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Show -- -.-"''-- MIDVALE. UTAH BLACK CiANCi SAPPER Copvriqltl by GEORGE H. DORAN CO. By MARION R. REAGAN 1). -23•Never farther from It ln my life. Bnverton," said the other. "I admit seems a hlt over the o<lcls, but every I'Ve told you ls gospel. To reto tbe di(l('o\·eries. l\lclver found the house waN the headquarters a vast criminal organization. Tht•re ftbemes of the most fantastic 1diE'Sc~rl))tllimS cut and dried In e\'ery de· Some of them were stupid: some were not. I have them nil lu•r·e. Thl<' glanced through somE> papers hls desl•-"eont'erns the blowln~ of large gap In one of the retaining s of the big reservoir at Staines. one «'oncerns a perfectly-thoughtphll on your life wlwn you go to peau1:nu mp hall next week. Y nu were be found deud In ~·our rallwuy car- •It would very likely h11 ve f:,rlled." ld Sir Bryan ealmly, "hut they would tried ugnln. They don't lil;e you your views at all-thE>se gentlemen. those are the least Important. -time IIIUI)emor·lal \Vlh.l, fanatical ,.,,ntha buve done similar things: tiH! 181\lll~er wus far gre11ter and more subAnd perhaps the most dangerous c;,,.,.,,, ... of all was what I hu\·e spolten ~•t•o~rt alrendy-Maybrick hall was the of these poisonous pro· ~m•.rJHn Sunday schools. But in addithat there was forgery going there on a big scale: money Is ~ ji4!c:•es:salr~ fur their activities. ThPre also long lists of their agents In ..Ain-a ..a••• parts of the country, and delost ructions for fomenting Inunrest. But you have It all t•an reud It at your leisure JOUrselt. Purtleu!Hrly l comnwnd JOUr notice, the series of pn mphlets Ireland. and the methods suggested promoting discord betwt>en Engand l<'rance, and England and Sir Bryan lit o rl~arette. "'l'o return to the personal side of lt. ('f. engro~sPd In his sParch, paid little attentlnn to the row of :1111ummles In the hall. They certainly extraordinurily safe, and one hardly blame him. But the fact ins that. at some period during morning. the Italian, who, if you ,remE~ml)er. was pntllocked In a bedupstairs, escupetl. How I can't you: he must have had a kt•y in pocket. They found the patllock ,-y 1~""'• and the room en1pty. And going they found the chairs recently occupied by the cler~ymnn and Miss Janet empty also. 1\IoreovE>r from moment no trnre of any of them been found. It Is ns If the earth open!'d and swallowed them. !'h brinJ,'S us to the packet enrtelo!<t~d with the letter from the lender 1 Culinary Artist Agreed to Stay, but Added "Mrs.'' to Her Nam~. By CYRIL NcNEILE CHAPTER XV --Continued .Remained as Cook~ and Her New Year N. 11. s-ee room we preferred to tltei r com puny, we lay low und suid nothing. "l•'rom unofficial inquiries I had carried out we cnme to the conrlusl•m that this mysterious Black Gung waf! a rPul!ty, and that, further, it wus Intimately connected with these dlsappPnrunees. But we also C'ame to tiH' conclusion that the hleuls und objeC't" of this gang were In every way cleslr· able. Snrh a thing. of course, coulll not be admitted o!fldally: the ahcluc tlon of anyone Is u criminal offense. But \\ e en me to the conf•h.IRion that the Bla(·k Cr~m~ was undoubtedly an e::ttremely powerful nnd ubly red "organization whose ohjet•t wus simp!