The Mount Holly news., 1916-12-19

up the horse and sleigh and feed the
chickens and then went forth on that
mysterious errand of cutting the
tree"
Inside the kitchen Beatrice, the girl
who was like Ellen" helped Hannah
Drayton prepare the chickens for the
next days roast and cook the hearty
supper that they were all hungry for.
Beatrice pretended not to notice when
Mrs. Drayton called her Ellen" for
she knew that the elder woman was re-
living past Christmas ewes spent with
her own daughter Mr. Drayton also
forgot and called Dan by Bob's name.
1t was. quite late before the children
went to bed, and finally the whole
house was asleep with the gayly deco
rated tree in the dark sitting room
waiting for the first peep o. day to
come in order to reveal its pleasant
surprises.
On the floor were two boxes unopen-
ed. The station agent had brought
them the night before. One was from
Ellen and the other was from Bob.
Hannah had cried little in secret at
the thought that this was to be the first
Christmas without her children. But
she chided herself for being selfish and
tried to look forward to next year when
1t might be their turn to have family
reunion.
Still, talking the next morning in
their bedroom, while the happy shouts
of the children from the sitting room
testified to their delight in the tree and
its gifts, they agreed that If Ellen and
Bob had come home for Christmas they
would never have dreamed of inviting
the Flecks, and there would not have
been this reunion and this happiness
all around.
In the afternoon the children were
to have the kitchen in which to make
molasses candy and pop some corn. In
the meantime there were sleds to try
out on the hill, new clothes to try on
and new books to read. Mrs. Drayton
and Mrs. Fleck cooked the dinner and
Beatrice set the long table.
They were just about to sit down
when there came the rumbling sound
of the station stage. The wheels
creaked over the crusty snow and came
to stop in the yard.
The whole family streamed out on
the front porch to see who had arrived.
James Drayton and his wife pressed
eagerly forward when woman
emerged, woman who proved to be
Ellen, and man who was none other
than Ellen's husband, and there fol-
lowed Bob and Louie. his little wife,
and their little one.
merry Christmas cried Ellen as
she few to her fathers arms.
merry Christmasr shouted Bob as
he picked up his little mother. "Why,
we got to thinking about it, and l tele-
phoned to sister, and we agreed that it
was going to be pretty mean trick to
leave you here all alone at Christmas,
so we stole away for a few hours to
spend it with you. Who are all these
folks?"
"Come inside, and I'll tell you all
about it," said James Drayton. leading
the way into the dining room.
That was a never to be forgotten oc-
casion. For the Draytons it was an
unexpected joy coming after a great
disappointment. They had resigned
themselves to Christmas spent with
out their dear ones, and now the chill
dren had come, after all. to round out
the perfect day.
AS for the Flecks, it marked change
In their lives. Ellen's husband became
interested in Dan and offered him
place in his store at Sheerbrook, and it
was arranged that Ada and the other
three children were to spend the rest
of the winter in the Draytons' home.
Bob and Ellen talked together before
they parted that night. Next year."
said Bob gravely, Eve mustn't wait
until the last minute before deciding.
We've got to see that all the fathers
and mothers on all sides of the family
are provided with happy time before
we think of ourselves"
"And by chat time," smiled Ellen,
I'VE will be quite happy ourselves"
That Christmas proved to be the be-
ginning of many new things for many
people, which is as it should be, for
Christmas was a beginning al
ways will be.