Show a r Gertrude er ru e Helton I IirI irI 1 Louise Louls shoved the I steaming pans and kettles Into the warning oven o Looking Loot Ing down the driveway as us she had done for almost two hours she exclaimed Of course called that he might be late Rut But what Is keeping sister Bister and lint Hal and Aunt Jen Uncle Jim Betty Retty nett and Clyde Six people In Invited Invited to a Christmas dinner and all of them Intel latel Accident Surely not all of them In a heap heal along the roadside unless each bumped Into the other t hurrying because they are lute late to our dinner I Ix Louise ulse was WIS smiling even en be lie before fore tore a honk sent her outside norton please drive me to crossroads Maybe Mabe well we'll meet sister r s. Drive Me to Crossroads Maybe Mayb e We Will Meet Sister and aDd Hal nul Maybe they the will know why wh f the lire others are delayed Sort of a news new S center at tile the crossroads anyway Pshaw I 1 Dont Don't worry They rob pro b at ly think you will viii not Dot nave have ba dinner promptly at 1 o'clock o'clock- Rut But I told each one that we would have bave dinner promptly because I thought thuu ht you boys might ml ht wish to hear the pro pro- program program program gram at Baxter Do you suppose they have all gone to the festival before coming here Y It It exactly I 1 Lets Let's go too tool I IThen Then we can all come came home together toa to toa toa a grand Christmas Christ reunion dinner Horton Interrupted Come home to cold turkey dressing and potatoes reunion dinner you mean Louise snapped Hurrying home hone and eating lunch Ilor Ilor- ton with Louise a bit lilt reluctant started for where a special festival of Christmas Christians music and drama an all annual community Affair for many numy years P rs ln iii tW en rival towns to ns would he be presented at the Community Center playhouse Prizes were awarded to best productions jons dons from the two towns 1 The guests must have hae ha e misunderstood misunderstood stood stood my letter Whatever It Is Is they e all a II misunderstood n n together t t o-t her Lou LOll Louise ise L e whined durin during applauding for the J performers In which Horton orton Blistered his hands clapping for his home community lie seemed unsympathetic to Louises Louise's further peevish questions But not one of f our guests are here that I can see Do you glimpse Uncles Uncle's bald head bend or or sisters sister's fur or Bettys Betty's m p red hat hats haU I t. t I i Id t I f i II j t I v After Arter the program pro ram norton and Lou LouIse LouIse Ise watched every means of or exit fo for r their guests then hurried home Ing In at five o'clock At sight of ot the th tb e over left dinner Louise sobbed Never N Iver saw saV sa V such A n frost What Whiff on n n Adams Adam's earth firth could have happened What have p we we have have I done donI to deserve e such snubs She was almost dims clous that Horton had something sorn to do Ii with the absence of their guests Sin She e leaped to the Jangling jan lIn of the tele tell phone Anything was better Leiter than si sl silence sl lence levee ot or was It Ye yes Ye yes jes well we'll oe ue there there there-at at once I The receiver er clicked hurry Someone seeds needs you youat youat youat at at Heralds Herald's Corners orners Hal flat called No Hal and sister are not hurt hut hint some SOUle- someone someone one else You run on arid and Ill I'll stay to prepare beds Hal lIal and Louises Louise's sister soon arrived with a tI man woman WO and small child who had been heen buried under an DO automobile after being behr hl struck by II a hit hit- run and driver er When lint Hal found them HINn hours before they wore were unconscious After A Her return to consciousness the doe doc doctor tor had consented for Hal lIal to drive them to Horton's Hortons for the night as liS no hospital was nearer than one hundred miles tulles While administering to the Injured ones In the spotless beds hells Louise pro vided Uncle Jim und and lInt aunt Jen arrived ar arrived I rived with Betty Detty and Clyde CIde son an 1111 arrI i daughter law daughter in law at exactly six o'clock I We oWe were determined to be on time for dinner Aunt Jen called Inno Inno- Gently Yes you are In to time time to help nurse these base Injured strangers Louise an- an answered steered trying not to look 1001 discomfited Jim had too ball bad a cold collI to go to the program at tarter Baxter So Clyde CIde said he would drive our car and we would all come together Clyde CIde could not get getaway getaway away from the store until noon Doon We thought you would probably go o to the program If It we were not here to hinder during the afternoon And wed we'd get here In time for Cor your six o'clock din dinner ner nero Let us help make these Injured I il 4 r f I G GYes Yes You Are In Time Time to to Help Nurse These Injured Strangers ones comfortable Or well we'll get the tho dinner on the table while you attend them Aunt Jen rattled on The Th late date of the dinners dinner's coldness seemed not to matter One thing Ive I've learned that a cold dinner Is no less palatable after eight hours than for two hours' hours watt walt Its It's all because of ot two times two times two dates for dinner dinner- 12 o'clock arid o'clock-arid and six o'clock I Two things thing s learned today I 1 Louise recited to her her- herself herself herself self the text of at the letter sent to he her guests and as nearly as she could re re- remember re- re remember member It was worded Can Cun you ou come for Christmas dinner Come early If the men mea wish to go with to the pro pro- program program gram at Baxter We women will gossip the afternoon away until the men return Dinner promptly then J 1 Dinner at six six for for six late guests 1 I But Dut It t all turned out right The poor poo r people were rescued by b pals Hal's coming contin g In the afternoon Hal lIal said that since sine e he tie had the afternoon for tor driving he h would leisurely drive delve by way of tier Her Heralds Herald's aids ald's Corners to see the new viaduct Just completed You and I dear at at- attended tended tIle the program pro together to ether Uncle Jim needed a driver 0 Next Next time Ill I'll I make It plain which dinner hour to ex ex- expect peet my guests guests guests-at at one o'clock or at a six o'clock on Christmas I Louise Louis e smiled stalled the next day after the Injured Injure d strangers were on their way and ond th the guests had returned to their homes e Western V Newspaper Union |