New Britain herald., 1928-10-01
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 upma1 eb CMAsM M B ELEANOR EARLY

| if you can call babies things personal. What do they wear next their skins?"
 Little bands." The woman opened a drawer. Here are silk and wool ones - they're incest. A baby's flesh is so tender. you know"
 "Oh. aren't they small!"
 The exclamation came on a throaty little whisper. swelling like a lump in Sybils' throat. When the girl had gone for her change, she pressed her cheek to the tiny shirt. That night she slipped it beneath her pillow.
 And in the morning she told her self fiercely, 'I don't hate it. l DON'T! and her heart sang paens of gladaess.
 Christmas came and went q gloomy day for the Thornes. But Mrs. White. in dingy tenement in the South End. went down on her poor knees, to thank God for Sybil. And all the little Whites remem- hered her that night in their pray ers-"Dear God. please bless the good lady"
 While the good lady," in her pleasant warm house. discarded a tunic in favor of Russian blouse, and felt very wicked dndeed-and panic-stricken, when even the blouse proved a little skimpy.
 CHAPTER XXIX
 Tad carved monstrous turkey and pulled on the wishbone with Sybil. They had their gifts before dinner on their chairs in the dining room. and ate among tissue wrap pings and red satin ribbons, with cards scattered all about the floor, and tinseled cord streaming every where.
 There were wreaths in the win- dows, and bay candles on the man. tel. And after dinner there was a steaming plum pudding with rum blazing merrily. Sybil had tried very hard to make things festive.
 But Mrs. Thorne wept salt tears into her punch. and Valerie sulked because the little locket watch Tad had given her was exactly like Lii Billings.
 "You know perfectly we'll" she walled. that l wanted one of those French enameled things. Good ness. I've talked enough about it! It's just that you don't even bother trying to please me any more. LII will think I'm copying hers. and that would be bad enough If l liked the darn thing! But I simply despise platinum and diamonds."
 Tad looked darkly at the neck ties that were his gift from his wife, and exchanged glances with Sybil. She could have cried when she saw the piteous little droop to his mouth. She calculated the worth of Valerie's despised trinket and felt that murder was thor oughly justifiable procedure.
 Sybil had given her brother a lounging robe of brocaded satin, and he had chosen himself his gift to her-a crimson negligee of chif- fen velvet, faced with palest pink. Mrs. Thorne had the usual assort- ment of scarves and gloves and books, with a gold lorgnette from Tad, and q woolly afghan the color of young yiolets from Sybil. Valerie had given her bottle of exotic French perfume that hinted of languorous trysts and dusky se- crets. Mrs. Thorne would continue to use her own brand all the days of her life, but the other would not be wasted. After a decent interval she would beg Val, bit apologeti- cally, to use it herself.
 After dinner there were roses de- livered from Craig, and Eucha rist lilies, blooming at Christmas time, and great boxes of bonbons and sugared fruits.
 After Sybil had arranged the flowers. they drove to the cemetery ] with laurel wreaths and red roses and a small fir tree. Valerie went out to Christmas tea, and Tad donning the brocaded robe, tuned in on all the psalm singing uni- verse.
 When Valerie came in, sybil was