The Columbus weekly dispatch. (Columbus, Miss.) 1902-1905, 1904-12-15

were lined with hurrying people. all
& of whom carried bundles and jostled
and We're jostIed with rare good hu-
NOR.
Day after tomorrow Margaret could
90 cheerfulIy back to her proofread-
I ing. In the meantime this wretched
holiday obtruded its grewsome pros
pect Of loneliness
o, we'll she would make the best of
q It. Tomorrow morning she would
4 spend reading her beloved Stevenson;
in the afternoon the matinee, and
after that dinner at the cafe down the
a avenue. where the linen was snowy
s. and the coffee had a delicious flavor.
She would keep up a sort of forced
Il cheerfulness and forget she was alone
& She angrily brushed a tear from her
4 cheek.
4 AS she did so the bell in the hall
whirred noisily She went to the
Il speaking tube and called a dispirited
4 Hello"
Hello came the cheerful response /
+ That You, Margaret? Merry Christ
Il mas Kindly unlock the door and III
4 ascend"
f She opened the hall door and waited
on the landing. Presently from the
+ semi-darkness Of the place Jack Carl
Z ton appeared. putting prodigiously.
+ "Hello.' he pulled. Long flights,
these. Ought to move down or have
an elevator to move me up"
Margarets face frightened percep- /
tbly at the sight OF him
I'm glad you came, she said, fer
vently
Course you are" he affirmed.
Knew that beforehand or I wouldn't
have come"
Il didn't expect you" she said.
What" he exclaimed Il desert
YOU on Christmas Eve? Neveri"
She led the way to the front room
and lighted the red-shaded lamp.
Carlton threw off his overcoat and
lounged comfortably in a morris chair.
May r." he said, drawing cigar
from his pocket
She nodded
ITO tell the truth. she said, Il al
most had the blue devils when you
came. You must entertain me-
All right he assented, afabIy
'Whatll I do? Sing?"
He pulled down his collar and
stretched his neck in mock prepare
ton.
No" she said Talk. And make
me forget it's Christmas time"
Nonsense" said he. Christmas is
q necessary evil and we must face it
the best way we can. o, 1 brought
you some holly wreaths."
lin a moment he was hanging them
in the windows.
Say he said over his shoulder. !
had a present to-day
Indeed" she said. From whom?"
Some one who loves me.
strange person" she commented.
Exactly" he said 1t was from
+ myself
She laughed.
Haven't been feeling Al lately. so
I dropped in on Doc Higgins this
morning" he went on What do you
imagine the idiotic old pill-slinger told
me?"
THAT you are ag careless Of your
health as Of your language, I pre-
sumo"
Never. my lady" he replied Told
me my breathing apparatus was out Of
gear again-nothing serious, but a lit
tie care needed. Paraphrased Greeley
and told me to go south"
She was siIsntly watching him
Therefore Little Willy hieth him to
the agents of the steamship line and
buyeth himself a ticket for the boat Of
Monday next. The same he presenteth
to himself with much gusto as
Christmas present"
20, I'm so sorry, she said.
For me?' he eSid. Look here, you
don't know what Easter Key is like.
That is where I'm going-where was
two winters ago, you know. You go
down to Key West. and from there
Old jeff takes you over to Easter in
crazy old launch. You're no end sea-
sick going over, but after you get
there-O, it's all white, shelly beach
with big blue rollers coming in, and
palms standing out against the sky.
and green. green everywhere You laze
around and fish off the reef-down
there you don't care whether or not
you get a bite-and shoot gators at
the edge of the swamp And before
you know it your tubes are well, and
you wonder whether it viii be better
to go back or to laze here the rest OF
your natural life. l wish you could
see old Easter. he said, half wistfully
i've half a mind to develop bron-
chial trouble myself. she laughed
Say. do" he said. looking at her so
earnestly she flushed.
Don't be silly, she said, weakly.
Look here, he said by your own
confession you have the blue devils
Of loneliness. Now, I'm going to give
you a Christmas present that will rid
you OF them forever-that is, if you'll
accept it
I'D accept anything that would
drive them away she said
Well" he said. heres the cure.
It's the other ticket
The other ticset?" she questioned.
Certainly" said he. I bought two
this morning"
She raised her head from his shout
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