| Show f 1 i. i S Sr r z l lt t A. A a K c p po o J f ca cap p a b I cur Q Qi i Rodney Lee was wasI I It Y I not bashful and yet three c cI 12 I CERTAINLY 1 da days s 's had passed since he had made up his mind to propose to Helen Johns and andt t he hadn't even intimated to j her the fact that he was smitten He had met her herat herat herat at a dance the Monday before Christmas Christmas Christ Christ- mas played cards with her Tuesday skated with her Wednesday danced again with her Thursday Then rhen came the tho Christmas eve dance when he had bad fully tully Intended to tell her he loved her and the dance was over and he hadn't even begun the preliminaries Two days after Christmas Christman Rodney's vacation would be over and he would be on his way back to the big city hundreds of miles away It took some maneuvers for Rodney to get a chance on Christmas morning morning morn morn- ing lag to telephone to Helen when he would not be overheard by any of his numerous cousins whose mother he was visiting I am leaving the Rodney told Helen hurriedly I really really real real- ly Iy must see you ou again before I go My aunt has made plans for tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow tomor tomor- row morning and afternoon May I come In the evening Id love to have you Helen answered answered an an- s ered quite impersonally but hut you see we are giving Iving the big party out in Bab Babylon lon that night Id I'd love to have you ou come If you think you'd care to So perhaps you'd better drive over here and trail us out there rIel Helen en II hea heavily swathed in furs met Rodney at the door next evening She shook hands hurriedly and pointed to to two hampers stun standing ding in the halland hall halland halland and asked him If he could take them In his car There are two baskets of ot dishes in the dining room you can take besides If you have room We Ve Weare Weare are all ready to start Rodney could see two cars ahead of ot him and he could vo vaguely ely distinguish distinguish distin distin- the figures of Mr and Mrs Johns and others whom he took to tobe tobe tobe be maids from the Johns Johns' household also Helens Helen's younger sister and brother broth broth- er all nil carrying baskets or hampers as they piled plied Into the cars corso Finally when the cars cors ahead stopped at the end of a frozen dirt road in a bleak stretch of farmland Rodney saw what seemed to be a small schoolhouse with yellow lights streaming through b small windows Bewildered Rodney got ot from his car carand and antl seeing that the were carrying their baskets and hampers Into the schoolhouse he proceeded to carry his cargo carzo in also Now ow please get et tho the battery hattery out of your car Helen told Rodney as ns she slipped out of ot her furs revealing re a simple little sports frock beneath Our chauffeur will help you If It you dont don't know how haw lies He's out taking them out ut of nr our cars We need them for the Christmas tree lights Candles are areso areso areso so dangerous So this Is Babylon nh lon he said to Helen a as he returned and laid the heavy hatter battery at Helens Helen's side silJe as she sho directed Helen laughed you know about Babylon ah lon 1 she n asked kell surprised Bub Babylon lon Is fathers father's pet diversion You see all aU there Is to Babylon Is this one-horse one district school school- school and and about twenty five scattered farmhouses farm farm- houses poor houses poor struggling people who used to try to get up some sort of Christmas entertainment for their children here Somehow father heard about it and It-and and for five years ears now we have been giving the Christmas party for them It was midnight when the lights were finally turned out in the little Buh Babylon lon schoolhouse and Rodney had got his battery back into his car had waved farewell to the Johns family and was ready to trail them back to town again And then as he took his place before the wheel he noticed that Helen was at his side I 1 want to drive back with you she said I want to tell you ou how wonderful you have been You worked harder than all the rest of us put together It is the first time dad has ever had time really to enjoy the party because you took all the responsibility responsibility responsibility re re- re- re off orr his bis shoulders and when he asked you to make the presentation presentation pres pres- speeches for tor the little gifts I was so embarrassed embarras ed for a minute You were perfectly wonderful Mist wonderful Just r ail ails s i Ills l f r I IL L a 22 I tf I 1 Want to Drive Back With You Said Helen as If it you had known these Babylon Bab lon people all your life Dad says you'll just have havo to come back next Christmas Christmas Christ Christ- mas mas- mas Ill come como back every Christmas 11 you'll let me Helen said Rodne Rodney I wanted to see you tonight to to-to to to tell you that 1 I love you ou After seeing you ou as us I saw you ou tonight I know Im I'm not worthy even en to suggest what J wanted to tell you Mr Johns was waiting waftIng for Helen when she and Rodney arrived fifteen minutes after tho the Johns' Johns cars Mr Ir Johns held his hund hand out to greet reet Rodney Rod ney nev and he knew from the Hie way the young oung man took his hand that h he would see him again In Babylon by Newspaper Syndicate s Service paper |
