Show till ii Christmas Dinner By Katherine a 1 I A A S SOON as Darrel Thorpe got a aBy chance to use the phone he her r dialed his home He must tell Edna Edn how sorry ho how v terribly sorry he her was for what h had d happened this a r morning All the way down on the car he had reproached himself for foi the hasty words he had said He Her r r couldn't understand how he had spoken spa r r- r ken to Edna like that and on Christmas Christ Christ- mas eve He drummed impatiently on the desk as he waited Edna was always always al al- f ways punctual about answering the phone and doorbell It was a way she had going right through with q things Which really was the cause of his flash of temper this morning In her quick decisive way she had swept aside his idea of having old 7 Mrs 1 Darby for Christmas dinner The little lady now down on her luck had befriended Darrel when he had come to the city t Im not going to have her Edna had declared emphatically Were t r y 6 I. I E The big man did not seem to hear 1 him His eyes ces were glued on a typed closely statement i going to skip Christmas as possible possible possible-go go out and eat somewhere and and miss all the rush and bother I think That's a darn selfish way of doing Darrel shot back Christmas Christmas Christ mas is a home day with a turkey I and a tree and gifts and above all I someone to share them with us Then without waiting to see the effect of his words Darrel rushed from the house banging the door Now he dialed the number three times but there was no answer Panic seized him Had Edna believed believed believed be be- that he meant wh what t he had said He had heard of young wives who had packed up and left for much less reason What a brute he r had been to flare up as he did THE PHE HE morning was unbearably long Inward Inwardly fuming he hung r up the receiver to answer an imperative imperative imperative im im- buzzer from the inner office of of- fice It was about the tenth this L morning If it hadn't been for Wheatley keeping him running around in h. circles he might have been able to reach Edna long ago And if the old man hadn't been inthe inthe in inthe the same ugly mood yesterday DarreI Darrel Darrel Dar Dar- rel reI knew that he himself wouldn't have been on edge this morning that he wouldn't have spoken to Edna Edna Edna Ed Ed- na as he had done He blamed Wheatley as much as himself t You sent for me he said stiffly e as he waited beside the desk The I big man did not seem to hear him r His eyes were glued on a closely typed statement Darrel spoke again Then Daniel Wheatley loo looked ed up and rubbed his hand across his A forehead as if trying to remember something Oh yes yes he began Mrs Thorpe called before you got to theoffice theoffice the theoffice office this morning I forgot to tell you She left word that she was going marketing with a Mrs Mrs Darby or some such name Also she wanted me to be sure to tell you to bring home a Christmas tree and all the trimmings There was wasa a merry twinkle in Wheatley's usually usual usual- I ly Iy hard eyes Looks as if you were going to celebrate Christmas at your house he finished with a laugh We certainly are D Darrel I grinned back were going to have havea a real old-fashioned old celebration of the day a Think your wife would object if you took a cranky old man to Christmas Christmas Christ Christ- mas dinner Darrel wondered if he were hearin hear hear- in ing g things then his quick wit jumped T. T to the surface If If you really mean 1 that Mr Wheatley I can assure you O of af a hearty welcome M My y wife thoroughly thoroughly thor thor- believes in having people for Christmas dinner At least I I T. T am sure she does now The last senI sentence sen sen- tence Darrel whispered to himself I 4 r rY N ii Y |