Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1914-12-04

ATEXT night they had the brack-
nj eft lamp and the lamp on the
shelf and the table hand lamp
all burning. The little tree
was gay with the white corn and the
colored trihes. The kitchen seemed
20 be centering In the tree. as If the
room had been concerned long enough
with the doings of these grown folk
and now were looking ahead to see
who should come next. 1t was the
high moment of immemorial expectan-
cy, when those who are alive turn the
head to see who shall come after.
What you been making all day.
daddy?" Ellen asked. tense at every
sound from without.
Her father. neat In his best clothes.
blew away a last plume of shaved
wood and held out something.
Il just whitfield out a kind of a
clothespin man." he explained. Il
made one for you once. and you liked
1t like everything. Mebbe a boy
won'tg he added doubtfully.
"Oh. but a boy wilt" Ellen cried
and tied the doll above the blue paper
soldier.
Hadn't they ought to be here pref
ty soon?" Matthew asked ~nervously.
Where's mother?"
She's watching from the front room
window Ellen answered.
Once more Holders came stamping
on the kitchen porch. but this time
there was a patter of other steps. and
Ellen caught open the door before he
summoned. Holders stepped into the
room. and with him was a little boy.
This one?" Ellen asked. her eyes
alive with her eagerness.
But Holders shook his head.
mis- Bourne he said. I'm real
dead sorry. They want but the one.
Just the one we'd spoke for"
zone" Ellen said. You said or
phan asylum"
There's only the one." Holders re-
peated. 1.-THE others is little bits of
babies or else spoke for like ours
long ago. 1t seems they do that way.
But I var you should do something
I want you and Matthew should take
| ILLS OuC. I4OtuCf aAid A-atC OA0CAg VIC
amt set store SO much
Ellen shook her head and made him
know, with what words she could
find. that it could not be so. Then she
knelt and touched at the coat of the
child. a small frightened thing. with
cap too large for him and one mitten
lost. But he looked up brightly and
his eyes stayed on the Christmas tree.
Ellen said little things to him and went
to take down for him some trife from
the tree.
I'm just as much obliged" she said
quietly to Holders. II never thought
of there not being enough. Wen wait
Holders was fumbling for something.
Here's your candles. / thought you
might want them for somethin' else
he said. and turned to Matthew. And
here's your quarter. | didn't get the
toy you mentioned. Il thought you
wouldn't want 1t without the little
kid"
Matthew looked swiftly at Ellen. He
had not told her that he had sent by
Helders for a toy. And at that Ellen
crossed abruptly to her husband. and
she was standing there as they LET
Holders out with the little boy.
Ellen's father pounded his knee.
"But how long'll we have to wait:
How long1l we have to waltz" he de
manded shrilly. king and country,
why didn't somebody ask him that?"
Matthew tore open the door.
.Helders," he shouted. ''how long did
they say we'd have to wait?'
"Mebbe only a week or two. mebbe
longer" Helders' voice came out of the
dark. They couldn't tell me-"
Ellen's mother stood fastening up q
fallen tinseI walnut.
Lets leave the tree right where
1t is" she said. Even with it here we
won't have enough Christmas to hurt
anything"
On that morning of the day before
Christmas Mary Chavah woke early.
while it was yet dark. With closed
eyes she lay In the grip Of a dream that
was undissipated by her waking. In
the dream she had seen a little town
lying ID Il hollow. lighted and peopled,
but without foundation.
1T isn't born yet they told her who
looked with her. land the people are
not yet BORN