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Show by f JyatheHne Hldelman TVTU PN CARLTON gripped the IfvV wheel tightly as the car plowed a zig zag path through the mire of the 3?v1 country road. What a fool iitO he had been to allow him-fjS him-fjS self to be talked Into tak-tmftiCtfSa tak-tmftiCtfSa ing the short cut between Webster and Holton! But he had been in such a hurry to get back to Chicago to join with the crowd In welcoming In the New Tear. Down the steep grade the big car careened now on one side of the road, now on the other. He couldn't hold it in the ruts. It got more and more beyond his control every minute until finally the left rear wheel slid into the heavy three-foot three-foot bank at the side. Don made a sound that was almost al-most a groan. He was beyond speech for a moment. Could anything be worse? Marooned In the dark on a country road, and on New Tear's Eve 1 As hungry as a hawk, without with-out even a sandwich to bite on. Hang it all, anyway! Why hadn't he used a little common sense? Stumbling out of his seat he stood upon the running board for a moment There didn't seem to be a thing that he could do. The' heavy night was all around him, and there probably wasn't a house within miles. But there was I For the friendly light of a Christmas candle was blinking at him from the window of a small cottage that stood back some distance from the road ! . Braving the sticky mud that made walking so difficult, Don approached the house and knocked. "I I beg your pardon for bothering both-ering you," he said apologetically, "but my car got stalled out in front "1 I Beg Your Pardon for Bother, ing You." and I thought maybe I could use your telephone." There was something likable 1a the face of the lad standing inside the door. "I'm sorry, we've got no phone, mister, but but I know mam would be glad to have you come in. Wouldn't you, mam?" He turned toward a slender and charming charm-ing dark-haired woman as he spoke. "Why, of course," she said with a smile. "We're always glad to assist a stranger, and and we can fix you something to eat, and you can stay here until some one comes along to help you." Soon the appetizing odor of ham and eggs and coffee filled the room. Don inhaled the fragrance while he talked to the children. He found the other three Just as pleasant as the boy who had opened the door. There was something especially likable about they all. Don did a lot of thinking while he ate the delicious meal. His sharp eyes had taken in the situation situa-tion at a glance. There was poverty pov-erty in the little home not the kind that shows itself to the world unashamed un-ashamed but the shabby refinement. refine-ment. A few toys of the cheapest kind were the only things to show that Christmas had come to the little family. He thought with a thrill of the package that lay under the back seat of his car. He was glad now that a mistake had been made on the shipment to the Nelson Stores and they had asked him to bring the things Into the factory branch for credit But Instead of going to the factory fac-tory branch, he made up his mind that the contents of the package would remain In the Dalton cottage. cot-tage. And he felt quite sure that he was going to have a lot more fun out of the thing he was going to do than he ever could have celebrating cele-brating the New Year wlLh his bachelor friends in Chicago. An hour later, after help had come along, and while he was being towed to the highway, there echoed in his ears above the piop-plop of the horses' feet, the hearty thanlis and good wishes for a happy New Year that the Daiton family had repeated re-peated with such sincerity. And he felt that such good wishes must come true. . i:r.. We.-:ic-rrj Newspaper Union- 5, |