| OCR Text |
Show A Christmas Romance 1 1 By Mary Granara Bonner j . 1910, Western Newpapr Union.) " -"ARJOIUE was the first girl every hoy called on when ho ot home for the Christmas holidays. Yea, every boy who had gone nwuy to school nr to college col-lege always cunio to Mur-Jorlo'8 Mur-Jorlo'8 house first when thu Christmas holidays be Kn, though there wore excviitlons, of course, aiuny of them, coming homo nt the snme time, on the biuuc truln, would ngreo to cnll together. Then they would have n good time, singing, talking, laughing. Mnrjorlo wns such n good sort Tho whole "bunch" liked her. 8ho played the piano well for dancing danc-ing nnd had tho kind of volco which mnde others want tn gather around tho piano nnd Join In the chorus. In truth, without Marjorlo the "hunch" would have been oftentimes very lonely, very restless and wretched. Mnrjorlo danced well, too, nnd If one wanted n girl to come up to n prom or n clnss dance Marjorlo would always fit In nnywhere. Then, too, she wouldn't bo jnad If a fellow asked nn-other nn-other girl. Mnrjorlo was nn exceptional girl. Mnrjorlo wnsn't Jcnlous of any of them. Sho seemed to regard them as they regnrded her good sorts as sho was n good sort. They passed tho time for her merrily as sho did for them. They were Jolly good companions ns sho was a Jolly good companion. So It went on. And another Christmastime Christ-mastime came along nnd Mnrjorle's house was the center of tho gnyety. It wns tho night before Christmas. Tho "bunch" were taking around their Christmas presents. They were going to cnll on Mnrjorlo last because then they would stay thero for a while. They nil hnd presents for Mnrjorlo, typical presents from members of a "bunch" to n friend of tho "bunch." There were several boxes of candy (which tho "hunch" would help cut), and there were somo books, which perhaps per-haps some of tho "bunch" later would borrow nnd rend. One of tho "hunch" hns gone to Mnrjorle's Mnr-jorle's earlier thnt evening, and had fflET &v -am Without Marjorlo the "Bunch" Would Have Been Very Lonely. taken with htm n present which could neither be divided and eaten, nor borrowed bor-rowed nnd rend. Soon, soon ho wns going to give It to her, nnd soon, soon ho hoped to see her wenr It. "Mnrjorle." ho begon, "tho other fellows fel-lows nil llko you, of courso, but you know l'vo been feeling for somo Umo kind of differently about things. And before I went back to college ngoln I thought perhnps you know-I thought Christmas cvo would bo such a nice tlmo to look bnck upon when wo hnd grandchildren ns our engage" The front door burst open nftcr u ciulck nnd vigorous knocking, nnd the "bunch" enmo In. "What I You here, Jim I Stole n march on us. oh?" They gnvo their presents to Mnrjorlo. Mnrjo-rlo. Then they asked her to ploy the piano. Then they snng. Nervously Jim looked nt his watch. It was almost al-most Christmas tiny-and ho so much wnntod to ho nblo to look back on Christmas evo ns tho tlmo of his en gngement. nnd somehow bo hnd fon clcd Mnrjorlo looked upon him a llttlo moro affectionately than upon tho rest. I'lnnlly ho could bear It no '""rsny. fellows," ho began. "It seems to me thnt as long as tho 'hunch' wants o hang around tho best friend the hunch" ever had and won't g vo nny one fellow nny more chance thnn another an-other I'll Just novo to do ray proposing hoforo tho wholo 'bunch.1 -I've got n llttlo ring hero I'd llko Mnrjorle to wear, nnd whllo 1 always So to bo one of tho 'bunch' and she always wants to bo a 'f.icnd of the hunch 1 know, I'd llko to hnvo her regard mo as moro than Just a friend I "And I'd llko to bo moro than n friend to ono of tho bunch,' " Mnrjorlo "Congratulations!" shoutod tho bunch." "And Merry Christmas and lots of them I" ,.,,., "Ilut to think," ono of tho "bunch said to tho rest afterward, "that one of us wns nhlo to 'put It over' on tho rest of us nnd Marjorlo, tool" And tho next day. which wns Christ-man, Christ-man, the "hunch" nil camo nround to see ono of tho "bunch" kiss tho "friend of tho bunch" undor tho mistletoe, which fnvorwoB granted the "bunch" very willingly. t |
