Show IT the christmas U t by blanche tanner dillin fir snow was beautiful but T made ono one feel somewhat lonely nancy atwell thought ns as she stood at the window watching the tailing failing snow for on an instant the she regretted refusing the ur gent invitations of 0 tier her two broth brothers erg and two sisters to spend the holt holl days with them each h of them had been b con insistent but were all so tor far away it was out ot of tho the ques bucs tion financially and she want them to furnish the money and then for or years she had and spent christmas christinas hero here in tile tho connecticut hills with grandmother and she imagine it seeming like christmas christinas any place else peggy north her old and dear friend had written that she could not get gel away tor for tho the holidays so hoped that nancy could bo be with her nancy had done little toward any sort ot of festivities and had left led putting up tho the decorations until the last minute in tact fact she bought anything neathe old ones would do well enough perhaps she might just as well go up to tho the attic now and see what there was it might seem more like christmas with some decorations around As slie she opened a drawer in an old chest tier her hand touched grand mother mothers a old quilt 10 rand moth ers happiness quilt as she always called it it was just such a day as this so long ago when sitting at grandmothers feet down in tho the setting room she had heard the history of the pieces in the quilt there was no place hero here in the attic to look at it so together with wreaths and garlands of V 00 A 4 Z le she had heard the history of the he pieces tinsel a she he carried the quilt down to the room where she had heard its history for or the first time and spread it out cut on the bed here was a piece from the dress grandmother had worn when grandfather proposed here w was as the piece of grandmothers wedding dress dres from christening robes party dresses wedding dresses and dresses worn on other happy occasions some almost in shreds but still enough left to recall the stories to nancy as grandmother atwell had told them how gr grandmother and mother had loved telling them and how she had laughed at some memory nancy had c corn om dented on what a happy life grandmother had had no ile one ever had a happier one grandmother assured tier her how cheerful unselfish grandmother had been never dwelling on her own troubles but ready to help others in theirs nancy recalled the times grandmother had been the means of making the path a little smoother the pain less keen by the gift of something nancy especially wanted or the fulfilling of some cherished plan of nancys and when nancy was left alono alone in the old home and grandmother sent tor for her she must have guessed just how much nancy wanted the rest and quiet the hills would give her nancy never forgot the smile and embrace with which grandmother greeted her no rehearsing of painful experiences but plans immediately med lately made for happy days in the future nancys loss had been grandmothers as well but grandmother hai had never let others know the shadows that crossed her path what a satisfaction it must be to be able to help others as ai grandmother had then nancy saw how 8 she he could do the same in a measure r e at least first she could give anna a vacation over the holidays next sho she would wire peggy she would be with her over christmas As she laid the quilt away after carrying out her plans deep deap gratitude filled her heart tor for if she found the quilt she would never have known the happiness she now felt v r PI en union minn |