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Show fChrislmcis j Violets BS (. iKa. Wwltrn ,NtWiptpr Cnloa XJAROLD hnd been told by hie motliw that big cities were full of designing womeu. Harold did not know whether his mother was right or not Uut ho did know that In his city boarding houso thero was one of the dearest little girls who had ever lived. ' Harold wns not selush. Ho was far from being a miser. His Idea of a miser was a chnp he hnd known In his home town. He hnd never spent nny money which he could possibly avoid spending. Ho always ato with his friends and rarely pnld for u meal. He wns ntwnys out of cigarettes and so smoked Ills friends' cigarettes. He had made n good living and never failed to talk of his poverty. He hnd been accused of worshiping money nnd he had replied: "Not n bit of It I hnvo ,HBv'23M9 the boarding laaaaanaWirt.-- noaa tot six 'fHJKMr months now. Did 'ft-Hljp she think he waa flHaaanniVO meanT Tn,lt w" ) . htm. Sho had told blm ofn person she had known whom she considered a miser, and she hnd told him of a Joke upon this "miser." For ho hnd bargained with a little shop dealer and had obtained an article marked a dollar for fifty cents, and then had walked down the street n little farther on and had seen the same article In another window for1 twenty-five cents. And finally he had seen It In n ten-cent store for a dime-well, dime-well, he had nlmost considered Ufa useless, whlto everyone else had rejoiced re-joiced that it bad been a good one on the "miser," Ono of the reasons that made him fec( that she thought, perhaps, he waa mean was because she knew others who were generous. Or, at least, one other. Every Saturday she had received flowers. She had taken a cord out of the box as they had sat at tho bourd-Ing bourd-Ing houso table ot breakfasts The other boarders teased her about her admirer and she seemed to enjoy It. Only ho felt uncomfortable and could say nothing. And Helen, whom he called to himself him-self the denrest little girl, had been receiving these flowers for quite a few weeks now. Finally he could stand It no longer. His mother needn't tell him anything more about the city's designing women. wom-en. He was not going to lose the dearest little girl, If there wns yet a chance, because of his mother's warnings warn-ings to keep to himself. And, besides, Christmas was coming, and Christmas was n time of year when everyone felt happy. He was going, go-ing, to make a tremendous fight to b happy I And he sent her violets, beautiful deep purple violets, with a pink rose In the center. Never had he seen her so happy aa she was over his violets. How differ ently she acted about his than about the others. And then be asked her If she would tnko a walk with him, So far, they had had all r-clr talks In the boarding house. "I wonder," he said, "If you'd think it wns awfully sudden If I made a lit tie suggestion I . was thinking how Vjl"" nice n ring would I Ht look on left tjHVV hand of yours JbbbbbbbbbbjIm ns a Christmas IBiBBm bbbbbbbbbbbVRIbI pres- HPK'aV .so bold, and If fKk,Z&jtl you've not already wmKW Nfgi promised yourself jimMJMiftfjm to the other fel- iDilfiwjM low? Or, maybe f IbbbbmbbI you could lenrn ' tSBBnBBal to llko me V lHf "The ono who fWrnWrl has been sending rmjntimfm you flowers all along." - "Oh," Helen said, "I'll have to tell you the truth. I sent them to myself. You were so shy, you seemed to llko me and yet couldn't go about telling me or asking me out, and I thought maybe I'd make you curious or Jealous or something." "And you've cared for tne all along as I novo for your" he queried. She nodded. And then ho told her the warnings ho had been given by bis mother. "I don't know out what's she's right," Helen wild. "I made designs for you, she could truthfully soy." But neither of them thought of the past, only of the glorious future abend. And Helen wore more violets on Christmas day mid a ring with a stone which sparkled so beautifully. And Uiey hnd dinner by themselves a real Christmas dlimer, for It wan not only riirlstmnH day It wn IIHr wnli'i'ie day. too! |