South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-02-09
IN WHICH THERE Is SOME
MORALIZATION ON THE
SUBJECT OF CHRISTMAS.
sRT URNER.
BY MABEL HERBFRT URN

1t was after five before she al last
numer of packages for she had
conscientiously needed the placarded
requests to please take small pack
ages with you"
Outside it was already quite dark.
There was a faint misting snow which
yelled the brilliancy of the electric
signs and street lights. A surging
crowd of hOmeward bound shoppers
with their many packages filled the
sidewalks and Overfiowed into the
streets.
The surface cars were packed to
the platforms. Helen hurried over to
the subway but here. too, the cars
were crowded to suffocatton. The
force of the crowd carried her in and
wedged her up against crOss-seat.
II was not until they had whirled
past a couple of stations that she
realized she was on the down town
side. How could she have made such
a mistake!
Helen Is Tired.
BY the time she had gotten off and
crossed over to the other side ii was
90 minutes of six. Warren would be
home now before she could get there
and he hated to find her out. But
her arms ached with the bundles
she was carrying and her hair and
veil were disarranged, and she had no
free hand to fix them.
When she came out at the station
there were still three long blocks to
walk. 1t was piercingly cold. and her
hands, already tired with holding the
bundles now, grew stiff in their thin
kid gloves.
A clock in a drug store window
said three minutes of six. Warren
would be waiting-she almost ran the
rest of the way As she went up the
elevator the mirror reflected her face.
unbecomingly red with the cold.
Dropping the packages on the seat,
she hastily drew out a pocket powder
her nOse--she could not bear for
, Warren to see her like that.
But Warren hardly looked up when
she entered. He was reading the
evening papers. his feet propped on
a chair
"oh, I'm so sorry to be late! Have
you been home long. dear?" stopping
over and kissing him.
Ugh" drawing back, your hands
are like ice-here, don't touch my
neck"
"Oh, l know-they're almost froz-
en-. And | did the stupidest thing!
That's what makes me SO late-1 took
the down town subway.
Hum, that's not surprising-you
never look where you're going"
But Helen had hurried into her
~"om 70 throw off her things and
then out to the kitchen TO see if
Della had everything ready for din
ner.
1t was after dinner that she brought
out the packages and opened them.
These are what l got for Edith,
taking out the fur-tOpped slippers
Don't you think they will be nice for
her ,"
Warren looked up from his paper
and gave them a hasty Indifferent
glance. And this is a wallet for
Frank. and here is a hat brush for
why dear" reproachfully you're
not even looking
Well what's the use Of my going
! over all that truck. This whole
Christmas business is an Internal
nuisance. / suppose from now on III
hear nothing else. If 1 had nay way
any bOdy-and I'd be mighty well
pleased not to get anything either"
"Oh. dear, don't say that, - you
wouldn't do away with the Christmas
spirit.
Christmas spirit" he scoffed.
There's a lot OF Christmas spirit in
giving something they don't want
and then begrudging it, too BY
| George, how many presents do You
suppose would be given If everybody
| didn't feet il was expected and that
they would get something in return.
The whole darn thing is a mutual
| hold-up game, in which nobody gets
] what he wants."