- _... ~+.: mw-ma-“q-nsuei-aav

Qbtsglciles" ‘NQYX/TCQIQ

Whfll the hands of the HTPI- lY-twl tuflvc Christine

t:

» in: asleep and,

. a.) llat all

lust lyllig :30 l w under the lniiglit be frightcncdl It would be

clock laliirring of a bell. crashed through BN1" l to her .ecti llilu Dtckys bedroom. He‘ nitlst |.'(' iwlefli by iiuiv, sh’; [llgilgllf I

numb senses; rum-ca her. uazeu and startled. 'i‘he knoekln; and ringing broke out again. She t-Dltllif} up, ran through the tlat the uoor t0l'1‘llll.‘(| that Dicky

covers, iliai only the dull gliiiiiiiei- l the postman. 0t course --Christ/- I'l his open eyes proclaimed any l mas Day was definitely here.

life . Even as she bynt over hirn, nu‘. j her hand en his xen forehead he did net snillu. ur n or speak; lust l l:._v iii that iii idltll apathy ' s driving her to ll9a])€'i‘£1li(‘ll- She .

u "Shu", cw.» darling. Try t0 slteli " lie rlzu lllil shut his eyes. did] l!’.{ ltll‘\\l"t‘ B)‘ up sieii did he show t hr it'll hen-d m" \llltl(‘l'.~.|Ut)(l. l 'l\‘.)\|“.lllI "liven it I did haul: ' uni: and plll the toys 0n lll- vccnln not Kll0\'\'~— and . d:eatliuiiy' tired "

. he trluld net l)l'l - herself ta . ii that risk ‘Those t ueie s lr- liJrt ul ill‘ rlitltli. tl

tllfV liOKlTCi would ilFUIlSL‘ liln. and Toni if she could ciily be tel:- lain of Tom .

She turned Ull lees that see-alert as l 'd"ll es the rest of her ex- hal ' l bcih. iiiliviiiu acress lo the dierniiiz rconi. Oiih‘ then did she.‘ hear a lGllllt‘. fioln the bed. but sol

faint that onl’ anxious ears knew; llfoeawh" . _ ‘

"Yes, Dick . she asked beiiduilz eaflfrlv

I

A ilhost of a word floated up to‘ hrr: "Bells " ,

"Yes. it's past twelve." she told; hini.

"Christmas 1343"?"

"Well ———ll3l quite. Nut we've dciic iiur Christmas slccil." siir~ said drspaizitely. nil: too well wliiit his next w would be: bu: it mine.

"Give liner Daddy a chance." she triccl to iiiiike it a natural lilulth. "He's gut to have his sleep. and 115s‘ ilut sueli a huge, long Way to comm, too. Bui when it's re.-il UlCYlllligl when you've slept your sleep into

dav . . Try D1 y, it'll really make Darldv uuickei"

"Trying to ti, " the (ll‘,\' little} whisper rattled. "It lvont conic. If! Dadd,v—-"

"Try enormous hard." she tirlled aalifttr, fearing, fearing that pro- mises about Daddy‘ might be more (langcrouz; than iilit "Shut eyes. 120v. Pour Mumnvvs got tn wait and sleep. ten."

He did not shut his eyes “not really- He made the effort. ut the thin. bluish lids crept witli a terrible labour only a. far as the low-er rim nf the iris. the ivliillrs stall cleani- liic through. He hadn't the strength left ci-rii ti» sleep. Not that sleep- im: or ivaklnr! made much differ- ence. Still. even tliat W65 sonic- lliinc. and lf she lef: him he might d0ze‘_~

She went bJCk to her own bed. lay on it lighting the numb \ve.rri-‘ was that had settled like a dead| iveizht in every muscle. She kiicw that shc had reached the lirni’. of her own endurance. She had set. herself to hold out until Tom ar-z rived. and he had written that it would not be later than Christmas Eve. perhaps befcrc if he could manage it. for he really was due fer a long leave. ll was his not coming! that had brukcn her. It was as thoueli she had stretched her—' self taut to hear just tlig limit of_ strain and the extra wait had,’ caused her to crack ;

She shivrrrd as she thought. ofl Tom's failing. It would be the end‘ of Dick_\'. That one last spark o lil'-~ lcfl in the frail little boy his desire to sec and rzriin with his father at Christmas —would he, fltlfntlifl]; the dreadful llstlessiiess that had held him since his illness wruld dccurn. He ivoi-lrl die. .

