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(Con linuod.) i tiny bit glad 1" ho did not answer in words, but her eyes spoke as sho held out hands. [e crushed them in his, then bent his head and kissed them, fir. i irlish right hand, then the left. But she saw his face contract r U{j;ht the gleam of her wedding ring. As he looked up their eyes gain, and each knew what was in the other's mind. (\ngol, dearest," said Rosemary, 4'do tell the fairy father you're to see him." velvn started. "Why do you call him that?" Localise lie said he was a fairy and would have to vanish soon. 'ou'll beg him not to, won't you ?" I?I should be sorry to lose him again. We haven't many friends in these days." Tho bright head was I . ^ bowed over the child's as Rosemary clung to I Tir 'ier m?ther's dress. ,^x, I1 "You never lost me," said Hugh Egerton. ''Jm"M Wlis ^ w'10 'os^ J011, Evie, you don't know what black years these have been. I. loved "But that?was?long ago." "It was always!" f ^ "H"ghi f thought you must have learned ^ i j "Hate you because 1 couldn't make you care lor me as?I hoped you would' and bets you cared for some 0520 else ? jSTo ; i"? 'But?T did care for you? It was for my father's sake that? ?ah, I can't talk of it, Hugh. You know we were so poor after 2r lost his money I tried with all my heart to forget and to do my for?my husband. Perhaps it was my punishment that he?oh, h, I was so miserable! And then?then he went away. lie was i of inc. lie was on a yacht, and there was a great storm! But must have read in the papers"? 'Never. I novcr knew till this day." 'It was more than three years ago." Ingli was very pale. Three years ago?three long years in which ad worked and tried not to think of her! And if he had known! u see, I've had a queer life knocking about in strange places," ho trying to speak calmly. "Often 1 didn't see any newspapers for <s together. 1 thought of you always as rich and happy, living in land, the wife of Sir Edward Clifford"? 'Rich and happy!" she repeated bitlerlv. "How little one knows nother's life! After his death there was nothing. There had been e wild speculations, and the os3 went with the title, of course, II is cousin. But, yes?in a way were right. 1 was rich and >v because I had Rosemary." ^ :A?a An. , cried the child, who ha?l been J f Jfa nt1 "' [ % ning; puzzled and bewildered, rI | knowing that they had forgot- ? . I : her presence until this moment. (a) / ^ KHHSHro isemarv had you. And now / * j \ ||P* :e all got each other?till the \ y father vanishes." "But I shan't have to vanish after all," said Hugh. -x- * * -x- -x- * * * * After that?it seemed they had been together but for a moment 11 a wild wail went moaning through the house?the first gong for pensionnaires' dinner. So loud it was that it hushed their voices for a long minute. And n cool silence came again Ilugh begged that the two would havo J Christmas eve dinner with him at liis hotel. "There's so much )(an for tomorrow and all the days," he pleaded. "And just for Woseniary shall havo a late dinner like the grownups. Do say So vivelyn said yes. And it was not until they were all three ed iw the restaurant of the Hotel do Paris that ho remembered had been engaged to dine at the Beau Soleil with mademoiselle tho comtesse, her mother. But he did not even blush because ho had forgotten. Baft/ . a n v of .1 high Kgerton's best moments during ll.o last six years had been spent in dreams. In those dreams the past had lived again, for I10 Iftairei'aBar LijjqL had seen tho future as onco ho had hoped it MKSHWt&aSi jju^. aji through this night of Christmas eve awake, and 110 dreams had ever been half as sweet as tho thoughts that eame to him then. It would have been a hideous wasto | of time h> sleep when he could lie there and live over again each I moment of his evening, beginning at the beginning, when she had come into the room, and going on to the end, when he had brought her and Uoseinary to the door of the Hotel Pension Beau Soleil to say "goodbv until tomorrow." When he came to tho end ho wont back to the beginning again with renewed zest, trying to call up some word, some look of hers which ho might have neglected to count among his treasured jewels. Then, when ho was sure that he had each pearl and ruby and diamond duly polished and strung on the fine gold chain of loving memory, ho would let his mind run ahead of time to the next day. What a Christmas it was going to be! Thcro never had boon ono liko it before in the history of the world, but?tho best of it was there was reason to hope that there would bo many others to como just as exquisite, if not moro perfect. Evelyn Clifford had loved him even when she had let him go. She loved him now, and she had promised to make up for tho long gray years of tho past by marrying him almost at once. ' There was nothing to wait for. lie was lonely and rich. Sho was lonely and poor. Jioth were young and starving for happiness. In a week they would be married, for she had promised to begin tho new year as his wife. Meanwhile there would be a great deal to do?so she said, though he could