Show T TE WAS a small boy named FE I 1 tim who had never boon been more than ton ten miles from his homo in tile the ozark hills ilis his teacher said he even bound arkansas Arkans ns his own state stale but what his teacher know was how well lie he knew tile the mountain crick and tho the hill slopes circled with greengold green gold bold pine tr trees cc that bounded his fathers tiny farm ile ho also knew what it took to keep keel a family of six children and that t tor or as long as ho he could remember his fathers tn firm farm had scarcely been be en able to produce enough to stretch over every need it was just before christmas timo time that lie ho hoard heard his father tell ilila his mother that if there was to be anything extra to give tile the tiny day its meaning for tile the children hod hed have to gut got tho the ax and hack out a few ties iler face i went for she knew what that meant so often had they I 1 been forced to to remain on tha hacking ot of a few ties to bo be sold to the railroad tor for dire necessities that practically all their timber available for that 0 purpose was gone and trees dont grow over night she could tell by the look on her husbands husband face that he woo was taking a desperate and backbreaking back breaking chanco chance ot of finding a few ew logs tough enough for or the commission man to buy As ene looked out of tile tho window and saw the passing cars of winter on the new scenic road the government had built through tho the hills the she wondered by what magic folks could come to own automobiles to and take time oft like that to go traveling but she many moments to spare on such thoughts for her husband had returned to say any that tho the ax was gone could one of the children have taken it itt or what with tile the new road so near acar and strangers riding through tho the hills had someone made oi off with ita it tho the father had borrowed an ax from a willing neighbor but on the tha day before christmas ho he was silent ea as ho he unhitched his team in the wagon lot christmas tomorrow and ho he had been forced to bring back tile tho load from town the commission man had been truly sorry for he did need ties yet none ot of these were largo large enough ile ho crept up to a window lost in the anse of failure that mado made him ashamed to walk to his own door there an odd sight stra straightened ight him inside were tim and his mother joyously loyous ly trimming a christmas tree tim raced to the door to keep the tha younger children from bursting gleefully into tho the room and learning its great secret when the father entered the house no one asked him about tho the ties dad dadi tim shouted do you know those red berry trees that grow way up the crick awful hard to got to but when I 1 found em I 1 thought they were so I 1 took some to school the 4 teacher said holly and an then I 1 read about holly and learned that folks will pay for it to have it for christmas so I 1 gathered a r lot of it and made 14 D S a 1 1 me a holly stand up on the new road just hopin they would and dad thy did buy stopped their cais cars and said why lla its holly who would have thought wed find tt it fi cierel erel they wanted so much I 1 had to work awful hard getting it but gee it was funt I 1 wanted to surprise mom and you and now ill tell itell yuit you both th that at I 1 made 2782 theres 20 right now in that bureau drawer left after buying our christmas christinas gee dad I 1 love this old farm I 1 its got lots of surprises on it yet this one aint the lost last one the father brushed a albear tear from his eye and kissed his wife then he shook hands with tim youre the kind of son a man can be right proud to own 1 he be choked but dad will you forgive me the boy I 1 suddenly implored why tim forgive you what the father asked in surprise the boy led the way to the kitchen you see dad I 1 just had to have it the father pretended to frown as tim pointed and then he winked well being as its just about christmas for us al as veil axell as the rest of the world I 1 guess ill have to overlook it for there in a far corner of the room stood the ox ax it was tint tim who had borrowed it to 0 western per balom |