The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1920-12-20
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OR II sT0R
f3AiIS SHORT STORY . * TX.
st3RisTMks DINNER * xxx
llBy5JEssIE DOUGLAS.


u beg your pardon-would you
PASS the salt?"
His voice cut the gloom with a
GOLDEN note like shining Damas-
kene sWord.blade.
The girl acrosB the white marbla
table looked up, suddenly aware
that she was not alone in this
siseemingly empty eating house. Her
eyes when she lifted them gave the
young man q moments surprise,
for he had thought to look into
drown ones like her hair and dark
gihg-Ifke brows. But their blue
sneBs like fOrget.me-nots In spring
was lovely,
.oh- oh-yes--" abe stammer.
ed, and pushed across the sugar
howl, without looking again.
But there had been something in
that voice, in that lingering, golden
4 drawl that told her he came from
the part OF the globe that she had
come from, He was q southerner.
She could tell 1t anywhere. Tell
sc by his grave, gentle manner, and
that slow, unhurried way he had
Of eating.
But Sally Aldrich never had been
ap0ken to by strange men; she new.
e. would. And when she had low.
cred her eyes from that one quick
Z startled glance, she went on with
1ler own thoughts.
1t was Christmas morning. Out.
side q cold gray sky and cold gray
day, and here In this cheap res.
tsurant even the noisy clatter and
the rattle Of thick plates and the
4. hum OF voices was absent today,
Tor every one who had a home or Il
friend was having dinner there, she
Thought.
Even the waitress, glancing down
y 30 anxiously every few minutes to
see the time, was more interested
81 the sparkle and CLEAN of her
new wrist watch than in the pass
ing seconds
Sally Aldrich glanced at the let.
Z ter that she had laid on the white
5table. She smiled, a funny wtst.
til puckering of her lips that had
lie pretend to be smile, for In that
letter Cousin. Lou had said she was
20 glad Sally was to have dinner
with that new friend OF hers, but
She hoped In spite OF all the wealth
and luxury Sally would always
Keep q place in her heart for them,
ffoE they were her kin.
Keep place i'll her heart!"
Why, her whole heart was theirs,
and II she had the money and the
time she would have gone on The
3aEtest train that went TO a little
southern town in South Carolina
send spent Christmas day with
them!
She pushed her soup away with
d sudden little movement of dis
taste-thss vegetable soup with
few gray grains Of rice that chung
tc her spoon-nnd as she did so
with that yindictive thrust of her
wrist she sent her letter spinning
ACROSS the table.
The young man picked 1t up and
raised Il to her, but as he did so
hts face darkened with an embar.
raised flush.
y beg your pardon" he said a
little huskily, but l couldn't help
seeing you came from Ninesburg:
do you by any chance know Miss
Nellie PrinCe?"
Miss Nellie?" Sally cried, for.
getting that he was a man,
stranger, anything but sudden
warm hand thrust out to her from
her own world; why, she's my sec.
bnd cousins great.auut!"
The young man whistled. And
si1e's my first cousin, twice re-
anlpYed, = he said, showing set OF
white, handsome teeth.
Why, you" Sally Aldrich stop.
ped and looked at him with amazed
wonder, you must be-"
.a.Joel Harris he ended for her.
Sally flushed a little and the dim
nile that had hidden all this time at
the. corner OF her mouth played
and.seek. ~ always heard
about you, but I never"
s's6y. Miss Aldrich," he said.
leaning forward eagerly, do you
Ike this?" He waved TO the bare
table with It's pile OF paper napkins
and the raRtsh sugar bowl and her
own half.empty soup dish
Like it," Sally answered, sud
denly coming back to the present.
y II know that it's sort of queer
and the Aldrichs always we're pref.
~ particular, but wonder-that is,
don't you think you'd have Christ.
MAJ dinner with me, somewheres,
+ d jolly kind OF place where he
could talk about Cousin Nellie
Prince all sorts OF things.
tHpt-" Sally objected, sttfien'
Ing.
AS she hesitated and tried to
think OF an excuse he felt quickly
about in his vest pocket and drew
out shabby little snapshot. He
passed it across the table. And
S8lly, having taken it reluctantly,
locked at the veranda and the gal.
SIGFiea Of Cousin Nellie Princes,
and Cousin Nellie herself, with
ghHa apron around her capactous
waist.
II reckon" said Sally softly, SO
that he hardly heard, ian Aldrich
sap trust her own kin"
They stood up together and Sal.
s.ly, with her head high, almost for.
Z got tn pay her check at the desk
I tor twenty cents
n wonder said the young man
feeling his chin moment, IF you
that is"
'Td like to dress up little-for
the party" Sally said catching his
7ssT6sn ~ r cOul6 meat vnu hero