The Washington herald., 1922-01-01

Of ghttering brilhAnts. Empty BRAS shells
Of assorted calfbres, with tin stars and hearts
and crescents fashioned from cans, had been
strung into dangling garlands. Candles had
been spiked to clothespins, and their fervor
had become 30 emotional that a suit OF under
wear Of Bud Sellers had been sacrificed in
an attempt TO extract the dye to stain the
candles red
After the boy had been herded to bsd and
the tree had been set up and dressed, the
men disappeared IN a body, only to return
one at time. with cautious backward
gIanees and hoarse whispers. Each slipped .
package from under his coat and passed It
to Lanham In suppressed excitement They
gave their varied Instructions:
open her up. Clint. an stack her under
the tree for His NIbs."
Peel her down. Chief. an set her where
the light will hit her good"
Be sure an tell him this here's from me-
The instructions differed. though all bore
the same note OF unconcealed pride: but the
packages were strangely alike in shape and
size and weight Eight of them lay in .
row. and Lanham curiousy tore open the
ends Of the wrappings one after another.
and peeked in.
Before going to bed be dug out 4 package
of his own, tossed 1t on the table, and stared
at It in helpless perplexity 1t varied from
the eight others in no particular Of shape,
size. or weight. He held it in his hands for
a moment, thinking; then he cast 1t indiffer-
entity into the cobwebbed space behind the
woodbox and crossed softly to the doorway
Of the bedroom. For ten minutes or longer
he stood spmber and quiet. gazing toward the
shadowy Sorner where the little boy lay
asleep.
In the morning, when word came to the
bunkhouse that little Don was finishing his
breakfast and that the big moment Of show
ing him the tree was at hand, the punchers
softfooted through the kitchen and dining
room to the closed door Of the big room.
There. by kneeling. croaching. leaning, and
up-toefng they contrived to align their eight
heads vertically with the door frame and at
the sound Of Lanham's voice calling to Don
thsy opened the door acrack
Slowly the expectant srins on the brown
faces slacksned and hung loosely like Sits
in mail pouches. Their eyes, glinting in the
candleiight, widened and remained fixed In
hshlike stares. For there, ranged under the
tree like a rack In armory stood efeat
small riies-eight little 81 winchesters, rs
alike as gauge tests could make them.
The boy came in with LAnham's hand
about his shoulder. For q long moment his
gaze took In the lighted tree with its bar.
baric adornments. The surprise was com
plete. but mystificatton was his outsta nding
emotion. And then his eyes dropped to the
array Of small arms
The spread Of gifts began and ended with
rife. There was naught beside. The effort
to play UP to his big fathers expectations
was msnly and hrm. but no word nor action
came to aaiay the rising lump In his throat.
In the end the child in him won over the
insecure groupdings Of manhood. Hin arms
went about the long leg at his side. His taee
dropped against Lanharn's hip. and the strok-
ing touch upon his shoulde- loosed . dsso.ate
sob from his quivertng aps
The door cicsed silently besor. tf, string
Of masks peering from the gloom OF the
dining room And silently tSe men s,raxsied
back to the b,nkhouse, noticing anything
but one another
In the big room. with their backs to The