| Show qt adour odour ot mr with TESTABLE people said al 61 helen i wasting n a glare on JB the crow crowd milling alls about a bargain table each one in search of the very object I 1 am trying to get impossible returned good old cyrus from over his lading of bundles bundies I sonie some are men and cannot be in pursuit of the on your list helen wanted to retort stupid Stu I 1 but laughed instead 1 I dont mean they are looking for step ins and ted tiles dies she returned hut but wo we all want a 15 5 rift gift for 40 cents am m so BO tired I 1 I 1 guess ill go home arid and went just like that she was kind of a sudden person perron perr on which was why cyrus loved tier her but had never found time and place right for telling tier her so helen fell into a waiting jitney oil but she was a wenry and how hov long since the nightmare started it begun began tit in tile the summer when conscience said sit of she crochet what she wanted A to crochet but what would be useful come christmas then came tile slogan shop early 11 helen had shopped early but that did not mean she was able to avoid shopping late the spirit of christmas love good will peace where was it her eyes closed Deto detour url I 1 exclaimed the driver as he turned on a side road lie ile was an extra estra earning for college durl during ng christmas season lie he like the rest of tile the world overworked and under slept after driving IS 18 hours lie had taken this trick so the regular roan man could go and buy things all tile wives made nil all the husbands do the same therefore clay hamilton who had no wife drove the jitney drove it on oil and on perhaps dozed off A wheel skidded something careened and something else smashed where can we be asked helen gazing at a black highway lilg hway the man laughed grimly 1 I do dont nt even know where we are he responded ree spon ded both turned to meet th alie e old man alio hobbled from the nearest house well lie he cackled this Is middleton the town folks forgot years ago trains stopped running we got no garage no phone nigh no inhabitants men my sister live here cause we aint able to live nowhere else mrs gould is bed bedridden nod and her daughter stays to take care of tier her conic come in you cant move on tonight wheel all crumpled up tip and you cant walk it youve hurt your foot as I 1 suspect 11 inside the quaint house with his slice shoe cut off clay made apology to lelen helen 1 I could kick myself he said for getting you into such a scrape I 1 must have dreamed that sign detour the truth Is I 1 have been driving its tile the holiday rush interrupted helen 1 I understand I 1 wont complain though a roll of red tissue paper and 0 you may say it returned helen im reconciled tl holt bolt of green ribbon arent very efel dent clent provisions tor for an overnight stay but that coffee smell good rather it if it that know you are anxious to get home and your christmas preparations id say what larks lark sl 1 you may say it returned alel helen un tro tin reconciled glory be there are arc no signs of holly in this house perhaps said thil the young man following tier her mood though rather amazed weve rt ached a land where here w christmas ends A test I 1 miss eliot addressing their hostess as is she entered with a tray can you tell us tha th date of day after tomorrow day after tomorrow is tile the byrth ty rth r she ile said calmly then she went out for more moie food and helen grinned tit at clay as it if they were ON oll friends the twenty fifth of december was just a datel date I 1 they had actually got away anway from fr oln christmas it proved a delightful evening pr prolonged mix as tile the two young folks folk dl di cussed everything but christmas the next day came bringing a blizzard for a little they spoke of a search being mado made for the jitney but it become evident detour had indeed been a dream never mind clays ankle analo was getting letter better and helen felt like a child out of school in tile afternoon tile two hobbled and tripped respectively into t tho kitchen entry through the half open door they their hostess and the daughter of tile the bedridden bed ridden woman what was waa it they bent over helens parcel with its bunch of scarlet tissue its ita bolt of green ribbon its sprigs of holly bolly but with what wistful eyes were the women regarding these gewgaws gew gaws they say bay whispered miss gou could d barely touching 1 tile pr pretties ettles wa with th finger tips discolored by iodine that in lots of places gnp one never has a christmas gift not t tied led up nice I 1 read it the wrapping Is half the maybe so said miss eliot elio t 1 11 I never had a christmas present 1 I did havo have some good times returned miss gould could before ma took sick hung up my stocking and always got some borne little tricks was nt contented though used to hanker flanker for a n tree helen turned quickly not to bo be caught eavesdropping in the parlor V for fop he pulled from stick in the Wood box she confronted clay Il hamilton amIlton with the air of one about to reply to a loud spoken objection for goodness gracious sake she exclaimed dont say pay whatever you were about to stop right where you are and help me I 1 have to contrive a christmas present for at least a dozen people and deck a tree for two and nothing to do it with not a thing and its already late and night closing in right here was where clay scored above any possibilities of cyrus who would surely have observed the inconsistency lot let it close said lie he tho the local shops arent closed they never open I 1 how would a branch off that hemlock we ran into do for a baby tree splendiferous said helen then she wanted to know what became of the wishbone she had seen on his plate at dinner ile he had saved it for good luck and what was it one used to do with a wishbone why make a pen wiper to be sure so helen ma made aae one and dressed it in red c cut t from tier her overshoe lining fining clay printed nt the rhyme 1 once I 1 was a little part of a little hen now ill be a little slave and help you clean y your our pen it has all the earmarks of the perfect gift helen for I 1 doubt if any one here ever uses us much less has occasion to wipe a pen then she sent clay to gather the alder berries reachable from the porch later she strung these for a necklace on a bit of colored string from her parcel after the allots had retired she went ns na eagerly to work as if she had never forsworn christmas twisting the strands of tiny liny she made dainty baskets she also constructed candlesticks of cornstalks corn stalks trimmed prettily with fringed husks in the meantime clay was not idle for he pulled from sticks in the and borrowing needle find thread from the eliot workbasket sewed tiny hern hemlock lock sprigs into merry Christ christmases mases making objects that helen asserted would be considered just wonderful if discovered in a gift shop all was nt at length completed but the two find little time for admiration ol oi their handiwork since the parcels must be wrapped with all the wealth of tile the tissue the ribbon the holly and thes the seals cals and was helen tired to death when all was complete nay standing beside clay on the little porch listening to the cracking ice fee as trees trees swayed in fit the rising wind wilid site she felt as it if swaddled in tile the comfort of a great joy vainly had elie E lie thought lier herself sick of christmas christinas 11 at tier her fiert chance to forget she had worked tier her to bring holiday to tile the fop gotten town with dawn slie site knew the extent of her success clay who had been limping about told her that in every house some old body with trembling hands was unwrapping a gift sure to be treasured for years and nothing for either of u laughed helem yet a few 1110 Menti after when miss ellot eliot entered tile the room it was to say my dear I 1 never before no noticed the pretty ring on your linger I 1 two golden hands clasped an old fashioned betrothal token vil which liell du cla hamilton hall had from ills big mother and because it was always with him hod hat quite providentially taken on oil detour Q k 1927 rostem union maton |
