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Show A REAL CHRISTMAS i By Vera Ashton H, lookit, lookit, Jlmmle. ( ) Doesn't it look like a real baby? Just 'magine It'i for me!" And little Sally's lace wa radiant with the imagined joy. "Ah, that's nothin' but a doll! You girls!" and Johnnie's nose turned up with disgust. "If you're lookin', just lookit that!" and he pointed to a scooter that leaned proudly against the wall In the show window. win-dow. "That's what Santa Claus has picked out tor me." And Johnnie's eyes shone. A well-dressed man standing near them heard the words, and looked curiously at the ragged children. As he saw his wife approaching, the children started on, but not before he heard the boy say to his sister, i "It's no use 'magining anything this year. Aunt Meg doesn't even have ' a chimbley for Santa to crawl down, , and he probably doesn't even know that daddy and mother aren't here 1 any more," and his brave little lip quivered. The man turned to his wife, who had just reached him. "Madge, look ' at that window." But her voice was shrill with -a hysterical grief, as she exclaimed: "Oh, Phil, I can't look at those toys, j You know I can't. When little Elsie is dead, and we have no one to j make Christmas for." 1 "But Madge, that is what I mean, i We have someone to make a Christ-i Christ-i mas for. See those kids there, Just ' going round the corner? They are 'the Mayne children, whose father ! and mother were killed In that factory fac-tory fire last month. They're living with their aunt, who already has four children of her own, and her husband is only working part time since the fire." He said no more but watched his wife anxiously. Her look of grief turned slowly to one of questioning and then pleasure. pleas-ure. "We'll do it!" she exclaimed In glad tones. "I heard them tell each other what they wanted," Phil said joyously. joy-ously. So on Christmas morning , Sally and Johnnie were surprised to have an auto drive up In front of their Aunt Meg's house, and have a fine big man ask them to go home with him to dinner. And there, when they had taken off their coats and hats, they found a lovely Christmas tree with a beautiful doll and a perfectly per-fectly grand scooter, and a new suit for Johnnie and a dress for Sally which made her dress sparkle with Joy. "We don't want you to go home," Mrs. Vigars said when the children began to talk about having to go, after the dinner of turkey and cranberry cran-berry sauce and all the fixings. "We want you to stay, don't we Phil?" "Indeed we do, for we need a little lit-tle boy and girl In our house," Phil Vigars replied, with a happy smile on his face. And he added, under un-der his breath, as he gave his wife a mighty hug, "This is a real Christmas, Christ-mas, Madge. I'm glad that ther was plenty of room at Uiis inn." |