The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-12-20
Eoening Story
Christmas Dinner.
BY JESSIE DOUGLAS.

man with the gray eyes and the chin
that showed that it needed the razor
and the shabby gray suit cleared his
throat.
Z beg your pardon-would you pass
golden note like a shining Damaskene
sword-blade.
The girl across the white, marble
table locked up, suddenly aware that
she was not alone in this seemingly
empty eating house. Her eyes when
she lifted them gave the young man
moments surprise, for he had
thought to look into brown ones like.
her hair and dark wing-like brows.
But their blueness like forget-me-nots
in spring was lovely
."Oh-oh, yes" she stammered,
and pushed across the sugar bowl,
without looking again.
But there had been something in
that voice, in that lingering, golden
drawl that told her he came from the
part of the globe that she had come
from. He was southerner. She
could' tell it anywhere. Tell it by his
grave, gentle manner, and that slow.
uRhurried way he had of eating.
But Sally Aldrieh- never had been
spoken to by strange men; she never
would. And when she had lowered,
her eyes from that one quick startled
glance, she went on with her own
thoughts.
1t was Christmas morning. Outside
q cold gray sky and a. cold gray day,
and here in this cheap restaurant even
the noisy clatter and the rattle of thick
plates and the hum of voices was alb
home or friend was having dinner
there, she thought.
Even the waitress, glancing down SO
anxiousiy every few minutes to see the
time, was more interested in the
sparkle and gleam of her new wrist
watch than in the passing seconds.
Sally Aldrieh glanced at the letter
that she had laid ON the white table.
She smiled, funny, wistful pucker-
ing of her lips that had to pretend to
be a smile, for in that letter Cousin
Lou had said she wass SO 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 a. place in her
heart for them, for they were her
| kin.
Keep a place in her heart!" Why
| her whole heart was theirs, and If she
had the meney<and the time she would
| have gdne on the fastest train that
went to a little southern town in South
Carolina and spend Christmas day with
| them,
| She pushed her soup away with a
this vegetable soup with few gray
grains of rice that chung, to her spoon
and as she did so with that vindic-
tive thrust of her wrist she sent her
Fletter Spinning across the table.s
| The young man picked 1T up and
passed it to her, but as, he did So his
face darkened with an embarrassed
| flush. -
Il beg your pardoa," he. said a lit
tie husiSily but 1 couldn't help see
! ing you came from Vinesburg; do you
by any, chanee. knew Miss Nellie
| Miss Nelliegs Sally crieay forget
! ting that he was man, a stranger,
anything but a sudden warm hand
| thrust out to her from her own world;
why; she's my second cousins great
aunt!'
The young man whistled. And she's
my first cousin. twice removed he
said, showing a set of white, HANDSOME
/ teeth.
';Why, you Sally Aldrich stopped
and looked.at him with anazed Won
der, you must be-
| Joel Harris,'' he ended for her.
/ Sally flushed a LITTLE and the aimple
that HAD hidden all this time at the
corner of her mouth played hide-and-
/ seek Il always heard about you but
I never
Il Say, Miss Aldrich," he said, lean
i ing forward Eagerly, do you like
this?" -He waved to the bare table
with Its pile of paper napkins and the
raklsh sugar bowl and her own half
empty soup dish.
Like it?'' Sally answered. suddenly
coming back to the present.
know that it's sort of queer
ana the Aldrichs always were pretty
particular. but 1 wonder-that is. donfi
! you think you'd have Christmas din.
ner with me, somewhere, a jolly kind
OF place where we could talk about
cousin Nellie Prince-and all sorts OF
I. AS she hesitated and tried to think
OF an excuse he felt quickly about
in his vest pocket and drew out a
shabby little snapshot. He passed il
across the table. And Sally, having
! taken 1t reluctantly, looked at the
Eeranda and the galleries of Cousin
Nellie Princes and Cousin Nellie her
SELF, with a white apron around hel
capacious waist
II reckon. said Sally softly, so that
ne hardly heard, can Aldrich car
trest her own kim
4 They stood up together and Sally
: with her head high almost forgot tc
Payne check at the desk-fer twenty
i cents
4 Il wonder" said the yeyng man
Keeling his chin a moment, IF you
that is"
I'D like to dress UP a little-for the
|
Then if 1 could meet you here Il
twenty minutes?" Joel Harris asked
Twenty minutes later, a girl In a
shabby blue suit that was almost toe
II thin for the winter, came walking
/ down to the meeting place But-any
4 one would have known that, she was
going to meet a friend. Her cheek
were like roses and her eyes under
the black velvet hat were like bit OF
Southern skies The sprig of hollis
tucked IN her lapel gave her holiday
look, and the fresh SHINE of her shoes
: and her gray gloves finished an. effec,
that was altogether enhancing.
As for the man who was waitins
for her, and who took off his hat a
her approach. one would have known
, him for gentleman anywhere. H
! was clean shaver and he wore a blus
/ necktie and his linen was go white h
was attractive. and when Sally hear
> MS voice again, like a shining SWORD
that cut the gloom. She knew he coult
1 be trusted.
.I.ookI,' he said and SaIIr Iiftin,