Dr. Mattie had ll-ft in doubt abuuti that. “Uiilcs v.'e can rouse him w , can dii nothing. Airs. Logaii- Heist just slipping downhill. lVf-edical setucc is helpless if there's no willl t0 live His lather might bringl that bac‘: Th." child's wanting h;rnl ere at Chrlsilnls shows thatl twilldi cf the bcy litft' ii;;li'. " l ‘v has always been their‘

“ Christine had‘. my llllkbtlllfln .wilh the;

tliev'i'e; l

"shims I iiz to! zt ml

ill‘ Manic slid Cn .lnc knew what

he meant by that clinginlF-it was

Dlr,k,v‘s it'd, dc‘ ("i-ate hold bn lit'c.. "ll Mr i eoiiil-s that inrrnoryl hiiizhl b: inlp activity. It's;

not nine tnriy lzc be thcf lllftrlll! point . l iiieau. once. the liUl: licaear sits up and takes‘ an int/crest in any/thing.’ ycuthl

piano tli

should dn the rest i

"And he s devctrd tn-hil; fa-

"Tllllil, tea, I'm eiililitiivz mi that.

1t wasn't the postman, but a tele- graph buy with three messages. Two were in gay "Greetings" en- velopes the third —hci~ heart pumped in fear as she took it and heard the boy's cheery "Happy

= Christmas. lvlivain." as he went u-

rlulipy Christmas! . . Happy! . . . erani was frctii ‘Tom as she dread-

er . . .

Her hands <hook as she forced liei- finger iluuci‘ its flan, and be- baii to tear —f\l'itl stopped-

Dlcky had laughed.

Iiiercditblc. Sh." stood startled. nut believing her

rigid. CHIS.

‘But it had sounded ‘like a laugh.

weak. (|lld\'f‘l'lll;.', pitiful —but u laneli, it must be trite. Joy as well as fear sri unnerved her that she had to cling to the back of a hall

, chair, tellin: herself it Just couldn't

If that third telel

strong. smiled at her telling her that everything was all right now, yet warning her to behave as though all this was ordinary. What a difference his mere presence made. Even his way of taking things for granted carried Dicky over difficult moments.

When she brought the milk. eased Dicky up with an arm about his shoulder. he turned his head away from the Cup as he _ had always done in the past trying days. But new, under Tom's eye. he caught himself baek- muttered. "Daddy" He wanted Tom to give hkn hi5 drink “ “_O_h_ never," He said cheerfully,

MHKS the nurse's job always _ lhalb the Why of it son. Its up to a

,be . . And as she clung Dicky ‘ lzuched aeain It was true Trile! She flung

Tom. her husband, Tom

the hall table. r.lii sttimtiliiill [Q the ITSUYOUH] utor. pinned lL open with a pcsitive terror oi hope weakening her . . . Auu again uzeky laughed.

She stood gasping, staring, Diekys frail flglll‘: iio iuilger fnaue its tvri‘ ly neat mound under the ocdeiutnes. lney were urlllnplcq because he had managed to turn on his side. Ana he was looking up, the WHY-r. tight skin of his face puckered in a. weak smile, and his eyes iverc no longer heavy and uull as he watched --'l'cm!

Toni. Her husband. Tom Logan, was here! > Toni sat beside Dicky! bed as

though he hart never been sway. H15 WW‘ p050 had that heartach- inir familiarity, the memory of which had strengthened her through every day and lllgl-ll q; his alisrnce. The frank lioyishncss that made him so akin La t,l,~ lmv l" Dll-‘lil’ was alive in his every liiovtlnciit and in his every feature, he did something utterly rldl. tulous with Dlekys Christmas wys.

