The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1936-11-19

- mailman - coming,
ahsAi Viii ynu ask Hepsy 10 60
<sws the lane and meet him at
- eognerf Nov be II crossing
- lower bridge and has passed
~ henshaws'. Strange how few
kttcrs 0ley have. considering that
Ssair children are an married and
scattered. The Etheridges always
manage TO hold him at their house.
9e horse knows The place and SET
ues o. three legs. Clara sent 50
many picture postals during her
travels that. now that she IL at
home. she receives ~ many. /
wonder il she saw . better man
" e the sea than Philip Knox q
or is, il accounts speak true?"
ra Vance pulled himself to his
feet. When freed from his deep
armchair he moved slowly to the
window with the aid Of his car
where he fell to polishing the frost
from the panes with quick.
strokes, and a vigor that, judging
from his bent shoulders and hating
gait. would have seemed impos
sible. As he Strengthened himself
to his full height he beckoned &c
his wife. that she might e for
herself the lovely valley picture
framed by the window. and for the
moment it seemed as il the clear
tracery of frost fakes had been
transferred to the masses Of his
steel-white hair.
"Hepsy has gone without the tell
ing: ! heard her close the door,
but" and Mrs. Vance checked her
self as if uncertain how to word
what she would say. but. father.
II ! were you. ! wouldn't set too
much store on getting a letter from
Emery this week. 1t is only the
seventeenth. so that it yet lacks
eight days of Christmas. You
know. as he has often said. that
Emery is always so busy at the
end of the year. and ! don't sup
pose that this is any different from
all those other years since he has
come home for the holidays.
LET me see, how long is it?" said
Mrs. Vance. This is 1913. Tom
my was turning three years then.
and Bess SO young a baby that
Emery thought it unwise for
Eleanor to travel with her, so he
came alone. Tommy was eight his
last birthday-yes, Emery has not
been at home longer than a few
hours between trains since i908."
AS if she felt that the tinge of
reproach in her voice was too
marked. she added quickly. "But
you know Eleanor has stopped over
twice with the children on her way
to Bar Harbor. and Emery has
overwhelmed us with gifts each
year."
Overwhelmed. us, yes. that is
just It; sent us money when we
wanted our son." Ira replied.
'It isn't that I'm ungrateful in
spirit. We could do little to ad-
vance our son above giving him
his education; he chose his path
and has worked out his own ccess
But this year, this Christmas Of all
others, I need him SO muchl 1t
seems that Of late years I've al
ways been receiving, and h d
naught to give that he would prize
but this year above all others he
must comet"
Presently he looked up, and with
a half shy smile, ike that of a
child to whom concealment is no
longer possible, gathered Eliz-
abeth's hands into his own.
"I've been keeping a secret even
from you, mother, for the best part
Of six months-No, you would never
guess. I've succeeded at last; I've
invented something that people
want, a thing that is needed"
"Oh, father, I'm so glad!" Eliz-
abeth cried.
Even as she spoke, the words
felt heavy upon her lips, for in
some form or phrase Elizabeth
Vance had heard the same an
nouncement many times during the
fifteen years since her husband had