Evening star., 1921-12-25

girl-with her dark hair forty years
hurry! A black velvet bag sur
mounted by a tigers head stirring
strangely in a chair piled high with
books! A canary as big as q turkey
gobbler! A giraffe stepping suddenly
forward with-with dog paws thrust
into his soup plate! A white rabbit
rousing cautiously from his cushions!
A parrot with a twitching black-and-
white short-haired tail! An empty
chair facing the girl! An empty
! chair facing the girl!
In another instant he had slipped
into the vacant seat.
$50 sorry to have kept you wait
ing" he murmured.
Flame yanked the handkerchief
from her eye, took one blank glance
at the stranger, and burst forth into
| a blood -curdling scream!
AS though waiting only for that one
signal to break the spell of their en-
chantment, the Canary leaped upward
and grabbed the Bengal Tiger by his
muslin nose: the White Rabbit sprang
to point" on the cooling turkey, and
the Red-and-Green Parrot fell to the
floor in a desperate effort to settle
once and for all with the black spot
that itched SO impulsively on his left
| shoulder!
Lost to all sense of honor or table
| manners, the benign-faced Giraffe
burst through his own neck with a
| most curious anatomical effect, locked
and rolled with him under the table
| in mortal combat.
From her terrorized perch on the
| back Of her chair, Flame watched the
! fracas with dflated eyes.
launched in the hug of his own arms
the stranger sat rocking himself to
and fro in uncomfortable choking
mirth-"ribald mirth" was what
| Flame called it. 1t was not until the
Black Plush Bag at bay had ripped
a red streak down Miss Flora's avid
| nose that he rose to interfere. Very
definitely then. with quick deeds, in
cisive words. he separated the imme-
date combatants and ordered the
other dogs into submission.
Here you, Demon Direful." he ad-
dressed the white Wolfhound. Drop
that, Orion!" he shouted to the Irish
setter. "Cut it out, John!' he thun-
dered at the coach dog.
! Their names are Beautiful-Love-
lyw cried Flame, "and Lopsy and
BIunder-Blot"
| The stranger stared with frank as
tonishment.
| Their names are what?" he said.
| In an instant Flame had jumped
from her retreat to the floor.
who are you, anyway" she de-
manded. How dare you come here
like this? Butting into my party!
And-spoiling my discipline with the
dogs! Who are you. say?"
| "Who am II" he said. why, no
one special at all except just-the
Master of the House"
WHAT" gasped Flame.
| Earle Delcote," bowed the stranger
"Why-why. but Mr.. Delcote is an
old man." she gasped. I'm almost
sure he's an old man."
| The smile on the strangers mouth
spread suddenly to his eyes.
| mot yet-thank God" he bowed.
Flame sank Imply down in her seat
again and gestured toward the empty
place opposite her.
| X X 4 X
et11AVE a-have a chair" she STAN.
IL mered. "Oh, II know oughn',
to be here" she struggled. TITS the
the checklist thing that any girl in
the world ever did! But your butler
said And he did so want to &C
away and And I did so love your
dogs! And I did SO want to make
one Christmas In the world just ex.
actly the way I wanted it,"
The Master of the House slipped
back into his chair.
"Have q heart!" he said.
Flame did not accept this sugges.
tion. With downcast eyes she sal
staring at the table. It seemed g
very cheerless table suddenly. with
all the dogs grouped blatantly around
their masters chair.
II can at least have my Cat" she
thought, "my-faithful Cat" In an.
other instant she had extracted pool
Puss from clutter of pans in the
back Of the cupboard. and brought
her back, growing and bristling, tt
perch on one arm Of the high backed
chair. "Th-ere! said Flame.
The eyes Of the stranger fixed
speculatively on the big turkey.
I'm afraid everything is very
cold" she confided with formal re-
greet.
mot for anything" laughed the
stranger quite suddenly. would
have kept you waiting-if I had onl,
known"
F.! Two spots Of color glowed in thu
girls cheeks.
ut was not for you was waiting
she said coldly.
"N-o?' teased the stranger. 'Fol
whom, then? Some incredible wigh'
who, worse than late-isn't going tt
show up at all? Heaven-sent, I con
slider myself How else could SO littl'
i . girl have managed SO big a tur
u lkAy7"