~· and solely to ti~ht the Red ~IPment in l~ngland. Th~ tuE'nns they adopted were undoubtf>dly llle~al-but the results were exeellent. \\'henevPr a man nppenrctl prenching- Bolshevism. after 11 few dnys he simply dis~tppN!rf>rl. In short. a rci;.,'1l of terror wns <'slablishell 11nwngst the terrorists. And it WI\!< fo put thnt r!~ht I have no doubt that the nevf>rPnd Theor!o~ius Longmoor arrived In this country." 8lr Bryan thoughtfully Itt another cigarette. ·· "To l'Pturn to the Island. llfctver went thPrc, r.nd after some little <lim. t'Hity loeatecl It, out of the 1\I"Ptlly or thirty to whleh th" description might npply. H:! found It fur fr·om nniuhuh ited. just as that letter says. lie found it oc·cupicd hy some llftv or sixty rnhid anart'hlsts-the gentlemen who l11td so mysteriously disappeared-who were pi'E'sided over by twenty lur~e demohillzerl solrliE>rs cnrnmanded by an ex~ergeant-major of the Guarrlll. The sixty frem:led anarehists, hf> g'ath· ered, were runnin~ 11 state on t•onmlunist linPs, ns lnterpretPd by thP PX: ;;er-geant-major. Anti the lnter·pretat ion mo\·ed e1·en l\leh•er to tears of laughter-. It nppeurerl that onr·p ev<>n• three hours they were all dra·,,·n up 1;1 a row, nnd the ser~eant-mn.for, with a voiee lll;e a bull, ,,·ould h{'llow ~ "·~hould the ruling classes ha\·e money?' "Then they answered In unlson.. No.' "·~hould anyone hn\'e money7' Agnln they answered 'No.' "'Should ever~·one work for the common goorl for lo,·e?' 'Yes.' "Whereat he would ronr: 'Well, In this 'ere bland there ain't no ruling elasses, and there ain't no money, und there's dum' little love, so go and plant r1ore potatoes, you lop-enred sons of Bee Izebu b.' "At whi(·h point the parade broke up in disorder." Sir Jehn was shaking helplessly. "'l'hls Is a jest. Johnstone. You're joking." "I'm not," answered the other. "But l thin!< you'll udmit that the man \\ lw Hurled the whole show-the lt>atler of the Hla('k Gang-Is a huuwri>~t, 1o put He crossed to a snfe nntl took out it mildly, who l':mnot well he spnred." little ch11mois leather bag of dia"lily Ut'ar fellow, the cnlllnct 1~ tl1e only plaee for him. If only he'd px.. Nice stones," he remarkf>d quietly. port two or three of my collea~Ut's to literally a klng's ransom. 'fht> this Island anrl let 'em plant potatnps one is part of the Russian crown I'd tnke otT rny hat to him. Tell me-r.tawels : the remainder belonged to the do I know him?" nd Duke Geor~ius, who wns murSir Brynn smiled. ~"r"d hy the Bolshe\'lsts. His son. "I'm not eer·tain: you mny. But h11d !hese in Ills pos:c:ession. dil-'d the point, lhn·ert(>n, is this. \\'e must duys a:.;o of an nvPrdose of a take cognb:an1·e of the whole tliin~. if ild1Pel3lng draught In An1stcnlmn. At we nclmowletlge it at nil. 'J,'hprpfore that is whut I uuderst111Hl until I !lhall we assume that <'VPt'Y!hing l ~.l'II!IN!i \"f>d these. Now I Hill not so sure. have been telling ~-ou is a fail'.\' story: would gu furtht•r, und s:1~· l 11111 quite thut the Hinck Gang !,; non-exiRI Pntthat evt•n It hP did die of 1111 nver- 1 may ~ay that it will lit> Hhw·tly-nnll lt was udmlnistt'I'Pd hy sonH•one that what has nln·atly app<'ai'Ptl in the And it was admi11i~tNed hy the papers is just u hoax by some Irrebent>lkf!Dt cler~y1n:1n l'alllng himself sponsible person? Unle~s WP do t lmt Hen!rtnd Theudosi us Longtuuor- thpre will he n r·ansf> l'f•lehrl' fou~ht IIW:ilt amaziu:; lntt-rnutlunal t·rim- out on class prejudice-a most in· 1 of thl~ ur uny otlwr a:,;e--the 1111111 jt:tlil'ious thin~ at the pr·esPnt momrnt. with Al!;os .Janet und the Italian. 