Show BY ct 0 CZ M e vi SOM L ILL YARDLEY poked a B BILL tentative eye outside his blanket it was daylight at last across the tiny cabin jim was sn oozing quietly his measured breath almost drowned by the roaring C wind outside bills eyes surveyed the cabin with its old stove and rickety furniture cozy enough perhaps but this was no way to spend an entire winter even for the sake of geographical accuracy several severa I 1 hundred miles to the south in winnipeg the government office was waiting for or early spring when bill and jim could finish their surveying assignment and bring back a report e ile tl the pilot dumped overboard a huge bu bundle ridle ahead meanwhile were two months of this mad maddening denina 0 snowbound silence bills glance drifted to the calendar suddenly he caught his breath jim he shrieked wake up wake up do you know what day this is is jim groaned stirred a bit and answered sleepily tuesday aint it and so what jim its christmas eve A few minutes later they found themselves staring blankly out the window almost wishing never discovered it was christmas it was kind of childish to let on that you cared bill thought so he put on his parka and headed for the door lets forget it jim he advised im going to look at our traps and get some fresh air be back soon it was no picnic trudging through knee mee deep drifts for two hours to make it worse the traps were all empty even the animals were staying inside in this weather wonder if miss christmas too he mused as he neared the cabin suddenly he heard beard a faint hum in the sky it grew nearer unmistakably a motor an airplane bill raced for the cabin door A plane jim he cried get some black smoke going up the chimney then he raced out to the clearing the pilot saw him gesticulating wildly or else he saw the fresh black smoke over the cabin the big ship circled flew off to the north turned and came back flying low over the clearing it almost stalled as the pilot dumped overboard a huge bundle that plummeted into the snow almost at bills feet then he waved and sped away they got it inside somehow though they wanted to open the bundle bundie right where it landed once the rope was torn loose an oilskin pouch flew out A note was inside from the boss in case you boys have forgotten it read tomorrows christmas herewith the makings including some presents your families asked us to send along bill and jim looked at each other then they cheered merry christmas asked bill why its the best ever you taste this turkey 11 released by western newspaper union |