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Show j: THE ii I CHRISTMAS ! CAROL j : : . 1 hy : j Helen Waterman : THE Christina's Spirit, if such J a sprite there be, must have fled in dismay from old Silas Wentworth, for a crustier, harder, 1 less Christmas-spirited man would j i be hard to imagine. 1 I 1 Yet Sally Blaine, his clerk and j bookkeeper, had 'the temerity to i bring Christmas into t-.e store, stringing lines of tinsel Old Silas, coming to work, stopped and stared at this unusual addition to the colored globes and patent medicines with which his windows were adorned. Sally Blaine, rather frightened now, looked up. "Merry Christmas, Christ-mas, Mr. Wentworth." Silas surveyed the store grimly. "Take it down!" But Sally hesitated. "I said take it down. More of your fool notions! What's this?" "Dickens' Christmas Carol, sir." He thrust the book on a back shelf. "Humph! Don't let me catch I you reading on the job." "Yes, sir. I'm sorry about the decorations " At nine o'clock on Christmas eve Silas saw out his last customer, and began putting up the shutters. It was Beastly cold, and his numb fingers were slow at their task. As he was about to lock up, he was confronted by two men, one carrying carry-ing a revolver. "Let us in and lock the door," said the man. Silas, his teeth chattering from fear more than cold, complied. "Now if you're quiet you won't get hurt," said the spokesman. "My pal here has had an accident. I need some medicines. You'll be paid all right." "Of course; of course," Silas answered, an-swered, and brought out a stock of supplies. The wounded man spoke up. "Sorry to keep you on Christmas eve, buddy." Silas grunted. "Tommyrot." The other mac had been rum- j maging about the store. "Here," tilt Ik Silas Surveyed the Store Grimly. "Take it Down!" he commanded. "I can't watch what you're doing. So you read aloud until I get through." And he handed Silas "Christmas Carol." He was scarcely half way through when the men paid him and left. He threw the book down and started off, but at the door he turned, and sitting by the night light, read again. "So like me," he muttered, as he finished. From the wastebasket he drew out the tinsel and strung it awkwardly awk-wardly around the store. He looked through his accounts marked "Overdue," and selected several bills which he marked "Paid in Full," and put in proper envelopes. Then he got his wraps. "Merry Christmas, Silas," he exclaimed, ex-claimed, and went out to the dawn- j ing of his first merry one in many I years. Western Newspaper Union, v 0 Subscribe for The News Don't1 Borrow! |