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Show i iI ' 'Mtwyir Mtwyir ' ' I141 ' 1 1ii ii iiKARIN KARIN SBRAND SBRAND"Even "Even Even "Et1en Et1en " today , as a i < is < . day days d y < . ofold of old oldW . , . , e * are r .ometime ometime sometime . om h'mc hmc ' . ' blessed blu.ed blued . witttft9 withguts with galt guts { , of 01 sold gold " . " MISS 4ISS I t.ETTY tETTY . ETTY read the lnaC1'ipUOD lnaC1ipUOD inscription lnaC1'ipUODover ' + * 1 over a ute-sue ute sue life-size life size Ufe-slz Ufe slz - - * piciura plctU1'e plctU1e picture ' of the theI themanger tb tbmanger < I manger manaer .cene cene scene . seen : . : Tht The tight debt sight of bright bdght tinsel UrlIe1 decora- decora decoraI decoraUoo - ' I lions UO S . , tha the . sound .ound ound of 01 carols Qaroll . , and the thesmell uusmell : .meD meD smell . ctf Of holly hoq ] and Or I Sr ' on D the ( ha clIp crisp clIpI crispair crl crlair , | I air aIJt bttwea between betwe .tote tote stores . stor s . OIleet Ailed Oil her ber with a . anostalgia inostalgia : DOlta1 nostalgia Ja that almost a1mOlt unxcrved wmerved unnerved herShe her&he her herSb She &he he & Sb had bad intended lJJtet1ded to shed Ibed twenty twentyyears twen twentiyearn . , years ea ' " of 01 ar ber her * Ufa Ute lifa lika 1lke like a aVorn worn \Vorn Vorn \ clo- clo cloforgetting cloak , - , forgetting f.Oraetuq fOraetuq . 'getttag getttag ' that sha ahe lb . ha4 had spent .pent pent . b bbest et her etbeat herpest . best beat pest d8)1 d81 days ays ) " making maJdDa a heaven beaveD on earth earthfor . arttor .rth rth . .rthfew few for bel her h r ' crippled CJippled mother mothel ' so 10 that ber her berknJabt herknight h hknight < knight knJabt had wearied of waiting w.IUna wIUna . Now Nowsho N sho . hft wa was . gotag cotna going abOpp shopping tor for a . fa family familythat fanulthat that had bad aevr never be been hers bera .eepl eepl bj . xcept < cept 1D In 1Dber Inher 1h ber her r thoughts tbouahts , . a plain UtUe little Uttl girl alrl .tth tth With .tthp Withpigtails . , wilpigtails p pigtails aad and trackles freckle . , and end a wrd7 sturdy wrd7unaU sturdyamen turismall unaU amen bo7 boy 07 with pudgy pudlY hands bands and , andround andround andround round expectant eye ays . . She b wondered what wbat Larry Baine Haines Haineswas Haineiwas . wa was , doing dolne Poor Larryl Larry ! She wishedshe wlsbed wished wlsbedshe wishedshe . she might bav bave have said .ald ald . "yes yes " 7e ' . " to blipersistent b1l his b1lper hispersistent per persistent . latent wooing wooinl Tba 'lbe lbe The ' girl e1r1 withwhom wittwhom with withwhom whom be he b bad had run rum off 011 bad not bothered both both- bothered bothered - - ered to make a decent bonr bome home tor for forhim torhim toinun him . . finally Flnatty they had bad moTed moved from fromtown fromtown tronntown town and Mia Miss Mi s . Letty had quite lost lost'track losttrack losttrack 'track track ' of themRecalling themBeeaUlna them themRecalling Recalling BeeaUlna that . she .be be had bad come to totown totown totown town to pretend abe she h made mad * a eren- eren fre4 - erenLeUy ( ren . + I r ri rIsp i W Isp Ispe e . , t tl l / . . ' Letty LeUy " " he h said alJ . ' It's Its lf ' Larryl Larry ! " ' zled zied dash to the toy department departmentShe departmentShe She began to buy reckles recklessly ly eettln getting eettlnInto gettingint gettinginto < Into int the pirit spirit of her xarne game xarneI gameI I 11 flnd find tomeone someone to give them tothe to toshe she thought Maybe I can borrow a acouple acouple couple ot of children from an rphan orphan orphanage ( ) orphanafe , age just for Christmason Christmas ChristmasOn On the way home the she topped stopped to tobuy tobuy tobuy buy a tree and some bright decra decora decraI decorations decorationx ( ) I lions tions At the grocer s she he eav gave anorder an anI anorder anorder order that made that food good man I a Ieyes aeyes I eyes nearly pop out ol of his hi headLeaving headLeaving head headLeavinx Leavinx Leaving the atore store behind 10ne11 lonell lonellness 10ne11ness lonellne ness s swept over her Tha The housewould bouse house bousewould housewould would be dark when she got homeMaybe bome home bomeMaybe homeMaybe Maybe the fire re would be out too tooShe tooShe She peered Into the gathering gatheringdusk gatheringdusk fiatberinxdusk dusk Somebody waa was there waithug waitIng wait waitthe Ing hug for her on the front veranda of ofthe ofthe the ramblinx rambling old mansion mansln ( ) She has hastened hastened hastened tened her steps A