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Show j CAROLS j & MARION R.HEAGAN jj ' ,111, W"rn Ni"llf Vnlon.) lOUVI' SANDS stood outside fll L dingy 111,10 restaurant, looking in t t'' '"H.v I to.um'd windows with tho I,Hont. vacant stare of one -1? vv,s mind Is preoccupied Wth melancholy thoughts. 'M vopl walking nlong tho i sidewalks crunched tho ar. sllow under their heels. Most h'm "llkl"K ",ul ,m'Klll"R j ; L lu-ht ease of those who feel j1 "I Wth the world. Hut their j lft only made Iryl more H'w conscious of hor loneliness. J' Vas not a soul In this whole I could call hor frleml, not one. r'ss for lover Beryl winced. i lts.eli.-lit m'ver n ,ovor! ! of spending nil of one's life -f "Old MalJ Sands" it would bo. ' w terrible life wns ; how unut-j unut-j h!1rd on girls like hor. Of I there had been Jack Roultou. i'iti always rather liked hor; taken ! tinme from church parties and so i in the old days when they lived l.'jllantown. He might have fallen j'jov'e with her If she hiul oncour-r.him. oncour-r.him. He was the only man who i" ' . .jew understood her nt all. Won-where Won-where he was now? With slow, listless steps, Beryl en-red en-red the little restaurant. She chose ; cleanest looking tahle in the rootn. .nan was already seated there. She down opposite him and began to ;j the menu card. Beryl, by George, if it isn't !" She looked up quickly and recog- yi with amazement the large, .-wished blue eyes. 'Jack Boulton! 'Why, Jack, what : earth are you doing here?" He laughed that half-amused, half-;:!cal half-;:!cal laugh she knew so well. . I'm down on luck. Beryl broke. '.tune up here to Chicago three years r-f .w-r.c;- o ,1.1., 1 hue t-liino-s j't go so well, and I've been a lit-.; lit-.; on the rough ever since." Beryl was sympathetic. "I know, .ck, I think we're pretty much in Jiame boat. I haven't quite won .it and fortune here myself." They ib laughed. Jick looked at her a long time. She fped her eyes under his steady it "Xto V,now, Beryl, I like that sad it in your eyes. I don't like to think at you've been sad, of course ; but e look it's appealing. It's the same ipression that came into your eyes sen you used to play those Christ-as Christ-as carols at the church. Heavens, :v you could play them !" His face i nn Mia hfinnv mpmorv of it. Do you still play ?" "Occasionally. The piano at my ' oiriling house is a cheap one andI -ste it, but if you care to, we'll go wn there after dinner, and I'll play on all those old Christmas songs. Ion have no other engagement?" "Xone," he said promptly, "And if i did, I'd cancel it." When Beryl had finished, she rose 'mm the piano and faced him. He ;s looking at her intently, longingly. "l'ou are very fond of music, aren't , Jack?" "i'es, when you play it I am." He came very close to her and took her lands. "Beryl, I was just thinking ht harmony you ciuld make out 1 my discordant life, If you would. Could you could you ever " he lrke off. His voice thick with surg-h surg-h emotion. "ves, Jack, I could," and as he held ler tightly in his arms, Beryl was ex-l!tantly ex-l!tantly happy, and felt for the first In her life, secure. |