1 may sn~· that the i!<hlll!l is shut down. vanl!•lwd inlu thin air, right under and the sixt.v pimwers h:t ve Iiepa r·tpd to other t'O!tlltries. Al~o quite a num••And yon mean to say this man has her of tllo-;e H;,!Pn~s \\'hose n:tm•·s are In l:ngland und you ha\'eo't laid on the list you han• hnve ll'ft our hy the heels?'' tmid Sir John in- ,:bores durini, the past few days. It ulnusly. is merely up to us to Sf>e that they .. UnfortunatPiy that Is what I mE>an:' don't eo me haek. But nothing ha~ the nt her. "The polil'e of !'orne out in the papPrs: at11l I don't continents kuow about him. hut wnnt anythin;.: tn ('orne out Pith(>r." a vet')' diffen•nt thing from lie paUSPII sudlil:'nly, as a l'ht•<'rfnl This 11me we futve proof voice was hear-d in the oflke uutsi1lr>. 1lia nwnds: and the man "A h! her" Is one Ca'lt a in Drumvunlsh~>d~ utterly and ('ompletely. mond, wlwm I asked to come ronn1l Is the muster mimi who t·ontruls this morning," he t•tmtinuell, with 11 dil'l'CtR. hut very rurely uctually faint smile. "I wonder if you know anything bhnse!f. That's why him." so devilishly dHikult to catch. But "Drummond?" repented the other. d11 It t~ooner nr Ia ter." "Is. he a vast fellow with Hn u;,:ly 'l'he cahinet minist<>r wus once more fuc·e?" dying the typewritten rommunlea"That's the man," l!llid Sir Bryan. from the leader of the Black "1'1·e Sl:'en him at his nunt's-old Lady Mei!I'OS{'. She ~nys he'll the big"It's the most astounding nlTnlr. gest fool In London." .Johnstone," he !<:ti1! ut length. 8ir Bry11n's smile grew more pro11stoundlng. .And whrtt's all nouncPd liS the door o1rened anti llugh about the Island off the coast of enme ln. ?,. "~lorning, Tum-tum," he hoomNl Sir Bryan lauj:(hell. genially. "How's the liver and all "Not the IN1st astounding part of t bn t ?" wbole show, f assure yuu. Bnt f11r "Morning, 1-lttgh. Do you know Sir to untlerstur.d it better I mm;t ~o .1 ohn l·I:n·erton ?" two or three months. to the tlllll' ·'Jilornlng. Sir .John. ,Jolly old cabiwe f\.-st became uwnre of the ex- net merry 11Dtl bright? Or did you all C'e of the Hln<!k nang. A ~erie>< go tlown on l'Ufl•le Polly Ht Gool!wood very strange disappenntnf•es wer·e ~ esterduy ?" itt'kiiig plan'~ men were being splrltt>cl Sir .John rose a little ~rlmly. without leaving a trace hehind "We ha..-e other things to do besidE'!! Of course we knew ahout It, harking horses, Captain Drummonrl In view of the fact that our as- I think we have met nt Lady Melt· tltatnc~ waa never asked to Hnd them. rose's bouse, haven't we?" "More than likely," said Hugh af8tlll more In Ylew of the tact that .....,.. euw tbe7 •ere (K!C)ple. whCNIIf fably. "I don't often dine there: she ropes in SIH'h a ;.:hastly crowd of borell, don't you know.'' HI feel sure, Captain Drummond, that you'rv 11n admirable ju!l~to." Sir .lohn turned to Sir Bryun .Johnstone ::nd held out his hnnd. "Well, I t'lUst hf> oil'. GoOII·IUOI'ning, John,.tonP:rnd you've thm·oughly rou,:ed my l'lll"iosity. f'd very much like to know who the gentleman Is whom we'1•e hPen <.liseussing. And In the weanlime I'll look through these papers and let rou know my rleeision in due course." lle hu~tled out of the office, and Hugh sunk Into 11 ehuir with a sigh ot r-eli<'f. ''The old boy'>l <'lothes seem full of hnr!y this morning, Tum-tum," he relll<ll'l;ed us the door closed. "lndigeslinn-or don't the elu:;tic-side<.l uoots tic?'