HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1921-12-22, Page 3Christmas
or
era.
By Mary Carolyn. Davies
---- though the did not consider it ieceh:
3,ary -to..tell him that .ithad anytlnin
to do with her .Ohristr=alis plans
These -last two weeks before Christi
mag were radiant Klee, She Amend she
was actually bolting forw,nrd to
(ristznas. She could see -.people clear,
ing holly withotlt feeling •a pang of
envy. for their 'happiness, She watt
happy, too, She smiled at children;
she sang as she worked, until the reot
pie next door, on !both sides or het,
banged on the well,
Herchief worry was uneertainte-
aa`
= to what she should buy her mother for,
t Christmas. She read lists puleltee:
t—i- ie. magazines, she asked the advice of
clerks, she even read Christmas store
A'studio is half -way betwen a room
and an apartment. To live in a studio
-one need not necessarily be Fun as fist;
one need only have an income half-
way between the incense of roam
dwellers and apartment dwellers, as
Theodora had at tinges.
At other times she had nothing at
,a1L Her chosen profession involved
cheques, also long intervals of cheque-
Iessness. She had ,just lived through
an interval. And to -day had come a
cheque.
It was a stupendous cheque; stupen-
dous, that is, to Th,eodotra, for it was
the largest she had ever had. As she
was looking with round eye -s at her
claque, somebody knocked.
She sprang'to turn the key in the
lock, but she was too bate. The in-
truder had already entered.
He ;shook the snow off- his hat into
her fireplace.
"I saw the sign on your. door `Busy.
Keep out,' so I carne in, he explained
easily.
"Because you knew that you'd be
bothering me," she cried wrathfully.
"Because I knew no one else would
be here," he corrected. "There are
nine men and tea here, every time I
get away from work and corse to call.
One never sees you alone!" •
"Douglas, I'm busy."
"Being an advertising man, I'm used
to dealing• with busy people who don't
want to see ie. Have a chair, Theo-
dora."
Douglas adjusted a weird. Russian
purple and blue sofa cushion behind'
his own curly head. "Your house is i
ever so much more hospitable than
you.," he grinned as he settled him-
self comfortably-. "But what's that
in your hand?"
"Oh, I'd forgotten; Look! A
cheque!"
He looked. "Thank the fates!
You've been gettingthinner all fall
until now you're caaverous. It's time'
you were getting something substan-
tial to eat. I hope, Theodora," he
added sternly as if warned by some
memory, "that you won't spend this,
one "foolishly'.':
"But it's newer any fun to spend
money the other way!" she declared.
"Fun!"
"Besidas," she stood tip defiantly, "I
know exactly what I intend to spend
part of this cheque on, and nothing
is going to stop me!" •.
"Nevertheless—"
"You may as well stop there, "Doug-
las. It won't do you any good. I
never did like any sentence that began
with 'nevertheless.' And besides, I've
decided what I'm going to have! And
P11 never tell!"
"Why. not ?"
"You'd say it was extravagant!"
"Is it?"
"I want it!"
"Look here, Theodora—" he swung
an arm argumentatively.
Theodore explained a little further..
"I'm going to spend it selfishly. Do'
you realize that two weeks from to
m,orxow's Christmas? And, Doug-'
las—" she hesitated, looked fearfully
around, and then confessed in a gush
of confidence, "I'm afraid of Christ...!
fleas!"
"Afraid of Christmas!" -
"Yes, just plain afraid," she said.!
"Any other day of the year I can
work and laugh and talk. Any other
evening of the year I can go to Thei
Little Dutch Inn, or to the Diet Kite
chen. or to the Brown Betty, or to half.
a dozen other restaurants on Yonge'1
or Eloor streets --and be happy. But
on Christmas I can't be happy any-:
where! On Cliristrnas I'm homesick!"
