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Show m ;r ft? 7 I ji I' first (greeting ;0rom i '. Sressfoenrti mi -- THE CHRISTMAS J r 4 DECEMBER NEWS, 17 15' ,1923' rj ftv Stop ace 1 L ETIC'IA CRAIO dropped the half- wound ball of carpet-rag- s I nto the soft heap of rainbow x, tinted ribbons at her feet, "as the Dofr-tor- 'a cm h to he old black smith shop where three generations eledeeTn hQinnfi. had WUB the Thfm.lisith clanging ring. nd huddled under the gleeted. branches of black walnutsweeping tree, as cringing from the onslaught of , the storm. The great gathering d that had for stood open r7nhfof bu"7century country-sid- e were IE.. Er ..un5 harred. The development Hillsboro, serose the nver. had flung the Stale highway over Ihe on h opposite side of the vallev, end tho rapid advance of n,''U 'Tld -- a; A klr. look of pgtn crossed woman, face, but h .hllen,.ravwy "oountlng-o- I hi the ahe to called ut .nd ,h Protecting screen of ,kfh the kttcihen stove. '"Thomas, you and Charlie run out t the smoke house and bring Lran-m- a the piece of done up In the brown paper. pork Lets see chilly night.. Hla big heart throb-fped in gratitodo ths bo. who had. weathered ly. by hrSVd.h vautnl' The neat Martha looked out morning win" of her bedroom dow. upon a new world . Far and "h,mmr,n expanse of whifs h bttr fields and Meets undulating hills. The falryland-(-erer- y tiny ,n! dlle lacey pat. btrnJ nd aheds ' were The thatebed "J ,h od n under billowing drift. (VIr.?fy fTm ' The ggfdene stood Rn4 Btg snd withered leaf embellished In dss- . or rwlto corpulent, Kray mare and whos 'Sharp Evesf this time!" rickety ran came squeaking and rlise to 'go- - the clattering along the Uiver road. dismissal had not; fallen ongentle deaf "Wefl, I swan! If there don't go ears Doctor Wlmby to Caleb Quinn's fer Almost Immedlalely the children second this week. time came mailing the Jn With, the brown Ivr,ahm7nu'r h'd 'PC"d ntld the exciting ness that Shouldn't wonder if hes hod a parcel, a stouti was comma In from the " she exclaimed, crossing Une skirted Ihe house north, and didn't she think there nd rk,H harnm and boyond th9 swiftly to the little window. where woujd he plenty f of snow for trees atood Christmas she could view unobserved, the adj ,w,nut ll.lllS filigree. silhouetted against the vancing pair. "It's a gieen Chfistmas we'll he sky Ehel dressed with eager haste turned in at the starry little The inare shambled lazily along , Leticia gate I.etiela prophesied havin.' , dark-nd head down, eyes half closed, quickly between the ly. a green Chi Istrm.s and a full kltrimn n.7 rroslhiUen worn-ow lite In where. lines midgardens ,h the hanging laxly churchyard Many a the time I've A Ji,L riper, summer, a gorgeous riot of color Mriftnins"' at her sleek sides. At every ponL,e heard my father say't." splashed over the crumbling walls lered. exultantly, drinking in derous step the loose sand rolled up Martha forced the and concealed Ihe package into hll.irating draughts of the clean In dense clouds, powdering the ugliness of her arms added a pan of fresh tha old farmhouse bare air. and feasting her excited ' Only dry stalks. applesv "toand rusty harness, the dilapidated cart but with the' eyes on the help nd an the bowed and old shoulders of occasional the mlraeulous jbeauty f i t as mijtce Loth meat," la to turned blighted chrysanthemum bora winter landscape. i Doctor with un additional layer of l gO. . to th loveliness the dust, door reluctantly it of yellow I sirw Doctor Wlmhv i. f,'1'shit other days departed go bv lad Ida watched, covertly, until ,h Insistent t Caning day. Thought melilie Caleb had . of the Indicia knocked boldly, the