The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-12-22
All on a Christmas Day
Ey Laura A. Smith.

ton and a Christmas joy she had
never felt before. over the pulpit in
letters cut out of bright gilt paper
were the words. Peace on Earth.
Good Will Towards Men The preach
er's reading desk was enwreathed in
holly. The carpet, with it's small red
and green figures, seemed. in the hon-
day colors. new and CHEEKY. The organ
! loft and the organ were new and
placed at the side of the pulpit instead
! OF at the back of the church. The win
/ dows were filed with wreaths of holly.
and ropes of evergreen crossing be-
/ low the ceiling made the whole little
{! church festival scene.
| 1t hardly seemed this beautiful
| Christmas morning that six months
| had passed since Miss Salome look
| ing out Of her window on the deserted
/ and abandoned little white church Of
F.! her fathers, had felt a wave of shame
/ and distress sweep over her. and had
/ aroused herself like a Iioness to go
| forth and restore this house of wor-
| ship. Now that this had been accom-
| plished after much work, Miss Salome
| sank back into her own timid self and
wondered how she had ever had the
temerity TO approach all those men and
women and talk TO them. All had
been done, but not without a sacrifice.
A debt of one thousand dollars still
| hung over the church.
| Hark, the choir had finished the
Cristmas anthem and the minister
was speaking. Oh. what was he say
| ing? Miss Salome's head bowed with
| shame and she wished the floor would
open and let her through. DR.. Whit
son was telling the congregation not
| to forget that in this most blessed of
| all Christmas gifts to the community.
| the instrument in Gods hand which
had reopened the house of worship,
| had been a gentle. sweet. timid wo-
man. To her should all honor be given
in congregation, in presbytery, synod
| and general assembly.
Briefly he told the story--of the first
! talk Miss Salome had with him about
restoring the abandoned church which,
| seen from her window day by day, had
seemed to reproach her and call her
to the missionary field. How she had
gone forth with courage and enthu-
siasm worthy of Joan of Arc and
this beautiful Christmas day showed
the result. With Gods help the debt
would be wiped out in two or three
years and the little church would be
the means of leading many from the
earthly kingdom to the heavenly.
Miss SaIome wept silent tears of joy
during the services. Where'er she look
ed she saw CHEEKY smiles and loving
glances, even the carols and hymns
seemed sung in her honor.
At the close of the service she start
ed to slip out of her pew and away
before any should stop her, but her
way was barred by a tall, dignified
man. Through the mist of her tears,
she realized that she had seen and
known this man before; that he had
stepped out of happy forgotten past
when he was tom" and she was sal
Iie.'' and life was in it's spring. He held
out his hand and mechanically she laid
her slender. cold hand in his grasp,
and followed him into the vestry room,
where DR.. Whitson was DOMINIC his
overcoat.
'sDr. Whitson,'' said his voice, deep
er and a shade less buoyant than of
old, but his same dear voice, Il have
been away from my native town for
twenty years, and 1 feel that should
take part in your Christmas, and make
my present to the church, dear to me
through many memories and that I
attended so long ago. L am a stranger !
to yoa but Miss Chester will vouch for
me and I will write you a check for
the whole amount of the mortgage"
The minister grasped the strangers /
hand Come to the parsonage, my |
dear brother, and we will talk over this |
princeIy gift. I would ask Sister |
Chester to come too. but we are to !
be her guests for the Christmas dinner, |
and I suppose you are to be there /
also"
The stranger looked at Miss Salome !
and she nodded, then added in a choked |
little whisper, Please"
She left the two men and hurried
home, taking a short cut through the
lane. What mad dream was this real
" happening, and to her? She mechan-
ieally said aloud the names of the OBJ
jects she passed to assure herself 1t
was not a dream or hallucination.
..Dryson's red barn. ''Timson's pig
sty." Mrs. Blacks clothesline," she i
Then the funny side of
her action struck her and she gave
vent to gales of hysterical laughter.
When she reached the house where
her niece, Gladys. was anxiously peer
ing out of the windoY. her face MAX
ing pretty picture of SIXTEEN franz
ed in a big holly wreath, Miss Salome
felt restored to at least a semblance of
her rational self tom Gladding's
coming 10 dinner sang her heart, as
she opened the door and called to ]
Gladys. Ii
How is your throat dearie? Don't
come into this cold entry. Oh, you
poor child, how sorry 1 am you are
sick on Christmas day. Stay right
here by the fire while I get the dinner
IN the table. You have cooked 1t, that
s enough 4
With a decided twinge OF conscience
she noted the traces of tears on the
usually rosy cheeks of Gladys and the ,
corner Of a white envelope sticking ag- ,
yressively out of the corner OF that 9
young 1ady's pocket gave Miss Salome
.Y-7s-- ,s rF-p PauSa Young Bert