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Show Sally of Sky Alley By Verm Broun I "Marry Christmas, Sallyr Joel called, wtrt his T as 14 a tot apace. Then Bertha opened tha door, and with "oha" and "she" lha children advanced ad-vanced en lhatr handaoma Chrlatmaa lire. Tha neat howr want an wtnaa for both tha ehlldren and for tha two grownups. They wara happy to (gather. I - wish thay wara aura, Sallyr Jne, 'aaid aa Sally's eyes eel bis ever Mar-cle Mar-cle bright heed. Than Bartha sama In and set lha braakfaat table naar tha Chrlatmaa ilraa for tha four at tham. "I laarnad long sga thara was na luaa In trying to gat thara bita thai dining room or downstairs for break-1 fast, ao I Juet gave than breekfael right here. "Will you hove baton and na, Mias Sally, ar wafflaa sod aau-aeg-eT" ! "We want wafflaa! Ws wsnt wef-flesr wef-flesr Frank started lha chant. Mar na look It up an dthay dancad liksi 'mad about Berths and tha table. So lha wafflaa had H. . I "You ha van I got your Christmas 'prsaent from us. Aunt Sallyr Frank I declared. "It's from Marria and ana 'together. It's lo wear with your best drees!" Whan Sally opart ad tha package H wss a glittarlng littla necklace to match tha bracalats lha children had given bar an tha night at tha Boston darby. Mulch kapt bis ward la Sally. All 'during tha holiday on, through! tha gay Chrlatmaa. which Mulch and I Sally apanl at Wallbigton Heights, ha, took nothing stronaar than gingar at . Yronna waa In a rasa, but Mutch stood ; i ftrm. Ha was flying awry dar. too. flying m snow, sleet, wind and fog Ba waa Sally. Neither of tham mentioned men-tioned any plana thay had la Yvonne.' , but la anma mysterious way Yvonne; was sura that thay wars planning ' soma kind of hop and sha was deter-1 mined ta prevent It. . Christmas day was ona at lha hap plaat Sally had avar known. Chruvl mas avs was tha araaa af a wild parly at a nalghborlng aalala Jo whlrh lha houaa party si Wsllinitnn Heights, wara Invited. Joe and Sally slipped homa aarly. luat sflar midnight, u halp Bartha trim lha Iraa for lha chil l rlran In tha nuraary. Sally's gift to Frank waa a tiny littla airplana whlrh, . would fly If prnparly sneoursged. For I Mania sha had sunning doll, all! dona up la flying logs, even la goggle. Wall gat up la lha morning and . have braakfaat hara with tha kid." Joe propoaad. "Yvonne won ! ba up and aalihar will Wally. I'm afraid, ha ' hataa lata hours If lhay Juat moan parties" r Sally agreed, and whan finally aha and jna aaid good night ba bant down and kunad bar ailrkly. "Il'a Chrtalmaa. Sail a.' Joa olaadad , "You aught to let a fellow have that , much happtneael That should ha my Chrlatmaa gill!" Sally could find na answer, hut ran down lha hall quickly, her cheeks redi' and her heart pounding. I Aa the girl felt more and more aura of Hutch's good condurt aha felt avsre and more released from him I "Hs doeeni need me, he'll cornel through all right, new," snd her heart waa Joyful aa aha rloeed her bedroom door and stood with her bark against It Sally did not stop to analyse her fselmga. i CHRISTMAS . ) She only knew she wss seraph lea l- i ly happy, that the days she did not aae Joe Beamed totally wealed and that she could ao longer think af life with- out him Sally slipped to between ! tha fine linen sheets on the couch bed I which graced tha room al Wellington Heighta which had some la he kneea I as "Sally's room. . Before Sally rloeed her evaa she I wondered about Yvonne. Sha had sssmsd gentler, kinder these last few days. Maybe sha. toe, really cared lor somebody si last I I i The neat thing Bally heard waa ) , some whispering snd laughter at her bedroom doer. It was getting daylight day-light Suddenly her door burst open I ' and twa shining little faces peered in. j " and then tiptoed across the room, j "We mustn't wake her up If she , lent awake." Frank edmonlehed In a , loud whisper. Mama nodded vigor I , oueiy, her lovely red fold head boa- ' ' . '"1 10 perfect agreement i "I'm swsks. darlings!" Sally cried as she sat up. "Who going to kiss " aae first?" There was g dlvef Frank ran from one side. Mama from the ether, and a both of them threw their arms about Sally's nark la a stifling embrace There waa much laughter, much gig '. gluts - Finally Sally alippad Into her srarlet dressing gown and followed tha children into their playroom and sto their Christmas tree. Joe waa walt-ang walt-ang In the hall outaldo for them. Sally s ayea met Jos s accusingly. "You thought of IhatT aha Insisted "Of course 1 didn't" Joe retorted ' "He did not Ws picked It out He lust went with us to buy It," Frank aid Indignantly. I Sally held the lovely, glittering thing up to the light It hung there shimmering like a lot of diamond drape an the aua. The firelight and tha flaah of the candles were reflect-ed reflect-ed In the tiny, perfectly cut surf sees. "It la too beautifuir Sally cried. , "Not for you. Aunt Eallyf" Afterward. Sally liked to think of tha next few day. They were ao quiet and comfortable and seta. (let da had finished tha painting af Sally. He was planning ta shew