Douglas couldn't speak. "Poor little,
kid," he thought. "It's Laugh to be an! i
a
thoughts or consciences alone that can les to see what fictitious daughters
torture. Days can, That day did. So about it.' She had quite gotten over''
IIRIS'I.MAS is the great occasion when we
are all supposed to renew our allegiance to
the Christ, to put the Christ teaching. of
the brotherhood of man in practice, Christmas
ought to • be a great heart -mellowing, affection
q'uiclzening, friendship -renewing occasion. it
is the time of all others, when we should realize
that we are all brothers; that we are all mem-
bers of thesame great human family, children
of the came great Father -Mother -Cod.' It is
•the time, if ever, when we should recognize
that though oceans and continents divide us,.
though we speak different tongues, may diger
in race, color and creed, yet we are so closely
related in thc, ght and motive that our deepest,
most vital interests are identical:
_.._..
this year. I'm afraid of Christmas, and any feeling that she ,vacs a fictitious tic tea basic to get the pizromtal cart»•
for a shield I'm going to tet myself! daughter herself: t t l
a Christmas • • mother, of this lis •
did "1
`"I'xn perfectly grown up enough to she' had set aside for' that puzpose; ,roved .villin • even i
g, anxious, to lend.
waste my own money!" would buy for her Christmas present.;: their clr1hire1 to Theodpra I'Jvexythin
' V '1 trio as well as she
He leaned forward, all,attention. her another, with the; stipulated sum' z the children. and all the mothers
Perhaps she would buy her mittens =,was arranged.' They were to be ready
and mufflers and good stout shoes,,•,premptiy, and she was to call for
There was no telling. Theodora really 'themg. Christmas maiming. She wrote
didn't at all mind. what the present ;Mrs. Ferguson to explain, about the
was. The point was that it would be; • "children and "_fa say that the cheque
"Weld, get yourself whatever you
want for. Christmas, child. If. this
weather holds out the ice will be great
by Christmas Day."
Theodora drew her typewriter on
its footstool toward her. "Give the
door a little slam as you go out," she
a secret, and secrets are so necessary; ;weal be enlarged, commensurately.
said. "There's something wrong with one thing that she
to Christmas
There
was only
the loch,,. regally wanted, anyway. Douglas was
"The ice will be fine by Christmas," and,
only person who knew what it was,
and,d, as it wasn't flowers or books or
"`I'm sure it will," she answered can y, of course it didn't do him the
Douglas repeated,
sweetly interested, least bit of good to know. What Thea
"Will you o skating with mel
" dere w.anted was a wrist watch, an
"No, tl califs," she said absently.. infinitesimally small, queer -shaped,
"Will you marry nie?"
Christmas :horning! And such a
morning! Sun and snow all •a -sparkle;
If it was so lovely in town, what would
it be in the country? Theodora mar-
shaled her ohiidren and .led then to
the station. It wasn't so hard to• get
them into the train as she had feared,
,ar the older children instinctively took
-possession of the younger and drag -
gold one. She had seen just the very ;gel,, pushed
"" one in a jeeveler's window on Yonge. ; . pulled and canned them
No, thanks. into their seats. As the train started
shopping with Douglas, and had point
"Perseverance brings success," he
oted
"Does it• ?" she was quite willing t
be convinced, but at the same tim
faintly ironical.
. He flushed, then laughed. "Well, i
hasn't seemed to so far," he admitted
"But, Theodora! I can't go on like
this! Don't you care at all? I've been
a crazy fool to even wish for it—bu
I've had dreams of your marrying tee
some day—"
"You promised not to speak of that
again,"
"I know. I'm sorry. I'll be care
ful."
Theodora' noisily inserted a piece of
paper and began typing. As far as
she was concerned he had already des
tended all the flights of stairs and was
far down the street. Still he lingered
"Anyway, tell me what you',re going
to buy," he insisted.
"A selfi.sh Christmas present. Some
thing I've wanted every Christmas
I've been in Toronto—and anyway, I'm
not going to buy it, I'm going to rent
"R xrt it!" w
• Theodora Y'•d out a word with he
typewriter and wished him anywher
else.
"Tell me!"
She whirled on him. "If I do, will
yougoaway?"
"Gracious and hospitable hostess,
promise. What are you going to d
with that money?"
"Tin -going to rent a mother!"
"`Rent? A mother?"
"By the day."
He clutched at a chair for support
"Just over Ohristmas. A mother
and a farm and memories and a rex
Christmas, the right things to eat—
don't know what they are. How o
I. when I've been eating Christen
dinners in restaurants so long? But
old ladies in the country know. An
a gray-haired mother to eat them
with. and snow outside the window!"
