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Show Little Vidds Gray Afuff ft KF WRICK FHUUS. aTOI' t- ,iad ucs'm WH' ( L cy uacI ,n Novom-BKcdL Novom-BKcdL DP1' ",0 Sunday HI STS- nK. when Sallle . H )) J cat tor came In L HH SL. ' " church Us Sv h trakhan muff. Tho lAi B&VXr Bormon was too rlTr' "deep" for Vlda. M'5xH i ' i '10 ,at h0,'nan,' oifjj on hor faco and rrrfi 'A w-as almost ( iWi'f ft ns'eflP. when n VJlKi vlV flBsh of.Sra" ln YAyVu tho next pow jlsjl f FV caused her to T?J UtfO tllrn her nen,i ever so r,llghtjy and peep through hor chubby fingers. There It stood on tho velvet cushion beside Salllo, trim, warm and lined with pearly Kiay, satin, exactly like Mrs. Carter's own j bwautlful big ono, but smaller by half. A great longing began to grow ln Vlda;a heart. Hut from that day on till tho 17th of Dccombni' Vlda thought or nothing but a gray muff how she would look criylng It. how It would reel and how every Sunday afternoon sho would let poor Dorothy Haines carry It for a wholo block. The 25th fell on Sunday that year, apd Saturday mornlns dawned bright and clear. Vlda and her mothor weio standing together at thn nursery nur-sery window, as with a Jingle of merry bells the Carters' sleigh drovo by. Vlda Blghed contentedly. "To-nioi row." she said. "I shall bn cat tying a gtay astrakhan muff." Her mother laughed merrily. "Why. Vlda, dear," she said. "You asked I Santa Clans for seven other things ! you said so only this morning. You couldn't expect him to remember them all, and he's as likely to forget the muff as the French doll, or the tea set. It's foolish to count on any one thing when jou mado so lon a list. I told you to bo moderate." And her busy mother hurried off in answer to a call from Aunt Jane. Vol count op It' Why, she had done nothing but count on It evor Blnce Santa Clans had .found her note, says St. Nicholas. Not count on It. Why. Christmas would bo nothing without It! At last twilight came, and the darkness dark-ness fell. And In the corner of tho great hall sofa, facing tha clock on tho stairs. Vlda, a disconsolate little body, (ell asleop. Jlor mother wakened hor when It was time to hang up her stocking, and than. In spite of her warning, and In spite of her lons'houiB of worry, hope wn" tyOjT," Hgaln, and when Vlda kissed JjyU'.jffiothPi- good night visions or JgWf astrakhan muffs danced ln her Uuaga0UMiaktoBlr-lMi. licmi. "Menv ChilstmaB! Moiry Christmas!" Christ-mas!" It seemed to Vlda she had hut "fjlJjpr eyes, and thoro atood mother moth-er and Alint Jane besldo her bed, ono with lier worsted shoos and the other with lior red eiderdown wrapper to hurry her over to tho nurseiy, where hor father stood awaiting at tho door, ".Merry Christmas! Merry CluUt-.mns' CluUt-.mns' Oh, papa, I said It flist!" alio ci fed, laughingly, as her father caught her In his arms. Vlda drew a qulot breath, and gavo a llttlo happy exclamation. Then sho flow straight to the nreplace tho muff should be there. Of tho seven presents six were not rorgotten, and there were others sho bad not asked for. Hut Vlda's lips weie qulvorlng, and a great lump anelled In her throat. Tho muff tho beautiful gray astrakhan astra-khan muff was not tboio. Santa Clans had forgotten It. Hut Vlda was hiave. And sho ' would not lot thoso who loved her seo I her ory. or suspect her disappoint- ment. Stjo turned away fiom them and wont to tho north window, fight- Iiir with hor tears. "Oh, papa, papa," sho ciled excitedly. ex-citedly. "Como here, come horo light away. See, thero la something out on tho inof!" Her father opened th.o window quickly, and climbed out. Vlda's heait boat ao wildly she could scarcely scarce-ly bpeak. Her rather was picking up a box It was about tho size of Aunt Jane's cooky Jar, and It was round. Well." hor father said, as ho climbed back Into the nurseiy. "Hero Is something old St. Nick dropped, and from Its slzo I guess it's meant for j nit." Vlda's hands trepibled so she could scaicely tug off the round top of tho box Just as It waa about to yield, a sudden fear fell upon her heart. "Papa, pet haps pot hapg he didn't mean' It for me. Perhaps ho dropped It. and It belongs to some other llttlo glil." Hei father's eyoa twinkled. "Look at the bottom of the box, little lit-tle one." ho said. Vlda turped the box upsldo down. There was hor namo Vlda Sumner Lane as plain as plain could bn, and while sho was staring at It opon mouthed, out rtroppod not n little gray astrakhan muff, but a beautiful soft chinchilla ono and a little collar to match! And 8alllo Carter peeped through her linger that Christmas motnlng a the happlosl llttlo girl in all Chilstendom, i |