The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1920-12-25

uFuhahly begun eeNrfn YEARS 20
fore his death, Published. a. Il here
appears, in short stories. January,
iaill
Now. a Christmas story should BE-
enc For good many years ths
ingenious wrltera have been putting
forth tales for the holiday numbers
that employed every subtle. evaiave.
indirect and strategic scheme they
could Invent 20 disguise the christ
mas flnvof So far has this new rfae'
tice been carried that nowadays.
when you read a story In a holiday
magazine. the only way you can tell
it Is a Christmas story IL TO look AZ
the footnate, which reads r'The In
cldents IN tho above story happened
on December s5th ~ isdl
There Is progress N thisi but u y
an very sad. There are Just aN many
real Christmas stories a. ever. II We
would only dig EN- up Me, ann for
the scroAee and Marley chriHlinaH
story, and the Annie and WllAns
prayer poem. aud the louH.loai son
coming horne an the stroke q twelve
10 tise poorly matched cottage, With
his arms fuii Of iaikins dolls and pop
corn balls ahd Elp you hear The Sc
ond mortgage on the cottage 80 ny
ing or into the deep snow,
~, this IL 10 warn you that there
IL no sGbtetfuge about this story
and you might come upon stockings
hung TO the mRntel and plum pud.
dings and harki the rhifnsal and
wealthy misrrB iooscning up and
handing ever penny whistles to lame
nowaboys II you read further.
Once | knocked az q door f have
30 many things 20 tell sou | keep
on losing sight OF the story1. II
wsas the front door OF a furnished
room house in Yves, ~reenth street
was looking for yauns iilastrat
or named T'aicy. originally and irrew-
oeably from Terre iianta. palcs
Ioeant enter even into the firrs
serial rtshts % this Christmas story
I mention him simply ~ explaining
why | came 10 knock al thn door
some people have 80 much eaFies
lty.
The door @nn opened BY the land
lady. had seen hundreds IKE her.
And had smsiicd before that cold.
dank. furnished draught OF air thai
hurried by her 20 escape immur~
meat In the Furnished house
she WAS nturIt. and her face and
handa we're a. white AZ tho she had
heen drowned In y barrel AZ vine.
gar. one hard held together at her
throat q buttonie~s flannel dressing
sacaue whose lines had been cut BY
no tape or Buttsrick known TO NOR
tai woman. Beneath this a Toe. Ions.
lowered. black satssn skirt was
draped about her. reaching the noor
In stiff wrinkles and folds.
The rest Of her wa. yellow. Her
hair. In some byEone age. had been
dipped In tho fountain Of folly prv
sidsd over by the merry nyrnph
Hydrogen. but now. except At the
roots. II had returned 20 Its natural
grim and grtxziea white.
Her eyes and teeth and ffnger
nails were yellow Her chops hung
low and shook when sh1 moved
The look on her face was exacsiy
thai srnIiaisss look of fatal mslafs.
shoiy that yuu may have se~n on
the connt~nance Of hound Jeff sit
tine on the doorstep OF a deserted
cabin.
inquired for Paisy. After q long
look Of cold suspicion the iandiady
spoke. and her voice matched the
dingy roughness Of her flannel
sacaua
paieyf Was sure that was the
nafnsy And wnsnt II. likely. MIR.
sanderson I meant. in the third floor
rearf No: II WINS paiey I wanted.
Again that frozen. shrnwd. steady
study OF my snui from her pale
yellow. unwinkinw eyes. trying to
penetrate my mask OF deception and
rout out my true motives from my
lying lips. There was Mr.. Temp
kina In the front hail bedroom two
flights up. Perhaps II was he I
was seeking. lie worked Of nights.
he never came In TN seven In the
morning. or II II was really Mr..
Tucker tthlnty disguised ms paiey)
that was hunting would have
10 call between five and
But no. held firmly TO paiey.
There was no such name among her
dodgers. Click the door closed
swiftly IN my face. and I heard
Ia "a .