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Show by Vivian najes W"t !'FIE ANN adjusted her furs a i C and arose, her round black a ft"") eyes refusing to meet the jjjkl piteous gaze of the little old lacly before ner-W! ner-W! "1 know you'll be reason-able, reason-able, mother," she conclurt- I ed, "and see that, needing money as Edwin does right now, ne couldn't do differently. . When pa died and Edwin bought this house of you to help you out, he had every notion of letting you stay right here, as he told you ; but the $1,000 is absolutely need ed to set us on our feet again and with a customer turning up right now and willing to pay cash well, 'twas nothing short of providential, and the deed was made out last night." She bit her lip and reddened as she shot a furtive glance at the bent figure, fig-ure, then rushed on, nervously : "Of course you're to come right over with us as soon as Christmas is over. Packing Pack-ing up will be easy, for, knowing you'd have no further use for your furniture, furni-ture, Edwin's told the customer he could buy It just as It stood, and. of course, the money'll be yours a nice, tidy sum for Mr. Craig was all carried car-ried away with your braided rugs and old dishes and furniture: said it made him think of his boyhood home. "He's over to the Glendale sanitarium sanitari-um now for his health got nervous dyspepsia, or some such thing. Well. I must be rushing along." Halting In the doorway, she called back sharply: "If that good-for-notli Ing brother of Edwin's conies 'round here tomorrow asking for us. you send him about his business lively. He can smell a Christmas dinner a mileolT." The door closed resoundingly. Sunshine poured into the spotless kitchen in a golden flood, lingered lovingly lov-ingly on the bright braided rugs and china closets laden with willowware. ehina and pe'jtr. The grandfather clock ticked contentedly in a corner. The kettle hummed drowsily. Gleeful, the canary sang one exultant song aft er another. The table with its cheerful red cloth had been drawn up to- the window, daintily set for grandma's luncheon. It was the same tranquil scene upon which her eyes had rested on hundreds hun-dreds of other days, and upon which, after tomorrow, they would never rest again. And tomorrow was Christmas! a day when the friendly ghosts of all the Christmases that were would stead lovingly hack, only to flee In horror at lack of festal hoard and Christmas cheer! It must have been the affecting picture pic-ture of those disappointed ghosts of other Christmases that impelled grandmother grand-mother to sit erect, swab her red eye lids, stiffen her trembling chin and resolve to thrust her troubles into the background 'til Christinas should be over "I'll have a Christmas dinner," she planned, "just as if nothing had happened and why. I'll Invite Edwin's brother !" Feverish with 'excitement grandmother grand-mother hurried to do her marketing, and for the rest of the day the old kitchen abounded with tantalizing cooking odors. Christmas morning grandmother was early astir. Sprigs of holly graced the many-paned windows. The deep armchair had been drawn invit lngly before the fireplace. The plump and tender turkey was turning an irresistible ir-resistible brown. Onions, turnips, squash and potatoes white and "sweets" were cooking merrily. The cranberry sauce had been strained and set to cool upon the pantry window sill, and, adhering to a long-estab lished precedent, grandmother slipped away to don her black silk dress, lace cap and snowy apron. She was becoming a trifle anxious about her guest when she spied a gaunt figure coming up the walk. She fluttered hospitably to the doorway and beamed at the visitor. "1 declare I was getting worried for fear you wouldn't come, after all," she said. "Edwin and Etiie Ann have gone away and you're to have dinner with me. I'll dish It right up." The visitor's gaze fastened itself upon the loaded table, and power, of .speech seemed to desert him. At grandmother's request he dexterously dex-terously carved the turkey, and hav- "The Money'll Be Yours a Nice Tidy Sum." ing served his hostess, devoted him self unreservedly to eating. "My land," mused grandmother, aghast, "that poor creature must have been fasting for a week I" But when the Indian pudding, pumpkin pump-kin pie nnd fruit cake had been eaten and they were picking placidly at the nuts, the guest waxed talkative. "How this all reminds me of home when I was a little boy this room a facsimile ! and you how you remind me of mother! It must be great." he broke off sharply, "for you to have your own little home all to yourself eh?" The Christmas sun was already set ting, reminding grandmother that her last day was almost over. With a sudden sob she shed her gallant garment gar-ment of pretense, and In an overpowering over-powering hunger for sympathy, she quavered out her sad little story. The gaunt visitor came around to her side and took her hand with clumsy tenderness. "I'm not the guest you were expecting expect-ing but when I saw that dinner well, you couldn't understand unless you'd lived for three weeks on prunes and toast and skim milk. Anyway, I was ravenous from hunger and I haven't had a dinner of such pure, unadulterated unadulter-ated bliss since mother cooked it What I came over for today was to say er that er why, my wife finds she wants to live nearer tlie city, so I want you to consider this house abso lutely yours as long as you need It. I'll have It put In writing tomorrow." He shouldered hurriedly into his coat, then halted irresolutely In the doorway. "Maybe, some time." he ventured, uncertainly, "you'd he wil ling to teach my wife to cool- " by McClure Newspaper Syndicate 1 (WNU Service! 1 |