Show THE EVENING STORY L MERRY CHRISTMAS Cop Copyright right 1312 1912 by r W. W Werner I Elton n Mayhood l looked up up from his mall mail with an exclamation Dorothy hurried hur hur- ted ried In Seldom Indeed did the tho gray sra clad letter carriers carrier's burden escape her first scrutiny Elton rarely opened his n lw mall mail It was was as often rather discouraging aging mall maU clad in an ominous sized en en- en elope Once in a a. while to be bo sure tho the size tf dt the envelope elope varied and became a wonderful affair with a publishers pub publishers publisher's lishers Ushers name nime In the corner Elton's Joyful exclamation suggested ested such an 06 od- currence He put the envelope teasinglY behind b him Guess what I ro Ive o got Jot he he said You sold A Bid for Silence e. e said sald Dorothy with conviction I HI always told you O It was ss good 1 you know Elton How much Is the chick check Right the the first uirt SU guess Sll Now how J I I I J lv ti 7 L Looked Joked up from his mail mall with an ex ex- ex- ex I much No No o as she reached for It I 1 want to see how near you'll ouli come I didn't comB coma com within a yard ard ard myself Lets tI ts t's see soe she sail said I reflectively el where was It this time This time ha he laughed It was althe at al atthe atthe the Burchell Madison 1 on company compau Oh I know what they bey pay They bought Grandfathers Hero Nero Elton Mahood May Mai- hood you OU ou are arc concealing a J 20 O check from Crom your lawful wife wICe Guess again he laughed But with witt a swift une une movement move mo ment mont she sha s seized led it and spread pread I It open on th the table table- What do you ou ou know about that El Elton Elton El- El check two d da before be be- ton oo sted V uA 50 NO days l s fore rore Christmas If 1 1 put that in A astory story no ono one would believe ve It It we do with It queried Dorothy Dor Dor- OUI othy womanlike leaping to the lie main point Spend It said said Elton Bless Riese Iou Aou that's that what money Is for foi If It we Viti had had It a n little sooner that box w we sent sont back home wouldn't have been what It was was 4 ft r rNo I No Xo o. o said fd Doroth Id ld forgotten forgot forgot- ten about that thit Our presents prel are an all bought Genuine Wall vaa In her tone ton Got mine laughed her husband V c y-c-s c s. s a cheap little thing Same here re ov o over or r Doroth Dorothy But Bui we mustn't spend the whole 50 utter after nil 1111 weve we've pr spout lt she he hc objected It Il wouldn't be wise Gut wo we wont won't tl need II it at L all nil an any any- I an-I wa way Ill I'll tell you what hat well we'll do Ill I'll get this cashed and well we'll each cach take half and go go gl downtown tonight Well We'll each save what we can out of at our littie little little lit lit- tle tie pile So It was arranged And night ht found them bent as eagerly as al chil chill dren At t t the door of ot tho the big emporium they paused here hert I Im Im I'm going In said laid Dorothy wont won't be bo a minute Lets meet here bert Dorothy in an on hour and a half half half-a a. a womans woman's minute sold said her husband Dorothy was was as still smiling at the tho truism as she entered the store But Ive I've only Elton's present to buy she said to herself her herself self and that wont won't take long She had hod about decided on a smoking Jacket The old one showed wear But the mens men's department nf was waa In the back of ot the store Before she fine reached it sha sho had to pass the gauntlet of ot a Christmas display dJs dis dis- dis play One thing 8 suggested one person ono one another Before she knew it she sha was looking And the one who looks two days daTa before Christmas Is lost Almost before she knew it 11 she was purchasing right and left leU At last she stopp stopped with a 8 smile and anda a sigh gold had changed into silver the silver Into trifles hardly worth the name She counted it over carefully It If I hadn't kept the mone money separate she said to herself Id Td have had to send Elton's present C. C O. O D. D and It would have hao had to stay In the express office till after alter New ew Years Year's She gathered red together the bundles that meant pleasure to so many and purchased purchased purchased pur pur- chased Elton's present In in almost the al l allotted allotted al- al time Then she went slowly toward tho the meeting place She looked a little shamefaced She had exceeded the time and money limit UmIt Elton would tease She around quickly She was certain he was not there She laughed softly to herself but her ber laughter wan Wall followed by bya a swift thought He lie has hILS been here and nd gone gono again of ot course she ahe said It seemed to her that she had stood a along along long time smiling at the tho bun bundle le burdened cro crowd d before she saw him He came oam to toward toward to to- ward her half halt eagerly half sheepishly lie He was burdened with packages and pack pack- ages The handle handle ot of a a. toy wagon on trailed almost to lilt his feet a a. drum was wu in eVidence evidence evidence evi eVi- evi- evi dence a a. ship about to cast Its cut its moorings was held carelessly by the the- string I 1 hope youve you've not been waiting long he said I couldn't help it Dorothy Doroth So Soman man many little tykes and lonesome people And us with all that Ive I've got ot presents for every one on our street a aShe r r. She was was' certain he was not there Dorothy Doroth laughed weak weakly I Sove I 1 I. I she Rhe said Well ell he said well clI have bavA a a. lot lol of ot run fun 1 say 58 Dorothy Doroth can cnn you OU let i t me have hae havea haea a 1 half haIC to give lv that little fellow H lies lie s 's go go- In Iris to put the tre trod tree on tho the car for me Dorothy Doroth looked at aL atthe the small mall boy following follow follow- III ing In h hc hor r hu husbands husband's baud's wake guess so I J ues so Doj Do then that's a 4 good Rood girl Ivo o got lOot carda care re re Elton Ilton Mayhood I said his wife wire Theo The both Loth got ot seats seals though hough the car cars was s crowded No one otio could 8 see se C two a agents ent of ot the tilt good St. St Nicholas stand People tume l 1 to at thorn thom for tho tue merriment anti ami good will wll that tat In their e eyes cs s. s Th They y walked up imp tho the stops steps of or their horn homo ami p paused d' d at the top Their burdened handa reached out tp but htmL could not grasp ad oth flitter r. r heY TImey looked back at the time city where n n lights still burn burned rd Merry Christmas world 1 said Id Doro Doro- Doroth th th |