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Show EVE BY m HEART By Vera Tarpley TjUT THEY don't believe In O Christmas, Jim y o u know that." Laura wished she hadn't spoken quite so loudly; her remark had stopped In midstream three rapid-running conversations. Her guests studied the rug pattern. Jim merely looked at his wife in silence. "I mean, after all," she went on, "it's not their religion. . . so I assumed as-sumed lt would be embarrassing to them to invite them to our Christmas party." She swallowed uncomfortably. "And I assumed that this party was for all the fellows in our office, including Ben." He smiled then, but didn't soften the accusation. Everyone in the room knew of the close friendship between Jim and Ben they only guessed at his wife's resentment of the friendship. 4 it t '.jf A "He asked us to sing 'Silent Night nd gness what? He gave us (en dollars! And she Invited us In and gave us candy and cookies." Mr. Adams, office manager, broke the silence next. "I wouldn't worry wor-ry about it too much, Jim. After all, Christmas is . . ." He emptied hit glass and returned it to the coffee-table. "And we all feel a little lit-tle differently about the holidays than they do." About nine o'clock carolers came to the door, singing lustily and slightly off-key, "Let every heart prepare him room ..." The oldest caroler was scarcely twelve. He rattled a box full of coins. Mr. Adams snatched the donation box from him, ceremoniously deposited nine pennies, and passed from guest to guest, bowing after each donation. dona-tion. Everyone put in nickels and dimes. Jim put in a five-dollar bill and everyone shouted "Show-off!" Laura was annoyed but kept still. Laura and Jim's little girl. Bonny, was out caroling too, but her group covered a different neighborhood. No one noticed much when the telephone rang later in the evening and Jim went to answer it. But they noticed Jim's face when he returned to the living-room it was white and twitched unpleasantly. Laura walked over to him. "Whq was it, dear?" "It was Ben he called to apolO' glze for not coming tonight." "His daughter's been in Children's Chil-dren's Hospital for the past month, you know." Adams broke in. "Say, that's right Ben said she was pulling out of it that was last week I believe. be-lieve. How's she doing, did he say?" "She died this afternoon." Nobody seemed to have anything more to say after that. The party broke up within the next half-hour. Just as the Adamses were leaving. leav-ing. Bonny came in from caroling. She was flushed with happiness and excitement. Laura clutched her in her arms convulsively. "Did your group make, a big haul tonight, Bonny?" "Did we!" she gasped. "We got more than any other group I bet! And Mom, we sang for that Mr. Ben at Daddy's office, and " "Oh but you shouldn't have!" Laura looked at Jim with alarm. "Why not, Mom? He asked us to sing "Silent Night," and guess what? He gave us ten dollars! And she Invited us in and gave us candy and cookies, and gee, they're -nice! And I told them hello from you and Daddy, and you know what? She cried! Isn't that funny, mother?" Jim looked at his stricken wife and wanted to take her in his arms, but Mr. and Mrs. Adams were standing there with their mouths open, so he merely grasped her hand firmly. Bonny babbled on hap. pily. "And you know what else? Mr. Ben asked me what the donations went for, and when I told him he took all the money out of his wallet wal-let and put it in our box, can you Imagine? And then I asked him if he had any boys or girls like us and would they like to go caroling with us and he said no. And then she started crying again and we left. Wasn't that funny?" Mr. Adams cleared his throat "By the way, Bonny, just what were those donations for anyway? I forgot to notice when they came around here." "Why, for the Children's Hospital fund or something like that it was all printed on the box." |