916k)’ uave a rccdy little chuckled l

cRW Christine, gasped out;

"Muninrv. Isn't Daddy p 0ne!"l Christine ('l'i'.‘(l troiii a tight, throa-Z Toni- Toni. my dear. You

not; here?" Her husband looked up,

a queer. veiled. warning look. ls.

Uwuilh to say. bio-unlit. Dicky alone counts." She icard hi. \0l'C . , . inf: chcerfullya‘ is m a dwmm Say

I "Didi ‘t l promise this young fel- - small hands in Tom's bl ci-me-latl that not even etnbattlqlpone. his face serene and lllstenin lhlnfitsflphunts could keep me "my ' Before she could speak Tom set

from him and Chrirllnas pudding?"

-» inset iilififtii? h?“ w "w "r “~-

of their "secret" language. A frall

'l'lierc's nutlmil. so remarkable as “lid “"11 curate. yet already now different ircin his voice 0f a few‘

th:- swine b. ck uf children. Re- elnerics can be startling -‘.ilit. they need a fccl..\:~iiil.' piillll. You're sure ycnr husband will ect leave?"

He 5illli tt in a way thy; told hei- that. if Tliii didn't then iiolliiii! cnuld saw» irckv ind .\llt‘. had nli- nvrrerl tias>iciia _': “Oh. dill!!! lure Tum l‘_"\‘(l' falls us

That was true. Tum was always In splendid that way. He made it an article of lidlh to keep all promises --- especially to Dicky. He would move heaven and earth to come. as he said he had. especially after sh wrote again telling him all that Dr. Maule had said. ilralng liiin to mmc as early as possible - brfcre Chrtswnas Eve if it could be manaccd. Knuwlnrz Tom she had hcrn sure lie veaud do ll . . And he hadn't conic. Hiidift even 'i.""'""t‘(l h'r

“ti l"‘l.’tl'.\'(‘l' m TtYHflll. lvhv h~dn'i Toni erme- or wired With "veil eves she (lreve her clenched

l

.and staring and

e-never!" 3

hours alzo It wa, l ~ ll and dead. It Was quill}; on“! M

Sh:- could only stand. swaying absolutely stupid under the flood (if rcllct that. filled he!‘ lo til!‘ min: of weeping,

"Oh. Toni. How? How?" Illl.‘ be~ Bait A 5'11)’ thing to say. He'd slip- ped in while she was asleep. of course, using hi5 key, 509mg hm- lyliig exhausted, he had tell hqr "m-lfilurbcd while 110 tip-teed into Dlckv. That was his way -alwa_vs; 50 illliukhlful. so aiilck to under- stand, so practical. She changed her question quickly to “When "

"Hours an’ hours an’ hours alto." Dlckyiv voice ccstatlcally n- swercd for him “An terrible use ——dL\=-lo —hr's awful strict. ton. Made nic sleep first, Toys onlv after wed got rid of our Chrigl. mas Ev.- sleeo his’ like you said Mums. can l lnvc .1 drliik of milk?"

"Mllk- my dear At oiirel" she

' "ds lnlo lwr pillows. sendlnc out , nasprd. "Tcm ~lh1t's "if first time

her snlrlr in a passionate elamnlii- lo her husband. demanding his coming cemmandlnr i.’ with all her will bola-o it was tan 11w»

lhe

‘s asked for for wrecks. "

"When we

something‘

men get together

lfhcrofis nolhlr; w." e'.-‘n't da" Tam

Exhaustion must. haw- made per ' chuckled “Ain't. It so. G-illath?"

sleep. A thunder in her ears. a‘

Tom's face. so wise so steady. .10

- monster "

the telegrams on to Dick grinned in wan feeblelless

"This is not our ‘ he did. she slipped ln in mid-morn.

inan to drink . . _ _Down with 1e

Logan, was here.

Lift. uraiik. not much. but willingly instcua Ol the long struggle of coaxing. élie ict the uiin lltvlc fig- ure scitiy back on to the pillows, looking at ‘ruin with unspeakable llratitude.

