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Show By KATHERINE GLOVER , Copyright, IPOCi-jba; Katlicrlno Otovor. r yj T was Christmas Y; eve, and Carl's (""v. f Uttli bohoinlan 1 r rcstnurnnt was p V ( bcglunlHi; to f ll "I' with Bay, C! ,nuh,llR f0lU' ( Ix ta-Ui -xvlio sauntered n?& '" ,, lW0H UIul II (W "ir,'cs' tno meu Wli lPPlng ono lUiiM nimtlu'r on tho f"" Miouldora as t InltZK rial thoy imsscd' lirinl' bantering tho tJly if Hill Httlo German I l proprietor und hl 1) a J taking calm nnd easy pos-"SIIK pos-"SIIK ISN'T COiURO." mors I on of things, as If they were well used to the ways of tho place. Shabby autAlll kept most of them looked, luttl their faces were bright and their Ijn woro bubbling with little snatches of Kong, overllow-ln overllow-ln evidently from hearts full of gay-cty. gay-cty. At ono table In ncoruer sat a man apart from the crowd and clearly oblivious ob-livious to the life of the place, his eyes eagerly watching 'first the clock and then the door. Once or twice he started start-ed and half rose from bis chair as some ono entered, scantilus u face closely, only to sink back with a long sigh. It vnib live minutes "of 7 o'clock. "She Isn't coining," ho 'thought, nnd he let his chin fall hoavllr Into his palm while ho tried to gather his thoughts. At last, half conscious of some one approaching, ho looked up and found n girl standing there, ber hand outstretched. out-stretched. "I am lute," she said hurriedly. hur-riedly. "Have I kept you waiting longV "Yes, but it doesn't matter. Nothing matters now that "you arc here," he fcald warmly, taking her hand In both of his. "Sit down and let mo look at you." Ho drew out her chair and seated himself opposite. Both were silent for a moment wlillo they looked j jstclidlly Into each ether's eyes. Tho.l color rose slowly In.tlio girl's checks, anil she turned away ,, "M tMH talmutitcHko JAtl"loaru?4it3' sho'aslieTirvTTlinrxt.-Crci'mtl'laiiKn. "Llko all tho hestJof tho old time's, rolled Into one." hoWl. "Ilcavons. Iiqw I have wanted to be back, Joyce 1" "Wo are both growhg too old to bo sentimental, Jack. levant you to toll mo nil about Paris jtltl your success. I road about you and was very proud to be an old friend Jpfitho distinguished distinguish-ed young Americatf artist, Mr. Joint Hamilton Seawell." Thoy woro Interrupted by tho waiter, wait-er, an old friend ofVtho two, who bowed bow-ed and scraped nnfnflnlte number of times boforo thoy could utop him. "Tonight "To-night we nro to lnivq all tho things we used to pretend wdldn't llko becauso tho figures were too stoop for our Incomes, In-comes, with a fewTf tho more familiar things thrown In for nuld lang syne," ho said, scanning tho menu card. Joyce nodded her iTead nnd smiled, nnd tho order wns llnally given after a long conference ofTtho three. When tho wnitejjbrought the dinner, tho tablo was heaped, with little dishes nfv'W ') A v A W tr-ii iin' "BOMJOTJim HElt IMAaii WOt'W HTEA& METWEKM 1IIU AND TnE CANVAS." of all sorts, more than they could pos-j pos-j slbly havo eaten If thoy had boon sav- Ing up for this ono menl during all tho j tlmo of their separation. In reality thoy were both too excited to bo bun- gry, and IhoT tonguos wont so fast tlint there wasftlnio only for spasmodic j dips Into thq.)varlous dishes. When j tho dinner tapered off to coffco nnd cheese, however, they both fell Into sl- lonce. The limit llgiitcti"'ti cigar in' ino old easy way they were used to and said between puffs, ''I want to tell you u jrtory.'MIIe. Joyce, If you will listen." 