Show christmas dinner by katherine edelman S SOON as darrel thorpe got a A AS chance to use the phone he be dialed his home he must tell edna how sorry how terribly sorry he was for what had happened this morning all the way down on the car he had reproached himself for or tile the hasty words he had said he understand how bow he had bad spoken to edna like that and on christmas eve he drummed impatiently on the desk as he waited edna was always punctual about answering the phone and doorbell it was a way she had going right through with things which really was the cause ot of his flash of temper this morning in her quick decisive way she had swept aside his idea of having old mrs darby tor for christmas dinner the little lady now down on her luck had befriended darrel when he had come to the city im not going to have her edna had bad declared emphatically were A in the big man did not seem to hear him his eyes were glued on a closely typed statement 9 going to skip christmas as much as possible go out and eat somewhere and miss all the rush and bother 1 I think a darn selfish way of doing darrel shot back christmas is is a home day with a turkey and a tree and gifts and above all someone to share them with us then without waiting to see the effect of his words darrel rushed from the house banging the door now he dialed the number three times but there was no answer panic seized him had edna believed that he meant what he be had said he had heard of young wives who ho had packed up and left lor for much less reason what a brute he had been to flare up as he did THE morning was unbearably araby long inwardly turning fuming he hung up the receiver to answer an imperative pera tive buzzer from rom the inner 0 office f it was about the tenth this h orning morning m it if it been for wheatley keeping him running around in circles he might have been able to reach edna long ago and if the old man been in same ugly mood yesterday D darrel arthe knew that he himself have been on edge this morning that he have spoken to edna as he had done he blamed wheatley as much as himself you sent tor for me he said stiffly as he waited beside the desk the big man did not seem to hear him his eyes were glued on a closely typed statement darrel spoke again Then Daniel wheatley looked up and rubbed his hand across his forehead as it if trying to remember f something oh yes yes he began mrs thorpe called belore before you got to the office this morning I 1 forgot to tell you she left word that she was going marketing with a mrs mrs darby or some such name also slid she wanted me to be sure to tell you to bring home a christmas tree and all the trimmings there was a merry twinkle in Wheat leys usually hard eyes looks as if you w were ere going to celebrate christmas at your house he finished with a laugh we certainly are darrel grinned back were going to have a real old fashioned celebration of the day think your your wife would object it if you took a cranky old man to chr christmas is A dinner darrel wondered if he were hearing things then his quick wit jumped to the muriace suri surface ace it if you really mean that mr wheatley I 1 can assure you of a hearty welcome my wife thoroughly believes in having people tor for christmas dinner at least I 1 am sure she does now the laustsen last las tsen sentence darrel darre to himself |