"But where under the sun are you
going to get them?"
Theodora looked at him in storm for
his ignorance. "Advertise," said she.
Be burst into a shout of uncontrol-
lably merry laughter.
She regarded him with cool dignity,
thenen turned again to her type -writer.
"You're going to advertise?'
"Well, it really isn't the right way
to do," she admitted, "I ought to have
only to choose. They ought to adver-
tise! There are hundreds of lonely
old ladies in the country at Christmas.
One reads about them in stories! They
cn•ow how to make • cranberry sauce.
They have snow outside their win-
dows. They should hangout signs on
their front porches. `Christmas for
Rent!' They should put that notice
n the papers, anyway; but they
on't." She looked immeasurably
grieved.
"So you're looking for a 'Chris•tnnas
fDI Rent'?"
He still' hesitated about going.'
`Then I shan't see yau,Christmas Day
t all?"
"No. Will you take my -ad to some
ewspaper or other?"
"Theodora, you -slave driver! Yes,
will." Douglas still had his hat in
and but did not ;seem at -all anxious
o use it. •
She waved her 'hand :toward -the
oor. "I've a lot to do before I go
• "
e whatever Theodora might be doing ` "Like it?" asked Theodora.
with her ha':xis and eyes, her brain Did they?
t was busy every moment thinking of "Wait till we get into the country!
the Christmas day to be. At first, in You'll Eke that even better."
her anticipations, it seemed perfect; Her prophecy was correct, There
but soon, to her dismay, she found was a farmer neighbor at'the station
that there was something lacking. It `with a sleigh to drive then to the
wasn't quite a complete Christina's` farm. How the children reveled in the
Sleigh -bells and marveled at the
street when she had been witidoar
Theodora looked at her charges.
ed it out to him, "Have you ever been in a train be -
ed ' fore'" None of thein had.
As Christmas came excitingly near, ;
after all, this one that she had con-
jured up. What could it be that it smooth fields of snow, and at the
needed? Snow, a faxmh�ouse, a 'loth- horses, and at everything they saw!
As they neared their destination,
Theodora realized that she was fright-
ened, What if Mrs. Ferguson shouldn't
thought of that before? She seized dike her?
a hat and wraps and went tearntg "Here's the place," the farmer
down the stairs. pointed his mittened hand and almost
•
She left Yonge street and walked at the same instant they stopped.
up to the "Ward." Now she was on = All the children were out at once.
familiar ground. She had once done' Theodora marshaled them into line
- social service work in this neighbor and advanced upon Mrs. Ferguson..
hood. She expected to find 'dozens of "Merry Christmas! Merry Christ -
children she knew. mas!" the children, shrieked. They had
The trouble was, she did! Almost :be n'Merry Christmas-ing the conduc-
as
i de - ;
_,-...fro... ' Cz•C, ..: : ,
soon as she-ag .caral�:..�2 �•,ev��irn,t,.x .'�'��.e��:;.p;resa:� ecimd-every'
eyed, black -haired ragarnuffina`darted one they had seen all morning.
out from nowhere and flung their arms "Merry Christmas, grandma!" cried
about her. "Teacher! Teacher!" the out'; the mast remembering one.. And
adoring cry went -up. To these chil-the others. took it up. -
dren every woman from "the outside" "Yes, I told them you were to be
was a teacher, their grandma to -day and they could
"Children! I'm not a teacher! I've all call you `grandma'!" announced the
never been a teacher! Didn't I use personal conductor of the group. "I
to tell you that three times a day? hope.you don't mind?"
Hello, Mary! Hello, Tony! And here's For a moment Mrs. Ferguson gazed
Angela! My, how the baby has in stern consternation at her swarthy-
grotivn!" cheeked progeny; then she melted.
Theodora soon resembled the middle Suddenly all the stiffness went out of
bee in a swarm, or the undermost man her and she !beamed upon the invaders.
in a football scrimmage. Children "Mind? I'll Love it!" she said. Some -
were clinging to each arm, to her thing of Theodora's happy-go-lucky
Some -
skirts. fellowship with the comers seemed to
By a judicious questioning she found have enveloped her already,
out which ones were to go to a Sunday "How are you, daughter?" Mrs.
school or settlement Christmas tree, Ferguson kissed Theodora as natural -
which ones night have some other bit ly as if the had seen her `before. "Did
of Christmas, and from the remainder' you have •a good trip?"
she chose, as she had intended, the "A splendid trip. And how well
you're' looking, mother! You've gained
since I was home last, haven't you?"
