The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1914-12-11

4
uted his customary gold
pieces to the BELLS" the telephone
girls, the check-room boys. his waiter
and the head waiter. and the cham
bermaid on his floor; he felt oddly
disturbed.
Garter. my boy" he told the tall.
gray-haired image In the mirror,
You're getting sentimental. You're
thoroughly disappointed because there
Isn't soul in the world who can
| call out Merry Christmas to you,
and mean 1t from the bottom of his
heart. You're like boy with nothing
In his stocking. I'm ashamed of you,
sir; am indeed"
Yet that didn't help matters. He
wandered Ground the deserted hotel
| corridors in the morning feeling ut
terly lost. Nearly every one seemed
to be going out to dinner to some
place where he was urgently desired.
Four times he strolled over to the
desk and looked casually up at his
box, but there were no mail and no
presents for Maj. Robert Lee Carter.
The last time he had really de-
cided to give up and ring up some
business associate to take dinner with
him at the hotel. But he saw let
ter In HIS box, and the clerk handed
him curiously shaped parcel, rather
bulky and oval He took it up to his
own rooms, and opened 1t with a
funny little thrill of anticipation.
BY George, he was wrong. There
was somebody, he didn't know who
1t was, but there was somebody who
had rememberefl him. The last wrap
per fell of, and he stood staring down
at little homemade willow basket,
filled with mistletoe. A card on top
read, Love and Merry Christmas
from Pam"
Pam? lie remembered no Pam.
He opened the letter for enlighten-
ment, and as he read, his heavy gray
| eyebrows drew closer together, and
every now and then he calculated,
God bless my heart and soul!"
you won't remember me at all, but
I'm Pamela GSayson, and my mother
was your SISTERS daughter, so I'm
your granAKfece, see? Mother died
about q ysar ago, Just after we came
north, and / have been here alone
ever since. didn't even know you
were alive until cousin Florrie, of
Carriers Landing, down home, wrote
and told me to share this mistletoe
with you, for she had gathered it in
the old oak grove where you used to
go when you were little boy. Here's
wishing you a merry, merry Christ
mas, and wish l knew you. because
it does certainly get fearfully lone
some here in New York holiday time
when you haven't any one Of YOU
very own"
The telephone bell rang sharply
Just as the major was about to say
God bless my heart and soul" once
again. But he lifted the receiver, and
smiled at the voice that answered hil
hail.
Delighted, Ralph, delighted, m,
boy, but you see, am going to have
a young lady guest here to dinner
with me, my grandniece, sir. from
l
you in your bachelor apartments. sup
posing you join us, and try and com
pensate to her for having a surely OLE
chap for a dinner partner. Name
Miss Pamela Grayson. Come RICH
down."
Then he smiled, and kept on smil
Ing In the oldest, happiest way. Ant
he leaned back in his deep leathe
chair, and lit cigar, and watched thu
smoke rings form overhead, AM
smiled up at them. He had four sis
tiers. PANS grandmother had beef
the youngest. And now somehow
they were all gone, as he thought
"the way of the roses" and he wa
alone. He had rather lost track o
all the nieces and nephews and grand
l nieces and grandnephews. Sentimen
does not thrive in the New York al
mosphere, yet as he looked at tn
1 letter, he felt an odd glow of pride
and he held the little basket of mis-
1 tletoe out at arms length, smilin
| retrospectively. Many time he ha
| gone up to the old oak grove to gathe
4 it for his mother to decorate the grea
hall at Christmas. And now this Iii
tie Pam
The major rose suddenly with quic
intention. Five minutes later he wa
on his way up to the address in tn
letter. Upstairs two flights he climbed
and tapped at the low top door wit
its modest card:
Pamela Grayson."
She stood at the easel with he
back to him, big blue apron on, an
she was singing,
"Oh. holy town Of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie.
| Above thy deep and dreamless slice
| The silent stars go by"
The major stood at attention, br
when she turned and caught sight
him, she gave a little cry Of Joy.
III uncle Bohi How did you come G
soon to me?"