Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-21

She was beginning 10 organize the morning
with q burst Of energy taken from some reserve
store, when Franks talk over the telephone
arrested her attention. -
"As bad as that?" he was saying ibid do
that?. It never occurred TO me. I knew had
lots of OIL you see. Wen, if you've got TO-.
you've got to. Can't get at 1t today. sup
pose? 80. Well, rush it tomorrow. A doctor
has to have q car. Could you rent me one2
=. Sure. send q Boy right out with t.
That's fine."
HE turned away from the beIephone and
found Mary at his elbow, haggardIy await
Ing for calamity
what happened was that the OIL pump froEe
up, and in trying to force those gears and drive
as far IS We did, seem to have bent the trans
mission shaft and burned out some Of the bear
ings. It's quite q mess"
when something happened to the bearings
on the old car. it cost more than hundred
dollars. she said, delving into memory and COM
ing up aghast.
Cant help it now. It's Christmas Let's
forget itE' ... 80 .-.4<
"But where's the money coming from, Prank?
The Christmas bills viii be coming in and
you have insurance In January. And every
thingl"
Come" he said. in his usual. phrase, you're
tired out Wait and see what you get for
Sounds Of stress came from the living room.
where the two children were playing. The
doctor went In to see what was happening
Mary returned to the kitchen, where the sight
of the big. turkey. seemed q reproach now
Why hadn't she got chickens2 Why had she.
bought so many things? ~. =.
The telephone began to, ring furioclsly.
Some one wanted to talk to the doctor at once
It was Serious. Mary called Frank and went
back to her work. These historical women
always thought it was serious. She heard
NH FOL 20 TYW kK... ~.
looked in on her to call quick goOd-by and
hurry out to where the car was waiting for
him-the expensive hired car.
It was Christmas morning, but when Mary
looked again at her living room Il seemed
. tumbled place. The mystery Of the night
before was gone. Dust sIanted in on the over.
bright sunlit rays. In the heat Of the Hadi-
ators the cedar wreaths were beginning to curl
their edges. and the eEildrens toys, scattered
over the flOor, looked tawdry.
The children themselves were already dis
heveled She heard herself speaking sharply
10 them. and was instantly miserable that she
had done So
FOR two hours she hurried, disposing of all
the tiny obstacles that love to breed in each
others train. The table had to be heightened
With extra boards. ana then she found that
the silence pad which was to go under the
cloth had shrunk in the washing, and was
not quite long enough, Two smaller pads had
TO be used instead. Jennie found the whipping
cream had tipped over in the ice box and
only cupful Of It could be salvaged too little
for the salad molds The turkey seemed 10 be
Overfat, and began to drip yellow grease too
ppOfusely as It roasted
There was something else that kept bother
ing her. The AlleTbys had sent them Christ
mas card. and nothing more-one Of those
very expensive engraved Christmas greetings
Her temper and hurt pride rose together as
she thought of the hours she had spent hunt
ing for suitable present for the AIlerbys. She
had found one;esa volume Of Chinese travels
with beautiful decorations; but it had cost
SIS. Frank had insisted that It wasn't .
bit too much, and remembering that last year
the Ailerhys had sent them q case Of Christ
mas -Feeords for TIE phcAogFaph, Mary hMa
bought the book ;i9@lso4 gAgi s97 81 ssF.a11s
1EtwAzn% that she wanted value I'M return:
Thought Mary hgtiy.s sButitt was So htIniliatE
sar .1ost19A % ASp1 Iptt1sa skssanv7 9Aceet