Lakeland Evening Telegram Newspaper, December 20, 1911, Page 10

PAGE TEN OGRS s Billp's Christmag Grecting By EUCENIA RALBAS KA et e A 2 0 B 9, i Fes t, 1900 anm a heartle estit bt ot in t to prevent himself from ], the ‘ever ready dim; s venturing out of their hiding pic it =he banished them severely, il ver, never lorgive him, even though he asks me to, which of course, e won't! And he calls me stubborn!” ti duy was Ch , #he secmed very much preoce denly she threw aside the piece of il holly she had becn toying with, and fairly flew to the telephone. In answer to her impatient sum- mouns, she was quickly connected with Brown & Co.'s book store. “Have you sent out those books that were order- ed for Mr. William Dunning?" she ask- ed anxiously. The answer evidently pleased her, for she breathed a sigh of relief. “That's all right; I'm glad you haven't, for | have changed my mind about | them. Please cancel the order.” Marjorie hung up the receiver with an air of triumphk, “There, I'm glad I thought of that! Billy would have | starving. In the name of Christianity construed a Christmas present into an abject apology,” she said, her indig- nation rising at the very thought of such a thing. But when she went back to her par | cels and picked up the little twig of holly she had intended tucking away into one of them, her face softened. “I know that isn't the right kind of a Christmas spirit to have, but 1 can't have Billy thinking that I am admit- | ting 1 was wrong, when I know I! wasn't,” she argued with herself. The joyous ringing of Christinas bells and merry shouts of her younger sisters and brothers, when they dis- covered their stockings the next morn- | ing, only served to emphasize her de- pression, “Billy never loved me; if he really | and truly did he never could treat me like this,” she told herself as she stood looking with unseeing eyes at the snowy Christmas world, Just then a young wan, falrly tear ing around the corner, arrested her at- tention. It was no less a person than Billy himself who wag coming, post haste, to see her. Marjorie looked at Ltn in won- der. Wbhat had come over Billy? T AT TG )] ‘#fii‘ifl&firfi& pelia oh r many fricends must hei , in spite of quarrels and | over Ler work, and quite sud- | REEG TR The Trifle | Dy ARRY IRVING GREENE Copyright, w11 “RIE was a time when Wallington had geuneral Iy been conceded to be a brand new genius in the financial world—a marvelous being who could change stones into bread and serpents into fowl; then all at once , he tound himself in the tkrees of bankruptey. He had exiausted his resources and was for the time being hopelessly insolvent. finy by litile handiul of re- niinin vanished in steadily diminizhing ratio as his meals be- came cheaper and further apart, un. i til finally he had but a dime left. This I coin he resolved to save for some last and most desperate extremity, and he { even determined to fast for days be fl’uro parting with it. And fast for i days he did; while oft times the days came much too fast, When Christmas eve came he had not tasted food for threc days. He felt that he could endure it no longer, that the last and most desper- tate extremity had arrived and that now he must spend his dime. He was plunged deep in meditation when [ he felt someone touch his arm and turned about. _Beside him there stood a gaunt man ! | With cavernous cheeks, feverish, wild- ish eyeg, and a stomach that curved the wrong way. The apparition ad- dressed him in a croaking voice. * “For God's sake, stranger, buy me something to eat. I am penniless and upon the verge of committing crime. I have worn out my shoes looking for work, and while I have a job promised me it will be a week before it is open. And meanwhile I am starving, friend, spare me enough for a meal out of your plenty.” Wallington stared into the evening dusk as he fingered his last and i smoothly avorn dime. He knew well enough what this other man was suf- fering, for had he not been in the same stage twenty-four hours before! | And to give a man a dime in such a case was so grossly inadequate. Yet what could he do? He turned nbout.[ Close before him was a restaurant where he had spent hundreds of dol- lars in his palmy days and whose pro- prietor he knew well. Yet he owed a bill there for his last big after theater dinner party of many months ago, and he had never had the courage even in his semi-starvation to go in and ask for more credit. Yet now it must be dcne, far here was a human being starving upon the streets. \Wal- lington shuddered. Tt was plainly his duty to fill this man's stomach, and for the laat time he would exert those powers of persuasion which once up- Why this sudden contrition, when, she admitted it now for the first time, even to herself she had been greatly, if not altogether, to blame for their quarrel. “0, Billy, 1 anr so glad you came.” |on a time few mer had been able to Billy took some little time to cmpha- size his appreciation of her welcome, |arm. *“Come with me,” he command ! ed. then “Glad I came? Why wouldn't [ come, dear” he asked. 