Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1876-12-22

beau ideal Of an honorable gentleman"
"Thank you Now we must go, or Ma
ion will be sending that committee you
mentioned"
"Etta ~
"Wen!n
81 am afraid I can't keep that secret Of
yours much longer"
"Keep it till tomorrow, Uncle Ralph. ]
am to say yes or no at Marion's tonight
The Christmas party at Marion's Won
dered loudly at Aunt Etta's unaccounta>
BILE delay. All the young savages were
beating tattoos with their feet upon the
stair-cases, and loudly declaring it was toe
bad Aunt Eta did not come, that the tree
might be lighted. The more decorous par.
ty of older people in the drawing wonder
ed why Marion was watching the door so
%anxiousty. Maynard Wight, listening
courteously to the small talk Of Marlon's
eldest daughter, was thinking Eta meant
to say no., and stay at home.
Suddenly Marion vanished. and in a few
minutes all the children filed into the front
parlor, and fixed their eyes upon the fold
ing door that hid SO many delightful treas
ures upon the Christmas tree. Maynard
Wight fixed his eyes also upon the door,
certain that when it opened there would
be a message of hope or certainty of disap-
! pointment for him.
It opened, revealing a glare of light, and
the great tree in the center. Beside it
stood Eta. dressed in a bright blue silk,
with her light curls decorated with blue
ribbons, and a bright light of happiness in
her large eyes, and flushing her round
cheeks. In her hand was a long wand,
with which she detached the Glittering
presents from the tree. Everybody was
too busy in examining the various gifts
that were being distributed to watch May
nard Wight. but had they done SO. they
would have seen his eyes. wide open with
establishment, gazing at q gay object dang
ling from one of the branches of the Won>
derful tree. There was every variety of
Christmas fruit there, but, henever needed
any of it. Wider and wider grew his eyes.
Certainly he knew that object. Certain
ly in the past six years he had too often
speculated Upon a similar one to be mis-
taken. Blue and red stripes and yellow
stars might exist in a thousand socks, but
certainly the one dangling from that tree
was the mate to the one Kriss Kringle had
sent him six years ago. How did it get
there? Who had owned the other one be-
Fo,o - .oo 80 - I.o loolo . III ,ro to
ginning to think he must be asleep, when
the long wand h overed for a moment over
the gay sock, detached it, and Etta's clear
voice said !;
"Kriss Kringle to Maynard Wight"
Uncle Ralph took it from the wand, and
handed in to the still bewildered young
man.
81 believe you know where to find the
mate" he said, with a meaning smile.
"Then it was you ?" Maynard said.
Not a bit of it. 1t was Eta"
"Etta !" cried the young man, deeply
moved.
''See what is in this one. No one is no.
ticing us : they are all too busy with the
tree"
1t was a very tiny gift down in the toe
Of the gay sock. Onlya little gold locket
for a watch charm; but when it was open
ed, Etta's sweet face looked into his, and
a curl of Etta's bright hair faced the min
iature.
My story is told. Uncle Ralph has one
more nephew, and Mrs. Maynard Wight
says her husband has one pair of socks she
never has to mend, because the only use to
which they are ever put is to bangle once
"a year on a Christmas tree, to hold Kriss
Kringle's gift to MI. and Mrs. Maynard
Wight.