"And you, niy dear." she whis- lwrw- "You must be hungry. too." d all I want already." he _ "But get something your- se ,.. .1 and my motor me- chanic here h ave a particularly Hull-y race game that calls for the deepest attention . . ."

His ‘illance said: ‘heave this to me Iin the tioriic this youiili man needs Go and rest. and make your- self pretty, and worry no more."

ith a singing heart she went back to her room. bathed and dress~ ecl with all the slow luxury that. had been denied her during her spell of anxiety- Ate l. real break. fast at last. Every now and then she stopped u. listen to Dlcklfs voice. It seemed stronger every time. and it was certainly more gni. mated. Tom was Wonderful. He, had iustifled all her hope mad trust. Ailolq pus ssluioisi slu quay pm; 9H was gulps to get well.

1-le played quietly", gently, under. -stanclingly with all toys. never e3. align: the child. He knew exactly

to swp and what to do when

lmz with tr suggestion iii-lent no; over-exerting Dicky, to find Dlcky lbllwldly lying on his back, both his brown

"We are about w travel, pel- ny.

, hunt lions in n strange and dZTmlZ manner . . . which lnrllcst; c5. my dear. that. this is the mn- mem 1°!‘ you to go out. and get a spot of fresh iilr rather than he, involved in a purely ma]; lf m; cannibalistic episode,"

ls eye winked sagely, then lllg head droperl and hlslldsclosed over his eyes. and she knew that he meant to tale tell Dicky to sleep. as he had so often done in the past. She blew both heartfelt kisses and went out breathnl the Rood sir as she had not hoped to breath ll,

a .

aiz n.

It was glorious out. she strolled in the park with a sense of delicious freedom. She was even able take her first ace at the ah , or what the rntnus- shoplrig had left in the unshumred ones. She knew everythinn was going w be right and it was. When she lzot back Dicky was asleep. really deep- ly and soundly asleep. breathing normally and with a colour already showing in his face.

She wanted to hug Tom for that and everything. but is glim warned her. Duffy's splndly fing- ers were gripped tight on his hand.

il

' It Happened ‘ On Christmas Day

llllllllllllllllllll lllllllllllllllll_

, Ironically enough. several strange and important war. activities have tun-ll place on Christmas day-

Onc which many of the Brill-Ill and Geiman soldiers of the lust World war remember is the slflni. Christmas d1 that. $00k Flue °3 the 1914 fron . The Worm war was definitely on, but for a short tlmt. on chrlstman day. there was a pv- l-lcd c! peace on earth between the fighting soldiers. ‘

In the Hinder: sector, German by mutual llfeemcnt. and went ovoi- in each others trenches and dugouts w a nd the day in feast- ing and oeie ration.

A very important military event in colonial ' ricm h lso tcok place on Christmas clay. George Washington. leading his brave, but weather- eaten army of 2,400 men across the Delaware, captured the city of Trenton, N.J.. which British and Hessian troops Mrs than occupying. Over 1.500 enemy troops were captured in the surprisi_e__mamh.___

do. or talked-J’

"Plenty of time for that, my clear. later -aiicl it'll be better for making w-day all Dlekys."

"I know," she "Oh. Tom. you don't know what your coming has meant to me-ua.’

“Im not beyond guessing." he smiled

"And -nnd I was afraid you mizhtirt come." .

“I'd made up my mind to come," he said- "Nothing could have stop- ped me “Nothing on earth."

Dicky stirred a little then, his eyes warned her and she fled for fear her voice and presence would spoil the magic. Singing gently she began w prepare lunch.

They had a picnic lunch in the bedroom. Dicky did not want to miss a moment of his father, and. anyhow, it was a joy to them both to see him eat. Yes. he actually wanted to cat little bits of chicken and jelly with the beginnings of a boy's appetite- They could scarcely izlve attention tn their own food: It was such a great mcment.

After that he wanted to play with Tom sgsin. and Tom persuaded her to go and rest. It seemed selfish of her. but Dicky was so entirely cen- tred on Tom. was so manifestly im- proving. while she was still so terribly weary that. she gave in. She shut herself in her room to sleep until tea time-and woke at seven.