. "Do you know what we have been diseussing, Hugh?'' said the other qurPtl~·. ".:'\ot an earthly, ohl man. Was It tl:a I r ew one about the girl In the gr(wer's shop?" "\\" e'Ye hePn discussing the leader of the llluck Gang," said Sir Rrynn, with hiR f>ye~ lixed on the wun sprawling in tile chair opposite. Xnt by the twitch or a mU!'Pie dill DrnnnHo<!rl's face r!wnge: he Reenwd Pngmsst•<.l In the tnsl• of selecting a eigarc>lte. ''You've been In Deauvllle. haven't .1·ou. Hugh-the last few tlays?" ''Quite right, old man. All among the fairies." "You don't know that a burglary has ta I; en place nt your house In Lonrlon ?" "A burglary!" Drummonrl snt up with a jerlc "Why the deuce hasn't f}pnny tnlrl me?" "A Yery small onE'." snld Sir Rryan, "l'OIIImitte!l hy myself, and perhap~ he dm·~n·t know. I. took-yout"' typewriter.'' ·l•'or a fE'W moments Hugh Drnmmond gtared nt him in silence; then I i~ Iips began to twit rh. "I see," he.Mid at length. "I meant to ha1·e that defective ·s' repnirerl." "You tonk me in, old hoy,'' !'OntinueJ Sir Brynn, "utterly and absolutely. If It hudn't been for one of the men at .!llayhrlek hall turninl{ lilng's e1•idence, I don·t believe I should have foun1l out now." "\\'ell, whut 11re yon going to do uhout it?" asked Drummond after a RANDIY\~S R.. "MALLOTIN was finishing his mornIng meal with the sense of sntlsfac-1 tlou that belonga only to those men who have a palate that knows good food and the digestive procesa to appreciate lt. "·hen the dining room door opened. Ml'8. Bell, who had been his cook for some fifteen years, stood In the doorway fidgeting nervou11ly with her apron. "Mr. Mallotln,'' she hegan timidly, "''ve come to give you a month's n~ tlce. . After the first or the year I think you'll have to be looking tor another cook." .. What?" Mn.llotln asked at lasl "You're going to lenve? What'e the matter--aren't you satisfied wltb your wages? I was just thlnking the other day of rn.lsing your salary.. Is tb~re anything-" "Oh, no, elr, It's nothing llke that. It's just that-that I'm going tc be married again." Mallotln, firty-seven, was a tnetless bachelor. "At your age I" he exclaimed Mrs. Bell drew herself up lndlgnantlJ. "I'm l'orty-sl.x:, Mr. Mallotln, but I should think one of your age would consider It young.'' • • I!! "Why, You're Old Enough to Bo HIs Mother.'' "A man under sixty fs stlll very young,'' said Mallotln with grent dignity. "May I ask who the fortunate gentleman Is?" llrs. Bell hesitated a minute. "Ar-. thur Horage, In Pack's grocery.'' she answered. "That young chap?'' asked Mall~1 tin. "Why, you're old enough to bel his mother." [1:1 liSP. "Xothlng. l was discussing the "1\Ir. 1\lallotln, I came In here this. nsutter with Sir John this morning, evening to say I was leaving after! and we both agreed that you either Jnnuary 1st-not to be Insulted.''' desprved pen a I Sf>rvitulle or a seat in With that !\Irs. Bell slnmmed the din1 he r·ahinet. And since neither cour·se Ing room door and disappeared, leavr·onstrlt>nrh; itself to us, we haYe !le- Ing her employer ln a state of comci(led to do nothing. Ther·e ure rea- plete bewilderment. :;ons, which you will appre<'inte, It was not long, howevf'r, that the against :my publicity at the nwnwnt. exrellent br11ln or Mr. ~fnllotin reBut, lltt;;h, the Black Gang must mained muddled. He Rlmply had to tea::-:~.'