She lowered her voice, "How am I do-
ing it?' All right?" They -laughed as
gleefully as two schoolgirl conspira-
tors.
"Would you children like to have a
snowman? Would you like to build
forts and have a snowball fight here
in the yard? They may, mayn't they?
Ws not noon yet." Theodora turned
to her mother. •
"Just the thing! It will take . thein
ori' our hands and they'll have a fine
titne. I'll get an old coat and a stove-
pipe hat for the snowman!"
"It's jgood of you to take so much
r'ou'ble.
"Trouble! For my grandchildren!"
er, what else should Christmas have?
Why, the most necessary thing of all,
of course—children! Why hadn't she
r
e
I
n
I
I
an
Christmas
t
And
n,
orphan, to have always been -an, d
orphan, and to have no relatives near-
er than third cousins and the Pacific
coast,"
"Isn't this your home?" he asked. '
"This? This is :a battle -ground,
where I daily fight off the invading' a
host of callers, so that I can get a'
bit of work done! Whoever heard of a. n
horse in the city at Christmas? Christ-
mas doesn't happen -in •cities anyway;
only in the country!"
"But--" h
"I've always been afraid of Christ- t
new in Toronto, Christmas hurt nee! d
tact year and the year before. It isn't'
es
Cit igtmas-Tilne
,orate far Glnistines
�i
And when he had game, she locked
{t
im
he door. , Douglas was always about
'hen she wanted to work, anyway, It
as really annoying.
Icor the noct few days Theodora
artily left her room, except to scurry
mond the corner to eat. In fact, she
Ihad her nmeals at places where she
tad
• the coffee and the tablecloth
were execrable, simply In order that
she mightget backto her
room sooner
and go on reading the letters. l;vert
the postman was interested in the
quantity of them. But when the real
ramie canto, she knew it, There was no
doubt, no weighing of two or three
f;tvoritee: She would rent Mrs. roe
gem or to mother at all! She wrote
her answer, !clinching the matter and
mottling the little questions of hears,'
Deeglas himself mailed the letter,
,lln;,io of the Fifilgh-becks,
z.l.t;c rc'c t astir,
Scarlet. et. tate ivrIly, It
Clreen cf 1.i; a tit!
(scent o•f gilt mid silver
Where theNin,lleca glary.
Little tit ;.,, yea:tier,
1ti'ii;' nee heeding low!
Jingle er 'he elrielabelle,
dltarr , "t oat 1 ,t. an,uw,
,eaki Ir. ` 1 , i -.o f;: rel,lo,
e a nil irt,,
I•iTrtV11 $ t ; Is itd'itPt.rlm7/4,
1..111"!1.1 i h
?.ire;:, kna,W.
•
�'.. 1J', L. .'i Vi �•� 1'i. m'T..'..
ten that seemed doom,ed to be the most
Christmas -less•.
She accompanied each of the easte-
r-
Give me the hearthstone
with the glowthat warms
the said within:
I choose thre gift of kindly
smiles, that wealth can
never win; -
The laugh -that ripples to
-the lips • fram hearts
where peace sublime
Reigns in the fullness of.
content to bless the
Christmas -time. -
C./Sr/J./thaw eartV
It 10 easy, 0 my masters, to find the' best of ways
To please the Lord in using the holiest of days.
"No"' says the rich man, "I and filled with care,
Sables for my wife—diamonds fide and rare?
Pearls for my daughters, swift cars for my sons? -
1 shall be mad from worrying before the great Eve runs!"
"Ah," says his brother, "" 1 know the Gift He gave;
I know that He redeemed me—I was once a slave.
1 wish 1 had a chalice set with rubies red
As the blood of pigeons, or sapphires for His Head." •
Last—oh---seek out the sad mat to whom all inns are closed,
Who knocked in vain at every door where honest folk reposed.
Oh, cheer the widowed woman and dry the children's tears,
And drive away for one whole year the wolf the orphan fears!
It is easy, 0 ixi y maters, to,flnd the best of ways
To please the Lord
in using the hohest
of days!
