The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1918-12-20

Aha - the SHiulehb y Jay
Put by your fear OF sorrow.
Put by your dread Of loss;
Perhaps for you tomorrow
The crown above the cross.
The Christmas bells are pealing
From near and far away:
A CLINT Of gold revealing;
This is the children's day.
Forget the worlds dark story
on bloody pages set;
The lives that dreaming glory
Meet death Instead. forget,
The Christmas bells are sounding
Though skies may still be gray
Send choruses resounding.
! This Is the childrens day.
L. NJ Thornton.
~~~~.~~-~~-~S~~-~N~-~
I'VE can try" his friend replied
but why do you want to knOw?"
"Wen, do" John answered curtly
! Tom glanced quiZzlcally at him and
smiled 10 himself. This was another
phase Of John he was just getting ne
quainted with When the car reached
the railway station where John and
Tom were going To take train for
Toms suburban home, the two women
also left the car. They went straight
10 the ticket window. Tom took out
his commutatiOn book and passed II
10 John.
"You follow them and | will join
you" he whispered. the spirit Of mis-.
chief and adventure now possessing
him. Having bought their tickets, the
women turned from the window and
hurried to the train. There in the
same car Tom found them all.
We'll If this isn't luck" he ex-
claimed, as soon as nc was seated.
And then, with the air Of boy burst.
ing with news, he said: They are
going TO D."
"Yes, ! know It." Harding replied.
But as he vOuChed no information and
did not seem inclined to talk, Tom
took refuge in his paper and prompt.
ly forgot the whole affair until he
was abruptly called back by:
tom, l cannot tell you when a
thing so impressed me as that did
~ - AiANAf A'hlA bt bAA 'll' AAAsAAs
That" asked Tom, little puzzled,
Then, "Oh. / thought you did not he.
lieve In that kind of charity-Sympa'
thetic and sentimental, | think you
called It," he teasingly reminded him,
remembering the crisp bill John had
dropped in the tambourine.
"Oh, that is altogether different
John answered. half defiantly.
"YeS. different because pretty girl
made this appeal. an old man the
other" laughed Tom. But, tell me,
how do you adjust your acts to the
OrieS?"
'Oh. theories, the dickens! What
are they ever compared to acts? And
that act this afternoon was spOn-
taneOus expression of the true Christ
mas spirit, from which springs the de-
sire 10 hedp, TO bring some JOY to a
lot of poor unfOrtunateS, because ft's
Christmas, you know" he quoted
softly. 1T was the real thing, and
everybody in the car felt it,
And having, as it were, justified his
position and interest, he looked across
at the unconscious subject of their re-
marks. Truly she was good to look at,
though Mt present all he could see was
the well-cut profile and the glorious
cOpperish-brOwn hair turning to dull
gold where the western sun struck it.
and eyes. that with her mood, he knew,
varied from hazel to brown. A verit-
able gem of girl, he thought, as she
began adjusting her furs. With an
intuitive feeling of understanding her,
he turned to Tom.
"DOnt mention the affair to anyone,
not even Mary, for 1t would not please
her. l am sure" he added. as the train
pulled up at D..
The station was small and John had
just finished greeting Mrs. Danvers,
when Billy Grants deep voice broke
in: "Hello, Harding; glad to see you"
as they shook hands.
Grant. an old friend of both Harding
and Danvers, also lived in D..
Now, 1 want you to meet our
for its cold and l want to get
home"
While Tom and John were bowling
n acknowledgment to Mrs. North
md Miss North" their host chatted on
lbout its being "toO bad they couldn't !
nave met at the other end of the line,
rs long as they happened to be on the
same train
Nancy North threw quick glance !
It Harding, but otherwise no outward |
sign was given, as he walked with her |
o the car, that they had ever seen one |
mother before or that the same
hOught was in the minds of both, but
TOhn was so strangely elated that Miss
Iorth's color deepened each time she
ooked up and met his smiling eyes.
"NOw, don't you fellows keep our
bridge waiting tonight" called Grant,
Is he gave the signal to start.
"rll guarantee our arrival on time,
irant," answered John, well satisfied
With the arrangement whether ii was
hance or fate, for somewhere within
lim something was thrillingly alert,
eXpectant, confidently
lopeful, and the feeling of the after
IOOn that had expressed itself in
ynicism and manifested itself in lone
mess was gone.
At the wedding reception of John
Harding and Nancy North. six months