_' !lnd a way or retaining ~rrs. Bell. "CarriPil, nPm. <'On., Tnm-tum. It There was not nntlther cook In all shall automnlieally tli!<soll·e todny. :\'ew York who rould eYen eompar3 :\'ow, one for ~·ou. \\'hy rlirl you let. with her·. He must IHtYe her. With t'ar·l PetcrBnn l'SCllllP? I nl'arly kiliPd determination In his ey<'s be left the him that night, nfter· I'd bayonPtcd the house and started ol'f In the direction l{t!R~ian!' of Pack's grocery. "llow did you "now he had esArthur- Hornge, a young m:m about c.Jpe•l ?" tlpmanrlerl Sir Bryan. twenty-six, was .arrun!.dng runs on the Hugh ((>It in his pocket nnrl pro- counter. ?.fullotln 11rew hlm ol'f to u dU<'erl a not e. corner of the stvre, und the two "H<>a!l it," he said, passing It across tnll•ed tog-ether quietly for over r1n the dN;Ic hour. Finally l\fullotlu pulled out Ills "lt was a pity you forgot that thE're ~heckbook, scribbled something on It rui~ht he another key to the pad!oel{, nnd hunde~ a narrow slip of ...,-hite ('uptain Drunrllllllld," it r·an. "And pnpPr to the eagE'r IIorage who held <llu:sl'ppi i~ nn old fri('lltl of mine. I It out to rl'a<l the amount more care<Illite pnjoyerl our single." , • fully. Mallotin lf>ft thf> store a h11ppy Sir I\ ryan ret m·ne1l the note with- mnn. Tie had nf>,·er spent two hunout a wo'"rl. and Drumnwntl retllaced dred dollars so WPIJ. it in It is 'pot'ket. It hatl been jast :t!l lHl hnd susHe rn~e 11nd ;:\Tinned at his fri<'nrl. pPcted. Young Horngf> wns marrying "It's dt'tll'l'd good of you. old mn.u, Mrs. Bell entirely for the sake of the and all that . • .'' '.fhe eyes of the money she had saved. f'he "us to t\\ o ntl'll met. have started him ln business. l\fallo"lf It "us fount! ont, I shnnlrl he tln's offer of two huurlred dollarR lool:ing for another joh,'' rPmlll'kPd looked so good to him. however, thnt Sir Ilryan dryly. "Anrl perhaps 1 he wa!'l. willing to foregn his wit'e nn1l should not get the two thnus:mrl her dowry, take the two bnndred and pounds which I unrlt>rstand the wl!IO\\" make off to Cle1·eland, as l\fullotin of the late Glnget· lllartiu has receiv(';) had specified. ''Now, to fix It with unon~·mously.'' Mrs. Bell," s:l.ld Mn !lot in. This he "Shut up," snld Drummond awk· thought would he quite simple. l\Irs. wanlly. Bell would be grateful to him for sav· "Delighted, old man,'' returned the Ing her from such a foolish step and otl1er. "But the polll'e in that district would willingly agree to continue In ure demanrlin~; n ri~e of pay. She hils his senlce. And he wns right-up been dr·unli und tlisorderly five times to a certaIn point. Mrs. Bell was wlllin the lust WE'eli." lng to give up hf>r erstwhile suitor [THE END.] with only a little regret, hut most Important of all to l\Iullotln, was not Bare-Headed wllllng to stay on tn his service. Robert hud ltt-eompauied his mother "You see, I get ruther lonesome and father to <'llut·ch. On the 81'at In here, l\Ir. !lrnllotin; I'm tired of this front of them snt a woman holuing 11 dreary lire, and even lf I don't marry tiny "bald·lwude<.l" baby. Arthur Horage there are other men. HnbPrt wu tched the little head bob- I expect to get married." hing around with great fnseination. 