The Wingham Advance Times, 1935-12-19, Page 3Thursday, December 19, 193
'WfMrPAROPAIM
Niles wanted but one thing this Christmas Eve
•
But what could be offer her
to compensate for Phil's youth?
WINCH3AM ADVANC1-TIM S
Alive love.
New York had turned old-fashioned; It w
a chrome done in snow, a merrtory.festooned wi
icicles, The whole city; it seemedpwas scentedi
'w
evergreen and verdant with ground pine, It w
a Christmas Eve out of a book;
Niles dismissed his taxi at the corner of Six
Avenue and .Eighth Street and walked up to va
sixteenth Street where be was ito meet Olive at si
thirty for a cocktail before dinner: Everythi
with Niles ultimately carne back • to Olive. B
today his broad.good-humored face was • a trif
drawn. It was strange, he thought; how the bo
torn of .life could drop out and one's heart be
kind of molten ache.
He wished id'y that he hadn't gotten the jo
just at this season.' He liked Christmas; had n
sympathy with the moderns 117110 thought it: sma
to decry it.
Olive, too, took Christmas seriously or gen-
erously pretended to. Now, of course, he couldn
be; sure of anything about her. Except that sh
was lovely, and that if she hacl hurt°him, she ha
done it because she couldn't help it.
In spite of his unhappiness he was, as usual,
a little excited because he was going to see her
so soon. They had been married three, no four
years—the.: baby Elise was three—and he had never
grown accustomed to the wonder of seeing Olive
every day.
She was sitting at one of the: small side tables
in the nicely lighted cocktail room at Pete's. Niles
saw her first. She was beautiful, he thought. Her
mouth was so vivid, her blue eyes so deep and soft.
She looked up and flushed as she caught his
eye. "Darling!" she exclaimed as he sat .down
opposite her, "I've got every single present." 'She
regarded him with mild. triumph. Each year so
far he had been able to rag •her about, mad last
minute shopping expeditions for some forgotten
relative.
"I don't believe you." The waiter hovered,
and Niles asked, "What'll you have? One of those
lousy pink things?
She nodded, "With cherries."
"Good Heavens! . All right, Louis. Some-
thing horrible with cherries for Mrs. Maitland. I'll
take mixed vermouths, more French than Italian.
• . . I 'don't believe it," he repeated, "you must
1.4AVAK-:_a*-44-reia
as not scintillating. But he had
tit a great deal'of money and he
th wanted her 'so ' so much that he
as would have tried to marry her
,•'if she had hated him. And she
th didn't hate him. She loved him
rd . and was tender with him, '
x~, She accepted his wealth
lig joyously, was as pleased as a
ut. child with the gifts he made her
le daily. But she was; a little
t -afraid of money, She warned
a , him:
"Don't ever let the old,
It money get in our way. So many
0 of your grand friends, darling,
rt • .lead such brittle lives. We want
babies and lots of. time .togeth-
er,:'
't FIe should have known, of
e course: Phil had been around
d
have left a cousin out." ?
She shook her head violently. "No, ' honestly,
Niles. I've thought of everything and everybody."
"What did you decide on for Muggins?" They
had discussed the baby's Christmas presents for
days and in the end had still been amiably arguing.
"Olt, the doll," Olive answered quickly. "I
think you were right after all. A little girl can't
have too many . , . When brother comes along I'll
leave it all to you and I'll bet we'll have to move
. out. Electric trains, tools, when he's six months
old. . She made a gesture of mock horror.
* * * *
Nile's twinkling eyes suddenly, smarted: He
thought what a good sport, always. Here she was
in love with another man, a young man, and -she
was still prepared to carry on; to stick with him,
even to planning the son she had promised
He murmured. "I got her modelling clay. A
big box of it."
He smiled vaguely at her ripple of laughter,
She knew that he would play with the modelling
clay more than would their daughter, Niles loved
the feel of clay. He hadn't given much thought
to his hobby, but whenever he was in the nursery
for an hour his spatulate fingers were •constantly
busy, molding the little strips of wax -soft clays
on his daughter's play table. And Olive flattered
him, by ,lining her sitting room' shelves with the
strange little figures he fashioned. •
He wondered suddenly and sharply what she
would do with them when she left. It was the
first time he had allowed the thought of her leav
ing him to 'conte into the foreground of his mind,
and he was .momentarily very still. Some friends
called to' them. He motioned Olive to join them.
