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Show rTHANK goodness," said I Martha Goodwin, bustling about her kitchen, "Christmas "Christ-mas comes but once a year." She wiped back a loose wisp of graying gray-ing hair with a weary gesture. "But it will be fine seeing you again, Lad," she murmured, thinking of her distant son. "Now, le"s see. Those star cookies you're so fond of" She glanced at the hurrying clock. Loud shrieks of laughter under her window interrupted her thoughts. Those new neighbor children chil-dren again. If they were dirtying dirty-ing up her freshly swept wrlk! She strode grimly to the porch. There was a path in the snow from their yard, around hers, and back again to their own, where all four of them had apparently trudged, pushing a snow ball, across her walk in two places. A tussel started suddenly, and they were all tumbling about in the snow, shrieking at the top of their voices. Martha scolded shrilly at them, and they stood up, an abashed little lit-tle line of stair steps. "The idea! On Christmas, too!" Martha chid-ed. chid-ed. "Whatever is the matter with your ma, that she lets you make such a racket?" "She's sick," answered the oldest old-est girl. "Sick! Then all the more reason rea-son why you should keep still. Shame on you." The little group stood like statues. Martha tucked in the wisp of hair. "You children come in here and sit still while I work, and I'll tell you a story," she invited. "Mind you wipe your feet." "I suppose it should be a Christmas Christ-mas story," Martha began. "Do you know about the shepherds and the wise men?" "Yes'm," they chorused. "We go to Sunday school," added the oldest girl. "Then," Martha asked her, "shall I tell you about Santa Claus?" Her face clouded a little. "Mother "Moth-er told us that," she answered soberly. so-berly. "Oh," said Martha. She dusted the flour from her hands and turned to baste the turkey. Four pairs of eager eyes watched her every move. The doorbell rang. "Laddie! Good heavens," cried Martha, slipping off her apron, and rushed to the door. But instead it was a telegram: "AWFULLY SORRY DARLING DAR-LING BUT I JUST CAN'T GET AWAY STOP DO TRY TO HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS STOP GO ON A SPREE AND I'LL FOOT THE BILL STOP EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO GET DOWN FOR NEW YEAR'S AND WILL EXPLAIN EVERYTHING THEN LOVE LADDIE." Martha Goodwin read it twice. Then she smoothed the straying wisp of hair and went br.ck to the kitchen. "Well," the older girl vas explaining, ex-plaining, "it's sort of like a chicken, chick-en, I guess, only ever so much bigger." big-ger." The four children looked up as Martha entered. "Why, what's the matter, Mrs. Good vin?" "My son I was expecting him he isn't coming." "Gee," came a sympathetic chorus. "And you'd fixed everything every-thing so nice and and Christmassy." Christmas-sy." "I'm not going to have it spoiled," Martha decided. "Here," mmm she said and Jraped the holly wreath over the youngest's arm. "You," she said to the next one, "carry the potatoes, and you take the mince pie careful, it's hot and you," to the eldest, "take the vegetables. I think I can manage the turkey." "But where are we going?" "Over to your houso. Weren't you about to miss out on Christmas Christ-mas dinner?" "Dinner first, then presents," she suggested, and when, having eaten all they could hold, they gathered about the holly, she found p crudely crude-ly wrapped present for herself. II was a picture scrapbaoK, somewhat smudged. Were those tears In Martha Goodwin's eyes? Surely not, for she was smiling. "Why, thank you," she exclaimed. ex-claimed. "Such a lovely surprise: My," she added, "1 do wish Christmas Christ-mas came more limn jicl' a year." Western New si ijci Luion |