French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1916-1919, 1917-01-18
A CHRISTMAS STORY.
loliYe Muriel Fuller. )

Il Z
1t was Saturday, December "a, and
bitter, bitter cold The wind howled
thru the streets of the city city of New
York as if it intended to sweep every
building from is foundations. Snow
came down in big gusts and f1urrys.
Margaret Hilliard tapped the win
dow panes of her luxuriously-ftt
apartments impatiently.
''Ah!" she exclaimed. ''here it is
nearly Christmas again Why must
we go thru the same performance of
getting and giving every year? 1t is
farce! Oh, that there were some
people who do not keep this foolish
custom, and / would go and live with
them"
There was q tap at the door and Lola,
her maid, entered softly.
Pardon me, Miss Margaret" she
said, ''but Miss Wrightand Miss Mar
shall are waiting to take you on their
Christmas rounds for the Bureau of
Associated Charities. Shall. / get your
outdoor robes?"
eyes. Lola, promised them. and I
might as well co." replied Margaret.
A few moments later she was in the
limousine of her friends and chatting
gayly with them, as if she had never
been bored.
We are taking the Christmas bask-
cts around today" Miss Wright ex-
planned, "as we did not wish to- do it
tomorrow. | am very glad you came.
Will you get out and come in with us %
as the machine stopped!
No thanks. I'd rather sit here in
comfort. 1t is cold outside"
VERY well, wen be right back"
Margaret let her eyes wonder to the
street by which the car was drawn up.
1t was a section of the city in which
the poor lived, but happiness shone
on all faces. or so it seemed. But no,
there went by just then poor woman
with two little children cIinging to her
skirts. and the look Of frozen misery on
the woman's face went straight to Mar
garet's cold selfish little heart and
touched there spring che thought was
dead
"Oh!" she cried, fnvoluntarily, and
| opening the door she sprang after the
woman. She was, pushed thither and
yon by the crowd, but after a few
minutes struggle found herself at the
woman's side.
| Poor woman" she said, softly
! touching her o nthe arm, "tell me is
there not something Lean do for your"
| Then Margaret noticed what she had
not from the car. that the woman was
! a foreigner. probably from one of the
Slav's races, and was dressed in a
queer foreign costume, as were also
the children.
The woman looked. up to see where
the kind words came from, the first
she'd heard for many days. She did
not understand all Margaret said but
she felt the pity in me tones and burst
into flood of tears. Then in little
broken English, with many interjec-
lions, she explained how she had land
ed in New York ten days before; how
her husband had promised to meet her
and failed; how she had tramped the
streets with her little girls until she
had dropped from WEAKNESS; and now
her money UGs gone and what, in the
| Virgins name, was she to do?
By this time Margaret was mingIing
her tears with the womans and taxing
her arm she hurried her back to the
waiting car. Her friends had come
back and wer looking wildly for her.
She did not tell them fuch but helped
the strangers in and asked her friends
TIC take her home at once. Her apart
ments were speedily reached and she
got out with her little party. Once up-
staors, to the amazement of Lola. she
fed and warmed them, and getting a
detective on the phone gave his ex-
pllc1t directions as to what she wanted.
AS night was falling. she saw the
little girls to bed and gave the woman
comfortable couch. She herself. tho.
sat gazing into he'd fire unit 1.-The clock
struck tkO. During that time she
thought many things.
The sun rose in all his glory son a
white world and his beams touched
Margaret reminding her that a new
day had rome. The church bells peal
I'd over the city and sN eet peace stole
into her soul. The door bell rang and
there was a scurry of feet in the entry,
Then Lola came rushing in saying that
a strange man was in the living room
With another strange man whom the
foreign woman had Rugged anG cried
over and that there were great doings.
With smile Margaret clipped into her
clothes and went into the next room
to receive the blessings of two people
for whom she had made a hapDy |