1\lr. Mallotin then became a little then pulling mother down to the lel'el &entlmental hlmsPif. He lnld his hand of his mouth, he whispered in awe- tenderly on .Mrs. Bt•ll's shoulder. struck tones: "Look here, :Mrs. Bell, dld It ever "!\lot hl'r, w:ts I bure-hended lll;e occur to you whnt a lonely life I lend "that all the time when l was a baby?" here? Did you ever think how much more life might mean to me If I had a President.' Married Lives fine wife--likfr-well like yourself, to ThE> !'residents nf the Unitf>d Stutes look after me1" who lived a marril'd life of 50 ye.. rs or Mrs. Bell turned to ljllil and smiled. more were John Adams and John ''Well, ru stny on then-after JnnQuincy Adums. The fo•·mer wus mar· uary 1st-but we'll begin the New ried in 1764 and lllrs. Adams died In Year ns Mr. and Mrs. Mallotin, shall 1818. He died In 1826. John Qulnc1 we not?'' Adams was married In 1797. His wife ..We shall.'' was Mallotln's read1 died in 1852 and he In 1848. We lind and emphatic response. uo record that the golden wedding abo (@. lUI, Wutera Ne'WIIp&per Ualoa.) nlver81lrlea were formally celebrated. • Merry Christmas Time Here Again It Was Christmas HUMAN KINDNESS From Home Folks M USIC will die nwayJ eandlea will born themselve" out J evergreen11 will fade, Dot enee kind!C>d, that ftame Gf human ldndne•~ lh;bted at Chrfatmn11 raret,. becotnes dlnt, and mu,.,lc ln<'ldent to the Holida-y pleasures will eeho anti re-eebo thrObfl;h Innumerable h&PPT da-ya-w, ll, J,ennypacker. (©. J 925. Western Newspaper Union.) Every One Is Filled With "Peace to Men of Good Will'~ Spirit. By KATHERINE EDELMAN .. Post Office Employee Takes "Time Off" to Enjoy .His Own Package. By ELEANOR E. KINO II/' . I - 6Christmas In entce s No Thriller for Yanks I T toe ure en•ry\\ hero and hParth fires glow with a. warmer welcome. I~very !tome Is fille1l with clteer, every face ali"llt with happitw~s and en~l·y heatt i,; tuned to catch the lll!>SSat.re of IOYP and peace that is abroad. Mr>n anti women greet en eli other with :Hilled friendliness; little ehilclren stand en~rer-ey('d nnd radiantly expertnn.t. .All lsumanity l<s lllled de•'P with the desire to give, to serve, to love. f>. new bond of feliO\YSllip is encirellng the wor:d anfl bring-ing hearts togethct•; today we ure all one f!"!·cnt, big f:tnlily, ~~·atchful nud solicitous ahout one another'~:~ ¥>€1 rare. 'l'he ties of home nne! l;indred grow OYCn IIJOI'C rJo:;:e-frlendsliips m o r e dearmonlories tdore • prcdous. 0 ur t::ougilts fty on eager wings to tl.o~e who are ah>:ent-the vacu n t chair grows sacred In our eyes. The very alr Is full of some strange, wonderful force tlmt fills us with exhilaration and delight. Youth grows n:on"! tolerant of age and age looks with new uu<.lerStao[lding Into the <'Yes of youth. Strf>ets are cr·owl!ed with happy throngs-shops are '.!led to ovC'rflowlng wi-th gift sePic"rs. Thousands of Chr.lstmas !ltockir ..;s arc to be ftlletltlrousamls of older her.rts are to be marie happy hecnm:e they are remembered. 