OCR Text |
Show A . . PAC 1)PAC H ELS- ELS ELSc 1) 1 ' ) - - ; c dl H Rd RiSTMAS M S Se SO Serirvda fi " " * " LIGHT ! m e O erirvda HWnlten , , " ( ' ' ONDER ) NDER if it Harris wouldcar wouldcar would wouldi i "W0NDER W0NDER ' W VV ca car ' = : ' ? ' > shan Sha1I Shall 1 I do lt it * , thcn then thenask thenask ask him afterward aHerward ? " Ra Rachel Ra- Ra Rachel Rachel - - chel Stanton , the morning morn1Og of Christ Christ- Christmas Christmas Christmas - mas eve , looked admiringly at thebrilliant the thebrflIiant thebrilliant brflIiant brilliant tree m in the pleasant hving living hvingroom livingroom livingroom room , then hurried to brush snow snowfrom snowfrom snowfrom from Harris , who , stamping stamp10g infrom in infrom Infrom from the back porch , panted " . ' "I've Ive " ' ' cleaned the driveways to tobarns tobarns tobarns barns and road but will wJll have to do doIt doit doit It again agam today . What were you yousaymg yousaying yousaying7 saymg saying ? " " he was interrupted mterrupted by byRa byRachel byRacheL Ra Rachel chel . ' The radio radlO announces that thesnow the thesnow thesnow snow plow from Warnton has stuck stuckat stuckat stuckat at the corner and will WJll t l ta\a ta a a\ a ato a \ a to be bedynamited bedynamited bedynamited dynamited out . No one can get getthrough getthrough getthrough through highways farther than the thecrossroad's thecrossroad's thecrossroad's thecrossroads crossroad's crossroads ' correr eorrer corner , " Rachel hur hur- hurried hurried hurried - ried to the telephone's telephones telephonc's telephoncs ' jingling jingling"It jingling"It "It It .It " . was Martha calling callmg She and andGene andGene andGene Gene and the children chJldren started here herebut herebut herebut but are blocked in m at a home of ofkmd ofkind ofkind kmd kind strangers I wish we couId could couIdget couldget couldget get food to the Harnson HarrIson family in inthe Inthe inthe the Bottoms . They have havt hav < - . no tele tele- telephone telephone tele- tele telephone - - phone , no near neighbors , and andwould andwould andwould would freeze if l ! they tried to get gethere gethere gethere here through high drifta drlhl drifts ! . . Such a awmter awinter awinteri wmter winter ! It looks as though our ourChnstmas ourChristmas ourChristmas Chnstmas Christmas will WIU be "we we " two , " she shesIghed shesighed shosighed sIghed at the color lighted tree . "Well Well " , I see I'll Ill ' ' have to shovelout shovel shovelout shovelout out the driveways dnveways again agam , " HarrIs HarrIsannounced Harrisannounced Harrisannounced announced , pulling pullmg on jacket and andgjoves andgloves andgloves gjoves gloves . Later when he went inside to towarm towarm towarm warm his fingers he heard Marthahumming Martha Marthahummmg Marthahumming hummmg humming and was thankful thatshe that thatshe thatshe she was cheerful over the disap dlsap- dlsap disap- dlsappo1Otment disappointment disappointment - pointment po1Otment of Christmas Chnstmas e e WithOUt WithOUther withouther withouther her relatives Odors of savory food foodand foodand foodand and the attractive table with withChristmas withChristmas withChristmas Christmas colors , were inviting invltmg ashe as ashe ashe he stamped in after evening evemng choreswere chores choreswere choreswere were finished fimshed ' * Tonight Tomght will wlll be the worst so far farthis farthis farthis this winter WJnter . The wind wmd s rising &nd nd and &ndsnow andsnow & andsnow snow blowing A terrible mght night mghtSurely nightSurely nightSurely Surely no one would venture onhighways on onhighwayswhywhere onhighwayswhywhere highways-why-where highways why where - why - where is the tree7Did tree ? ' Did you dump it outside because becauseour becauseour becauseour our company didn't didnt ' come'Z comeZ come ? ' " he helooked helooked helooked looked , to be sure Rachel was sane , . .1 1 . .1The ' fit l lThe The Visitor Pointed Pomted Toward the theWest theWest theWest West . "That That " Light Guidt Guided GuuILd d Us . , " then at the empty corner wherethe where wherethe wherethe the tree had stood . "Yes Yes uYes " , the radio announced the thetemperatures thetemperatures thetemperatures temperatures will be lowest of sea sea- season season season - son , so far . . " "The The " tree , Rachell RacheU Rachel ! Did you youthlOW youthi youthiow thlOW thi