Show A chi christmas istman snowstorm by sarah jane dark clark I 1 T THREE hours late the snow bound train reached chicago mary lou gathered her baggage together and took the bus across to the other station to find her connecting train had left on schedule the folks would drive in to town to meet the train unless she could head them ot off her message put through mary lou sank down on one of the benches to collect her thoughts and make her plans until train time five and no train until the next morning going out soon a cheery voice voice near her asked she looked up to find the chief usher standing beside her A middle aged friendly looking fellow mary lou told him of her missed connections 1 here eddie look at this a red cap interrupted her story he was leading a three year old child a dear little girl with big blue eyes and yellow curls what are you doing with the kid Is she lost eddie asked sharply turning away from mary lou might as well be she came in from denver in charge of the stewardess they missed tile the train north and the stewardess is celebrating christmas Crist mas by having her appendix out om emergency case they told me to turn the kid over to you the boy grinned as he handed her over to the chief usher eddie took her clumsily see here what can a bachelor like rne me do with a kid like this he looked appealingly at mary lou mary lous eyes filled with tears then she held out her arms toward the youngster what is your name dear she asked annette pollard I 1 am three years old and I 1 am going from cheyenne to ta rio wisconsin to my grandma poliard my daddy is there it was a lesson she had been taught mary lou held her close 1 I had a little girl almost as old as annette A N NINE Q mary lou heard the voice of an bettes father when she died she said brokenly to eddie let me keep the child tonight and take her to her home I 1 missed the same train she did eddie studied her face what he saw satisfied him still he hesitated for a moment that sounds good to me but id better get the conductor to authorize it IT IT WAS soon decided that mary lou should keep her but she must not leave the station it wont be very cry comfortable for you maam but the kid can curl up on a bench here and be dead to the world in no time there are some rocking chairs in the far room there wily why of course there are some cots there and baby beds WL we ought to telephone the he childs relatives mary lou suggested of course we should here e is the address and telephone numb number e r you do it for me will you please maam ive got my last minute shopping to do im mighty glad you came in on this train Ed Eddie diell 11 I 1 take the kid while you telephone to rio and the conductor was off after turning over the childs money mone Y to mary lou but not until mary lou had made him promise to send a big doll back for the childs christmas well let annette say hello t to her daddy herself it if she wants to mary lou exclaimed and so it was done mary lou heard the voice of annettee Ann ettes father tense with concern and then joyful as te he realized where his baby was and heard her childish treble over the phone her mothers parents sent her back here to have christmas with me her mother died two years ago he added the sun was shining dazzlingly bright the next morning when the train stopped at rio the red haired man who was waiting expectantly on the platform had only time to thank mary lou and get her address before the train pulled out leaving him holding annette as she waved a goodby good by to mary lou but the trip home was much easier mary lou forgot the burning pain at the loss of her own little daughter the aching loneliness since I 1 her own husbands death as she remembered the soft kiss of the baby lips of the motherless child who had been in her charge the night before and the look in the he face of annettee Ann ettes daddy made her sure she would see annette soon |