'I shall bo most happy." she itilil wltii assumed gayety. "lint be sure to make It end well. I don't llko sad stories on Christmas eve." "I shall do my best not to make It end unhappily, but that Isn't for mo to say. Well, here goes: "Once upon a time there lived a dear, foolish maiden and a stupid, struggling artist, whom sho befrlond-ed. befrlond-ed. The maiden ut Icust ought .to linvo boon very rich, possessor of stately mansions and all that sort of thing, If she had had her de-serln, but, truth to tell, both of them woro very, very poor -so poor that the inalden used to wear frayed skirts and cracked shoes sometimes, some-times, though she laughed and pretended pre-tended she did It for fun, nnd tho artist art-ist was so poor that well, he was poorer than any really respectable person per-son over was before. Tho two lived next door neighbors high up In tho Hiimo cheap boarding house In a busy little city called Now York. For some unfathomable reason the maiden took pity on the nrtlst and used to help him out of his domestic dllllcultles and try to patch tip his moral snags and tears as well. Sho was his good angol and mitdo the days of struggling worth w!.:: for the stupid nrtlst. Sho used to x.r.'to wonderful stories much too wonderful to bo appreciated by tho earthy editors she had to submit them to. In splto of their poverty, they used to hnvo good times together, those two. When things grew very somber they would help each other jeer at fortune. There wits a little restaurant where they would hnve Jolly dinners whenever when-ever tho artist sold a sketch or two. Carl, tho keeper of tho restaurant, was their friend and served them good dinners din-ners .seasoned with sago philosophy. Tho day dawned when the artist had nn opportunity to go abroad nnd study Ids art under the great mnstors-thc tt',"- lie Jtud longed for all his life. "When the chance came, however, It seemed a small thing compared to the , x"-v loss of themaid- en. There was v l m u y v enough for both 7 . to go, so he pro- j-V fcrrcd to stay J and ninko a lit- j tie home for her In tho busy, - " 3 heartless city. I But for once I I tho maiden was fl 1 I cold nud 1 tin- III yielding, telling m"rCJ (S J to' shifro hfs homo. She sent thcv wsne iTnn- hlm nwny wlth nopTKU nr ijib , ,er hoart WAITKIt. llmJ1 ,IB ha( ever had before. Ho went to Paris, where ho pitched deep Into work to try to forget tho maiden, but thoughts of her would creep lu In spite of himself, and sometimes her Imago; a laughing, haunting Image, would steal In between hlm and his canvas, and then he would have to give up work for that day. It was no use. Ho would go out on tho streets nnd walk nud walk and walk, trying to wonder If the maldon's answer was final, calling up llttlo scenes of their days together, conjuring up her looks to see if ho could not again read In her eyes nnd find something there that ho wanted. Ho wrote her long letters telling tell-ing her n great many thlugs that woro not always kind. Somo of the letters ho sent across tho ocean- to her; othcrr. ho tore up nnd tried to forget. Uut there were only three letters from her lu all the four yonrs he was gone, and they all camo on Christmas eve. Long friendly letters they were, Just llko tho chats thoy used to have, but with no sign of tho thing ho wanted her to wrlto nbovo all olso. The stupid nrtlst worked so hard that he could hardly help winning some shadowy success lu nil that time. There was a picture or two In the salon; his Instructors grew encouraging; thero wns a lino now and thou In tho papers, all of which puffed hlm up mightily becauso ho vainly hoped they might ranko some difference wltlt. tho maldon. "When four yenrs had' passed tho artist thought ho might return to his homo lu New York and start his work there. He told himself over and over again that ho was going homo to tho maiden, and his heart bent absurdly with hope of seeing her and then sunk heavily again at thought of the chitngo tho years might havo made, of tho estrangement es-trangement they might havo brought. During tho time ho had been away sho had written many stories and had fjunl-ly fjunl-ly convinced tho editors of their worth. He saw her name In tho contents of a number pf magazines. Tho old days were changed. Ho would no longer Und her In the cheap boarding house. If sho sent hlm away three yenrs beforo, 1 sho probably had almost