She could not believe the clock at first. and when she did she hurried into Dicky's bedroom overwhelmed with contritloii. It was dark. there was no sound in it except. Dieky's

breathing. She called “Tcm" soft-

l,v. but there was no answer- She. Cradle)’ ' sister as “Al; he's coming out of it —he ,slcpt iill day, I suppose

clicked on the screened night lamp‘ and saw he wasn't there.

Sure that he had taken the chime‘; tn stretch his legs while Dicky slept,- she was not even upset Wlllll she. found he was not in the flat. She

ready-when be together. Her ear on the a , or Dicky's awakening. and when she; heard the boy him

of his nld voice: "I'm terrific huii- zry -Can l have scmetliliig-ari' a biz drink - " 1 "Of course clean-What would you lice " "Cake. an‘ chicken and almost anything. Daddy says I've ltet ‘to eat like a trooper. so‘s to be quite well when he comes again " "Comes again?" she gasped- "Ccmes really,’ he said nuite calmly. “This was only a sort of pretend time. you know " "Pretend." she caught. herself nu

to say as naturally as she could. "Daddy's izorie then?" "Hart to be back," Dicky said.

"But he'll be here again quite soon. an’ there's no need about worrying; it'll be for a longer and gorlzeouser time then —and real "

"Real?" she gulped, yet Dicky dldiit seem light-headed, more normal than ever in fact. She switched on the rcom light. He was more normal. As Dr. Manic had said. Tom's coming had made all the difference —only what did he mean by "real" oi- by Tom's golng back like this?

She glanced wildly round- the room. and the first thing she saw was the plate of cold chicken she ‘had cut for Tour's lunch. It was whore she had set it. on an oc- casional table - and tt hadn't even been touched. 35h: remembered then that she hadn t. seen his hat or coat in the hall —-l1O visible sign of him at all. except himself -and she hadn't touched him. And as she grasped the strangeness of it all she remembered the telegram she hadn't opened, With n gigantic effort to master her dread she said to Dtekv:

"1 ll see what secrets the larder 11115 101' you." and went out into the hall, snatching the telegram from the table, bursting it open. It was from n hfilpltal it read:—

rest?" V _

"splendid, been with Dicky all d y."

u"Eli?"-—blinked Dr. Cradley, "A dream--'

Ior dress or slim, wear.

Priced from

Provide for his comfort 0llfl|O0!'!_ and. in the house, too, these fuel eqnflfllflI W111‘ tel- days. Make your-selection from. our collection of comfortlluauring gilt! --_lII styles that. will add uct- to lilo Nvartlrolw- Stocks are limited no doifl. wall. —-l\l0li

now}

Gloves In wool and leather styles. Some with scarves.

will prevent taking his leave for £0039 W€€k£.

Cradley M. D. a a . -

that sa me moment

At was saying to a

"Like a child, doctor." "N0 dreams. you think?"

"None as far as I could tell and merely busizd hersrlt‘ vetting dinner, I watched for them, knowing how at least. they would, wrought up lert- his." _ "Yes, I lliink he would have been move she went lXflO iii bad ease ll. I hadn't given him , that, slcflllllll (fraught. g

She heard him yawn, a delicious» hcpe his wife got my wire in time natural yawn. He said in scmctliinil to prepare the boy 821M115! 6153i)" pointmcnt- l-lnllo, Liognn. had a iwud

- I

"DYQEUI be hanizcd. it was —»- He caught sight cf the nurse's uni- form, switched his eyes in surprise, over the hospital surroundings. "By, Jove -perhaps it was -and yet so

ea —- "You look better for it. auylimvfl

the doctor hastened to say.

Tom Logan lnnkcd at him h a strange way. ' 1' feel b boy will be all right new, has turn- ed the corner, Queer but I feel

“V653. _ i

he said.

letter feel that

that in my bones--"

Regret to say husband. '1‘. Logan. met With flceldent: not serious but