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The Wingham Advance-Times, 1937-12-23, Page 23WINGHAM ADVANCE-TIMES PAGE FIFTEEN Kelvin’s chai? down?” Instantly every qble-bodied man in the room moved forward. Willing hands grasped the wheel chair, lifted it, carried it towards the stairs, Her hands were clenched hard'at her si'des -—her body shaken as she watched. Mot until the wheel chair was halfway down the stairs did she turn to Jane and Melissa, "Come, Gran, you want to see the . surprise, too, .don’t you?’\said Chloe, “Take her arm, Aunt' Jane, and the rest of you follow us! And oh, please hurry 1° From the top of the stairs, with the building behind her cleared, the last of the stragglers filing reluctant­ ly out into the snowy night, Chloe looked back at the lovely tree, ft was outlined now against a ruddy wall at its back and the smoke was drifting through its branches, the tinsel and perishable decorations catching like 3jjkjer< Another five minutes -- two' J^iiUtes — and panic would have .^jvept the place. ...Outside in the snow the people had gathered, puazled, curious, a little re­ sentful at. being hustled out into the snow and the cold darkness, as Chloe and Jane came put bearing between them the. swathed figure of Melissa. 1 There were little confused nlurmur- ings and then a Child’s. voice, sharp, Incited, shrieked: “Loolrit the windows —* It’s a fire!” The windows of the auditorium glowed ruddijy now, a glow that in­ creased and deepened. . “Dad!” screamed Chloe sharply, Her father, sooty, grimy from the smoke, his eyes red-rimmed, said al­ most at her elbow, it was a close shave, ticklish business getting all those people safely out, but you did a swell job of it, honey.” There was a wild shrieking of fire sirens, the clamor of bells, and the company’s very complete and effic­ ient fire fighting machinery went in­ to action. And Chlpe, assured that not only the audience but each child­ ish treasure of a toy was safe, that not one living" thing remained in the building that was now ablaze, quietly fainted. '<■ # « * ChristmasDay at Chinaberry Grove seemed to Chloe a very gay and fes­ tive affair. Red candles glowed through the thick dusk of that Christmas night as Chinaberry Hall’s guests sat down to a late dinner. There were branch­ es of pine and cedar, loops of grace­ ful smilax adorning the walls of the whole house, wreathing loops of it wound the saircase railing. Great pots of poinsettias, carefully nurtured by Melissa herself in her hot house, had been brought to a perfection of bloom and into the house in time for the great day. Tall silver vases were fill­ ed with heavy-headed, deep-scented scarlet roses added their own exquis­ ite fragrance to that of pine and holly and burning applewood logs in the great open fireplaces, an odor that Chloe said was Christmas itself and Kyliich was mingled with the spices J&nuna had used in her cakes and pies and puddings and in the baking of a great savory ham and surely the big­ gest turkey anyone had ever seen. Of mint-juleps icing themselves in tall, fragile glasses, and eggnog in a great silver bowl on the huge old-fashioned sideboard,- and spiced elderberry wine. Oh, if you’ve ever smelled this.‘scent of Christmas’ as Chloe called it, you can’t forget it, ever.' And if you have not smelled it, no amount of pictur­ ing can make you imagine it rightly. It is a Christmas smell peculiar to gracious old houses that have wit­ nessed a great many Christmases and that have seen a lot of living and lov? ing, of happiness, and tears, of the joy of birth and the grief of dying, and that open their hearts at this sea­ son of the year as at no other time. To Chloe the old house opened its arms warmly this year. The big dark square chamber that was-, always hers no longer seemed gloomy and dark, She loved quaintness, its friendliness. An, open fire glowing on the hearth, bowls of rises and pots of poinsettias, and bowls of pearl white narcissus on the wide window sills dispelled any feeling of- darkness or gloom. The fact that a dozen children were having dinner in the’ breakfast room opening off the big dining room where twenty-four grown-pps sat down to dinner, struck Chloe as be­ ing entirely right and proper. Yet at Thanksgiving, half as many grown­ ups and not as many children had rasped her nerves and made her want to shriek with boredom. She looked about the long table spread with a damask cloths so old and so rich that it glowed like faintly yellowed