-
Maurice Francis Egan.
There was no doubt about it. Mrs
Ferguson had a sense of humor.
"How glorious Chris•tnmas is, sigh-
ed Theodora. "'Since I've been in the
city, I've wished it came once in ten
years. Now I wish it came every
mo!„
Shenthwished it more than ever, as the
two omen in the h�e kitchen 'd
I . di the imp
memorial last things to the Christmas
dinner, witlh all the tiaetings and ad-
ventures of holiday coolting. Theodora
was wearing a big blue apron of Mrs.
Ferguson /s and felt like a real woman,
she explained, instead of only . a city
i one. "I told some of the neighbors
' about the children coming," Mrs. Fer-
g'uson confessed:, "and they all were
very much interested. Several of them
begged to come to the tree this after-
, noon, but I wouldn't let any of them;
except that I did think that we should
have a Santa Claus, so I promised one
of the. neighbors that he might be
that,"
"Splendid! I'd forgotten about a
Santa Claus!" This last had been
under their breaths, as the last child
flied into the dining-le.om.
"Such a dinner! And such a din!"
as Theodora said.
Turkey and cranberry sauce and
minae pie and pumpkin pie and apple
pie, and "everything" as the b4adt est -
eyed grandehiid put it.
The borrowed children were having
a wonderful time, and alter dinner the
wonderfulness increased.
"What would y cit like to do now?"
asked Theodora.
"Fairy stories!"
"Te1I us fairy :,toriesl"
Tell us a story, teacher!"
Theodora pounced anon the luckless
tenth that had said "teacher." "I'm
not 'a, teacher, honey!" she protested.
"But 1'1.1 tell you, sir•ce we're pretend-
ing to -day, let's. pretence -hove would
,you iil„e to. _platy that.. you're. all ,m„r
aZtecee;anrl nephews seed that ` 'eft youY'
aunt? You see you can call me 'Aunt
'[Theodora"'
•`'You don't Took like my aunt," said
one. "It isn't so fat with you," Public
school had helped the races to mingle
their idioms bewilderingly
But the children accepted the idea
avidly. Most of them kissed her, and
they all tried the new term on their
tongues, and -found it sweet.
Theodora loved the feeling of being
surrounded by relatives. She was sur-
prised at; herself for loving it. She had
thought she was happy, being hide -
pendent, being alone. But this day
was doing something for her. It was
making her over, or at least trying to.
She was in a fright lest it succeed..
After the twelfth fairy story, the
rented mother answered Theodora's
glance, "I think we night have it
now," she said, So they all trooped
into the parlor, where a beaming
Christmas tree naught their breath
with its glitter and color and the
mysteriousness of its pendant pack-
ages.
"Oh, Aunt Theodora!"
"Look, grandmother! A Christmas
tree!"
"A Christmas tree!"
"A Christmas tree!"
"Oh, and a doll!"
At this moment there was the sound
of sleigh -bells, They came nearer,
they seemed to be on the side veran-
dah. There was a loud whoa! and a
snowy person in red leaped through
the window grandmother had opened'
in order to look out a bit worriedly,
"I was afraid he wasn't coming,"
she confided to Theodora. "He is a:
little late. It's the neighbor I told'
you about."
"Santa Claus! Santa Claus!"
"Look! He's got a pack!" i
"Oh, oh!" I`
Then the real elimax of time day,
was upon thein., and the ten- were de- t
lirious with joy. Santa showered
candy and apples and oranges on
them, he cut the strings of the pack-
ages on the tree, and handed about
the packages at the foot of it, and
each child found hints,eltf a bewildered
little Aladdin in a cave of treasures.
Theodora was so busy winding up
toys that would wind, and admiring
dolls to order, that she had no time
for anything else. For the moment
she almost forgot to give Mrs. Fer-
guson the polar bear bathrobe she had
bought for her. When she had pre-
sented it and been duly kissed she one
tied the package which Mrs. Ferguson
pressed into her hand. When she saw
what it contained, sho alnnost cried
out. ' It was a wrist watch of precisely
the queer shape that she had yearned
for! But she had no time to puzzle
over this, for the children claimed her
again.
