Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1919-12-11

nonsense" Hilda answered. If yol
knew the trouble l have with her
Mrs. Holmes, you wouldn't be asking
me to put any new ideas into heI
head. She is contented with hel
dolls and is satisfied. and my work
takes up every minute Of my time.
And you don't do your work,
cried the Scotch woman. There
better and more natural work at your
hand for you to do. and you leave it
! to others"
What do you mean by that?"
Il mean Eunice," said Mrs. Holmes
defantly, and wiped her hands on her
apron and stalked away, leaving Hilda
Groves indignant and resentful.
Mrs. Holmes had put her little
charge to bed on Christmas eve and
later stole on tiptoe to the door.
Eunice was lying with her face to
the wall, her head resting upon her
arm. The good woman looked visit
fully at her, and at the little stockings
which hung from the head of the
bed She had never had a child Of
her own.
She was going to ill them to over
flowing with a certain store OF good
things that she had purchased and
hidaen away In the linen closet among
- - n eta-aAd pillow-cases. She had
Wlhdies and oranges, and firecrackeTs
that snapped disconcertingly. contain
ing foolscaps and notices and paper
ornaments within their fat and crink-
ling bodies; a jack-in-the-box, too.
and doll, just large enough to be
cunningly concealed inside a stock
ing Mrs. Holmes watched the child.
Her sleep did not seem sound, for
good landlady had that morbid ter.
ror of discovery which a real Santa
always feels.
"I'll wait till Mr.. Cunningham has
come in and then HI do it." she re
solved Mr.. Cunningham, the last of
her boarders to come home, was al
ways punctual upon the stroke of
eleven. Eunice would then be sound |
asleep, no doubt.
But Eunice had not slept at all.
With child's deliberate craft she
had deceived the good-natured land
lady. She waited till she heard Mrs.
Holmes go into her room, and then
she rose up ever so softly and pulled
On the empty stockings, dressed her
self, and crept into the hall, She
listened in terror at Mrs. Holmes
ioor She was reading aloud, as she
lid of an evening, and the solitary
loice was terrifying. Not much less
10 was the regular breathing of Mrs.
Bennett next door, the middle-aged
woman who always insisted on stop
ling and speaking, no matter how
'u8y Eunice might happen to be. The
loor creaked, and once Mrs. Holmes
topped reading and sat up in her
hair. Eunice shrank into the recess
etween the hall curtain and the UNI
rella stand. Then all was right
gain and Mrs. Holmes voice droned
n. The child opened the hall door
nd fled out into the December blasts.
She had gone to find Santa Claus,
Or she knew that he would not come /,
, her
The theater was only three blocks ,
way, and Eunice could see the dis !
ant glitter of lights as soon as she .
as in the street The road was full ,
vehicles, and pedestrians went hur-
wing along the sidewalks, but no. .
ody molested her or was curious
bout the little, thiuly clad girl that !
tipped among the crowds, lodging !
ere and there until she reached the
orner of the third block Then
unice halted befote the rush of au- q
that whizzed past her in .
aver ending line, and big police =
an took her by the arm. r
Where are you going, little grip" =
, asked gruffly.
"Thanta Clauth," said Eunice. point n
g toward the theater lights. =
DO you belong to the theater?" a
ked the policeman obviously.
Where is your Mammal" :,
"Over there" said Eunlce, and the !
lIceman carried her across the :,
rect, while the automobiles parked =,
on either hand on a wave of his :,
rdly fingers. He set her down at r.
0 stage entrance. n
Anybody lost a baby?" he asked