The San Francisco call., 1910-12-25

~ carpenter anu Jne TWO young OdT-
penters were in state of tremu-
. lous excitement, all because of a post
- card that had come in the afternoon
Z mail. Considering the fact that Uncle
Henry was in Europe and often sent
pictured messages from the places he
visited, it was not strange that the
, coming of a postcard should be an
event in the lives of the young Car
, penters. But this card was different
Z No castle on the Danube did it show
nor bit of Alpine scenery to start the
wander fever burning in their veins
I 1t was just one of the common yell
! 1owlsh brown cards that Uncle Sam
provides but the message it contained
dignified it to an equality with the
Z most gayly colored foreign ones When
! Christmas is but two weeks away and
turkey is 80 cents pound, the receipt
4 of homely card may be momentous.
I ITO think" sang Henry, as he broke
\ into a succession of fantastic steps
Z that were a cross between Polish
mazurka and an Irish reel, "to think
that when we had clean given up the
dinner we are going to have it any
way"
Yes answered his mother who sat
curling the card in her hand and smil
Z ing on her acrobatic son, and when
Aunt Ellen knows just how much it
y means she will be as happy as we are"
Aunt Ellen was the mothers sister,
who lived on a ranch over In the San
Joaquin. The Carpenters had never
. been there, but, judging from the good
y things that came from it each season,
it must be the most wonderful place
- in California.
- In winter there was always the mess
y of wild ducks, shot as they flew over
x the irrigated fields by the Carpenters
81 cousins little later came a box of
oranges, great luscious ones, juicy and
: sweet as any that ever grew along
< the Suwanee. Autumn brought royal
y clusters of raisns. that had drawn
sweetness from the sun and sand. while
at Christmas time Aunt Ellen's bounty
] was manifested in big bronze turkey.
] or course, the Carpenters expected
y the turkey this year, but the mother
said they must never take the bestow
ing of a gift as matter of course, so
> they couldn't invite their guests until
y they knew positively that the feast
I would be. But at last the glad news
had come, and they were as happy as
, kings.
May we go over and invite them as
soon as / have the dishes waShed?'
{ Bessie asked as she climbed on the
\ big hug. II can just see their eyes
4 dance when they hear of it,"
I The mother smiled.
Yes, but 1 must write note to Mrs
Raymond to make 1t quite proper"
She went to the desk and wrote
r while Bessie commenced clattering the
n dishes. Her hands fairly flew as she
\ washed the china. She secured the
; Apots and pans and put everything in
-r>its place Henry fed the cat and
hrnt, tn fha xrrhsI 10 TO ctcta
III tidied up the Kitchen. and almost as
" soon as the note was written the young
= Carpenters were ready to set out to
deliver the invitation
The feast was set for Christmas and
= the guests were to be six children
- from the Home" the big brown or
> phanage on the crest of the hill. 1t
didn't seem bit like home to the
Carpenters, for the floors had no soft
carpets on them, but were covered
Z with linoleum, which in winter was
= very cold, and there were no cozy
corners with fluffy cushions to give
bits of color to the dull place. 1t was
a just a place to stay. and beside the
n Carpenter home it seemed very dreary.
- so these more favored children had
! been planning for months to give the
six crippled orphans a good time on
the holiday.
They had not far to go. so within a
few minutes after leaving home they
rang the DSll at the anu
livered the note to Mrs. Raymond, the
y matron.
y She was a kind woman and readily
"a promised to let the children go. for she
- was glad that they might have a real
a old fashioned Christmas. 1t would be
Il a delightful change from oatmeal
81 and prunes and brown calico of the
q orphanage.
= week had passed But one more
{, was left until Christmas. 1t was Thurs
= day morning and Bessie got up early.
= She Drowned -four for the molasses
cakes so mother could go ahead with