not see why?in getting ready. l)ut Christmas was to bo a holiday. They were going on that picnic to Eze?all three. That was already planned, but Ilugh had mentally mado an addition to tho plan of which he had said not a word. lie was as excited over the thought of this plan as Rosemary \ would have been had she known. And, lest thcro should bo a hitch or ho should not have time to accomplish all, ? he was out of bed .bv half past G, that mysVxUi*v~' terious hour of dawn when across tho glima \ \ I 1,,cl'ing sc'a Corsica can be seen floating like a u heaped basket of violets in waves of transV l)iircnt K?Ull.ast night he had anxiously inquired of ] I l'H' c'onc'er?e whether the Monte Carlo shops ! ^ Af >, would be open on Christmas morning and had j by been informed that they would. Otherwise ! Hugh Kgerton would havo been capable of ; battering down the doors, helping himself to JoNL^ ( t 1 the things he wanted and leaving enough money to pay for damages as well as purchases. After all, he was ready long before the shutters of those attractivo plate glass windows were taken away, but he was not sorry for that, lie had the joy of walking down to the Condamine and gazing up at other windows far more attractive and saying to the closed green blind, ""Merry Christinas, merry Christmas, my darling?mine for always now!" Then he darted back to rolls and coffee, beamed on tho waiters, 1 gave them fat five franc pieces merely for beaming in return and j arrived in the Calorie Charles Trois just as the shop windows were j opening radiant Christinas eyes. Tho first visit ho paid was to tho florists, and to save time in choosing he simply said, "I'll take all those things you have in tho window, please." There were about 200 francs' worth of roses, the same of white lilies and enough lilies of the valley, nestling in baby leaves of yellow green, to clean out any save a well filled pocketbook, but that was all the better. Tho more he could spend today the more was Hugh Kgerton pleased, lie gave "Mine. Clifford's" address and wrote sonie: tliina in Kniilish on his visit ini; card. The flowers were to t>o at once ?at once, mind ; not in fifteen minutes, but now?this very now. "How much in love is that handsome young monsieur!" thought the mademoiselle of the shop, with a little sigh for some of the wonders of the world which she had missed and must always miss. Her heels were appallingly high, and her waist was incredibly small, but she had a heart, and there was no heart which n j would not have softened to Hugh and wished f ! liini the best of good luck this day. fT1 Vv The next window which attracted the young 'a man's eye was ono which displayed just such a J* dress as he had vaguely pictured yesterday for a dear companion on tho terrace. It was white, of course, and he was not sure, but he thought it was made of cloth. Anyway, there was a lot of embroidery on it full of little holes which somehow contrived to be extraordinarily fetching. It had a mantle which hung in soft folds, marvelously intricate, yet simple in effect, and ho could have fallen upon tho neck of the stout powdered lady in black silk who assured liini that tho costumo could bo worn without alteration by any damo de jolie taille. He bought it instantly and then seized upon precisely such-a "long white thing" of ermine as lie had seen in his mind's eye. A "granny" muff went with it. Koally the people of tho shop must have had prophetic souls! And there svas a white hat, with a gold buckle and a long white ostrich feather which looked as if it had been born to shade tho facc of Evelyn Clifford. When these "confections" had been secured madamc of the black satin and powdered nose assured monsieur that his Christinas pur- j chases would be incomplete without a certain blouse which, to an untutored eye, appeared to be a combination of sea foam and rose leaves. There was a belt, too, crusted with seed pearls, and a hanging bag to match. Oh, certainly monsieur would take these and anything else which madamc could conscientiously recommend! She could and did recommend several other things, and no doubt it was | NOTICE OF FINAL SETTLEMENT j an.', ail persons having claims ngninst We will make final settle- nit on sni'1 wil1 present thorn duly the estate of Mrs. Kli/aheth Jamer-| al 1' . , i II. \\. Cameron, on, (N'ri'asou, iti the probate court for | r>< . p( lpl.on X. wl V (-musty on Kri.lay, M.c ?