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to j - 1 > A LITTLE RUNAWAY By AVI8 IN0ALL8. F' CO IJ KB to tber* was mow, newly fallen ? what would Christmas be without that? And sleigh-bells, all a tinkle, and cheery greeting* and g 1 a d s o ra ? bin lies on every hand; and there were clear twink ling stars now ubove the house tops looking down from a deep blue sky, and', of course, i ?v wan uoming but hustle and hustle, 1 In most places, and nil tho necessary 1 hullabaloo that makeo Christmas tho adorable holiday that It Is ? but ? and ; hero Is where my story comes in. On a quiet street, whero tho better ?lass of houses stood, a trifle away from the shopping district and the ?treet car lines, a little face was pressed agalnBt tbo window-pane, and I two largo tears stole down over a straight little nose. Other llttlo gJrlB were Joyfully looking forward to this happy season, but Elizabeth Ilockerby i felt sadly at a loss and out of place as she stood In her black velvet and i lace in her grandmother's huge draw ! lng-room. She had overheard the par lormaid and the upper house-maid, In a whispered conversation. "The poor darllnt," Nora, tho house maid, had said. "The poor darllnt! And Is it ChriatmaB the little one's after havln'? Never a bit of it! Don't ye believe it! Oh, tho poor lamb! that solemn and stiff-like in her black dress ? " ' "Think of Cook's Ruby rigged out like that!" said Ellen. "Do you think she'd stand it for a minute? Not on your, life; She'd be down under the table pulling the cat's tail; and she'd be teasing her mother for goodies, when she got tired of that! But thts pale-faced mite, she's passed from one calculating relative to another, till she hasn't got a speck of zzip left in her. Do you know what Ruby'd do? She'd run away!" and Ellen laughed outright at the thought. It was here that Elizabeth had slip ped into the window recess, her pulses throbbing. If Cook's little girl could run away .why shouldn't she? Elizabeth had not known It could be so cold when one got out Into the night; but the stars had a friendly twinkle, and the shop-windows looked bo pretty with their tinsel draplnga and red paper bells that ehe almost forgot the cold as she went eagerly from one gay collection of toys to an other, an felt the companionship of children, as she rubbed shoulders with ragged newsboys and plnched-faced little girls who gazed quite as eagerly as she at the Christmas dolls hold ing outstretched arms to the passers by. ? "Are they ? are they to sell?" she asked timidly, of a little girl who held her baby sister by the hand and stamped her feet to keep them warm. "Sakes alive, yes!" said the other, in astonishment. "Ain't that one with the black curls too cute for any thing!" she added, gazing at It with wistful eyes. "Could we go in and ? and buy It?" asked Elizabth earnestly. f" 'Course we could, if wo had the inety-eight cents." "Come on, then!" Bald Elizabeth, and, grasping her incredulous compan ion by the hand, Bhe plunged into the store. "The doll with the black curls!" she stammered. "May I buy it for this little girl?" "Sure," said the salesman. Elizabeth fished a dollar bill out of her little chain purse and watched curiously ' as the child lifted the doll tenderly In her arms and walked out, forgetting, in her delight to say "thank you," and the baby sister toddled after. Out in the street again Elizabeth saw two small boys with their faces glued to the window of the next shop, where sticks of candy lay in fascinating rows. and chocolates and gum-drops were heaped in pyramids, with trays of fudge and molasses-candy in between. She stopped, and, without any hes itation this time, gave them each a cent. Her chain purse was empty now, her exhilarating occupation gone, and she stood, a forlorn little figure in her ertnlne and relret, on the corner of the crowded street. She had remained thus for some lit* tie time when she heard a quick step behind her and Bhe was Quickly grasp ed by strong but kindly hands and swung on to the steps. "So-ho!" said a big man, who had come up the street. "It's Mistress Elizabeth Rockerbyl What are you up to, Betsy Jane?" "Cousin Bob!" gasped Elizabeth. "Yes, 'Cousin Bob,' and now, 'cry your trail,' little sister! " "J? I ran away," falt^rer Elizabeth. ._''Well, come along in and I'll Intro duce you to the cousins," said CouhIh Bob, cheerfully, and then I'll 'phono 'em up and tell therri that it's our turn to have you." ? And Elizabeth snuggled her flnge?a happily into her bijr c< ? '= hruda as she stepped tor ~ life*. Mr. (lleufaddle started out about two week* before Christina* to *olv* the servant problem. "The trouble with women/' he said to his wife, "In that they don't go at the thing right. This trouble will never be settled until It Is settled by diplomacy, and diplomacy Is a thing tliat, I am sorry to say, doesn't come natural to women. Servant girls are only human? that's a thing which Is too often forgotten. Treat your girls kindly and they will stand by you. That'* the rule I go by in my busi ness affairs. What kind of a time do you suppose [ would have with the men in my . office if I tried to manage them as a woman manages the help In her kitchen? Why, I'd always hav* to keep breaking in new people. "Now let me give you a few point* era Qet something nice for the girl on Christmas? something that you would be glad to have yourself. Most woif.en give their servants a few cheap trinkets that serve no other purpose than to show the girls that they are put away down in the social scale. "Instead of getting her a ten-cent comb or a new contrivance to scrap* ! the crumbs off the dining-room table* buy her a nice present thiB year. (Jive ' her something she will be proud to show to her friends. Then, you see, they will get to envying her and com paring their own cheap presents with what sho got from us, and whatll be "Emma Has Given Me Notice." ' the result? She'll conclude that t^is ! Is a pretty good place to wOTSTehe'll j see that we give her credit for pos ' sessing good taste, and we will have i no more trouble over the servant problem for awhile anyway." ! Mrs. Glenfaddle decided to take her ! husband's advice for