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Show e g- Qtp SCria ICring;! j (Eharwt !. Br EDITH RANSOM A VERIO. j ' . "x tr" (Cbpyrifht.) ROSY-cheeked schoolboy school-boy on his new red sled sped down the long snow-clad hill. A 1 dozen gayly chattering j girls tripped towards the lightly frozen pond ' with their skates. A farmer came into view I with a wagon load of ' newly cut Christmas trees. Yuletide cheer was effervescing, bnt there was no responsive echo of Its fervor In the hearts of John Lane and Martin Freer. "I'm in accord with you completely," the latter was saying. "My son, Sidney, Sid-ney, has the chance of his life to enter a law career in the city. Since he fell in love with your half niece and ward, Edna, he seems to have lost all ambition of making his way outside of winning her." "A foolish fancy," declared John Lane. "Edna is too young to think of marrying." "We are going to send Edna away to a private boarding school after the holdays," he continued, "and that will probably end the affair." Meantime Edna Merrill pined In her prisonlike solitude and Sidney sought to devise a way to get word to her. At their last meeting he had said, "no matter what conies, they shall not part us." "They are going to send both of us ivnv widelv anart." mourned Ed na. "Oh, don't 1ft , them do It!" and Sidney replied, "Have you the faith to believe In me, to act with me with- out question if I find a way to defeat de-feat two old men. who have forgotten forgot-ten what love me;ins?" "I have given you my heart solely sole-ly and trustingly." answered Edna stanohly. "Then you shall hear from me when I have matured all my plans," promised prom-ised Sidney. . There was a certain solace for Sidney Sid-ney In climbing the high garden wall at the rear of the Lane grounds and gazing gaz-ing up at the window of the room that held his heart's treasure. He had a note written detailing his plans and hopes, and he had almost despaired of delivering it, when, the afternoon before Christmas, he observed that the window was open. Sidney added a few lines to the note, gathered up a handful of snow, enclosed the note In the white sphere, aimed, let fly and It passed through the open window. The note had suggested the elop-ment elop-ment he and Edna had previously discussed. dis-cussed. He had added a line, "I will be in the lane at eight o'clock. Don't fail me." There was a light In that upper window, win-dow, now closed, when Sidney returned, return-ed, and the lamp was set In a peculiar pe-culiar way. Across the frosted inside of a pane two words had been scratched, scratch-ed, reading: "At eight" A few minutes later the light was extinguished and a speeding figure crossed the garden, unlocked a rear door in the wall and the lovers were united. "Quick," spoke Sidney. "It is a question ques-tion of getting to a friend of mine, a clergyman at Amherst." He clasped Edna's arm and they hurried down the lane. The lane the fugitives were now Ui was deep with snow. As they neared a large barn within with-in which showed a light Sidney drew Edna through Us open door. 1 "We must hide fw a spell," he said, and. as quite breathless, they) entered the great rambling structure, struc-ture, they stared in amazement at a scene strange and striking. In its center wax what looked like an old circus chariot. There was gilt and holly and evergreen trimming in profusion. Four horses were attached attach-ed and upon a sort of throne in the center was sealed a gorgeously attired at-tired Santa Clans. "We'll better start," spoke one of the men, "if we want to get to Amherst Am-herst before everybody is abed," and catching sight of a sign on the chariot Sidney was made aware of the fact that to advertise a new soap this modern publicity van was touring the district, giving away samples as holiday hol-iday presents. "Stop into that iow space at the back." lie whispered to I-Mna. "We shall be safe there." When rhe unique Santa Olaus vehicle ve-hicle arrived :ii ihe eii'-'e of Amherst, the fluttering level's, left it unnoticed. There was a hurried wall; to the home of a clergyman. The same telegram was sent by the happy bride and bridegroom to John Lane and Martin Freer. It read : "Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Freer wish their loving friend a llerry, Merry Christmas." Home -Made Toys t-I a I The perennial rag doll that appears this year is made of any ribbed goods as a ribbed stocking tinted pink. It is cut out by a pattern, sewed and stuffed with cotton. The face and hair are the result of red, black and white water color. The doll is then dressed up in blue cotton crepe and a blue stocking cap. A ball made from scraps of velvet is a fine gift for a very little boy. It takes twelve pieces, measuring three inches across at their widest part to make it. They are sewed together, leaving an opening for stuffing with cotton, and the brighter the color? used the better. Snakes Don't Need Drink. The only animals living in -ery dry places which seem able to do entirely without drink are reptiles. |