-v- j "lOxceiUors. ' 'lay <>| January, 190S, at j II ? *l< in I lie forenoon, and imme I'.itc.y thereafter apply to the | WANTED?All your cotton ..seed at said court for letters dismissory. All the highest market price. Scales persons indebted to said estate will and seed house at C., N. & L. depot, make payment' on or bofoiv said dato C. II. Cannon, OEi V HiJN - ? ft mcro coincidence that thoy happened to bo among tho most exponsivo in tho shop. She also won Hugh's gratitudo by being ablo to produce a coat and a frock in which a little girl of live, already beautiful, would bo more akin to fairy hood than ordinary childhood and might bccomo tho "oxception that would provo tlio rule" to an unboMoving .Jane. 1 he cloak was palo blue, and anothor shop ^ had to bo searched for a hat to bo worn with 1 'l' ^>l|k u,lu^uno Nvas ,ll0St kind in directing g&jBg ^7 monsieur where to find one. ller sister would servo him; thcrcforo he would bo well eorvod. j \ *T/ V \C On tho way ho passed a jeweler's, and cx) x V^~W \ \ \ actlv tlio right string of pearls and tho right l\\\ "swallow brooch" stared him in tho faco in tho \ V / \l \ window. It was oild how all tho prettiest .rfC lei things in tlio worhl of whatever description ?b looked as if thev ought to belong to Evelyn WlLk. ' . , , ami Rosemary Clifford. There was a gold bag, too, but that was a detail, for really tho principal thing lie had called for was a ring with a single diamond in it?and perhaps?well, yes, that little sapphiro band to keep it on a slender linger. Tho rings, in their delieat.o cases, lie put into his pocket when ho had paid,.but tho other purchases wore to go in that very same now which had been impressed upon tho florist?tlio sort of now to which Riviera shopkeepers are accustomed only when they deal with Americans. Then madaino's sister was found, and a blue hat, and there was just time left for a frantic rush to a toyshop round a corner and up a hill. Perhaps Doll Evie might bo jealous of one rival, but there's safety in numbers, and Hugh thought (hat a dozen assorted sizes from life size down would keep a doll's house from echoing with loneliness. As for i lie presents for the Ezo children, Rosemary was to choose them herself by and by, hut all these special things were i.? be served up, so to speak, al the Hotel Pension I Jean Soleil with early breakfast. When he had finished which means when he had bought, everything he could think of Hugh looked at his watch. 11, was half an hour to the minute since he had left his hotel. "1 don't see why it should take women a long time to shop/' said lie to himself. "It seems to mo tho simplest thing in the worhl. You 1 ^vY \ ______ jnst see what you want, and then \V_V\ y?n ln|y iL" / \ \ ? v It was not until all tho boxes J J' aiU' I)im'c's ,m,st have arrived in ' iC I iff J / ^lc ^?ndainine that an agonizing U jj ' thought struck Hugh. What if A f i \ \ l^vie should be olVended with him j--( I, ^ \i 1 for buying her things to wear? x I ^ What if she should imagine him \\ 1-^" capable of thinking that tho tilings V \ I she already had were not good W 1\ enough when she was coming out j ^ with him ? a suddenly felt a hundred years old. "Ass?worm?menagerie!" he anathematized himself. It was now (?) :.'J0. At 10:45 he was to call at the Hotel Pension Beau Soleil to take Evelyn and Rosemary to the English church. How could he hear the suspense till then ? how endure il not to know whether he had ruined the Christmas which was to have been so perfoot '{ lie (lashed into his hotel and wrote five notes one alter (he other, tearing up each one before it was finished, ll was no good explaining. If she didn't understand, nothing would make her. I Jut would slio understand? He knew now why some women said that all men were fools. They wort; <|iiite right. II ho had (hired, he would have gone to her at oneo to be put out of his misery one way or the other. Hut ho did not dare., so lie waited until he had persuaded himself that not only liis watch, but tho hotel clock and tho Casino clock, must be slow. Then ho started and suffered five suffocating minutes in the public sitting room of tho Beau Soleil. It was a hideous room, with abominable flowers sprawling over the wall paper and carpet, and all tho windows wore shut, but ho did not notice these things, nor did he recognize tlio heavy scent that hung in the air as that which Mile, do Lavalotto affected. Tho ladv of tho roses had ceascd to exist for him, but if lie had thought of her at all ho would have boon glad that ho had opened her pink leather ? /CTj} ) bag when it was thin and shut it up when it J. was very fat. ^^4^- jy At tho end of the five minut.es the door life/ opened and gavo to his eyes a vision?-Kvelyn 'y \3f] 1 and Rosemary in their new dresses and new It was all ho could do to keep from crying \ \\ U) "Thank heaven!" and to sav a mere ".Merry * Christinas!" instead. Jomvj, "Wicked, extravagant hoy!" cNclainied Kvelyn. "Do you know we are most unsuitably dressed? But wo had to put*the things on, hadn't we? It was wrong of you to buy tliein, but?don't look so terrified ? it was sweet, too, and I know just the fooling that prompted you to do it. What ;i dream Christmas this is going to be!" And then she and Rosemary thanked him separately for each individual thing ho had given. It took some time, and they were nearly late for church, but not rpiite. If Mile, do I.avaleth! had been looking out of her window at a certain moment she would have been exceedingly surprised, not only by tho transformation of Mine. Clifford and In petite bole from church mice into visions, but still more by the sight of their companion. But hot rage and cold disappointment had given her r. bad night. Slio had expected a guest for dinner. Slio had put on her prettiest (To bo con chid ;d.)