The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1905-01-17

to take her hands.
Then the telephone bell had rung,
with the result that Lettuce found her
self whisked out of town for a week.
She came back to find Arran apparent
ly a Farnham bond slave. The very
FIRST news she heard was that Faith
was to make one of the Christmas
house party at Arranmore, Philips
country place, where his widowed
mother still dispensed noble hospital
ity. Lettice was also asked, but with
Christmas but three weeks of going
was out of the question. She had mel
Their the clothes nor the time All the
money her common sense would let her
spend had gone into overlooking
Christmas boxes ready for dispatch to
the dear folks at home. Above and be-
yond that the Christmas tree was spe-
cially in her charge She had helpers
galore, but those in authority had said
to her, You have never failed in any
thing set you; now go ahead and make
this the biggest success Of its kind the
city ever saw"
She was doing it. Scoffers at her In
experience, her country ways, were dis
covering very shrewd and level head
upon her shoulders The most part of
her coworkers had fallen readily In
with her enthusiasm. Lets feel real
Christmasy ourselves; then everything
will come easy" she had said to them
in the beginning, going on to tell art
Tess tales, gathered by the way, Of the
people the tree was meant for. Before
she was done the listeners were at one
with her-even the scoffers. silent and
ashamed of their scoffing. AS result
upon the 23d of December the big trees
groaned under bizarre fruitage, and all
the ropes stretched above them were
SO laden they were JOY to the kindly
heart, whatever they might have been
to an artistic eye. Nothing remained
but to flash up the lights, the myriad
tiny electric bulbs strung along the
green. Lettice turned away with a
long, long sigh, too tired to be any
thing but very happy at this good end
to labor.
For three days she had hardly
thought of anything but the tree. Ten
thousand gifts, good gifts, for mothers
anGl babies otherwise giftless, 10000
toys for little hands otherwise toyless,
lad seemed to her enough to crowd her
own concerns aside. Back in her cozy
room she ran through a sheaf of let
tiers, her face as she read rejecting her
mood as water reflects the sky. Home
news made her smile softly, but wipe
her eyes at the end. Three notes from
aspiring strangers puckered her fore
head In reflective frown. Other notes,
a handful, sent to Santa Claus and by
some magic turned over to her, brought
Jumps of varying hardness into her
throat, Jumps that swelled visibly over
line from Arran, beseeching line,
'Letty, If not for Christmas, can't you
come the day afterY'
She dropped it and took up the very
last Of the sheaf, her eyes too blurred
to note the imprint in the corner, but
after the first line she sat up, breath
ing hard, bright red spot In either
cheek, and at the end sprang up, wav-
ed the letter over her head and said in
audibly, since it was / o'clock: "Hur-
rah, Lettice! Hurrahl Hurrahl
A knock. hesitating, apologize, made
her turn about to see her door open be
fore she could speak, revealing Faith
Farnham, who came in, closing 1t pre-
tdpitately behind her, and said in her
ARREST way:
"Oh, Miss Santa Claus, I've come to
Lend me $50, please. I've spent every
thing on frocks and frills for this visit,
and those wretched magazines are
holding up all my checks
How funny! / got mine-my first,
Lettice said, holding out note and
fiuttering a blue slip so Faith could
not choose but see. "As am 500 bet
ter Off than thought to be, you shall
have the money" she ran on. Faith
covered her face, sobbing Historically,
but held out her hand for the bills Let
tice thrust in it, and, clutching them
tight, ran away without a word of
thanks. Lettice looked after her, won
dering at herself. This vengeance
ought to be sweet, yet here she VIZ
finding It bitter. She was ashamed f
womanhood. for humanity, by th
| clumsy lying. She flung open her wi
dow and leaned out of 1t, as though IL
let the night breeze sweep away some
thing unsavory, unwholesome. She
never understood the impulse that sent
her scurrying to Faiths door, there to
whisper through the barest open crack
OF it:
Don't worry, Faith. won't tell
anybody. And hope you'll have a
real merry Christmas"
The next twenty-four hours went by
in whirl. Lettice slept normally, ate
hurriedly and worked like a machine
Nothing else kept the Christmas tree
enterprise from getting away from ev-
erybody, it was so unwieldy, so turbu-
/ lent, so sloppily full of enthusiasm
The paper had called for volunteer
helpers. They came in droves and
nearly swamped the distracted regu-
lars. But somehow, some way, the
bedlam at last arranged itself in order.
| " semichaos. The ruler of the chaos
without whom it would at once have
become uproarious, was smallish and
rosy, with the blacklist eyes in the
world; not at all the figure of a saint
yet canonized In the heart and on the
lips of one decent woman, who stood
hugging warm plaid and looking
tearfully at her flock Of five, brave In
new shoes and each with toy and 8
fat bag Of sweets. What she said tc
the volunteer who had brought the
gifts Is not necessary to be written
down. He listened intently and after
ward went with happy, shining eyes
straight up to Lettice, who started vic
lenty at sight Of him.
you've overlooked one case of des
tuition" he said, plucking her sleeve
81 hope you will do something about it
Lady Bountiful."
'If only l can. But we have only
gewgaws left-nothing the least use
full" Lettice began anxiously. Arrar
drew closer and said, with his lips al
most on her ear: ITS my mother
sweetheart. She's fearfully in need Of
daughter-just such as You. VIII
you conner"
Lettice vows to this day there was
conspiracy. Certainly Mrs. Vanstor
Quigley must have been In the secret
However else should both her lodger:
have been properly dressed at the Ar
ranmore Christmas dinner, where the
lady of the manor announced her SON:
engagement to Miss Lettice Lane?
The Baby Beetles Cradle.