Show D e a s e e 0 e e 0 one christmas in the mountains by EARL MARBLE 7 copyright two or three days before the holy holiday as christmas has not inaptly been termed the dense almost sol id snow clouds set tied down over the rocky mountains and the adjacent region as though burying them mountain deep with the feathery flakes that came silently and swirl angly down stead lly fly and stent 1012 10 12 VP ar ly busy as though I 1 w building a nw range of moun bains of solid and never ending pearl stretching away seemingly in an endless chain and creeping up to 4 A ward the zenith in an ail ambition to outdo nature her self Water sprouts have been known in a few moments of time to anun date valleys and even hills them 41 selves and such a display of the forces of nature as this seemed to be a EL snow spout it if such a word may be coined just before entering the snowy realm on an east bound train haro hare d lancaster had telegraphed to hollyville Holl a pretty little village in illinois that he was on his way home and would be there in season to as in the crusch festivities on christ mas after which the train had plunged into the mountain region he did not know that his telegram was not sent as before it was dispatched the wires had broken under the weight eight m of the snow and all communication with the east was suspended the train plunged ahead assisted occasionally by a con snowplow snow plow and wag was making fair progress toward the summit where it was expected it would meet with less obstruction than on the western slope harold had gone on a trip up through the wonderful canadian country in the tall fall promising to re turn to assist in giving a christmas entertainment in the church of which edith lowell his sweetheart was the soprano as he was the tenor he ile had written a little musical skit in which he was to essay the part of a trumpeter and messenger to announce to the christian world or the soon to be christian world the birth of the saviour and his announcement of that event was to tie bo greeted by the beautiful soprano voice of miss low ell in a welcoming aria which haa hac been composed with particular refer ence to her exquisite method of bird like till ings which was one of the features of her voice that made her so 0 o popular with those who listened to lier ter voice sunday after sunday As christmas approached and day after day passed without any word being received from young lancaster she seemed buried in gloom as deeply as were the foothill s and even the peaks as well as the canyons of the great dividing range of the country all this time out in the mountains a tra n was creeping along slowly and a muffled tenor voice was murmuring almost muttering in oc cc cas ional vo icings A son is born to the highest I 1 and again glory halle lujah as though in rehearsal of the event in the little church in holly ville at last christmas eve arrived and the congregation congie gation in their seats were expectant the choir singers seemed to take their cue from miss lowell and a small modicum of success only was anticipated everybody was ras ready for the start and there m nas as a pause the blast OB on the trumpet sounded which was the signal for edith to rise and be ready to fo great gre 4 the tenor announcement if only harold m were ere here she sad sa d sotto voice as she arose it will ee hard tor for me to sing it she stood expectantly I 1 have no rat on without harold following the trumpet signal a fig ure appealed in n the distance but edith did not have the heart to look there seemed to be a little commo lion tion 0 dear she exclaimed I 1 hope that end of it will not fail fall also as I 1 tear fer this will then a clear ringing voice sounded forth which acted on edith like an electric battery A son is born to the highest she heard which was followed by glory hallelujah taken up by both choir and congregation her inspiration had arrived she knew the voice so well and her heart leaped as her voice rang out in the opening notes ot of her aria which in turn was so inspiring that it brought the entire audience to its feet and all remained standing in deference to her sweet delivery of the words and notes alike it was a great triumph said t lit did pastor as he was being cong ratu and love was the key keynote note said w knowing young deacon yes love to god said the pastor and to man added the deacon ts f fc t |