By the time the hubbub was over,
they all suddenly discovered thstt it
was alarm'in'gly lathe and the winter
dusk was upon them, so it was 4.
cided to give the children a light sup-
per of broad and butter et once before
they set reit ter their train.
'lhe;.'o.•.t • herself wastit hungry.
'Yoe s t. la gra and rest, theo," came
mended Mrs. Fergt;son, "while 1 give
them t'he'ir supper."
Theodora rather gladly sant: down
into one of the plush chairs in the now
almost dust -captured parlor.
"Merry Christma,sl" said a voice
from the dam corner of the room, from
behind the Chrietnvas tree, it seemed.
" n
rnr
"What—who is there? Theodora
half rose in stab -tied amazement.
Out of the dusk stepped Santa
Diane.
"Oh!" she was relieved. Only the
neighbor—but what wags the matter
with her? Was she imagining things?
His voice had sounded so like some
one else's.
"Merry Chest -mast" repeated Santa
Claus,. coming a step nearer.
"Merry Cheistmae!" answered Theo-
dora, "and thank you." Then, "Doug-
las!" she shrieked, as the neighbor
took off his mask; for under the mask
the saw the familiar, teasing face,
"You're welcome --Theodora."
"How did you get here?"
"Same train you did. Smoking car.
Watched you."
"But how did you know? I didn't
tell you where Mrs, Ferguson lived.
.1 didn't tell you anything. How---"
"Are you angry?"
"Yes, I am!"
"Lt's just as Mrs. Ferguson says.
I'm her neighbor,or used to be about
twenty years ago. You never happen-
ed to ask for the 1ati8ix'•de and longi-
tude of the farm I used to # 1i y
about, where'..I_ lived when I r: a
youngster. Conie 'to the window and
I can point it out to you:, Mrs. Fer
guson was our nearest neighbor: and h
I knew she still lased here. I -iratee
her• and sent her your ad. I dictated
her. letter to you."
"Oh!" There was no other word big
enoughto hold her wrath.
"Why?' Wasn't at: a goad letter?
Wasn't it effective?"
f" .
,gilt=„was• the -best of . thew ,ani," she. ;:
groaned.
"It was meant to be. I saw my
chance and I took it. What's the usa +
of spending years learning to writ,a
an ad if you can't write a winning
one at a pinch ? You had no right to
refuse to entertain a lonesome person
on Christmas. So I decided to make
you do it anyway, and I did."
"I hope you're satisfied." snapped
Theodora,
"Not quite,' snapped Douglas.
It had never been like this before,
In town Theodora had aIwaye felt se
capable of living alone to the rest
of her life. She liked to be free; she
liked to be sufficient unto Theodora,
and to need no one, not even Douglas,
But here, in this snow -nestled tled farm.
house, where she had felt the pull o3
home and dependence, ani had known
the sweetness of seine things she had
forgotten for the last fee bush years
---here, it etas different.
"Theodora?"
"0, Douglas!"
His arms were about her, and she
put her head down on his shoulder
with as much the manner of the tra-
ditional clinging vine as if she had
never owned a studio or seen a city
street. It was a complete surrender,
and Douglas knew that Itis siege of
many months was over at last.
The snowy Ovine Ni'itlmont was bra
ken by the quick passing of some fes-
tive team. At the sound of the bells.
Theodora, startled, remembered the
day.
She raised her head from his shu,i1-
der. "It's over, Christmas! Ansi it
didn't hurt me at :ll! I'll never. neve,
be afraid of Christmas again!"
And together they went happily out
into the dining -room where the rented
mother and the borrowed ten were still
revelling in the high tide of Christmas.
A good magazine or a good `
book is a fine Christmas present
for the young folks, as well as
the grown-ups.
In making your Christmas
caramels, it is well to remember
that a pinch of yeast powder put
into caramels after they have
begun to boil will make them
smoother and more creamy.
To give gifts which are
so ataborate that one must
economise for a whole year
afterward in order to get
square with the world, is to
lose sight of the true spirit
of Christmas. Gifts should
be appraised on the basis
of their spiritual, not their
material, valuation. Not
v• en the high cast of living
• ran rob Christmas of its
true spirit if one's heart is
right. The best part of
Ghf s"hs is not ba th
grits whir are givea, but
the lave whith pro npts
g villi''.