man stepped forward for forward torward ward out of Or the shadows a childclinging child childclinging childclinxinx clinging to each handLetty handLetty hand handLetty . Letty ' ' he said It its s a LarryJ Larry Larryl"Land LarrylLand ! " ' Land sake sakes * ! I she exclaimed exclaimedYou exclaimedYou exclaimedYou You xave gave me a turn Come in out outoj outo3 outol oj o3 the cold ' . She bustled hustled them indoors and andtumed andturned ' turned tumed to take a good ( ood look as all sbe she sheswitched sbeswitched ch chswitched switched on the lixhts I1ghts lights It was In Indeed Indeed Indeed deed Larry older and xrayer grayer but buttrim buttrim buttrim trim and neat in a navy unltorm uniform unltormThere uniformThere uniformThen There stood lltood her dream children a aplain aplain aplain plain UtUa UtUe little girl with pigtails pigtail . and andfreckles andfreckles andfreckles freckles and a sturdy small boywith boy boywith boywith with pudgy hands and round eyes eyesbrimming eyesbrimming eyesbrimming brimming over with tears ' . I want my Mummy he be sobbedHis lobbedrus sobbed lobbed | His rus mother is II dead explainedLarry explainedLarry explainedLarryI explained explainedLarry Larry LarryI I thoufht thought Letty said laid the manI man man , , , "that that " maybe you could look out for forthem forthem torthem them a little Utlle See I ve ye joined the thenaV thenavy thanavy naV navy ) ' I've Ive rve ' got eot to go and I bate to toleave toleave toleave leave Letty and Jackie to almost almostanybody almostanybody anybody ' . Uiss Miss Letty gulped and sat aat downsuddenly down down.uddenly dowasuddanly .uddenly uddenly suddenly . In the th rocker , . eathering gathering eatheringthe gatheringthe gatherinxtb the Uttle UtUe little fellow into her arms"Gifts arms"Gifts anna arms anna"Gifts "Gifts Gifts " of gold . , ' she ahe murmured murmured"at murmuredat . . , "at at " Christinas Christlnaa c2irlstmas ' "Many's Manys "Many.s Many.s "Many Many " . " . ' ' , the time Ume I ve vs dreamed ofseeing of of.ee ofseeing .ee ee seeing . you like Uke that . , " be said ( aid . , reaching reacb reach reacbtne reachlag tne lag tor for one ot of her ber bands band hands . Sb Sbe She no DO- DO no- noticed DOUced noticed - - ticed Uced how bow thin Cb1n tbin be b was waw How thin the thechI1dren thechildren thechildren chI1dren children : were , , too , , and how bow Inade inade- toad- toad toadquate inadequate Inadequate . - - quate their clothing c10thJne "I I " 1 haven baven t got gotmuch gotmuch gotmuch much . , , Letty : , " . ha be he began but wbat what whatever whatever ever I've Ive rve ' got I Is . yours JOurs If U you wanl want wanlIL wantit wantit IL it . " StiU sun Still holding boldinl the . small .mall mall flgur ftgure figure * In Inber Inher inher ber her arms arma , , she roa roc rose . to open tba the door doorto doorto doorto to tha the kitchen . . . Tba The bouse house radiated radiatedwarmth radiatedwarmth radiatedwarmth warmth and good load cheer Fine Fineshe Fineshe Fineaha she said .a1d a1d . gently lently "Welcome Welcome " homechndrea bome home bomechDdren homechildren chDdren children . . We'll Well ' hav have bav . baths and sup sup- supper supper supper - - per , . aad and then wa we U Li trim tha the tree ' ' . Larrys Lan7 Larry's " ' . ere , eyes . caressed eareaaed her "May May "Maybe " ' 'UaJ UaJ 'UaJbe ' "Maybe Maybe " be be . , , U If I 1 could . get .et et the Ucensa Ucenae License wecould we wecould wecmild could be married betor before * I go off"Maybe off Maybe "Mabe Mabe "Maybe . " " , w we could . . , LarryHis Larry LafT7 . His JIb ann anna arms . wera were suddenly auddenb a aroundher around round aroundHer roundber Her ber and the child ch1ld , . bis bls his lips Ups Up . : warrr warn- warn warnapinat warrragainst warrragainst - against apinat her cheek- cheek cbeek cheekLittle . - . Little LetQ Lett Lettclapped Leu LetQclapped , ) da clapped her ber band hands handsSuch bands"Such bandsSuch . "Sutb Sutb Such " " a . Christmas Olristmaa we w .re re are . re coin goini goinito , oln ) , to havl bavel have ! " she &be be & cried . . . " " TCven "Even Even " today toda , , : " quoted Miss Mus Lett Lettremembering Let\ Let Letts LetNmemberlne Lettsremembering \ ) > remembering Nmemberlne tha the inscription inacriptlon as 8 ' iidays II h IIda hdays da days , . of aid old , . we are sometime sometimeblessed sometimeblessed blessed with gifts of gold . ' Rele.d Reled Released ( ll * * . . tf b7 by k Wctera W.tel'a W.tela Wtela Western . . ' Ncwywr New.paper Newpaper Newspaper . Union Uiu n |