1 “Decause you vowed you wouldn unless 1 apoiogized,” Ma-jorfe explain- ed mischie vously. “you d‘an't think I'd be so narrow and unforgiving as to ignore your deal little the books W g g 10 yva,’ he to er, a his po:‘kel he produced a little col of “Rcmeo and Juliet” ‘Marjorie was surpr ! i shed over then it flas e meant. Brown & Co. ha cancel her order and Bi cetved the books. Billy had construed her sending them into for forgiveness. : He most probably wouldn’t come at all if it hadn’t been for that. She stiffened visibly and all her love as swallowed up in a wave of rebel ith me to read something w lious pride. . “You are mistaken, coldly. but Billy interrupted her. “Her ve found it. ‘(;1‘\0 !?on:(y is as boundless as the " sea, . My love as deep, the more 1 give to thee. “The more 1 have, for both are in- finite,” he was reading, and the simple beauty of the lines aw §n Marjorie stronger than sentment and & added tenderly: > iag to you, dear. paace offering? 1 brought one of t ised for a second, | order what he wants.” So Wallington her what it all [and the stranger sat dow!l together d forgotten to |and Wallington watched his compan- lly had re-|ion fill himself with good things until a humble plea | the right way. the droop zone frem his have | ished from his eyes, the gorgad one | - ghe commenced | what it is to go two days without oke something | was a mere trifle. Happy to have pride or re- | been able to give you a lift.” Then he only smiled when he | he went up to Frenchy's hash house “My Christmas greet- | and had his dime's worth ef coffee ml resist. He tcok the stranger by the | They entered the restaurant and' Wallington walked steaight up to the | proprietor. “Bob,” sald he, “l owe vou a pretty stiff bill, but I ara going to go to work in a week and then 1 will begin paying you off. Now I want you to do me a last faver. I owe you about forty doflars, and a couple of dcllars more won't make much differ- ence to you. It is Christmas eve and my friend over there is starving. Now 't |1 want you to fill him up to the chin on good, solid food and charge it to me. 1 will not ask you for any favor again if you will do this last tling." r | The proprietor looked at his old pa- ron thoughtfully. “All rigkt,” he announced at d diving into { length. “Being’s its Christmas eve py | Il take a chance on you even if you are down and out. Tell your friend to at Jast with his stomach again curved | shoulders and the feverish light \'an-' arose. “My friend.” said the stranger. “F |3 couid not have endured it another day ' — but of ccurse you have never known | food. And when tonight you go home and sit down to your table to your feast, remember that there is an out- cast fellow being upon the streets who | is blessing every mouthful that you | eat. Good-by, Christian.” Wallington held out his hand. “Good- by, stranger, and good luck to you. It sausage. b i 5000 VWorth of Ladies’ Ready-tc. Wear to Close, at BARDIN'S From Dec. 12th to Jan. Ist My stock is too much for this time of year Boughttooheavyonsome articles P RICES on every article in the entire stock will be cut. Capes, Sweaters, Shirt Waists, Etc., will be sold BELOW COST. Remen- ber The Ladies’ Store--Bardin’s. Sweaters, Dresses, Kimonas, Hose, Ties, Shirtwaist Muslin, Silk Underwear, Corsets. PRICES WILL BE MARKED DOWN Come and see! What is nicer to give for an Xmas present than a nice Kimona. a Silk Underskirt, a pair of Silk or Kid Gloves, a nice Shirt Waist, some Silk Hose, a Silk Scaf. Auto Veil. Wool Fascinator, a set of Beauty Pins, Linen Handkerchiefs or one of those new Ties or Collars. It is impossible to quote prices on all the articles to be found here. JUST A REMINDER 50 $1.00, $1,25 and $1.50 Shirtwaist, 24 €295 Silk Underskirts, i 24 §3.48 Fancy Outing Kimonas, 2 $3.4% Silk Kimonas, . 150 50¢ and 7c Ladies’ Ties, Jabots and Collars, to close, . . 50 Silk, Satin and Serge Dresses at a Price That Will Surprise You Bryant Block, # Lakeland, Fla. 1.89 249 249 A Chance to Get Your Xmas Presents . S —————————— s r———. .y Some Coats, Cloaks, Coat Suits, Coats, Cloaks, Capes, Our $8.50 and $10 White Serge Dresses closed a1 $5 49 40 Long Coats, regular price $2.9% to $1%, fron $1.89 up to . 4 v . : 10 00 Remember 6 oz, bottles of Peroxide Hydrow: ! (some stores charge 25c for 4 oz, bottles! 09 Also Celgates Cashmere Boquet'and Violet Tu cum Powder, the regular 25¢ boxes, | 8 or 2 for Cheap