The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-09-25
CHAPTER XVIII

. DuL NndDeI 6ldkes
NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY
CHAPTER XVIII
1T was the week before Christmas
Il Sybil, at the Settlement House
was helping Mabel tie up Christmas
packages for the children.
y They had strung popcorn and
cranberries for the tree, and Sybil
had fashioned for the top branch
an angel with cotton batting robe
and tinseled wings.
Craig had promised to be Santa
Claus, and now Mabel was putting
1.-The finishing touches on his de-
fSeteltable beard.
Over a lap of wool she glanced
. surreptitiously at Sybil.
Honestly, dear, think you
ought to tell them. The longer
you wait, the harder it will be-"
"Not until after Christmas, Nab.
IT'S going to be hard enough to get
through the day as it is-our first
Christmas without daddy. Poor
mother-I don't want to make
things any worse for her"
~ Il
They sewed for awhile in silence.
The little bells that Mabel stitched
on Santa's bright red jacket tinkled
merrily. Sybil put her angel down,
and hemmed a pink silk skirt for
a f1axen- haired doll.
Darn, Christmas anyhow"
Mabel bit a thread with her teeth,
and smoothed the scarlet coat across
her knees.
"II hate to hear you talk that
way, Sybil. It's like, blasphemy.
Christmas is such happy season
F., really. And the sadder you are,
the more it warns your soul.
"Take Wester House here. Half
our children are Jewish. That means
we cannot talk to them, as we might
to little Christians, about Gods
birthday. But we try to fill their
hearts with the spirit of giving.
eve tell them that Christmas is
time when everybody tries, as
] hard as they can, to make every
body else happy. And you should
see their faces glow, and their eyes
sparkle!
you're selfish, Sib, and you've
got to snap out of it. I dragged
YOU down here today to give you
something pleasant to think about
and here you go darning Christ
mas. If you think you're abused,
, you ought to see some OF the poor
souls who come in here.
zone woman today-She's got t. b..
\ and Lord knows what we're go
hing to do with her. Five children
and. another coming. Husband dead.
Ut as poverty. Babies all mall
nourished.
: "Oldest little girl has pernicious
anaemia. She's an unusually in
teIligent woman, too Above the
ordinary run of clinic cases. Thirty
years old-and life's all over for her
"Dr. Kline gave her the diagnosis,
and when he'd finished, she wiped
her eyes with her decent little
handkerchief and said, God have
mercy on the children!' You think
you're to be pitied, Lord, you make
me Sick!"
q
= CAVAGELY Mabel bit another
y thread.
ooh, it's. all very we'll to be
> philosophical, Nab, but I wonder
how you'd like to be in my shoes.
How'd you like to be going to have
a baby, with a husband God knows
where? And a perfectly wonderful
man whose heart you had to break
for your foolishness. Well-that'S
4. done. Pretty, isn't it?"
Sybil held up the pink silk dress.
''I've some famingo feathers at
home that I'll never wear again. I
think I'll clip the ends and make
a dolls hat. Wouldn't the kid love
it! And Nab, I'm just going down
town and get some junk for those
children you just told me about.
How old are they?
"Bless your heart, dearl I'll get
the record-just minute. It's down
in the record room"
Mabel tumbled the wool and the
cambria from her lap. "You wait
T. here"
Presently she was back again.
i. Here, I've written their names
and ages on card
She gave Sybil an envelope.
A "Will you come back this after
Con, and go over the lists to see
we've stockings and gloves enough
toR round? I have to write some
reports, and won't have a minute. %
She walked with Sybil to the coat
room. you're not such an egg
after ALL" she said, and slapped her
back affectionately.
Z Sybil put her wraps on, and
bionsly, for full length view.
Shg took the card from the en-
veloEe, to read what Mabel had
& written. Betty White, 9; Jack, Z;
Mona, 6; Tommy, 4, and Joan, 2.
8. he who gives child a treat
4 Makes joybells ring in Heavens
street
And he who gives a child home,
Builds palaces in Kingdom Come
And she who gives baby birth,
( Brings Savior Christ again on
earth.
Tears came to SYPHILIS eyes, and
i she dabbed them savagely with her
+ handkerchief. It was so easy to
cry.
Then, resolutely, she powdered
her nose, and ran upstairs to
Mabel soffice. Sticking her head
in the open door, she whispered
4 with strident gaiety:
''Hey, NAB, you old sentiment
talist. How do you get that way?