The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1917-12-27

ISlH(GSlA TIC or love mutcheS-and In
IkS8&gl all the land that last day Oi
IH0RkSC8N the old year, there was no
GEgi more unhappy little woman
than Maggie Mackenzie. the bride of
six weeks.
And the gates of escape from the
heart-brcak of 1t all were tight shut,
Tor rs liberal as are Uncle Sans
courts In such matters, the causes of
her abject misery could hardly he pre-
Sented In divorce proceedings a
christmas plum-pudling. Il cold in the
hend. and a small sheet of paper COW
ered with Il perfectly illegible, snarly
scrawl.
1he plum pudding-arrived a week
iAte On account Of bad roads and Il
hoIuay congestion of parcel post mat
ter-StOOd ON the llving-room table
! Just as she had taken II out Of its box.
a beautifully nodded plum pudding of
a city cOntectiOner's consummate art,
with an adorable, Splkey sprlg of real
holly stuck In the top. A most Christ
uasy honey plum pudding that set
OH all sorts of ChriStIuasy honey
memories and brought such an aching
iuinp to the little brides throat that
she almost cried out In pain.
Yet Christmas Itself had not been n
DIT OF blue day. II was their first
ChraStmas together to begin with, and
the Joy. the wonder. the triumph of
jamie actually filed her entire
thoughts. Right after breakfast they
had gone ON jolly tramp. Then there
nau Deen dinner to get, the fun of
cooking the turkey and the laughter Of
dumping heads as they both flew to
the oven door to ''baste the baste.'"
And after they had eaten, and done up
the dishes, they sat before the cheer
III! blaze of the livlng-rOOm's big open
dre talking in low, intimate voices far
into the night.
But now she was cOOped I'D all day
long In the house with this wretched
cold IN the head, the most fOrlorn and
lonesome of beings, with Jamie away
tor hours at, IL time, working on the
ranch or, when 1t rained or showed
700 heavily 10 be outside, tinkering
sverlaStingIy vi the barn.
And as thu prOverbial last straw in
tOday's mail had come the little sheet
OF paper with the illegible suarly |
scrawI-had come oil the way from |
Scotland.
For that was what had made the
love match 50 romantic. Jamie Mac- |
Kenzie, whom Maggie had not seen
since she was Il girl of IA, had come
back from the States on three
months visit to his mother, found the
child he had played with lowered into
a woman, promptly fallen In love and
married her the day before his return
70 Uncle Sans land.
And she had gone willingly with
MIN, had willingly left them all behind.
Dad and mother; Dave and Wallace
and Jean. nnd-yes, even Bobbie.
Bobhie. her own BARN, the bonnie f.
year-Old little brother whom she al
ways buttOned up In the morning and
unbuttOned at highland counted off
this little pig went to market and
this little pig stayed ut home" on ten
wee upturned toes.
To have given up Bobbie for a mere
husband! "A husband who no longer
loved her, who was so heartless he
could stay out there in the barn mend
ng an OLD plOw when his wife needed
aim so desperately!
Ihe CHEEKY sound of whistle ap-
mans brisk steps on the
porch.
1t Was Jamie. He was coming into
ne house. Why couldn't he let her s
lone. to cry In peace? t
We'll, little girl" said a pleasant q
'olce behind her. as she stealthily v
IaDped away her tears, "any special q
'ews from the land of heather?"
ut wasn't n regular letter." she re- b
lied cOOlly. ~Just one Of Bobbie's '
oNe Scrawls--Dad had only addressed Il
ne envelope" q
Say. call that mean trick" said q
annie. ito get up your expectations
A little red spot flared on each of O
or nothing" "
iaggie's cheeks and her eyes blazed. h
How dared he insinuate that one Of
precious letters was nothing, 81
But the anger her eyes shot fell
hort Of their mark-Jamie had spied 8,
le plum pudding.
Hello" he laughed, $50 that is what
as In the box. I'd just about given 81
up. It's some pudding, all right, al
mt It'll" he went on admirlngly.
Since we couldn't have 1t Christmas, In
is celebrate tonlght-speed the part ty