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Show : Bert" . I - Christmas 1 Present w WOT i lLD Mr- Glmlet was a sitting all alone by H UVj! himself. The cold f5rl'V Wm December wind wfflr was driving the SmSg'Tn snow against the ivM frosty windows, fiu&ij and now and tlien .- rijC2A7 it seemed to fairly .SjryKb-- screech at him. "v y5T Some of the snow t&!LJ I J appeared to have got Into his hair, and some of the frost Into his heart, for he looked old, and cold, and grim. The firelight shadows that played on the wall were like the thoughts that went to and fro in his mind in the light of the memories of the brighter days of the past The empty chairs reminded him of his frlendlessness, the slow ticking of the old clock, as It tried to be a companion, only made him feel how lonely he was. He felt as much out of the world, as far away 1 from Its gladness as the picture of his grandfather that hung over the shelf. Mr. Gimlet was wondering what he would get for Christmas. He had Fpent many years In wondering what he would get, and had gotten a good many things. No one had a better house than he, few had as much money as he had. There was a park, there was a garden; within and without and all about him were the things that money can buy. Yes, Mr. Gimlet was as rich as money and things can make a man. And yet, although all these things had not made him happy, he was wishing fo.- more. He did not know any better than to wish for more, and, though he could not think of anything any-thing that he needed, he hoped that someone would think of something or other that he might want and that might give him a gleam of real Christmas Christ-mas joy. Away out on a prairie the Bump family were holding a consultation, after the children had gone to bed. At that moment the father and mother of the family were perplexed and even n good deal worried. The Bumps had been practicing farming for some time, but without anticipated results. The children didn't see anything the matter with farming. The move out of the smoky city had been an entrance en-trance Into paradise for them. Donald Don-ald had ten hens and a rooster. Dorothy Doro-thy owned two Muscovy ducks, with green feathers. Kenneth had a little pony that they called. "Bigger," because be-cause they thought he would grow. Small Edith kept a flower bed that she called her "gardy." There was a pony cart. They had raised a 43-pound watermelon. Father had said that the rest of the garden wouldn't amount to a hill of beans, but It had. There was apt to be enough for yum yum cake, with rnlslns In It. to go around. Why, It was like a perpetual picnic! And even now, with all things under the snow blanket, and the pony and the two cows safe in the 'i II ' 'a-'--- -cr-.T-. Yes, Mr. Gimlet Was as Rich ss Money and Thing Can Make a Man. barn, fanner Bump had laughed with the happy, rory children, as the dog Jake toiled up the hill with the slid, so that they all might go shouting down again. "They're a Jolly bunch," Enid fanner Bump. But that night the Bumps were holding a consultation. consulta-tion. Although the two cows In the burn were bare, yet ther was a blanket on them. The consultation was about that blanket. Farim-i Bump called it a mortgage and didn't knoV how he was going to pay It. No wonder It was nn anxious consultation. consulta-tion. Short crops and a mortgage ! Enough to tlatten out even the Bumps: But while the Bumps were talking things over, the clldren were having dreams. They had laid awake for a while, talking about the best place to hang up Christmas stockings. and B part of he conversation downstairs, the mortgage part, had come up to their ears. A little of the worry, too, bid cine with It. so th::t they fell tt.f. .'jh n littlft uneasiness shout the blanket that does not keep things warm, hut ma!:es them cold, and wondering won-dering what a mortgage could be, and why no one could take It off witho-u money. In his dream Donald heard a boy singing this song: "Sin?, little Jesus, sing for me. There's nothing on my Christmas tree." You see, this little boy iiad a tree, but there wasn't a thing on it, not even a leaf. So he planned how to get something some-thing to grow upon it. Finally, he sang the song that Donald heard in his dream, and the next time he looked out there was his tree, full of red and gold apples, with leaves on all the twigs and many pretty things among them, and Donald saw It all in his dream. So, when he awoke, Donald thought he would sing the song too, and see If Jesus couldn't take the shadow of that awful mortgage away, and he sang: Slnj?, little Jesus, sing for me! There's a mortgase on our Christmae tree. When Dorothy awoke she remembered remem-bered that she had dreamed about writing a letter to Santa Clans, and so she went and wrote it. This was the letter: Dear Santa Claus: There's something the matter with our cows. They've got a mortgage on 'em. Only money can cure 'em. Please come and cure 'em. so's we can have a Christmas tree. I will be good. Tour hopeful DOROTHY. Then, when father went to town, with the little pony, Bigger, he put the letter Into the post office, only he directed It to Mrs. Bump's brother, Mr Ephralm Gimlet. Mr. Gimlet was very much surprised to hear from the Bumps. ' He had The Next Day the Carrier Brought a Promising Looking Box. forgotten that he had a sister, and that there were a lot of little hopeful hope-ful Bumps. An old trouble had made him bitter and forgetful, and he hud felt more alone in the world than he really was. As he sat again by the firelight, but on a clear anil moonlit moon-lit night, he mused on things past with a new tenderness in his heart and welcomed wel-comed a new thought that came warmly warm-ly to him and brought a lovely purpose pur-pose with it. He" would play Santa Claus, and give himself the surprise of making others happy 1 So, the day before Christmas things; happened at the Bump house. As Mr. Bump went to the wayside post box he found two letters. One of them made him sad, for It was from the man who held the mortgage, and It said that the time for piryment had come. It meant to Mr. Bump, "your money, or your cows." But the other letter was from Mr. Gimlet, and It made Mr. Bump laugh until he cried, for It was a check for .'f.'iOO. with some kindly, friendly words and good wishes, enough to cure the cows and all the family troubles. The next day the carrier brought a most promising lo-iklng big bos. from Uncle Gimlet, so that the Christ mas tree was full of happy surprises tor the little folks and a gift or two for the big ones. Mother made a big pie In the dishpan and the children found out what was In it. Dorothy poked a hole through the pasteboard crust and lulled "Ut a maple sugar heart. Donald got a red sugar heart. Kenneth got a white sugar heart. Edith got a yellow sugar heai t. Mother Moth-er said It iifi Uncle Gimlet's kind heart that had made them all so happy. Then Mi. Gimlet got another letter It was a round robin from all tht-Bnmps, tht-Bnmps, with the little Bump names and marks upon It. too. It made the old man very happy. He was si, ting among a lot of pleasant things that had been sent in for his Christmas tree, hut he was not thinking very much of them. He sat with the let ter In his hand and a far-off look lr his eyes as he thought of the sweetness sweet-ness of love, and felt that the best-gift best-gift that he had received was the happy surprise that he had given to the people on the prairie farm. |