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Show & oe Evergreen 4 w Girl6 V Marston Mercer V OWT'M iff fit Our Nwippr SyruttCdLe pBsa VKItT year about the mid-la mid-la f'j die of November a small p pv "'j s'lSn appeared over the H r i door of the Thomas cot-(5 cot-(5 tage which bore the legend, "The Evergreen Shop." Every year during the Christmas season Ituth Thomas made hundreds of evergreen wreaths, which she sold for Christmas decorations. This was why the people of Brierlw .ailed her the evergreen girl. The day before Christmas Ruth sat In her little shop finishing the last wreath she would make that season. "There!" she said, deftly twisting a sprig of bright red berries among the evergreen stems, "that finishes Helen Stanwood's order, and thank goodness it's done in time. Oh, dear !"she sighed, laying (he wreath pside, "I do wish I could spend one Christmas time en-Joying en-Joying myself ns others do. Why, there has not been anyone here over the holidays holi-days since I can remember, and I have not been to a Christmas party in years not since the time I went over to Dolly 111 air's with Dane." A warm color suddenly glowed in the irirl's cheeks and there was a soft light in her. brow n eyes as she thought of that memorable night. Dane Stanwood had taken her to that party. Ouce during the evening he caught her ns she was standing under the mistletoe bough, and The sudden roar of a high-power automobile auto-mobile broke ut upon Ruth's musings, and she looked out in time to see a long blue roadster flash past the gafe. The car belonged to Dane Stanwood. Shortly after the Christmas party at Dolly Blair's Dane had gone West to become a mining engineer. lie had written a-few times to Ruth and then the letters had stopped comiiiL'. and she had not heard from him for nearly four years. Then, just a :nonth ago, "Back with you!" echoed Ruth. "Really I I can't go. There is so much to do hero, and " I "Iiosh !" laughed Dane. "Of course j you will go back with me. Fact Is you'll have to." lie waved his hand I as Jiuth starfpd to speak. "No ex- cuses now, for I won't listen to 'em. You see," Stanwood went on, "Sis and her friend were supposed to hel;T get things ready for the parly tonight, but she telephoned just as I was leaving leav-ing the house that the train on which her friend was to arrive is very late. She may not get back un'il nine o'clock, and the party begins at eight. I told Sis I could never ger tilings ready In time, for the decorating isn't half done. Then she happened to think of you, and I said right off that you would be just the one to help us out. You're not going t disappoint us, are you?" very anxiously. "We-11, perhaps I can go for a little while," said Ruth. "I'd dearly love to trim that Christinas tree." "Of course, I won' stay to the parly," she thought as she scurried' upstairs after a wrap, "so I won't see Dane's sweetheart, for of course she is the one Helen is to meet at the train. And I really jught to help Dane and his s'ter out, for they have teen such good customers." Dane ushered Ruth into the big double parlors of his new home, where (he Christmas tree bad been placed. "Do you suppose," he asked, pointing point-ing to a great pile of evergreen at one end of the room, "we will be able to bang all these wreaths and then decorate deco-rate the tree before eight o'clock?" The evergreen girl gave u merry little lit-tle laugh. "I am sure we can if we work fast," she answered. "I am used to this work, you know, and with your help it won't take long." "How long have you been the evergreen ever-green girl?" Dane asked, as lie and Ruth were trimming a chandelier. "This is my third season," Rulh replied. re-plied. "I found that (here was a big demand for wreaths and laurel trimming trim-ming during the Christmas holidays, so three years ago I opened an evergreen ever-green shop. I love to do tills kind of work, and although the seson is a short one, my little shop pays well." The evergreen girl might have udded that, more than this, the rnsh of work just at Christmas time helped her to forget the dull ache In her heart which was always so hard to bear during the holidays. She said nothing of this, though, but linked, instead: "Tell me, Dane, how you have spent Christinas while you have been away. Have you been where there was much merry-making ':" "For the past three years," said Stanwood, "I've celebrated Christmas by working from dawn till dark. This Is the first enjoyable Christmas eve I have known since I left Rrierly." "It has been a ver pleasant evening eve-ning fur ii)e. too," said Ruth, "and I have enjoyed it ever so much. Now we'll trim the Christmas tree, and then you can take me home an-1 get back i:i time for the party." At half-past seven Dan1 surveyed the big double parlors will) :-.atIsfaotlon. With the help of the ever;.Toen girl he bad finished the decoratiors mid everything every-thing was In readiness for the guests. "The rooms look just as they did four years ago at Dolly l'.lalr's Christmas Christ-mas tree even the mistletoe bough," said Dane. "Don't you remember bow j that one hung right over our heads, as this one does now ?" The evergreen girl was silent. "Had you forgotten, Ruth?" he per- afSt- ' J IS 1 ' ' : -7 s ! i;i g,;- ,s JA ;-j "Mi i-;':.-''L J si-tod. "No," softly, "I bad not forgotten." "You never thought I had forgotten, did you, dear?" "Rut you never wrote, Dane." "Because for a long time I was miles from a railroad or post otllee and could not send any mall. Bi ; I've thought of that night,-though, and all these years I've been planning to have a Christmas party as much like that one as I could, only (Ids one tonight will be for you." "Rut Isn't the friend who Is coining with Helen your I'.ancce?" faltered Kuth. "Not exactly," laughed Dane. "That friend Is Harry North, Helen's fiance. The girl I expect to marry Is hen, now, and, by ,ove ! I've caught her again sli.r.tlhi..' under the mistletoe bough." "The Girl I Expect to Marry Is Here." fae had suddenly appeared In Rrierly tvlth the blue racing car. Soon It was rumored that lie hud made a fortune In the mines. The second week after tils return Stanwood bought the old Blnin mansion man-sion and gave the Information that be Intended to move Into his new home before Christmas. Next be announced that preparations were under way for a party which he was giving Chri.st-mas Chri.st-mas eve. The evergreen girl bud been surprised sur-prised and a little bit hurt because Dane bad not even called. She had thought It flrange, too, at lir-t, that she ilid not receive an Invitation to Ihe party, for she knew nearly everyone every-one in Brierly was going. But when I r t ; 1 1 was told the party was to be given In honor of Sl.-in" ocd's fiancee, she understood why s 1 1 had not been Invited. "That Is why Helen Stanwood didn't menthol the parly when she ordered hose wreaths," Buth thought. -- she began tying them together, "of course, I would not go anyway now. My. but !hey will have lo hurry If Ihey hang all lhe.se wreaths before eight o'clock." The evergreen girl was so busy get-ling get-ling the Stanwood order ready Hint she did not notice thai Ihe blue roadster had returned and stopped by Ihe gate. Neither did she observe the broail-.diotildered broail-.diotildered young man who was striding HI) Ihe path. The bell jingled merrily. "There's Helen now, after the ivrealhs," Haiti thought, and she ran to the door. Pane was slamllng 111 Ihe porch. "Why, Pane!" she exclaimed, drawing draw-ing back In confusion. "I low you slarllod mo. I thought II was your slsler, and " "Helen Inn gone to Balford lo meet n friend who Is lo spend Ihe holidays wllh us," said the young man, "so she sent me nfler the wrenlhs." lie smiled down nl the girl. "Tills Is Ihe evergreen ever-green shop, Isn't II ?" "Vc.h," said Rulh, forcing a smile In rel urn. "And you are Ihe evergreen girl?" "I believe Ihey call mo thai," she a nswered. "Well," wild Slanwood, "Sis told unto un-to bo Hiiro and fetch you back with me HUefi I rctuiL,od." |