'l'he> gospel that lt ls more blt•s>:ed to sive than to re~cive Is in ev!Ucnee eYerywhcre, antl its practice is bringing radiance antl beauty to every face. Christmas has come again-tts star Is gleaming In the sky-Its r.t:l.gic Is nil over the land! The young and the old, the gay and the wise have fallen under Its spell. And every heart is singing the song of the angels-the song that echoed over the hills of Judea in the long ago-"Giory to God In the highest and on earth peace, good wlll toward men." . <& lfll, Wnt,.Ml New•paper Union.) IIHEB United States destroyers cnme into t•ort at Veniee to sp•~nd the Cln istmas holi1!ays. It wes ChrL<tmas Eve. The narrow, 1\"lnding streets of \'enlc<> thnt le:.d off from the Piaz:>:n ~un l\Iureo "ere thl'Ongerl with United States gobs. In almost every gondola one eoultl see tilt' small round cap of an American sailor. Out ln the harbor wPre the th rPe ships, all lig!J ted with n·d und !!l'CPll electric bulbs which were refil'cterl in the blueblackn{'ss of the water. There was a lnt·ge Christmas trPe in eleetrie llrht!< on !1lle of the deck!'!. It wns a glorious ~ight-particularl~· to American eyes·thl'se tnrnlern Amerir•an war boats o.bla.ze wltb Christmas cheer. "I ,:Ujlflose you are thr!llr-tl," I . t ld to one of the gubs, "to be spending Christmm; at Venice~" "Thrilled'!" l e P•·hoed. "Say, tl:ls i"l t h<' worst town I ever str11c!' in all my life--t'o rnoYieS-Htl troii<'Y l'arsnothing! Believe me, I'll b~ glad to f,"!!t t.ack to good old Svrlngl.ield. iYhen I think of a real AnlPrlcnn Chrl~tmus dlnntr, the old log fire there at home, and the family-" There \\'HS a tretnor ln hls Yoice and I turned away as I saw him reach for his hantli:errl1ief to daub his eyes.Marlon n. Heni'an. <©. 1925, "Wettern Newspaper Unlon.) !'1~~"!!.~1,~~~%~~~%\l:'li$~~~'1:!\-'!\!:WIJ!!Il'\{'!{,gl!,'\'J Jolly Old Santa • ---1 WAS certnlnll not an easy job, fOJ there ls no sucl thing in a I')OSt of tl!'e at Chri~t'llat time. But, It k!'pl one's m I n d an< h11nds oecupl<'d. T< attend coill'!:" lt one privilege, but to be able to g< "" home for Chri~tm;;.s L'! nnnther Charles felt ft keenly this very mo ment. flp hnd the first prlvile~:;r nnd was fifteen hun!lred milf'S fron: · home. Tiowevcr, mit! the ,,,sh anl • tumhle of S<lrling Cbr!,unus I•ackug'(·S, staeks of letters, and canis, he hardll hurl time to grieve. The postmaster !'ould not under· stand how Charles coul1l turn out S( mu<'h more work than the othl'rs. Tt was all VNY simple. He eagerly searehed ever~· cart], letter, or parkage to see whether or not It bore his name, hmr:vlng on to the next one. "I surely do get great fun out oi" this," burst forth 0 h a r 1 e s. "'1' hIs one I s heavy ns lead, l'>lides around In the box like a enke on a fllnte. Silence followed, broken only by the constant thud of tbe "good will mes~ . V sages." "I say," !<honted some one acros3 the room. "Your name Is Llefter, Isn't It? I was just cussing this hPavy, bungl{'some thing when I discovered the name.'' "It's heavy," sn.ld Charles maklnll a wiltl dash. "It rattles1·• An hour Inter, the postmaster makIng his tour of Inspection, stopped open-mouthed, ~11zing at one cor ncr of the rnoru. Thr re, !!ltting on th~ floor, was the happiest boy In th• world: 'l'he Captain, as the boys ad· mirlngly called him, understood no" why Charles' work had accnmulateq.l In the lnst tlfty minutes. Aro1m11 htm on the floor was a sea of tis,.ue paper, ribhon~. sticiH~rs, anti gifts. lli1fing tla cre~;t of each wnve were smiles. His radiant face wns a jor to behoict. The postmuslt•r grinned. Cllnrles felt somt; one loolilng at him 11nd glanced Into the eyes of his employer. "It Is Christmas, Cap, from ~owl home.'' (@. UZ5, Weotera New-per Ualoa.) |