The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1931-12-25

Agatha willard would pc coming
home, too, in Just q few days now.
Agatha and Ed were the only two peo-
pie In the world, besides father and
mother, whom she really loved. Yet.
she found she dreaded their coming
at least she dreaded the occasion Of
their coming. 1t was all part Of her
passionate wish that Christmas this
year, with all its hollow gaieties, might
simply be wiped out, forgotten by
everybody, 80 that they could 60 on
from day to day just as they were
without having to pretend.
She kept these dark thoughts to her
self as long as she could, but finally
she burst and confided them to mother.
It was one afternoon when they were
working up in her bedroom upon
Charles Surfaces costume.
"Mother"-she managed to make her
voice sound casual enough--'I don't
want any Christmas present this year.
1 can't think of a thing" After a
silence she added, still pretty shakily,
II really mean that, mother"
Mother got up and came and put
a pair Of comforting arms about her.
''It isn't so bad as that, ducky,"
she said. 1--WE can't do much this
year, Of course, but we'll manage to
make It feel like Christmas, anyhow.
We must do that, you know, for Eds
sake. That's the thing your father is
worried about. He's afraid If Ed finds
out how things look just now, he'll
want to stay right here and go to work
instead Of going back to college. And
that would be terrible. Ed must have
college education, you know. 1t
would make a difference to his whole
life If he didn't do that"
II wish he wasn't coming home"
Edith said passionately, cor Agatha,
either"
Mother understood all right, which
was comfort, and but for something
she said about sacrifices they might
have to make, Edith would have felt
lot better for their talk. It wasn't
until hours afterward, lying in bed try
ing to get off to sleep, that she began
wondering whether mother could real
ly have been talking just about sacri-
fees in general, or whether there was
some special sacrifice that she fore
saw. She didn't dare let herself think
what 1t might be.
Agatha got home two days before
the performance Of the play, but Edith
hardly had time to see her at all. She
almost felt hurt, though-perceptibly
let down, anyhow--to find that
Agatha's time was pretty well filed,
too. She tried not to feel that way
about 1t. It was silly to wish that her
best friend was dangling around for
lornly with nothing to do but wait
for her. It wouldn't have amounted
to anything If she and Agatha hadn't
been such awfully good friends-once.
It made her pretty melancholy when
she had time to think about 1t.
Ed, they learned at last, was getting
home on the very day Of the perform
ance, and not until dinner time-just
before or just after, they couldn't tell,
for his telegram was obscure.
They had an early dinner which
Edith was too excited to eat, and then
she, dressed at home in her Charles
Surface costume. Father was to drive
her to the school and then come back
for mother, and Ed IL he came. She
kept hoping, of course, up to the very
last minute, that he'd arrive before
she left. But 1t came time to start
before anything had been heard from
him.
She felt awfully hollow as she put
on an old quilted black silk cloak of
mothers which she'd borrowed be-
cause it came way down to her ankles,
and went out to get into the car.
Another cara great big one which
she didn't Immediately recognize
pulled up at the curb right behind
theirs just as she opened the front
door. A man with suitcase was
getting out. Why, 1t was Ed She
cried out the fact to her mother and
flew down the walk to meet him. Nat
urally she forgot all about Charles
Surface for a moment, and she had
something better to do with her hands
than to keep that silk cloak huddled
about her legs She didn't at first see
why Ed should stop to stare at her in
that bewildered way. Then she re-
membered and explained.
"rm dressed for the play. It's to-
night"
At that he came to and Rugged her
enthusiastically. My, but it was good
to have him back! What an idiot
she'd been to wish he wasn't coming.
Dad got out Of their car. of course.
and mother came hurrying down the
walk. The other car started to back
away, but a voice inside stopped 1t.
and another man got out.
'Hello, Edith" he said. II haven't
seen you in years."
It wasn't until he spoke that she
knew who he was. It was Roger Nor
gan. She hardly knew him at all.
though the Morgans lived in the next
street. He was grownup man, three
years older than Ed, and senior.
With the recognition she remem-