satin, carrying a silvery sheen about it. She looked at the del­ icate old china that had been buried six feet underground to save it from marauding guerillas during the war between the States and that had been brought around the Horn in a Yankee Clipper Ship many,, many years ago from its native China; at the delicate crystal goblets. The table was set With the finest that CHinaberry Hall possessed, which was really very fine indeed. Melissa looked across the table at Chloe who faced Dr. Scott Kelvin, directly opposite. Melissa’s eyes were warm and. tender. She looked at Howell, distinguished and handsome, a son to make his mother’s heart proud; at Jane, erect and vigorous and superb in beige lace, with Howell’s orchid on her shoulder; and last of all 'Melissa looked at Scott Kelvin who sat in his wheel chair, his lean dark face pale with confinement but his eager eyes and warm as they rest­ ed on Chloe, his well-brushed dark red head- held high.. She caught the look in his eyes and her own misted a little. CHAPTER XXX The turkey had made a magnificent appearance, been properly applauded and admired and what was left of him had vanished to the kitchen; there had been delicious cuts of mince pie and pumpkin, pie, topped, if one wished, ’ with inouncis of home-made ice cream, And now the table had been cleared of everything save the ancient coffee service which rested in its im­ pressive silver beauty .before Melissa. For Melissa frowned upon the cus­ tom of coffee in the living room.. “Well,” she said when she had fill­ ed the tiny after dinner cups and they had been passed, “it’s been a good Christmas. Now I have' something to say to all of you. I think' you"have a right to hear it, yet somehow I don’t quite know how td say it.” “Imagine you, Melissa, wanting to say something and not knowing how,” Martha derided gently. Melissa, very grave now, smiled faintly and turned to Howell. “Chinaberry Grove, the .Hall, the entire six hundred-odd acres belongs to me, doesn’t it?” she asked unex­ pectedly. “Well of course, Mother, said Howell, puzzled. “I can do anything I like with it, can’t I?” she insisted. “Certainly. Of course you can, but I hope you aren’t planning to sell. It’s a very bad time—” Howell began con­ cerned. * I’m not planning to sell,” said Me­ lissa instantly. “I’ve made a new will and I want you all to know that at my death, ’Chinaberry Grove goes to Dr. Scott Kelvin,'” It was Scott who first managed to speak. He was honestly aghast, ex­ tremely uncomfortable, and he sfam- mered: “Oh, but — Mrs. Sargent —- why I can’t accept it. Good Lord—” Howell said accusingly, “But, Mo­ ther, I thought you always meant for Chloe to have Chinaberry Grove.” “And you think she won’t?” she asked: significantly, Howell looked swiftly at Scott and then at Chloe. The others followed his eyes. Chloe’s color was high, her eyes blazing, Scott looked at her with such intensity that the others smiled a little and then Chloe was on her feet, her shaking hands on the tdble, supporting her upper bodjr that lean­ ed towards Melissa. “Oh, no you don’t!” blazed Chloe wrathfully, “I know what you’re tip to. You’re trying to make it easy for Scott to marry me. Well, you need­ n’t bother. I don’t want any man who has to be bribed to marry me.” “I refuse to accept the gift, of course, Mrs, Sargent,” said Scott . swiftly. “Chloe is quite right. There is no reason why bribery should come into it. The fact that you gave me financial independence wouldn’t make it any more proper for me to propose to her. I still 'haven’t won my inde­ pendence, I stil can’t make a living for her—■* Melissa cut in shortly, “You love her, dont’ you?” “With all my heart,” said Scott sin­ cerely tnd briefly. Melissa turned to Chloe. “And you’re so much in love with him that you’re not fit company for anybody else. Yet because he was born on one side of the roalroad track and you on the other, you both go around meanihg that you can’t ever mean .anything to each other. I nev­ er, heard of such rubbish in my life! Still, a husband uught to be financ­ ially independent of his wife. It’s one thing that makes marriage possible between two high-spirited young colts like you two. Well, if Scott Kelvin, master of Chinaberry Grove and a darned good doctor, isn’t important enough to propose to even a Little Princess, then the Little Princess de­ serves to die an old maid!” she snap­ ped hotly. “Gran, there are times when I hate you!” Chloe blazed. “Of course, and