Evening star., 1922-11-08
Gift Without Giver Is Bare.


T was long past midnight when
Merriam Lindsay peeped In at
the nursery door Of the Pumpkin
Shell to turn on the shaded light
for good might look at her twins.
Dick was cuddled peacefully in his
pillows. sleeping manfully, but Ricky.
who hated pillows. lay stretched out
as stiff as 4 ramrod. In each hand
she held one OF the moccasins that
had come that night from her missing
daddy boy"
Merriam smiled with a lump in
her throat because Ricky was so
deliciously feminine for all that she
looked the more boyish of the two.
When she had tucked them in bit
more snuggly. she tiptoed back TO
her, own room with q hurt feeling
in her heart.
1t was suddenly occurring to her
that If John could have sent these
messages and gifts to the children.
he might have sent her something.
a flare Of resentment rose within her.
For weeks she had been struggling
along under the woe and uncertainty
of his mysterious absence. blaming
herself bitterly. trying in every way
to atone for her many sins of omis-
sin. childishly hoping that as a re-
ward her John would come back to
her. She had alternately loved and
hated him In those weeks. according
to her mood. but tonight she felt
deserted and neglected ard unwanted.
Waves of righteous indignation be-
gan to sweep over her. With feminine
lack OF logic, she had willingly for
given any possible crimes that he
might seem to have committed, II
ka haI t,,I hn1r in, he a.
dell robbery. She told herself that
he had done it thinking in a mad
moment that it might benefit her and
her children. but this deliberate
slight at a moment when he might
have sent her some word cut deep:
For the first time since the blow had
fallen she found herself tempest
uously angry with him.
She put in a wretched night Of II
and arose wan and unhappy, 10
scramble through day OF endless
small annoyanccs. Her father-ln-la", 7,
be, was hopelessly in the way when
the routine of her days "schooI be-
gan. Because she was tired and ner-
vous. the youngsters reacted to her
mood and behaved abominably. By
the time she had superintended their
days play and their luncheon and
"toted" them all home, she was sim
ply viciOusly tired.
self dress for supper. Again the din
ing room was too cold to sit In. and
again Ethel had laid the folding table
by the living room fire. But it was
crowded and uncomfortable for four.
and the twins spilled things and were
decidedly "edgy. Fredericka was
especially So. Presently her irrt-
tated grandfather took it upon him.
self to chide her.
Tut. tut my child" he said. that's
no way TO behave. If you act like
that III want to take back the pres
ents your father sent you
Ricky looked up at him defiantly.
She was as changeable in mood as her
mother She said strange thing.
Il don't want those ole shoes lessen
my daddy boy come and puts them
wight on my foots.
There was a moment OF silence.
Merriam's chin lifted haughtily.
II suppose you think she ought to
be punished. Father Lindsay" she
said ungraciously. but l don't. I
think she's exactly right. Oh. oh.
OH. she sprang up suddenly, her
brown eye cleaning strangely. "Su-
san! Susan. Ethel. send Susan in here
at once" And when her faithful old
handmaiden appeared in the doorway
the unhappy little woman dashed over
to her to murmur distractedly: "Su-
san, take the babies upstairs at once.
I'm so angry, so very angry! I've
been getting angrier all day! can't
stand it to keep on being a sweet