Show LD mr gimlet was sitting all alone by himself the cold december wind wag driving the snow against thy frosty windows and now and then it seemed to fairly screech at him some of the snow appeared to have got into his hair tend borne of the frost into his heart for he looked old and cold and grim the firelight shadows that played on the wall were like the thoughts that went to and fro in his mind in the light of the memories of the brighter days of the past the empty chairs reminded him of his the elow ticking of the old clock as it tried to be a companion only made him feel how lonely he was he felt ns much out of the world as far away from its gladness as the picture of his grandfather that hung over the shelf mr gimlet was wondering what he would get for christmas he had blent many years in wondering what be would get and had gotten a good many things no one had a better bouse than he few had as much money as he bad there was a park there was a garden within and without and nil about him were the things that money can buy yes mr gimlet was as rich as money and things can make a man and yet although all these things had not made him happy he was wishing to more lie did not enow any better than to wish for more and though he could not think of anything that he needed he hoped that someone would think of something 0 other eliat he want and that might give him a gleam of real christmas joy away out on a prairie the bump family were holding a consultation after the children had gone to bed at that moment the father and mother of the family were perplexed and even n good deal worried the bumps bad been practicing farming for some time but without anticipated results the children see anything the matter with fanning the moe out of the smoky city had been an entrance into paradise for bliem donald had ten hens and a rooster dorothy owned two ducks with green feathers kenneth had a little pony that they culled bigger because they thought he would grow small edith kept a flower bed that she called her gardy there was a pony cart they had raised a 43 pound watermelon father had that the rest of the garden amount to a hill of beans but it had there was apt to be enough for yum yum cake with in it to go around hy it was like a perpetual picnic 1 and een now with all things under the enow blanket and the pony and the two cows safe in the ye mr gimlet was as rich as money and can make a man barn farmer bump had laughed with the happy rosy children as the dog jake tolled up the hill with the sled EO that they all might go shouting down again a joll bunch eald farmer bump but that night alie bumps were holding a consulia consulta con sulta tan the two cows in the barn were bare yet thera was a blanket on them the consultation anns about that blanket bump called it a mortgage and kno how he was going to pay it yo wonder it was an anxious consultation short crops and a mortgage I 1 enough to flatten out even the bumps 1 but while the bumps were talking things oer the alldren were having dreams they had laid awake for a while talking about the best place to hang up christmas stockings and a part of the conversation downstairs the mortgage part had come up to their ears A little of the worry too bad come with it so tint they fell with a little une alness about uie tt ai aws nut kaep ali gifft baim but maes them calil ml won darlng what a mortgage could be and win no one could take it off money in ills dream donald beard a boj singing sons slnar little jesus sing or me there s nothing on my christmas tree lou see this little boy had a tree but there wasu t a thing ou it not even a leif so he planned how to get something to grow upon it finally ho banfe the song that donald beard in his dream and the next time he looked out there was his tree full of red and gold apples with leaves on all the twigs and many pretty things among them and jdonald saw it all in hia dream so when he awoke donald thought be would sing the song too and see if jesus take the shadow of tint awful mortgage away and he sang sing little jesus sing or me there s a mortgage mort gaga on our christinat Chrls tree when dorothy awoke ehe bared that she had dreamed about writing a letter to santa claus and so she went and wrote it this was the letter dear santa clans there a something the matter with our cows they ve got a mortgage on em only money can cure em please come and cure em eos we can have a tree I 1 will be good your bope then when father went to town with the little pon bigger be put the letter into the post office only ho directed it to mrs bumps brother mr ephraem gimlet sir gimlet was very much surprised to hear from the bumps lie had the next day the carrier brought a promising looking box forgotten that he had a sister and that there were a lot of little hopeful bumps an old trouble had made him bitter and forgetful and he had felt more alone in the world than he bealli was As he sat again by the firelight but on a clear and moon lit night he mused on bilings past with a new tenderness in bis heart and wel corned a new thought that came warm ly to him and brought a lovey purpose with it lie would play santa claus and give himself the surprise of making others happy I 1 so the dm before christmas things at the bump house As mr bump went to the wayside post box he found two letters one of them made him sad tor it was from the man who held the mortgage and it said that the time for payment had come it meant to mr bump your money or your cows but the other letter was from mr gimlet and it made mr bump laugh until he cried tor it was a check for with some kindly friendly words and good wishes enough to cure the cows and all the family troubles the next day the carrier brought a roost promising looking big box from uncle gimlet so that the christ mas tree was full of happy surprises for the little folks and a gift or two for the big one mother made a big pie in the dishpan and the children found out what was in it dorothy poked a hole through the pasteboard crust and pulled out a maple sugar heart donald got a red sugar heart kenneth got a white sugar heart edith got a yellow sugar heart mother said it waa uncle giblets gimlets Gim lets kind heart that had made them all so happy then mr gimlet got another letter it was a round robin from all the bumps with the little bump names and marks upon tt too it made the old man ver happy lie was sitting among a lot of pleasant things that had been sent in for his christmas tree but he was not thinking very much of them he sat with alie let tor in his hand and a far ofa look in hla eyes as he thought 0 the sweetness ol 01 love and felt that the best gift that he had received was the liappa that he biad given to the people on the prairie farm |