there are times when I feel that you must have been dropped on your head when you were a baby, although we were always very careful of your nurses,” Melissa said placidly. “Anyway, it’s high time you were getting married and having something to occupy your time and your mind. And I don’t know of a more likely young man to keep you in your proper place than Scott Kel­ vin. I’ve worried about leaving China­ berry to somebody who would ap­ preciate it and be able to manage it, and I wouldn’t be doing my duty as your grandmother if I didn’t do ev­ erything in my power to make it pos­ sible for him to marry you.” "But, Mrs. Sargent, you know, of course, that I appreciate what "you are trying to do, but I couldn’t accept such a gift—” began Scott, Melissa turned and looked steadily at him. “I feel quite sure that the son of my old friend, Alma Kelvin, would be gracious enought not to deny an old woman the comfort of dying in the knowledge that a -place into which she has put nearly sixty years of herself, was being cared for and kept as it should be,” she said quietly. "You will not have it until I am gone. You can’t refuse to be my heir, Scott Kel­ vin, not when you are going to be my grandson, anyway. It would ev­ entually be yours if you married said arm Chloe, whether I leave it to you or not, and you are going to marry Chloe, aren’t you?” she added on a slightly stern note. “If she’ll have me,” Scott humbly. Melissa sniffed and tapped his with clawlike fingers. “Take my advice, son, don’t ever be 'humble with her. She’s a high- spirited piece. It’ll take a strong hand to rule her,” she advised frankly. She turned to the others. “And now let’s leave the little love birds alone. I’m sure they’ve a lot to say to each oth­ er in private,” she said sweetly, and led the way out. A little taut silence fell on the two left behind. Chloe went swiftly to the window and stood there looking out into the blackness of the night, with blind, unseeing eyes. Scott, from his place near the table, said unstead­ ily: “I can’t tell you how sorry I am about all this, Chloe. Of course I won’t accept the place. I’ll deed it back to you!” “It’s nd use trying to fight Gran,” Chloe told him hopelessly. “She al­ ways gets her own way. no matter how much she has to meddle in oth­ er people’s affairs.” She faced him suddenly and he saw that tears were slipping down her face . and that the slender body in its sim­ ple white chiffon dinner dress was trembling. . “Oh, she’s spoiled everything!” she cried passionately. “Making a scene like this in front of all the others. I could almost hate her if I didn’t know that she means well and that she’s nearly always right about things.” She caught her breath on a little strangled sob and went on stormily, “Oh, Scott, I was going to come to you on my knees and tell you that I’d live in the shabbiest house in the vil­ lage and do my own housework and cooking if only you’d marry me, but now if I tell you that, you’ll think it’s because I want to keep Chinaber- ry Grove in the family.” “The heck with ’Chinaberry Grove,” cried Scott. “I was going to plead with you to forget that we were born on opposite sides of the railroad track; to tell you that more than any­ thing else in the world I wanted to marry you.” “Oh, Scott!” whispered Chloe un­ steadily and' started at him wide-eyed, flushed, very lovely and appealing. ‘ Scott’s hand clenched on the arm of the wheel chair and h*e said a trifle thickly, “Darling, when you loolc at me like that I’m at a terrible disad­ vantage because I can’t manage this thing very well yet. Oh, Chloe, rny dearest, please come here!” Over their heads, a great cluster of mistletoe looked down upon them, its silvery white berries shining in the soft light. Beneath the magic of-the mistletoe they had found each other, in the heart of each crying hunger that only the other could satisfy. From somewhere outside in the snow there came the sound of voices singing. The soft, mellow untrained yet inherently musical voices of the negroes singing “De li’l Chile lay in de mangeh. .” Chloe looked up at Scott, tears in her eyes, yet a smile trembling on her lips as she cupped his face be­ tween her two hands and said, her voice shaken a little, “Merry Christ­ mas, darling, for always and always.” “For always and always,’ my dear­ est dear,” said Scott his voice caugjit a little by the magic and the wonder and the breathless beauty -of that promise. THE END (Copyright McClure Newspaper Syndicate).