The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-12-25
The Evening Story
Her Happy Christmas.
(By Clarissa MackieO


dismissed her pupils with a smiling
face. Behind the smiles lurked unshed
tears. When the last youngster had
; vanished down the Snow-covered trail
Bernice leaned her head against the
! window frame and The hot, rebellious
| tears flooded her soft gray eyes.
How she hated this far western
country, with its crude ways, it's dow
men, and, above all, it's loneliness, It
was all so different from New Eng
land-and yet she fled from Massa-
chusctts to hide {. heartaohe.
| There is something wrong with
me-" she sighed at last. TT can't be
! the country or the people-they are
| kind and generous-it's the way L feel
How can 1 cure the ache and the
/ inconsistencies for things that may
never be?'
| No answer came to her out of the
| swiftly falling winter twilight.
Perhaps the knowledge that a we'd
ding was taking place in Boston at
that very hour confused her reasoning
powers. The man had ceased to love
her and she had offered him his free
dom and he had accepted it, and so,
being without near relatives. Bernice
! had found position out here in
Montana. This was her first Christ
mas in Rocky Gulch.
After awhile she locked the school,
house door and with the childrens
Christ mas offerings in her lunch bas-
ket the lonely little schoolma'am set
off down the trail toward the Tucker
place, where she boarded.
1t was showing hard now and the
trail was rapidly disappearing under
the white blanket. In the deepening
gloom lark shapes appeared, ap-
preaching and recedIng, but they
proved to he the pine trees fringing
the steep slopes.
Far below, the lights of the town
cleaned through the darkness and
then vanished, and Bernice, plunging
out of the path to avoid a deep drift,
took n wrong turning and soon ac-
knowledged to herself with a fright
ened sob that she was lost on the
mountain in a raging blizzard.
J Hours afterward, she sank ex-
1lausted at the foot of a pine tree
and dropped her head on her out
stretched arms.
Il will rest for few Minutes she
murmured drowsily
Down in the town, Mrs. Tucker
waited supper that Christmas Eve I'M
til nine o'clock. Then little Willie
Tucker Sleepily announced that Mrs
Halliday no d invited teacher to spend
at the Halliday ranch. Gliding Willie
for his tardy information. Mrs Tucker
Mastered to the telephone and called
the Halliday ranch; but the wires
were all down and SO the anxious little
woman decided that the teacher had
been una BILE to send word about her
change of Christmas plans, and went
about the trimming of the Tucker
Christmas tree with renewed activity.
Bernice opened her eyes in the liv-
ing room of a warm log cabin. Gay
Navajo blankets hung from the walls
she reclined before a blazing fire of
hickory logs.
Two men were bending over the
fire; one was stirring something in
bright saucepan, som ething hot and
steaming, which he poured into a tum-
bier and brought to her bedside.
''HeIlon' he smiled. Awake, are
you? Drink this mess and tell us how
it all happened
Bernice smiled back into bronzed
face that inspired instant confidence. /
He was young, with very blue eyes
and very brown hair.
Bernice obediently drank the steam |
ing mixture and snuggled down in /
the blankets and went to sleep.
ct wonder who she is, Jim" said |
the last conner.
''She came to US out of the storm
a little snowbird murmured Jim But
Billy Smith smiled shrewdly.
Little Snowbird will be missed on
probably looking for her now, SO don't
set your heart on her, jim
Jim laughed softly.
ooh, get out, you old IDIOT" he
srlnNed. 'Can'I d cndp SeHt4Hieiitdi-
re a bit on Christmas Eve without
1our getting silly? 1 was thinking it
will be a sorry Christmas for this lit
lie girl. and this blizzard looks good
or all day tomorrow"
Sure thing-so I'm going out to
tut a Christmas tree for her" said Bill
y struggling into his heavy coat
you're an angel" laughed Jim, get
ing out an ak.
'sAw-shut up-I'm doing it for ex- l
rcise!'' blushed Billy, tiptoeing into
he night. i
Left alone, Jim Butler sat down and
tared into the fires heart. Who can +
ell what pictures he saw there on !
his Christmas Eve? Perhaps he saw
mother Christmas in this same noun
ain cabin, when. besides his forest
uide and friend, Billy Smith, would
e another-his wife-and, somehow.
he took the face and shape of the I
irl on the couch.
He had never seen Bernice Avery
efore the moment when he had STUN q
led over her snow-covered form. He q
ad carried her to the cabin three
lilly Smith the surprise of his adven- q
lrous life
James Butler was timber expert in 4
ne employ of the government and =
lilly was his right-hand man
Suddenly the door opened and Billy !.
arrying a small, symmetrical hem .
,ck tree.
"Our Christmas tree for the kid
e said solemnly-
Good" chuckled Jim, and they set =
work. q
1t was Christmas morning when
ernice awoke again. Dim1y she re- y
rendered the events of the night and S:
hen full realization came upon her 3
lie sat up in bed and looked around. c.