Show Brices Brice's Christmas at Old Farm Home Jolly Girl Gives Give Uncle and Aunt and Young Friends Friend Happy Surprise By FRANK HERBERT SWEET RICE ARPEn stepped happily from the train A whole month vacation vacation vacation vaca vaca- tion with Christmas Christmas Christ Christ- mas mae only onIT ten days daYI awa away That meant ij d i nearly three weeks for Christmas after Jollification skating visiting around and curled up before the big fireplace popping corn and reading and talking just just playing lady After Atter three steady grinding years In the department department depart depart- ment went store It would be heavenly Wouldn't Aunt Margaret and Uncle Jack be surprised and pleased I It was to be a surprise She had not written them She flashed a look down the plat plat- form torm Yes there thero was wooden-legged wooden Sam the peering Into the baggage room for possible business hoo hool I she challenged The old looked up stared then stumped forward Brice Harper for a fact tact I 1 he cried Back home agIn Come to stay or ora I a a just visiting Uncle Sam A whole month though After three years rd Td never have bave believed I could stay away that long I want you to take my trunk I right out and HI ride with you Aint ye had had a letter nor asked the old man whose face tace had been growing troubled N Anything the matter matterT r with sudden anxiety No except they aint there Folks round here know all other folks do ye le So I did hear your Aunt Magret Holmes said Christmas was so lonesome hero here the she wouldn't spend another another another an an- other like Uke the last Two three days ago she an an your Uncle Jack went over Into the next county to spend Christmas Christmas Christmas Christ Christ- mas with a cousin who has a o o o. children I was by there yesterday yesterday yesterday yes yes- an an the house did look dismal all shet abet up with hens an an turkeys com com- all aU over the place there anyone to look after them I One O o the Dill l b boys was V ask asked d to r I i D o but vu DUI he lU 8 ue 8 s em shame fill tul He HeA lIeA lIe He- A shrill hall ball came from a store atom across from the station Say Brice Drice wheedled the old ex- ex pressman would ye mind three 1 a l II I Take th the Box Over Uncle Sam She Said or four seconds That mad shouter was storekeeper Tomson Been Heen speet In a box o 0 Christmas stuff moren a week an on t t was Just off ort this train lie He was yellin to me Spose I take the tho box over to him then come an an carry curry you OU and the trunk out to one oneo oneo o 0 your our girl friends 7 They'll all be beI glad to have ye yo visit em I But Hut Brice had been thinking rap rap- Idly I Take the box over Uncle Sam she Bhe said laid and Ill I'll run across to the post postoffice postoffice I office while youre you're gone I want to toI I wilt W some portals And no I wont won't embarrass any of my girl friends Ton ma rosy carry my ml trunk right out to th the farmhouse I know where Aunt Mar Mar- Margaret Margaret garet hides the key keT And I 1 know she and Uncle Jack would want me to go right there and use UIG everything as 81 my ml own Ill I'll take tako care of the poultry enthusiastically and Ill I'll bake one of the turkeys for Christmas and cook everything that goes goos with It It pies and cakes cabs and all Wont Won't It be fun I l lYou You can mite a lot of your girl girlfriends girlfriends friends to eat with you too grinned the Afterward agreed Brics They will all want to eat at home on Christ Christ- mas mal Then well we'll have bave a round of nice visiting But Dut for tor the real Christmas Im I'm going to depend on the portals There are aro lots lota of nice girls In the department department department de de- store who haven't any anT homland home and who will have bays to depend on the cheap boarding hous houses s they live Uve at Ill I'll write rUe a postal to Aunt Margaret and five or six to girls I know will be glad to spend their w week ek or ten days daYI vacation with me And say gay Uncle Sam HI Ill look around the house boUle and then make a nit list of groceries and other things I 1 want you yon to bring out and and and- any place where I can buy bUT a Christinas Christ Christ- mss mils tree treeT Aint none better than grow right down on your uncles uncle's lower shed med ined- der All right Ill I'll get ret the Dill DIU boy to help and well we'll cut and rig up a nice one one Or Or no Ill I'll watt walt a n few days day until some somo of ot the tore store girls come If It they feel like me me dad and I know they ther will will- will they'll want to help get the tree and trim It and to help cook the dinner Need any Christmas present stuff chuckled old Sam been he be was bavin havin the grandest holiday hot holi day goods ever opened up here comin In that box like to see him pry the cover off oft Deed I would promptly Ill bo be boright boright right over from the post office The Tho girls girl condemned to a prospective boarding house Christmas accepted Brice Invitation On the third day old Sam Barn brought the hilarious five ve out In his hi ancient express wagon In La the three days Brie Drice and the Dill DIU boy bor had bad been making the house ready 1 assess Greens n Were Found at the Edge of the Swamp for tor them and looking over the root ant and I apple cellar and preserve closet with an eye ele to Christmas Then the girls piled in like Uke a whole Jolly ally Christmas In Itself and the old farmhouse seemed like Uke to burst buret itself The Christmas tree was wai cut and drawn home with all the appropriate songs longs and carols and they theT could think of ot and trimmed as aa never a Christmas tree had bad been trimmed before Greens found among the leaves at the edge o of the swamp a small holly discovered and a sprig of mistletoe bought a at some store tore The kitchen became fillet filled with fragrance and song the evening crackled with popping corn rang with voices about the awakened organ am and the fireplace glowed with the lop logs behind behind be be- hind and the half bait I circle of ot baking apples In front And then right In the midst of 1 it the hearty voice of Uncle Jack roared through the door mellowed by the softer happy happ laugh of ot Aunt Margaret Margare that accompanied It t tIm Im rm going to have that dinky post pos postoffice postoffice office over yonder indicted guffawed Uncle Jack Kept that postal four fon days before the R It n. F. F D D. delivered It Fifteen minutes after that we were on our way Of course we had to come Five more girls to help wake the old oldhouse oldhouse oldhouse house up Whoopee I Why didn't you write so 80 we needn't have left the lonesome lonesome lone lone- some placer place Why didn't you write you were goIng going go go- ing lag away so rd Id have known what to expect 7 retorted Brice Drice Lucky none of us didn't laughed A bi L AU ant argaret mi- mi far Ul then 11 wu we t not have these nice five lIve extra girls Bu nut come I must get Into the kitchen But Bat weve we've cooked and cooked and one cooked till till Ull- Not enough declared Aunt Margaret Margaret Margaret Mar Mar- garet firmly no matter how much youve you've done There are all your old friends that must be Invited to come though they would anyway And w we want your friends here to meet em Then we must invite a lot of ot extra young people In evenings to help kee keep things going Then Then Then-my my land I 1 If I hadn't forgotten I Theres There's a wagon load outside Wheres Where's Jack Oh I Iguess guess guels hes he's gone out to look after em You see eee Cousin Mary didn't want u uto us to leave being nigh Christmas S Swo So Sowe Sowe we wo brought em all along Not any danger of ot bavin havin too much to ea eaThen eat Then there aint much Christmas goodover goods good over In the next county so BO Jacks Jack's gaIn goin Into town this to buy more But Aunt Margaret weve we've got a tree ram ram jammed jammed full tull explained Price Not enough firmly We Ve can pac pack mote more on the floor under it Now Im I'm goin Into the kitchen Cant Can't you see lee girls b her r firm voice suddenly dropping drop ping pathetically 1 being Christmas Ive I've Just got to cook something fix fang Uti tali WWII Volo |