow much youve you've done There are all your old friends that must be Invited In to corne come though they would would anyway And we w want your friends hero here to meet em Then we must Invite a lot of ot extra young people In evenings to help keep things going Then Then-my Then my land landl I 1 If It I hadn't forgotten I I Theres There's a 0 wagon load outside Wheres Where's Jack Oh I Iguess Iguess Iguess guess hos ho's gone out to look after atter em You see Cousin Mary didn't want us to leave being nigh Christmas So Sowe Sowe Sowe we brought em cm all nil along Not Kot any danger of havin too much to eat Then there aint much Christmas goods over In the next county so Jacks Jack's Into town tills this evenin to buy more But nut Aunt Margaret weve we've got n a tree ram jammed full tuB explained BrIce Not enough firmly We Ve can pack more on the floor under It It Now Im I'm Into the kitchen Cant Can't you see e girls her ber firm voice suddenly drop dropping dropping ping pathetically being Christmas Ive I've just got to c ok something ia I A Ii 1 14 wt |