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Show t I Christmas Awakening . 4t"V"T TITH Christmas drawing A near, why can't we get ' together and make plans " Robert Dutton read no further. With calm deliberation, he put the heavily scrawled letter back into its envelope. "Always the impractical Hal," he said slowly. "No wonder he never gets anywhere." A list of appointments waited upon up-on his desk. Visits from two of the most important men in town; a delegation about a right-of-way through a tract of land he had just purchased; a reminder of a talk he had promised to make at a luncheon. lunch-eon. Important things, he thought, things Hal would never be called upon to do. Hastily he went through his mail. A square envelope in a familiar hand caught his eye. He opened it a little curiously. What could Miss Denby be writing him about? His long fingers drew out an artistic Christmas card. A conservative wish and an old Christmas carol printed in English letters. That was all, except the signature, "Eleanor Denby." A flush stained his face, an un-definable un-definable something sent the blood singing through his veins. "Eleanor," "Elea-nor," he said softly; "a beautiful name; how queer that I never heard it before." Then, as if resenting his weakness weak-ness and sentiment, he dug into his mail again. But try as he would, he could not concentrate on the things that had meant every- j thing to him before. Something I had happened to Robert Dutton; a ; Christmas greeting from a secre- j tary whom he had scarcely noticed j left him visibly unsettled. i Christmas memories surged j through his heart. He was back in ! the old home again. Everybody was rushing around in circles. He saw the big tree in the corner of the parlor; the kitchen table piled high with good things to eat And Mother Moth-er and Dad, with happiness beaming beam-ing upon their faces. He picked up Hal's letter again. After all, maybe his kid brother wasn't so crazy? The thought was pushing through his mind that maybe may-be it was he who lacked real sense. "We're Going to Forget Business for Today," He Said. This time he read the letter in a different mood. "Let's give Dad and Mother the surprise of their lives. Let's go down and make one grand Christmas for them. You can turn everything over to someone else for a week anyone can handle things like that there's nothing personal or precious about them." "Nothing personal or precious about them!" He turned the words over in his mind. Hal was right. Someone else could handle the things that had seemed so terribly Important. A few hours of confusion, confu-sion, perhaps; then things would go on as before. The world would forget for-get him in a day. His fingers reached for the pen upon his desk. "Dear Hal," he began, "I heartily agree with your proposal that we get together and make plans to give Dad and Mother the biggest surprise and the grandest grand-est Christmas ever" He was smiling smil-ing broadly, almost laughing aloud, as he finished the letter with a flourish. Five minutes later Miss Denby entered his private office to find a new Robert Dutton. She almost dropped her book in surprise at the expression upon his face, and the new way in which he greeted her. "I'm ready to begin, Mr. Dutton," Dut-ton," she began nervously, when he made no motion to start the routine of the day. "We're going to forget business for today, Miss Denby, and go Christmas shopping, that is, if you want to help me out." He fumbled , with his tie as he spoke, noticing for the first time the soft curving of her white neck. "Your Christmas Christ-mas card," he went on "wrought some miracle. I've found out that business and making money Isn't everything in life. They're both tine In their way, but there are other tilings, too; precious tilings that I've been overlooking." He camo closer to her side and looked hard Into her eyes. "For instance, going shopping shop-ping with a good-looking and adorable ador-able secretary." Wuulatn NtfWKpaysr Union. |