forgotten hlm I lu all this time, but tho thought of tho Christians letters spurred hlm to wrlto i to her nud tell her of his return. Ho 1 would rcneh Now York tho day beforo Christmas, tho anniversary of his leaving. leav-ing. Would sho meet hlm that evening at hnlf past 0 In tho llttlo restaurant? , He would wait for her at their snmo tablo In tho corner, nnd they would talk I over old times. Tbo artist arrived la " ' ' lrffWlriifciMMiinffi i ii Hlllll Now York on tno day lie oxpeurcir, nun H ftllrNriChn vuiidcrnJ e.TkWi -.it- M ing fjtr the 1i;)ur of tholr ongngcimMt, flfl yet half dronillux It for fear sho should il not come. Hut t'io good fairy waved hor watul for him this time, for tho H maiden really en tno, and sho Is Just the Vl same, dear, sweet maiden ns In the old Hl days, only tho shabby clothes nro re- H placed by new, well cut things, and .H there Is a (pilot air of prosperity about jH her. Sho looks Just a little older, pur- H haps, nud the eyes are a trifle more , H serious, but they nro the same tender, JaiH cplcudld eyes, reflecting n big, sweet )H soul. Tho two talked over many H thlugs, but nil the time the artist has H scinched tho maiden's eyes to sco If hu , jH could 11 1 id there any sign of what he H has longed for all thexe years, a dlf- ' H fcrent answer to tho (luostlon he put to hor four years ago. lie Is eager to H offer again, to make a home for her and jH to spend his life trying to make her tho ' H happiest womnn lu all the world." H He looked over at the girl. "It Is for H you to end the story," ho snld quietly. H Hor cheeks wcro Hushed, nnd sho H was toying with her spoon. She look-. jH ed up at hlm it moment, nnd her eyes H were shining. "I wunt to go back n H llttlo and change your story some. I H shall begin where tho artist had Ids ,H opportunity to go abroad nnd study., , ( H When ho told the maiden about the;, ; . H chnnco and offered to give It up for t. M ber It wns tbo hardest thing sho over M had to do lu her life to rcfuso tho snc-. : rlllce, but she had some small sense of. H right, nud sho know whnt those years H abroad would menu to his future, so H sho rebuffed him nud made him do the H thing she knew his head dictated, -H though his foolish, generous heart led : H hlm to olYer tho other. He thought It , H was hnrd for hlm, perhaps, but ho had H Paris, with nil Its diversions, and the , 'H spur of his new work, whllo she had H only the lonely sense of his absence. H She used to haunt the places where' H they had beenv; jM rf s j togothe'r, tlnd fV jH J' J sometimes the' H $r -J dnya dragged '' H Y bo that only'' H XjLj tho thought of H jtz the millstone Y she would have been to hlm If B I h she had acceded H V to his plan kept B " H her from doing , HJ L A somo desperate HBb ff Y tb lug. Thou BBb X. there came his flBl I Kcw lottcrs begging HJ L Aw ber for some HHl v.,. j ,mo iu relurnf H fought It steadily f(nln;e75ItyB -B fore she won. Sho know If sho wrote HJ to him her letters would keep her-- BVJ lu his m I ml nnd that somo tlmo she HJ might carelessly sny' something to BVJ bring hlm hack sooner than ho ought HB to come. It was hard not to yield to HVJ what hor heart pleaded for, but she HjSJ felt he could do his best work cut. off . HB from thoughts of her nnd then" HB Joyce paused. bHJ "And then?" tho man said quickly. , HHf "She thought perhaps he might havo ' H fooled hlmsclC that ho wanted to marry H her whllo circumstances drew their y,H lives so closely togother. Now that ho H wns seeing more of tho world and ,H meeting other women ho would weigh H the matter and would learn his mind. M "it he camo back nnd still wanted her, . M sho would know ho meant It, and" M "Yes?" the man broke in eagerly. M "That's all," she ended lamely, smll- M Ing up at hlm. M ''No, not nil. Together shall we. try H to end tho stories with 'They lived H happily over nf tor?' " rt1 M She reached out her bauds to him M for answer, and ho closed them ten- H dcrly lu his. ' M |