swaying hood ,. hills, and the moved his huge aggln. Men ain't around ihe bend, herdisappeared and the door swung open l1.bIE!r." winding ,hTb7-,rtr.,- r inqulsItHe a lick sense of got whin It to mind hopping from one conjecture the gentle response of Martha to cakin' Care o ' of t w infer y Ihereself." to atiuther like a sparrow In a Quinn. , angled, determined!to 'possess the hedge Hhe turned at last rather re"Sit down, ,h fl" n4 called Ml be right she-hanews of bit to so walked j her sewing keeping a JV. far the bojs who came 1 luctantly " Just . to obtain tumbling out bf bed sharp eye pa the road aa her t aieh s room when' 'straighlen'n' Inwlld I heard ye and Indescribable Joy f suffused the lusty anticipation. excitement quick flngera fastened the colored knock." The usual tetired face and shade out of the dious process 0f An hour trips lightly - tbs together Leticia dressingentered dauntless and brown stepped slipped byi the winter sunshine ,eve' "Ob. Ung of buttons to el,.Wv corr,I . y I? th ,0 her the doctor called t. saj, Letty, Caleb 'paled and waned; and the ltlver ! spending buttonholes and putting finR'r'"e tTysses aroused tunild eat dinner with road bore ho elgua of horse or on us on of and patched1 faded little pline dreams t hrlstmns! We'll pufl him out ' driver takable proximity byof thoanunmisoif h ,d. ouv we com-rii- d the tajjie in the wilier rocker!" f mEiia old Welt, I might ns welt get that fled enemy hat pu. " lttcr,y d.aiUu..,n to as precipitately tomorrow "Who'll the dedo ahe the .pullin', you? pork tonight engulfing friendliness of 'the kitboy. Ihemsolve. Leticia smiled derisively, cided', depositing sn armful of unLI tile-cachen closet Dickv-hirand couta followed finished work In the willow basrehearsing w' uV,lI. no.. We're expertln' careless dlscri mi nation,- - .ml with ln little runs and two r t morrow night" she lied ket and foldinf a gray ahawl about trills of sturdy legs went jdunging a pair, like dropped plumher ghunt shoulders desperatelv gonded On by the arhe to the floor of hisgolden lowing the cage. in through That the sort was already hang- - metMartha brfant s t emerged from the "parn Ing like a great, red lantern on the ..." msdel ye lor Just then, norn, with! a broom sod chore finally ragged crest of (the hills, did- not de "hK H'lrsijoned her rue ' dust-pu- n In completed, a substantial luncheon her capable hands; snd . from traveling the loneter ing peart, ns she closed the door, packed it In a carefully to content the lard '...,,OUn? sniffed Quinn farmhouse -ly road iwrad the news rJl' kp "" "" and Tom and Charlietin.; contemptuously , pail; Humor had it that she had Once ploughRMd waist f3 risen In the yoiing and chilly hour through the drift, that a lck man. eay f"rrOW' to school, deep, Martha an,P rllid preceding' the dawn. and. single poor thine could that, she added om. dered. the full day. faced, unhinbetter use of hia time than ' handed and alone, driven a tramp she passlonaiely. a, I v UUn prepaid from the sacred precincts of her . ovr i.roh.'.,eU' happy yPr 7alcarpel" lonely life thought,- she culled suddnnly. lift henhouse; that ithe victim had apbin Cant mince plea from T"d.nw,th flushed aa ahe fed the IE L, frag plied next morning at a distant chicken, .f take her f,R"dfu' big oven and farmhouse for first aid and arnica. shavings to the uncovered them ts Rond I.ord know I'm cool in the pantry setting the story bUae However groundless window I nln' "Ul Daleh with fhl md no "It's th beeti have -' wrrther J11 premtrouble Crsige for t me Want of might hovs i bless mv ilnts; but I " word, he retorted gaily Horn th. Imps were thereafter it's clean can t help