The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1921-12-13

making final preparations for the
turkey that was presently 70 30
into the oven, Nellie Melbourne
came bounding into the room.
They are here! They're here!
Eleven OF them! You go on in and
stay with them and I'll take charge
here"
Polly did as she was told. She
threw aside her apron and hustled
into the enormous old living room,
,gayly decked With greens and holly
to find her two married sister their
husbands and seven well assorted
nieces and nephews. They had
been invited many weeks before
and had kept the secret perfectly.
Win Mr.. Robinson, looking very
spruce and happy, came an hour
later he was sent In to join Miss
Samson's family party. Nellie was
holding the fort joyously, II not
expertly. in the Kitchen. Then It
was that every one in the living
room paused suddenly In their
noisy conversation.
81 thought l heard a stream"
said Polly.
"You did" said Mr.. Robinson Us
be made quick strides toward the
kitchen.
What he first saw was the droop-
irg form OF Nellie Melbourne prop
ped in the arms OF = stalwart
young man In a snow covered uls-
ter. What he saw when he looked a
second time was that this statwart
young man vas his son.
Mics Polly Samson rescued Nellie
and the old man, with tears In his
eyes, embraced his son But Nellie
did not spoil the Christmas fun by
really Sainting. She came to almost
at once upd took her paYt in the
general calculation that followed.
The hardest thing for them all to
understand was that Mr.. Robinson
wasn't really Mr.. Robinson at all.
He was Mr.. Hilton, Jeremiah Hi
on, as wa natural, SINCE he was
Tom Hilton's father.
He had changed his name when
he had met with business r~eyerses,
and had to sell out his business and
start all over in an effort to earn
enough to keep his son in law
$4,000. Mainline the son, far away.
from home, finished his studies
and began his uphill work as n
lawyer, never dreaming that the
monthly remittunceg he received
had been the return for watching at
night. Jeremiah Hilton had been
very clever about it and only one
old friend, the one who had vouch-
ed for his honesty In the little
town Of Thatcher, knew the truth
OF the matter.
Now young Hilton mad made
good. He found himself suddenly
one OF the foremost young lawyers
IN the town he had chosen as his
stamping ground. He had CONC
back a thousand miles or so to
find his father and, failing to find
him at the address to which HIS
letters had always been sent, used
every means to find him. Through
the help OF the old friend he had
tracd him to Thatcher and found
he was a night Waterman. From
the humble cottage where the
father had his room the son haa
traced him to the Melbournes' by
tracks Of his arctics in the snow.
And those tracks had led right in
to the kitchen. where he met. face
to face, Nellie Melbourne, whom
he had love without ceasing for ten
years-since his freshman days in
college.
So Tom Hilton was the fifteenth
guest at t he table.
Il surprised no one when Nellie
was married to Tom Hilton a few
weeks later. The surprise came
when Mr.. Hilton, Sr., grown very
spruce and courageous and younger
by the day. made It known that he
was going to marry Polly Samson.
Nellie, who could we'll afford it,
gave the old Melbourne house to
Polly as a token OF appreciation
for long service. Polly's invest
ments and regular remittances
from Mrs. Tom Hilton tided over
the time brore Jeremiah Hilton got
on his feet again as a business man
n Thatcher.
Copyright 1921. By the Mcclure
Newspaper syndicate.)