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Show Santa aiadL Wis w : a- I i s - fc-- V t it 1 ste j , v n- ! . . v . ; sk , i i 4 N -i Li ' t, f - " n K 1 f j a kI , - A- ' sC-i I Dorinda and Her Christmas Locket She Decidas to Reveal Mysterious Mys-terious Picture Back of Tiny Glass. By MARTHA BANNING THOMAS ?ft!TiPC ORINDA'S hair was hsi&j S so pretty that you ircSfl II f'S alraost forgot to rSiM &&s0 look at ller face (wffwtylfWYij 'ut wlien you once J-CJ J'ou forgot a11 M vj about her hair. At least that's what Sandy McQuinn said, and he ought to know, If anybody. Sandy had made a thorough study of Dorinda at all seasons when it was possible. In fact his research . work would have done credit to a scientist. There were times when Sandy felt exuberant, and there were other times when he called himself a complete Idiot. This simple barometer of emotions emo-tions indicated the various moods of Dorinda. Dorinda could scintillate with wit and mischief; Dorinda could droop in lovely wistfulness ; Dorinda could be severe, and Dorinda could be r t Strode About the Room Like a Pirate. melting. One never knew wThich Dorinda, Do-rinda, of her many selves, one would find. "And," declared Sandy to his mother, who had gently inquired about his restlessness, rest-lessness, "she keeps wearing that silver sil-ver locket. She won't say who gave It to her and she won't let me peek inside. in-side. If she's got some other chap in there I'll just drop her I She need not think she can lead me around by the nose .'" Sandy struck an attitude of great superiority and strode about the room like a pirate. His mother smiled a little, but said nothing. After a few dark mutterings . and final gestures, Sandy said he was "going "go-ing out" but would be in early. He lifted his hat from a hook in the hall and went straight as his feet could carry him, to the house of Dorinda Kent. This sort of thing lasted all fall. By Christmas time Sandy had worked himself up to a great state of nerves over the locket. Dorinda was quite sweet about it, but also quite firm. She would never let Sandy see the contents. con-tents. HirUitpnis ovp Sandy's mother gave a little party to her son's friends. It was done chiefly for Dorinda, so Sandy's San-dy's mother would have the opportunity opportu-nity -of judging the girl's charms for herself. Sandy was earnest and solemn sol-emn about all the arrangements, and even went to the point of asking his mother if she had dusted the back part of the piano was she sure? "We'll probably sing, you know," he said, "and I want everything to look just right." ... "Yes, my son," answered his mother. Dorinda floated in like a bit of thistledown. She was the last to arrive. ar-rive. Immediately she became the lively center of a laughing group. But she had not forgotten her manners: pushing the young people away, she went up to Sandy's mother, and captured cap-tured her in half a minute. Mrs. McQuinn Mc-Quinn did not even know when she surrendered. "No wonder," she mused aloud, when the lovely girl had returned re-turned to the others, "no wonder poor Sandy is temporarily out of his head she is a witching lass." Of course there was dancing; of course there were good things to eat, and of course there was a bit of mistletoe mistle-toe cleverly concealed in an obscure corner. Sandy had privately seen to this. In fact the whole party revolved around this particular bit of mistletoe. Just before the last dance Sandy lured Dorinda into that corner by. saying say-ing he had something very important to tell her. When she stood directly under the tiny bough, looking up at Sandy with her dark, laughing eyes, Sandy opened his campaign. He put his arms around her and kissed her on her soft, flushed cheek. She was furious. In the resulting scramble, the silver locket snapped its ring and dropped to the floor. Here was opportunity 1 Sandy ducked, evading evad-ing the swift reach of the girl's hand. He had the locket In his grasp. It was openl "You sha'n't look at it 1" cried Dorinda, Do-rinda, looking stormy but adorable. "I've got it !" announced Sandy, "and If you t'on't let me look at it I shall probably kiss you again !" Dorinda stamped her little satin slipper. "Oh, well, I don't care!" she said and shrugged her shoulders. . Sandy looked down at the open locket. It was perfectly empty. "There !" triumphed Dorinda. "See what ycu have for your pains. Nothing Noth-ing but a locket to let." Sandy drew her farther Into the corner. cor-ner. "Why not put tss in as tenant?" he suggested coaxingly. And do you know what happened? After five minutes of battle, of Dorinda Do-rinda growing prettier every minute, of Sandy's profound arguments, the girl took the locket from him, and after prying up the tiny glass from one section, sec-tion, and removing a blank paper, said shyly: "Look, Sandy McQuinn!" And Sandy found his own grin beaming beam-ing up at him out of the silver square of the locket It was a snapshot taken In the summer when Dorinda and he had been on a picnic. "Was the party a success?" asked Sandy's mother as they were parting for the night. Sandy was inarticulate. He waved his arms about In excited circles. He made funny little noises in his throat At last he was able to speak. "I guess she likes me, all right!" he said. "I found out what's In that lockst I" (. 1025, Weatern Newsoaoer Unlon.1 |