ow it out ? " * ' That's Thats ' e\actly e actly e\.actIy e.actIy .actIy actIy exactly \ ' . what I did-only did only didonlydidn't didonlydidn't did - onlydidn't onlydidnt didn't didnt ' throw-Ua throw Ua throw-"a "a a throw - "a a " shout from out out- outside outside outside - side sent Harris quickly to the thedoor thedoor thedoor door . Come 'Come ' in m from the terrible bliz blIz- blIzzard blizzard bliz- bliz blizzard - - zard , you poor frozen frozen-how frozen how - how did youget you youget youget get here7 here ? " " Rachel helped Har Har- Harris Harris . - ris unwrap five shivering shlvermg VIsitors visitorsMr , Mr . and Mrs Harnson Harrison and chil chJl- chJl chJldren chil- chil children children - - dren ' Ob Oh , it's its ' been terrible gettIng gettInghere gettinghere gettinghere here . But it was either to freezeand free-lC free lC freeze freelCand freezeand - and starve at home or risk rJsk get- get getting getting get getting - ting here . , " Mr Harnson HarrJson Harrison wheezed"But wheezed"But wheezed wheezed"But "But But "But But " , , bow how did you ? " Hams HarrJs Harris be began began began began"Outside gan gan"OutsIde "Outside Outside " - see the dogs We Wehitched Wehitched Wehitched hitched them to the sled Theblessed The Theblessed blessed creatures helped us o.ver over aver o.verdrifts averdrifts . overdrifts drifts \ which \ hlch are now frozen Crozen " Steaming Steammg food was soon s > oon on plates platesand platesand platesand and faithful falthCul dog dogs were lapping lappmg milk milkand milkand milkand and broth near nelr : the kitchen range"How range"How range range"How "How How " did you find the direction dlrectIon- dlrectIon direction- directionthe dlrectIonthe directionthe - the way m in blinding blmdmg snow7 snow ? " Hirnslooked H"1rrIs H1rrIs H'irrts Hirrts H"1rrIs100keC H'irrtslookea " ' 100keC lookea & puazled"Well puazled puzzled puazled"Well "Well Well " 1Ve11 , we got to the top of Kmg's Kmgs King's Kings Kmg'sRidge King'sRidge King'sRidge KingsRidge ' Ridge in m the pasture , and czme CLme time to- to toward to toward . - ward the light lJght The light hght near nearyour nearyour nearyour your grove , back there , " the visitorpointed VIsItor VIsItorpomted visitorpointed pomted pointed toward the west . . ' Thatlight That ThatlJght Thatlight lJght light guided guded ( usII us II " ' What light light7 ? " " Harris stam stam- stammered stammered stammered - - mered'HarrIs mered Harris 'HarrIs ' , dear , will you please pleasecarry pleasecarry pleasecarry carry our Christmas ChrJstmas tree back intothe mto into mtothe intothe the house7 house ? ' I earned carrlCd carried it outsidethis outsJde outside outsJdethis outsidethis this morning mormng to the grove and put putCood putfood putfood Cood food on it for birds , wild ducks ducksand ducksand ducksand and any other wJldolmmals wildanimals wild wJld animals olmmals Ulat that Ulatneed thatneed thatneed need food and shelter Then . , tomght tonight tonightI , , , I hung that large lantern with the thestrong thestrong thestrong strong light hght on top the lr.e lre trLe trte ( . to guidewhoever gUIde gUIdewhoever guidewhoever whoever might need It it . . Merry ) laughter aughter rang into the themght thenight thenight mght night as nuts were cracked crached and andcorn andcorn andcorn corn popped Christmas Chnstmas mornmg morning mornmgllr morningMr morningMr l\lr l lr Mr \ Harnson HarrIson helped keep snow snowfrom snowfrom snowfrom from from driveways dnveways and a path paUl to thegrove the thegrove thegrove grove where the childion children c1llldl en carriedfood carrlcd carried carrlcdCood carriedfood Cood food to a stack stJck . : of fodder foddcr whIch whIchthe whichthe whichthe the men bad had placed for Ior the tbe wild nm- nm ani- ani nmmolls animals am-m.ils amm.ils am m.ils mils - molls mals . molls'Snow Snow 'Snow ' may be drifted drlted ! high out out- outside outside outside - side But kindness l,1Odness l1Odness , inside of meneeds me meneeds meneeds needs never be blocked so it cannot can cannot cannot not be scattered and be u a guide toothers to toothers toothers others othersy othersRachel y " Rachel mused after nfter the thehappy thehappy thehappy happy Christmas Chnstmas of ot the worst wm win wmtel wintot wintei tel tot . tl ( ) ltieatern \ \ estc Micro " , hcwspacer : . wspacer ewspacer Union . . It |