"Got some lists to make out," he told her crisply,
and got our notebook and pencil to prove it.•
.13ut left alone, he sat looking straight ahead
of him. He hadbeen slow in realizing that he
had lost ,Olive. When Archibald had said, "Nice
of your wife to take such an interest in young
Owen. She urged me to buy'his bonds the other
day," he'd thought it was just more of her divine
kindness, 1
When a day or two later Miner had said. the w
same thing, and then Overbroolce an.d Grey and
b� .2Un Douglas %tty
A. reproachful voice broke in on Olive's bewilderment.
"Chris'miss presints?" Muggins asked with obvious distrust.
ggi
"... a beautiful, adorable
mongrel cur..."
a lot lately and several times he had come acro
.Olive and the younger man whispering and e
changing, glances.. He had thought it was a pa
of their youth and an exuberance he lacked. We
that was true enough. He did lack both and f
the past months he had been driven cleaning up
things to get away for the cruise he and Olive
had planned to take in February,
• That would be cancelled now. Niles drained
his glass. But' Phil was,' a good kid and would
probably make. her happy. That was the only
thing to think about. He smiled at Olive 'as she
came back. •
They had laughed. about it then but it
made it easier now. The amount of the
check would tell her what it was for with-
out further need to talk about it.
When Niles finally started home the
shops were beginning to close. Snow was
falling heavily. For no particular reason
he felt a little, happier and he smiled be-
nignly at the passersby, then fell almost
full length on the pavement. Something
soft and active was between his feet.
^ Niles said a few short, pithy wordsand looked around to`see what he had hit
It was a dog. A very young dog who ap-
peared to be large for whatever his age
was
"Curse you!" remarked Niles not un -
unkindly
•
ss The dog wagged. its tail: and wiped a muddy
foot affectionately down• Nile's trouser leg. Niles
rt inspected hinx closely and saw that it was a long
ll, time since he had had a square meal. He wore
or . no collar. Niles patted :� him kindly
"Poor old fellow," he said.
The dog rose, wagged again and prepared to
accompany Niles. Niles felt keenly that here was
I not a dog in whose company he cared to be seen.
He consulted a .policeman who was strolling by.
"Theses not much you can do tonight," the
officer said. "Everything's closed up. Of course,
if he was mad I could shoot him."
"Well, he isn't." Niles was .a little testy.
"No, sir," agreed the officer cheerfully. Then*
feeling that he had done all he could:. "Well. good-
night," he said. "A merry Christmas to' you."
Niles looked at the dog. The dog looked at
Niles. Then Niles hailed a taxi. "Get in," he said.
In the apartment there was at first no sign
of Olive. Niles hastily parked the dog in the guest
room bath with a bowl of water and a plate of
scraps. Then he went intothe living room. Olive
was there, sitting on the floor half buried in ,pap-
er. Muggins' s small empty stocking dangled sug-
gestively over the fireplace.
• 'When Niles came in, Olive sprang up,, scatter-
ing presents. "Oh, I didnt' hear you," she gasped.
"I've been • frantic. I. though you'd been run over
and were in a hospital alone and unconscious:"
- She Bugged him. "I':was miserable enough to
howl," she elaborated dramatically.
Niles kissed her. His big hands shook a lit-
tle, absurdly, as he roughly stroked. her smooth
hair.
"Nice of y.otr to worry," he said gratefully.
y
She laughed at that. "Charming of you not
to get 'run over," she mocked him affectionately,
adding, "Come on out in the kitchen,"
Niles helped her forage. 'His momentary glow
evaporated.' Of course' she always worried about
anyoneshe was fond of. And she was fondf hi
o m,,
he had no reason to doubt that at least.
He hadn't much appetite, but Olive ate plac-
idly. "Let's. cover Muggins," she said after a while,
"and then go back and tie up presents,"
ro
Together they went into the baby's room. She
lay sprawled all over her ridi'culotts small .pink bed,
•
various parts of her plump anatomy exposed to the
four winds. When her parents came in she open-
ed one eye and grinned drowsily.