once. If the sol emu truth muBt be told, she has never become addicted to the habit of doing j this. But there seemed to be a few j gleams of reason in his argument, and accordingly she decided to make her Emma thrice glad on Christmas morning. The girl had been very pa tient and faithful for quite a while anyway, and it was no more than right that merit should be rewarded. Among the things in the box ,?Mch Emma found on the kitchen table when she went down to get breakfast on the morning of the great day were cloth for. a fine new dress, a toilet set for her bureau, a glove box with * pair of gloves in It, and a purse made of Beal leather. The next day when Mr. Olenfaddle got home his wife said: "Oh, by the way, Arthur, I wish you'd put an ad, in the paper tomor* row. Emma has given me notice that she will leave us a week from Thurs day. She has found a place where she can get 25 cents a week more than we are paying her." Lett They Forget. Bunt out the little lame jirl. The poor boy who Is blind; Hunt out the weary widow Who thinks the world anklnd; Search down among the hovels Where gladness seldom strays. And teach the doubting people There still are Christmas days. Tou have been busy planning To spread your gifts afar. To add your fair love-tokens Where joys and comforts are. But have you In your gladness Bestowed one kindly thought On those who eit In darkness. Whose crusts are dearly bougtatV Tour heart ts full of kindness, Tou hear the anthems sung . And gase up at the windows - Where ribboned wreaths are hongs Tou've heard the sweet old story With reverence retold? But there are hungry children ? , Where all is dark and cold. i. . * I Hunt out the little lame girl. The poor boy who is blind; f Hunt out the weary widow Who thinks the world unkindt Go down among the victims Of chance and greed and crime And cause them to remember That this Is Christmas tims. Getting the Particular*. "Oh, have you seen your Christmas present to me. dear?" j "No." he answered, 'what did I glva rou?* "This beautiful cabinet for the din ing-room." - ? "It's beautiful, Isn't it? How muck lid ? pay for Itl!* "My boy," said Bullington ftllger, the eminent speculator in stock*. "I Intend to do something this year that : I have never done before. I Vhave never taken much stock In this Christ man foolishness. it ieem? to me that people carry It to an absurd extreme; : but, bb 1 have said, I am going to br?ak away from my custom this , year, You are helping to support your wUflowed mother. are you not?" The boy who marked the quo tations up on the b 1 g blackboard made a strong effort to conceal his emotion aa he answered: "Yes, sir. I al ways carry my earnings home to her." "That Is noble of you. You da serve tbe highest praise for your thoughtf u 1 n e s a. A mother who baa such a aon should be very proud of him, and I have no doubt that your mother fully appreciates your worth. What I start ed to say a moment ago was that 1 In tend to do something to encourage you In your work ? something to prove to you that I wish you well and that, however cold I may have at times appeared, I am kind at heart." "Oh, thank you, sir," said the boy. ??Mother will be proud when she learns that I have been able to win your respect." "I like to hear a boy talk as you talk," the eminent gentleman contin ued. "A boy who 16 glad for his mother's sake to win the approval of others may always be depended upon to give a good account of himself. You may not have suspected It, but I have for a long time been watching you. I have noticed that you do not smoke cigarettes; that you use lit tle slang; that you pay strict at tention * to your duticB and al-^ ways show a proper deference to those above ? ? Q . . . ! you. "M y mother told me when I started out in the world," the boy replied, "to al ways keep away from bad habits and be respect ful to those \tfio had the right\o be treated re Bpectfully." "Good. It Is evident that you have an estimable mother. With such a mother and such a character as you seem to possess I have no doubt that you will succeed in life. It would be a pity to disturb your self-reliance by giving you money. I shall not do that. I do not believe In giving money to people anyhow. It is a bad prac tice. There are other ways of ex- ; tending help that are much more ef- ( fective-^-much better for thoBe who receive it. Now it is my purpose to do something for you." "I ? I fiardly know how to thank you, sir." "Oh, never mind that, my boy. The 1 most eloquent thanks are not always j expressed in words. There are other i ways of showing apprecia tion. So don't bother yourself if words happen to fail you. There are indications that ;this is go ing to be an old fashioned winter, and I know what it is to be tor tured by the cold. You have seen that 1 have a new overcoat with a Persian lamb collar and real mink lining* hare you not?" sir." . "You would bo surprised if I were to tell you how much it coat But I need not dwell upon that. I have found it extremely comfortable. It haa caused me to feel sorry for others who cannot afford such coats. I think It must be the Christmas spirit that has come to me. With the col* lar of my warm coat turned up so that it covera my ears I am able to keep comfortable in the coldeBt weather." The boy felt a lump rising In hie throat and ho was compelled to wink rapidly to keep back his tears of gratitude. "This morning," Mr." Hllger con tinued, "I found a pair of plush ear mufTa that I used last winter, and 1 have decided to prefect them to you." HOLIDAY ? SUGGESTIONS THERE is no more useful gift than the article that adds to ones beauty, comfort and convenience. If your gift is one of usefulness it will be enjpyed by the recipient 365 days of the year. This big store is abloom with suggestions that will meet your approval in both Quality AND Price There are hundreds and hundreds of things that would make appropriate gifts to mother, father, sister and brother at most any price you may want to pay. Let us have the pleasure of showing you; through our big store and showing you to ( . . ?... .? v ' ; i.\ : . C'. -5-. . the most attractive selections for a Chiistmas gift. L. Schenk and Company 9