Show airily by HAZEL OSWALD f WAS christmas eve and caleb churton the moneylender sat in his great din ing room surrounded by all that makes for luxurious living so jack preferred his artists work to this he mused chuckling con while he half spoke the words ten eara before his elder brother had told their father that he was not cut out for a shylock that he preferred to get a living by pleasanter plea santer means than his fellow beings flesh and blood and had gone out into the world cursed by the father and laughed at by his brother it was three ears later and 12 months after ho had announced his marriage to a fellow artists daughter that old churton died leaving all the business to caleb and not mentioning jack churton by so much as a single word in his will to do him justice caleb had rebelled against this as much as he could but he had found out that bis brother was able to keep his head above water and after offering him a share only to be indignantly refused caleb applied himself to the task of doubling bis father a wealth all these things went through his brain as he sat by his alre of a sudden a thought struck him 1 I will go and parade my wealth before them will nake the wife bitterly envious and jack sorry that he ever refused me ath this amiable intention he rose ordered bis automobile to be brought out and was boon whirling toward jacks suddenly the auto stopped and he got out telling the chauffeur to re turn in an hour not longer it I 1 am finished before I 1 can spend the time somehow he thought up the steps of the great apartment he went until he came to a door labeled 42 then he knocked and getting no answer entered very quietly finding the door not locked he looked round the aln hall and then stepped into the first room are you santa claus the timid query stopped him in his wanderings and he looked dovan to hla feet to see a bunni haired blue oed little mite gravely regarding him but no lou cint be santa claus for he B e er BO old and has got a white bead and a long coat and a big bag full 0 toys and cornea down the and doean doesn t come till after I 1 ve gone to bed and and she paused in her list of details for want of breath and the first time for many years churton laughed heartily you queer little mite he said im not santy bo are ou im glads churton and im not queer im lery well thank iou so you are gladys he said here are your father and mother gone out to buy things lor me and the told me to be ever so good they w be back soon churton looked around him it was ao pleasant BO happy evidently and the home he had left seemed to lack a great deal he sighed the matter strange man nothing dear but there must be something I 1 always go like that when I 1 want a doll and mamma won t buy it for me la our little girl naughty I 1 haven t got a little girl poor strange man with a clouding of her sunny face then suddenly look out here come mamma and dad lets bide all right dear tell me where hastily she drew him behind a curtain and followed wheres my girlie in a clear happy olce the mite ran out and struggled in her mother a arms you dont know who else Is here she said important there s a strange man and poor dear he barnt got a little girl and he happy she ran back to the curtain and dragged out a somewhat dust shamefaced individual I 1 caroe to see you felt a bit lonar ly hang it all jack I 1 want a tate of home life and escape from the eternal accounts no as the clear blue eyes of the baby were fixed on him that a a lie I 1 came here to chow off my wealth and to make you envious but your little ray of sunshine here took the conceit out of me hang it man take me in for pity B sake and let me be human this christmas tide the money can go I 1 must sta here I 1 when man came back he I 1 WAS told that tho maiter would not be home or coma daab 1 1 V J |