"Chris'iniss presints. , , " site drawled 'emphat-
ically and immediately 4as asleep,;agaia;
Niles Iodked at her fot a longtime, Back; in
the living room, he said, ;'Darling,; let's not do u
packages, not yet anyway. I . , want to talk,"
p
"There'll be. time . in themorning," 'l
xot•ning, Olive. age:
reed, "I'll just fill Muggins' stocking. Her things
are all wrapped," She hastilyfitted, ed ctitniittttive e
packages into the limp, small sock,
Then she Sat beside Niles on th
e broad, couch, •.cle
Niles held her tightly, "Dear,'" he said; '"you'li� otie
"Sorry," she'said, "to have been 'so long. Give
me one more pink 'un."
"Right. Where've you been this afternoon?"
Give himself one chance, he thought --one desper-
ate chance to find that he had been mistaken.
She. hesitated for a long second. "Shopping,"
she answered at last..
"Of . course. Did you take the car?"
Another hesitation, "No, I took a taxi."
And he himself had seen her in Phil's car.driv-
ing gaily up the Avenue! He leoked at her re-
flectively. She smiled. and he had his one mo-
ment of weakness, then, when he'had all he could
ado not to, beg 1er'. for the mercy he knew she
would never refuse him:
'The danger point was. quickly past, and Niles
leaned. forward and'patted Olive's hand lightly.
"Listen, dearest," he' said, "let's not,`dine out,
Run home and'1'11 bring things in. We'll have
upper by ourselves.
"That's a good, idea," Olive agreed.: "I'll let
Charlie and Nonnie go out. 0. IX..?"
Niles took longer than; he meant to. over his
shopping. He wasn't happy but he was exquisitely
sensitive to the happiness • around .him, Every
child reminded hint of Elise. He filled grubby
sands with toys and candy. Every tired. worried
oinan might, but for the grace of God, have been
Olive. And so he added to the weight of sparsely
half a' ,d'ozen more of the business men who were fi
their friends, he stili only nodded and answered a
correctly:
"Glad you got softie. We're both interested'
in the boy,"
But then he had'began to be afraid.
He had played on old game, moue. a
g ;� y against
years—and he had lost. But, baying lost, "he h g
�had
no idea of whining about it. He hard been a fool v
perhaps, to have taken the risk. But he had loved o
e her so completely! li
*
as
Each detail of the picture stood out in his 0
mind. His introduction to the Mores While on a a
business trip, 'Christma's at their shabby charming
.tome. The warm sun, the derides crowding up in s
the morning to say `Cri,4ents gif', Chris'n its gif'to
g lin
you, suh'. And Olivet He realized then all •'the th
drawbacks to their tnarriage. He was thirty-five if
to her nineteett•and he was ponderous and socially so
lied' bags and baskets, disregarding both thanks
led protests.
'''k * * *
It was late when he finally made his own pur-
chases. He went into a stationer's where he got
card, the type she like with Shepherds and Att-
els ' and the Star and into the thick white en -
elope he slipped the check he had written in the
ffice that afternoon, It was the only tactful way•"
e knew to give her the freedom she would never
k for.•
Curiously enough, he knew the right amount,
my a few weeks ago Olive bed been 'olein
J g
bout it. . .
"Bargain tales in divorces now, dear" she had
a�d
aid, "Ada told 'ire that that smart lawyer—you
ow who X mean ---does the whole thing for two
onsand, and that inchtdes the trip to Reno. So
you ever ;want to get rid of pie , , Doesn't it
tinct Silly?"
•
Niles had seen her with Phil.
never know how happy you've
made me. 1. " his 'voice husk -
and `lie cleared his throat.
"What I'm trying to say," he
elucidated, ''is that 1'11 always
be in debt to. you. . for what
you've done for what you
have been .."
"Sweetheart!" Olive sat up
in alarm. "Are you ill?"
"Why no, "'
"Well, I thought y®u must.
be. You sounded just . exactly
like a death bed; that 'is, as if.
you were on one,".She reach-
ed up a hand and caressed his
broad hard cheek. He closed
his eyes.:, "Listen." Her voice'
was eager. "Let's ,give each
other our present now,•' All al-
one like this . it'll be more
fun."
