Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-23

Jim Boland stared fxedly at the rusty
spur on his right boot. What he saw was
not bit of Steel streaked with brown, but
@ well-shaped head crowned with soft
brown hair, resting on abroad, masculine
shoulder clad in a blue flannel shirt that
needed brushing.
What he wanted to do was to make this
pleasing vision a reality. What he did do
was to clear his throat loudly and remark:
You might use cactus. You could
stick the candles right on the spines and
hang the presents the same way. You just
say the word and I'll have the finest big
fellow within ten miles"
The brown head was shaken slowly. al
most despairingly.
THAT would not be real Christmas
tree" demurretl Alice Sloane, even though
it would be appropriate to Arizona, with
sage brush for decorations instead of ever
green's, but"
The little sob which punctured this re-
mark sent the rusty spur digging deep into
the alkali dust. Jim's great sinewy hand
crept perilously close to the bowed head,
then came back to his side with jerk
There don't cry" he muttered thickly.
II know how you feel. / just remember
how we kids used to look forward to Christ
mas Why, l used to begin going to Sunday
school long bout September, SO they'd be
sure to know me when Christmas came
round
Alice shook the tears out of her eyes
and tried to smile
"Of course, 1t must seem very silly to you
ALL" she apologized. Il understood when L
came out here that everything would De
$3.50 different, but l did not realize now
really dreadful and lonesome it could be
until began to plan for Christmas with
out a tree. a turkey, mince pie or any
thing Christmas-y! Do you know, begin
to understand why women go crazy or die
Of Inconsistencies way out mere IN the
desert?
shoulders went back with the peculiar mo-
ton which always held a warning for his
subordinates ,,,
aunt Alice
The girl turned sharply and hurried back
to the house. Boland turned In the otner
direction and entered the corral.
Here was something quite beyond his rea-
soning Alice Sloane had come TO ner
brothers aid without hesitation, leaving
her comfortable Virginia home to take up
the burden her sister-in-law had dropped
In the house on the great f. r. sheep rancn
II had not been a burden of drudgery, but
OF loneliness and self-sacriflce. There were
servants such as they were, in plenty to
do the rough work. but Alice had had no
companionship save that of her brotner,
who had turned strangely morose since his
wife's death, and the three children, mere
babes they WERE too Alice had begged to
be allowed to take the children back east
with her, but Sloane doggedly insisted upon
having his offspring with him, though he
seemed to take no pleasure in their COM
partnership and seldom caressed or even
spoke to them. Quietly the girl had lifted
this burden the one break in her monot-
onous life being her long horseback rides.
when every man about the place had been
ready to fight to act as her escort, for In
those days the Apache was factor.
Silent Jim Boland had gradually come to
combine this escort duty with his work as
foreman of the ranch, and SO It was to
him that Alice had come with her pretty
feminine grief. Boland remembered vague
1y that all southerners made a Jolly lot of
Christmas. but whatever the cause Of her
grief he felt a mad, reckless desire TO as
suage 1t. And the desire quickly led to a
determination.
That night at supper Sloane swallowed his
coffee in ominous silence. Alice waited for
the explosion which she knew must follow
this preparation for hostilities
well, where IN time dye suppose Bo-
lands gone? Rode off like h this noon,
leaving word he was going after Christ
mas tree. Nice excuse that Is for going to
Tucson or Denver on a bat. Last time he
went to Denver he blew in all his savings
and was no good for three weeks after he
got back. It's fine time to celebrate
Christmas or anything else, with the greas-
ers getting ugly down on the San Mateo an
Apaches grumbling to the west. BY heav-