The Washington herald., 1913-12-24
DAILY SHORT STORY

know the old legend of the spiders?'' He
shook his head. 50 she began to tell II %
him. We'll. once upon a time. a good
lGerman frau had cleaned her house and
set up a great tree fer her children at
Christmas time. The cat slipped In and
looked at Il as 1t was being decorated.
the big dog saw the pretty things through
window. and even the mice came out
Of their holes to see the tree. Every iiy-
ing thing on the place had seen the tree
that was to gladden. the children's hearts
the next morning. except the spiders
that lived in the attic, right up under the
roof Of the house"
/ It7" W A'o1s
When all the house was hushed and
stil on Christmas Eve down the stairs
tney came creeping, creeping. the black
SPIDERS the gray and the mottled ones
Iney craWled through the keyhole and
when they saw the tree they were no
charmed by the beauty of IL thai thew
went all over 1t; up and down and around
tney crawled. looking at everything,
When daylight came, the spiders hurried
away 10 their home in the attic, and
@ me Snrist Cnlld, looking down at the
tree the good German frau had decorated
for her babies, saw that IL was covsrsd
II spider Webs. 50 He quickly transformed
tne cooweos into tinsel. and that ia how
tlnsel came into use on Christrnaa traaa %
Lamar Heiskell might have been a In.
Tie boy. he was So interested IN tbs
pretty legend. Just as Kate finished ,sII-
ing IL sne was summoned into the hall
Lamar heard deep rich voice wishing
ner happy Christmas. and, turning his
mead. he saw mans arm around her
Flushed and excited she came back int
the library with velvet box in her hand
She opened 1t and caught up a glitter
ing necklace with a cry Of delight
Oh Lamar, isn't II beautiful?' Even
10 multimillionaire the platinum chain
set with white diamonds was WONDERFUL
"A costly gift" he said, and the hap
py look that had been in his eyes was
gone. He left abruptly then, taking with
him the picture OF a pretty, eager girl
with sparkling tree in the background
and everywhere about her the signs of
youthful Joy.
His own magnificent home appeared
poor in contrast. The big room struck
him afresh with a sense of loneliness He
wondered why he had not anticipated his
need Of companionship at such time.
He might have taken a party to the
opera and had supper afterward. But
then he would have missed that memoir
able evening with Kate Branner. Al
though he had known her for years, he
woman she was until he saw her in her
own home.
Her attitude to small Billy was so ten
der and maternal that he realized how
she was from the butterfly type
OF girls that fitted like so many gaudily
colored bits of gossamer in the sunshine
of the prosperous society that he knew.
Kate was a girl on whom a man could
depend. HeiskeIl wondered IL he had
in " No ad
self, only an idle dream that gripped him
because II was Christmas and the word
conjured UP visions of a real home and
his children there? But Kate loved some
body else, he could not doubt what his
own eyes had seen in the hall. yet he
found himself back at the Branners' door
early Christmas afternoon.
My brother Jack was so sorry not to
meet you last night" she said. steering
him through Billy's toys to the den. but
he is home from Africa for the first time
in five years and his old friends were
He only stopped to give me
NY lovely necklace"
Heiskell wondered at his own emotion.
He had thought himself too worldly wise
and weary to ever want anything as he
wanted the girl before him. His hands
shook and his voice sounded strange to
lim as he told her Of his love
Kate, I want you to marry me, dear,
Z you can. ] have always sought you out
1t dances and dinners and the places
where We usually met. but it was not
Until last night that I suddenly awoke to
he fact that want you with me always.
Do you think you can ever carer"
Something in her eyes, the far-fameo
light that shines in a woman's eyes only
,nce in her lifetime for the one great
over of her heart, made him bend over
Ter quickly.
1T is my Christmas creed" he said
aktng her face in his hands, ito do unto
thers as I would have them do to me-"
nd he kissed her then on her smiling
ed mouth.
And she straightway made It her
reed. too.