The mirror., 1921-12-22

y Connie looked down to the busy
IA street, through blur of snowAakes.
- AT least, Connie told herself deter
,minedly that snowAakes were accountable
for the blur; then, she wiped her eyes.
otis Merry Christmas time," Connie
said to her old yellow cat. "Who ever
heard of Christmas without the Merry?
SO cheer up, Prowler, and let's join in the
game"
At the little "Shoppe" just around the
Icorner she stood longest of all. And all at !,
;once into Comics bright eyes came
Speculative light The window was full
,of small framed pictures, most of them
with the Christmas spirit. There were the
usual night-clad children looking up broad
Ichimneys, there were landscapes of snowy
fields with distant windows alight-Con-
. ME studied them all; she was seeing in
vision the winding hill road of the place
swhere she had spent her last summer va
cation; the church with its swaying bell
! in the steeple, the queer little bridge over
the deep and beautiful stream-a bridge
with seats along its sides where countless
lovers had sat and courted. The old lady
: who had been Comics volunteer hostess
told her, with the pink coming and going
] in her withered cheeks, about lovers. For
Fit was there that her own husband had
! asked, and had been answered-his ques-
ton. The way that Connie had chanced
to visit this beautiful country place and to
meet there the dear old lady was- qnitsaas~
xmarkable chance too. She had started out
ION the trolley car for one restful day in
! the country and had chosen this station at
random. And when she had stopped to
admire the wonderful roses in the old
sslady's garden-and they had spent some
agreeable time together-the old lady,
SMrs. Martha Snow by name, had said:
"My dear! Why don't you come on
and visit me for week or two? I'm
{ lonely for young sweet face"
: And Connie had gone, that was all.
Half her later water colors had been
+ glorifed memories of that delightful visit.
s Now Connie had new inspiration. She
E would paint the queer little bridge over
9 an icy stream, and its seats should be
) covered with snow. She could fancy just
). how the trees would look waving naked
And she'd paint the church in
s the hollow with lights in the windows
cleaning over the snow and the bell in
z the tower a-swaying for Christmas.
> Oh, Connie was very happy as she hur-
3 ried home to her attic, but there, in the
8 temperamental way artists have, she began
s to draw instead, working in fever OF
: enthusiasm-the sitting room OF the old
z house where she had been guest, with
3 Martha Snow herself seated in the fire.
> light, just half of her peaceful profile
g showing beneath its halo of white hair.
8 There was holly above the old fireplace
s and boys stocking hanging there Con-
= ME never stopped until she had completed
z the picture, then ran with it breathlessly
. to the "Shoppe" around the corner.
> eyes, we will display it," smiling old
9 man agreed.
8 The picture sold. Of course you were
< prepared for that; but the strange part
z was that before it was sold Connie had
= added her other views to the "Shoppe"
- window. and her discerning purchaser had
= bought them, every one. While the other
4 Christmas studies pleased him not at all
\ Connie could not count the number of times
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