Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1904-12-16
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III Christmas Gift
|, BY AIRY PRES TON
ARGARET WILSON sat by IL

l / NlhuOW Ill Jne ITOUl IODn Ol
l. the diminutive fiat. In the
street below the lights along the curb
ing twinkled frostily. The sidewalks
were lined with hurrying people, all
of whom carried bundles and jostled
and were jostled with rare good hui
NOR.
Day after tomorrow Margaret could
go cheerfully back to her proofread-
ing. In the meantime this wretched
holiday obtruded its grewsome pros
pect of loneliness.
o, well, she would make the best of
it. Tomorrow morning she would
spend reading her beloved Stevenson;
in the afternoon the matinee, and
after that dinner at the cafe down the
/ avenue, where the linen was snowy
and the coffee had delicious flavor.
She would keep up a sort of forced
cheerfulness and forget she was alone.
She angrily brushed tear from her
cheek.
AS she did SO the bell in the hall
whirred noisly. She went to the
speaking tube and called a dispirited
Hello"
Hello" came the cheerful response.
THAT you, Margaret? Merry Christ
mas! Kindly unlock the door and III
ascend"
She opened the hall door and waited
on the landing. Presently from the
semi-darkness of the place Jack Carl
ton appeared, putting prodigiously.
"Hello!" he puffed. Long nights,
these. Ought to move down or have
an elevator to move me up"
Margaret's face frightened percep-
tibly at the sight of him.
I'm glad you came" she said, fer
vently.
Course you are" he affirmed.
KNEW that beforehand or l wouldn't
have come"
81 didn't expect YOU" she said.
What" he exclaimed. Il desert
you on Christmas Eve? Never!"
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 II" he said, drawing a cigar
from his pocket
She nodded
ITO tell the truth" she said, 81 al
most had the blue devils when you
came. You must entertain me-"
"All right" he assented, affably.
"Whatll | 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
necessary evil, and we must face it
the best way we can. o, | brought
you some holly wreaths."
In a moment he was hanging them
in the windows.
Say" he said over his shoulder, Il
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
dropped in on Doc Higgins this
morning." he went on. What do you
imagine the idiotic old pill-slinger told
me?"
That you are as careless of your
health as of your language, l 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 silently watching him.
Therefore Little Willy hieth him to
the agents of the steamship line and
buyeth himself ticket for the boat Of
Monday next The same he presenteth
to himself with much gusto as a
Christmas present"
20, I'm so sorry" she said.
For me?" he said. Look here, you
don't know what Easter Key is like.
That is where I'm going-where l was
two winters ago, you know. You go
down to Key West, and from there
Old JEFF takes you over to Easter in a
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 will 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
1--WE half mind to develop bron-
chial trouble myself" she laughed.
Say, do" he said, looking at her SC
earnestly she flushed.
Don't be silly" she said, weakly.
Look here" he said, "by your own
confession you have the blue devils