Show 91 I 1 0 N catherinc lath natlie erinc rine edelman nian ON CARLTON CAMTON gripped the pilepi ft lied tightly as the lie car plowed a 11 zig zag path through tile mire of 0 the country road what a foot fool af he had been to allow hima self to be talked into took tak ing the short cut between webster and holtonz gut but lie had been in such a hurry to get back to chicago to join with the crowd in welcoming in tile new year it only he had made sufficient clent inquiry lie he could have hare found out about tills this awful detour ile he thought there were any roads left that were quite so bad and lie he have hae foreseen the quick and annoying thaw that had set bet in down the steep grade the big car careened now on one side aide of the road now on the other ile he hold it to the ruts it got more and more beyond ills his control every minute until finally the left rear wheel slid into the heavy threefoot three foot toot bank at the side don made a sound tint that was almost a groan ile he was beyond ap speech L ech for the moment could anything be worse marooned in the lark dark on a country road and on new years uvel aa hungry as a hawk without even eten a sandwich to bite on ailing it sill nil anyway I 1 why lie he used a little common sense stumbling out of ills hla seat he stood upon the running board for a moment there seem to be a thin tiling that he could do the heavy night was all around him and there probably a house within miles alles li but there wasl for the friendly light of a christmas cindle candle was blinking at him from the window of a small cottage that stood back some distance from the road 1 I braving the sticky mud that made walking so BO difficult ion don approached the house and knocked 1 I 1 I 1 beg your parden tor for bothering you he said apologetically but m my y car got stalled out in front and I 1 1 1 I beg your pardon for bothering you thought mayble I 1 could use your telephone 11 there was something likable in the face of the lad standing inside the door im sorry weve got no phone mister but but I 1 know mam would be glad to have you come in you marri mam lie ile turned toward a blender and harming charming dark haldred woman as he spoke why of course she said with a smile were always glad to assist a stranger and and we can fix you something to eat and you yon can stay here until some one comes along to help you sou soon the appetizing odors of ham and eggs and coffee filled the room don inhaled the fragrance while he tallied talked to the children he found the other kotlier three just as pleasant as the boy who had opened the door there was something especially likable about them all don did a lot of thinking while he ante a te the delicious meal ills sharp eyes had taken in the situation at a glanco glance there was poverty in the little home not the kind that shows itself to the world unashamed but the shabby refinement A few new toys of the cheapest kind were tile only things to show that christmas had come to the little family lie ho thought with a thrill of the package that lay under the back seat scat or of hla his car lie 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 dut but instead of going to the factory branch he made up ills mind that the contents of tile package would remain in the dalton cottage and he felt quite sure that lie he was going to have a lot more fun out of the thing he was going to do than lie he ever could tune have celebrating the new year with his bachelor friends in chicago an hour later after help had come along and while lie he was being towed to vie tic highway there echoles in his ears above the plop plop of the horses feet the hearty libarty thanks and good wishes for a happy now new year that the dalton family had repeated with such sincerity and he felt that such good wishes must come true S a iam watern sir union |