Show 11 1 11 f defir L lettle i ille vi da s gray aluff by arnd FERRIS a T HAD begun way back in novem her ber the sunday after ing when sallie carter came in late to church with a gray as muff the sermon ft nas as too deep for vida who had berhand her hand on her face and was almost asleep when nhen a lj flash of gray in the next pew af 1 caus caused d h her e r to turn her head ever so slightly and peep through her chubby fingers there it stood on the velvet cushion beside sallie trim warm and lined with pearly gray satin exactly like mrs carters 0 beautiful b g one but smaller by half A great longing began to grow in vida s heart but from that day on till the of december vida thought of nothing but a gray muff how she would look carrying it how it would feel and how every sunday afternoon she would let poor dorothy haines carry it for tor a whole block the bath fell pit on sunday that year and saturday morning dawned bright and clear vida and her mother were stand ng together at t the he nur sery window as with a jingle of merry bells the carters sleigh dr drove ove by vida sighed contentedly to morrow she said I 1 shall be carrying a gray astrakhan muff her mother laughed merrily va vida da dear she said you asked santa claus for seven other things you said so only this morning you coulden couldn rit t expect him to remember them all and he s as likely to forget the muff as the french doll or tie tl e tea set its it s foolish to count on adv one thing when you made so long a a list I 1 told you to be moderate and her busy mother hurried off in answer to a call from aunt jane not count on it why she had done nothing but count on it ever since santa claus had found her note says st nicholas not count on it christmas would be nothing without it I 1 at last twilight came and the da dark rk ness fell and in the corner of the great hall sofa facing the clock on the tile stairs vida a disconsolate little body tell fell asleep her mother wakened her when it was time to hang up her stocking and then in spite of her warning and in spite ol 01 her long hours of worry hope was born again and when vida kissed her mother good night visions of 0 gray astrakhan muffs danced laher in her head merry christmas merry christ mas it seemed to vida she had but closed her eyes and there stood moth er an and d aunt jane beside her bed one with her worsted shoes and the other m with ith her red eiderdown wrapper to hurry her over to the nursery where her father stood awaiting at the door merry christmas merry christ mas oh papa I 1 said it first she cried laughingly as her father caught her in his arms vida drew a quiet breath and gave a little happy exclamation then she flew straight to the fireplace the muff should be there of the seven presents six were not forgotten and there were others she had not asked for but vida vidas s lips were quivering and agrest a great lump swelled in her throat the muff the beautiful gray astra khan muff was not there santa claus had forgotten it but vida was brave and she would not let those who loved her see her cry or suspect her disappoint ment she turned away from them and went to the north window fight ing with her tears oh papa papa she cried ex elatedly come here come here right away see there Is something out on the root roof her father opened the window quickly and climbed out vida s heart beat so wildly she could scarce ly speak her father was picking up a box it was about the size of aunt jane s cooky jar and it was round well her father said as be he climbed back into the nursery here Is something old st nick dropped and from its size I 1 guess it s meant tor for you vida s hands trembled so she could scarcely tug off the round top of the box J st as it was about to yield a budden fear fell apon her heart para peri perl aps perhaps he didn dian t mean it for me perhaps tie be dropped it and it belores befit gs to some other 1 atle girl iri t her fathers s eyes twinkled look at t e bottom of the box lit 3 tie one he said vida turned the box upside down t there was her name vida sumner lane as plain as plain could be and while she was vas staring at it open mouthed out dropped not a ittle 1 atle L ay astral 1 ian an muff but a beautiful soft chinch lla ila one and a little collar to ma h and sallie carter i 1 eel ed 2 1 through her fingers that christmas mom moin bg ng a the happiest little sil a all christendom i |