The Snyder signal. (Snyder, Tex.) 1887-????, 1919-12-19
3 THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT 92I@ 8
By J. Gill

Leonora and wished that he hadn't-poor little
soul and sighed again, and then went puillhs
up to bed. -.
Presently when the house was quiet and dark
Henry took from his handbag fat ell,
veope and examined its contents, and oeaineu
complacently. Then he opened his door tlhy
crack and peeped out Seeing 1t was mouse VI
darkness save for the one small light III inc
hall, kept burning as a comfort to the inmates
and warning TO burglars carefully, cautious
", his bulky form grotesquely on tptoe, Henry
crept down the stairs, all the while oeamlhg
with satisfaction. "a
In the darkened sitting room he fefc along
the mantle for the place where he thought ms
sweethearts stocking hung, and then INTO us
silky, feminine length he slipped the lat
envelope and crept cautiously upstairs again:
For some time afterward he lay awake IN MS
bed and smiled in self-approval and also III
anticipation Of mothers approval
Christmas morning broke forth radlantly
The Christmas sun shone according TO the BEST
traditions upon q newly whtened Christmas
world. As Henry opened his door-rather late
for he liked his morning snooze and he didn't
like to be hurried in his dressng-there was
his lady-love, sitting on the stairs waiting for
him. And at the sight of him she came up
the stairs, all smiles and dmpleS, and Offered
her face to his lips and then buried 1t in his
shoulder.
"You are the dearest man. she cried, and
then, as if in explanation: 1--WE opened our
Christmas stockings she added.
Like e." he asked. beaming once more.
Like it," she repeated eXtravaganty
81 told you to wait until today he reminded
her
81 don't know how YOU ever thought of it,
she exclaimed And poor little Leonora! If
you could have seen her face when we told her
these liberty bonds in her stocking were worth
more than thousand dollars
Leonora's stocking! Leonora? Leonora?
Henry's head began to reel and he felt his
throat pusing against his collar. "Wh-wh-
WHAT" he stammered "L-Leonora's stocking"
Nettie was so thrilled with her narrative that
she never noticed his agitation. yes she found
them just as soon as she opened her stocking,
she went on. why this Just means life to her.
Dear 1--we always liked you. but | never
knew you were like this. And-oh! I'm
ashamed to tell it,-we anyhow, last night
when you said that about Leonora being here
/ thought YOU meant il and could slap myself
now for feeling like felt about il. And all the
time there was this Why didn't you tell me-
she pouted.
Il didn't know that was going to give them
10 her" he answered oh, so honestly. Il didn't
know"
She held him at arms length to admire him.
you impulsive, generous boy" she breathed
rapturously.
The rewards of his mistake were too great
for him. Never in his life had he been ad-
mired and adored like this. He couldn't for the
life of him have corrected the error-it was too
late. He had in the darkness put the liberty
bonds in Leonora's stocking instead of Nettie's
It's so different to giving TO people that al
ready have things Nettie went on. you
might make things a little pleasanter for them,
but it isn't everything to them the way it was
to her"
Which was the truthfuest of statements, for
downstairs in the library Leonora and Miles
Che had regretted his cruelty of the night be
fore and had come over early to make
amcnds). the two of them sat in a state of
dazed rapture; for them the liberty bonds
meant marriage at once and life and love; it
meant the sudden flooding Of the light of hope
into the darkness of their despair.
And of such is the spirit of Christmas: Big
hearted and generous-even If it does some
times hunder May it bring Joy and happiness
10 millions of hearts like it brought JOY and
happiness to the hearts of Miles Curtis and
Leonora Norwood
We must have a new sort of peace-a peace
founded on the commonwealth of the world