Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-20

feelings of disappointment that he de-
clded to celebrate Christmas in the
Train. 1t was mixture of good
nature and. | am afraid, of malice. He
said - himself:
Il shall invite all the passengers to
| O'Clock dinner and Il Christmas tree
afterWard with games and punch. !
shall invite the conductor and the
brakeman: the porters shall come to
serve dinner. | shall invite the engi-
neer and the fireman and the express
man. | shall invite everybody except
Jolyff.''
First, Mr.. Holiday summoned Miss
Hampton and the girl who had run
away to be his aides-de-camp. They
decided that the party was really for
the benefit OF Freddie, Alice and Eu-
phefnla. so these were packed off al
once to the common car to be as far
as possible from the scene of prepare
tons. There were hurried consulta-
tons as TO what would be Il suitable
gift for Il given person. The train
hands We're to receive money, and sud
denly Mr.. Holiday discovered that~he
had only few dollars with him. He
sought out the clergyman.
Have you said Mr.. Holiday. ANY
of your rebuilding fund with you?"
Why, yes" said the clergyman,
7i4iLiiiit7' iNDIllt Two nulluTet dollars,
ana / cannot deny that it is agony to
me TO carry about so large a sum"
Il Will give you my check for that
sum- said Mr.. Holiday, and some
thing over for your fund. | hope you
viii dine with me, III my car, at !
o'clock"
lie hurried away with the two hun
dred dollars and sought out the youn"
man who had been run away with.
L,t.
very earnestly for half an hour, ana
asked him an infinite number of qucS-
tons: just the kind of questions that
he had asked the young men who had
asptred to the hands of his own
daughters. And these must have been
satisfactorily answered, because at the
end of the interview Mr. Holiday
patted the young man on the back
and said that he would see him later.
Next he came face to face with Mr..
Jolyr, and the two old gentlemen
stared at each other coldly, but with
out any sign of recognition. Once
ever so many years agu-they had
been intimate friends. Mr.. Holiday
had never had any other friend of
whom he had been so fond. He tried
now to recall what their first differ
ence had been, and because he could
not. he thought he must be growing
lnflrm. And he began to think of his
approaching party with less pleasure.
He had let himself in for a good deal
of bother. he thought.
But this time Miss Hampton told
him what dear he was. and what a
good time everybody was going to
have. and that she would do ANYTHING
in the world for him: she would even
recite The Night Before Christmas"
for his company, if he asked her.
And then they did a great deal of
whispering, and finally Mr.. Holiday
said
But suppose they balk?"
Nonsense" said Miss Hampton;
would you and l balk if we were in
their places?"
The pretty actress and the old gen
ueman laughed and bowed 10 each
other, and exchanged the most arch
looks imaginable. And then Miss
Hampton exclaimed:
Good heayens-it's 1880.
Mr.. Holiday himself went TO fetch
the children. In his pockets were the
envelopes containing money for the
train hands. the envelope containing a
check for the two hundred dollars
that he had borrowed from the clergy
man, and enough over to complete the
rebuilding fund which the clergyman
had tried SO hard to collect. And there