hankerin', pomeliow, nvIn'; ' next of the for room, road all No , 1 "evejby gentlemn fnit '.a the roomhour ct,rl aBd petticoats, She came thoughtfully lo Ihe matter how many roosts were robin or lift n,y step fin-f- I, 1st nine come " br ft" In the the bed docjr. brushing the flour from her With a broken If- and village depredations When had finished the hands, as she talked. alwavs ceased at the liiver road; nd no on' but Wal-!7- ., toast ami ehe ?n.1r re made the bran coffee she member Wallle's old ried."you and I.etiela Cralge's hens were alto lend a hand with Caleb I't,l.by carried them Into the "parlor'' lowed to grow up from pullethood be at my wlta you bought hint the yeat; chore, where the w eat in bed Into old age unmolested ,d m to keep his mind off n tus- enjojing the unobstructed view L had (hpe me rn I ic re d lt quiie She walked briskly along the IdhlB well, Thfe mile hois came' In lust uth window le path. ' carefully avoiding the ,5r"t-i- a Pretty pennk," but then struggling, manfully, with a sirotef C!U,a h"r and hadf'd for itself dusty leaves that, lav In ''untidy a hundred time, jiald unruly huge bucket of coal, windrows at the ledge of the road hair over in the unbounded Joy It had ' m thoughtfully, as, his Lindly blue brought "deems The grass had (tept Itself green to the hear! of that little Mrihy. Wally eves fhe forlorn rested ution poult! A" yp ( better in sheltered places beside the stone turn lr rres, fallen figure on flhe boy of Ion mro cumin hisself. instead o' hanging walla and underl briar hushes a ede '.'V roH mend it and palm It lit-lrtwo children' Inl1d. Mnrthy, the long dry autumn had slipped and dry M by the fire while like millstones 4 he reassured the bnval 'round yer neck. almost Imperceptibly unto ntld her There's .little when she had poured mu Ihe enKh - she Mirrtha Quinn preserving tho broad valface hnrdened. n'thout It, eaji-ftire added, As the unhappy etiirv. j Mnnye the i VI ley In all Its melldw beauty II bring them rT a ,ln ,et,Pr meanln boy time ally I've heard sun (ttnff of tho ye 'round ahoqt, ithun Wallv with 7i last caressed be assured her gnllv- - , something, words, and seen!' "eniapeak euoh the bare hough of the111 wavstde.. the doctor's hills end' Jennie' " "he sighed w t treew foiii. ,hB a pass.'; rtiln'u7" ho n, though loath could T he turn to , Martha rose with an 'effort it ,uly, turning awsy wind sprung up f other ,IUetih and ' sharp If molher?" eheerfutnesVIIy wmilr) umy writ A I guess "WHI, t suppose ve've heard from hills and sent the drv leaves the cow thousand fears Leu-d- a across Bin't fields milkin' the asaalled Jiwi I 'p thefesebes and hsps he was scurrying 7' Thanksgivin' hev eettln the t raise. slrk leream it e? It's 77 "' of work Midi! quickened her ileps: ihe Quinns In" a say don't move yef leg. SCaleb," she risiVL dim bed the attic h I'1 he gel retired early and shy did not mean him a boy, yea to be cheated of any choice bit of a darter a ysr her 6S vesrs own all thswife; but Bntiy, a She depart, weighed wearilv: d,"n,rh'd ed fault kitchen ward. Borne of her her Ilf,.' Leticia folded A heavily upon few her gossip through Irnm her shoulder, own.fthe found k ths old sled htkrf in iU willow h7re.hJI1rd of a mile or as f pain After out 'whh'VIIII k ttt hist quite hare If clattering milk .palls Into the ' fCintlnu on pMir f 8 - T. foe half-hidde- back-set,- hk t l.hrfh ut K e. .7" fs i . , t wlt-ne- sa wind-swe- insist-entlv- X -- - flr ri rI fSIreihmt f. ,'7"" v rrth a1 f, P-- - hd . ,hin' V'' "black-balled- IUP-'iSnt'fef- ' he.r rift,1 . T i t' seml-inval- td ll J , , ryl lr 'hb'. - Je. throe-quart- e it . otn thrlf s v V J IV . t A f ; &r) g hr' to, r X |