H after the first of the year. He had promised, prom-ised, however, to give Joa aad Sally a special showing. "Some day when I'm la the mead. Til let the twe of you see if be said cryptically. SALLY OF SET ALLEY The aftemaon of New Ysar's eve, Joe and Sally sat before Oerda's firs chatting with him about the evening "I rather dread II myself," Sally said candidly. "Hutch will be cork-eyed cork-eyed by dinner time, I know, and I can't protest I only hope he goes bark on the wagon tomorrow, I bate New Year's eve, really I dor Gerda smiled faintly. "Yea, the young pilot Is difflcultr Gerda spread his sensitlvs hands toward the blase en the hearth. "You hale New Ysar's celebration. Then I will cheer you up. There la still enough light for you to see the picture. pic-ture. When you have ssen It then you will understand why I did not want you to see my canvas before." Silently Gerda went ever Inward a velvet curtain en the wall. The last light of the day streamed In (rem the high, wide windows. Gerda threw bark the covering. He stood and waited. Sally and Joe looked al the canvas. speechless. It wss a large canvas, simply con reived, and yet In that very eimpiirity It reached a majaaty which swept the Imagination liks fire. At first glance It was hums of crimson clouds, cloud of a dark, storm -driven sunset From this threatening sky came the face of a girt windswept, serious, lovely. It wss Sally's face, Sally aa she looked when she fought the elements. Her eyas were large and deep. Her slim brown band reeled en the wing ol her ship. Just viaible. The ground was dark, unimportant In all tha world wss lust lha sky and tha Intrepid, In-trepid, lovely girl. Sally felt her throat tighten, and lesr smarted In her eyes. Joe's hand shook as ha hunted through his pock sts for a clgsret The silsnca became a live, oppreaalvo thing. "It's lovslyi" Joa spoke la husk voice, and he walked closer to Um canvas. "ALL WBO BON" Still Sally could pot find her vole Gerda broke the alienee. "Now you know why I wanted yet two to see It here." be said quietly , "Shall I sxhibit nf" "It Is the (laeat thing you've evei don. Gerda, no mistake. r -But II at a book where all who run may read, la M aotr the painter askad abruptly. -Yes. Joe could sot find It la his heart to lie. "Anybody seeing H will know that Tm In love with her!" Bally moved protaatlngly. Cards threw himself down In the chair on the models stand where j Sally had sst for so many hours Iwhlls the picture wss being painted. He dropped his bead In his hands and groan ad. "1 ha vent been able to paint anything any-thing since," he edmltted. "I'm sick of painting and of New York!" Nobody made any comment There was none to make. Suddenly Sally rose and went over to the artist touching his bowed haad with her hands. "Gerda." she said gently, "thsnk you lor painting such e beautiful picture pic-ture ot mel It la lovely. I shsll be proud lo have that picture hung at the annual eahlbif Gerda clutched both of the girl's bands snd ktseed them repeatedly. ' "You're generous," he cried. "No, Gerde." Sally answered. "Even ! can recognise great painting when I see II!" Sally and Joe left to dress for Yvonne's New Year's eve parly. Gerda was invited, but he shook hU head. ' NSW YBAB'S BVB "I have na heart for parllea," hs answered solemnly. "I haven t had for a long time. Please don't think me silly. It Is tree." Three hours later, Sally and Joe ware swept Into the mad whirl of Yvonne Wsdsworth's New Yeers eve party. Sally bad Madame Celesta refurbish her white frock. With It shs wore her new necklace and her glittering bracelets, and shs. ws beautiful, her dark beauty gleaming clear cut and fresh against the while of her frock. When Sally came downstairs, ths party was going full blast Dinner was arranged for 10 o'clock snd scheduled sched-uled to run until midnight, with entertainment en-tertainment from the beat revues offered of-fered between eourees. Joa was waiting tor her at the foot of the stain when sha reached the wide halL Nobody waa paying the slightest attention lo any one else. A small reading room st ths bsck of the hsll hsd been converted Into a bar; with a brass rail, with a mirror and Sicture of lurid young women in red ocks with a rose In their teeth. An old time bartender hsd been pressed Into service, a man famous (or his mlxsd drinks whsn there were rathskellers on Broadway and ths I Waldorf-Astoria bar was tha smart-.est smart-.est In town. There must have been I at least 100 persons milling about ths house snd conservetory. Yvonne, resplendent re-splendent In a green frock which gllt- tared to the floor, wss welcoming the lists arrivals. "Everybody's got such a itartr shs 'explained. "What was ths use of getting get-ting all thst chsmpsgna for people iwho cant appreciate the band?" Sally wondered where Hutch waa! I "Now don't spy on tha poor boy." Yvonne protested. "He warned you he'd get. drunk tonight Cent you let him do It in peace without rale-ing rale-ing an eyebrow at himT You'd better bet-ter go softly if you wsnt him to climb .back on the wagon Slain tomorrowi" |