• He followed her into '
own study which she had
unlock. "1 • was afraid' yo
barge in," she explained. She
ssgitched on a light and'stood aside, her hands
clasped tightly, patiently on tiptoe for him to be
PAGE' 'MR E
The sheets were frozen hard, and they cut the nak-
ed hand;
The decks*were like a slide, where a seaman scarce
could stand;
The wind was a nor'wester, blowing squally off the'
sea;
And cliffs and spouting breakers 'ere:the only
things a -lee.,
They heard th,.. surf a -roaring. hefoxe the break of
day;•
But 'twas: only with the peep of light:re saw how
ill rye Iay.
We tumbled every hand on deck' instanter, with a
And we gave her the maintoli-s'I, and; stood by to
go about.
All
day we tacked and tacked, between• the South
Head and the North;
All day. we, hauled the frozen sheets and got' no
farther north;
All day as cold'as clarity, in bitter pain and dread,
For very life and nature we'tacked, from head to
head.
We gave the South a wider `berth, for there the
tiderace roared;
But every tack we made brought the North Head
close, aboard;
So's we saw cliffs and houses, and the breakers
running high,
And the coastguard in his garden, :with .his glass
against his eye.
The frost was on the village roofs' as white as oc-
ean foam-
The
his The good red fires were burning bright` in every
a
1 h
ones ore. home;
to • The windows sparkled clear, and the chimneYs vol-
u'd . .eyed out;
And 1 vow we smelled the victuals as the vessels
went about.
surprised.
He looked around him and in spite of hims
he grinned in spontaneous pleasure, .1-I
ere was
a solid looking bench in 'front of him and on it
lay big blocks of modelling clays. Strange little
tools and gadgets were inserted in slits around
the work table and a book lay on it. "For t
Advanced Student of Modelling," r Niles read.
"Don't yoti Iike it? You can make me hun
reds of those adorable figurines now. Wasn't it
brain wave?" Olive implored him as he sto
speechless. "And. darling, I, bought it myself."
"Yourself? Niles fingered the clays lovingl
"What clo you mean?"
"Well." Olive hung on his arm. "You a
pleased?" He'kissed her. "All right, then, Y
see I love spending your money. Everythin • 1 g
—even toothbrushes—are gifts from you anda
makes ire feel loved and cherished , , . But 1 hat
buying you things out of the.money you give in
So—I earned it." She' gave
her own quick litt
gurgle of laughter, "You'll never guess how." Sh
smiled up into his face. "1 sold bonds for Ph
Owen and we split commissions! I knew you'd b
Tin -prised." Then something in his.silence struc
her and she added gbickly,. "Of coarse no one knee
I thought you wouldn't want that. And I wasp
robbing Phil because I really and truly increase
his sales ... I know so many of your friends and
they were swell. But I was scared to death you'd,
find out and spoil the surprise, It was fun," she
added reflectively, "and I have:enough money left
over for your brthday. Oh, -my goodness! .
Niles had caught her in. a hard embrace; his
lips against her hair were murmuring brokenly.
She clung to him for a moment then gently
disengaged herself.
"Now' where's my present?" she demanded
gaily..
u, * * •
Silently he gave her the check, fvantically,',des
perately hoping: the sum would have no meaning
for her. She glanced at the 'stip of yellow paper.
"Oh, nice," she said carelessly. "To spend.on the
cruise? Lavish old darling.- But I itaeant my real
present, , the thing you bought for me."
Niles went cold. What on earth should he
say? 'What could he give her. Ile racked his
brains. What had he'that was possible? Not
Aunt Emria's shawl; not his mother's discreet
black' bag..: Not suddenly the dog in the bath-
room emitted a long -drawn howl. Olive started,
"Darling, yon' got Inc a
dog!" she exclaimed and
started in the direction of. the blood-curdlingyelps.
Silent with dread Niles followed her. Should
he say the horror had been sent by mistake in-
stead of the Pekinese he'had ordered? Could he
pretend it was some itiew kind of huntingdog?
Then the. yelps died and he heard his wife's voce.
"Was a.. beautiful, adorable mongrel cur, so it was
elf The bells lipon the church were rung with a mighty
• jovial cheer;
For it's just that I should tell you how (of all days
in the year)
This day of our adversity was blessed Christmas
he morn,
And the house above the coastguard's was the
d- house where I was born,
a c ,
od 0 well I saw the pleasant room, the pleasant faces.
there, -
Y. IVty mother's silver spectacles, my father's silver
hair;
re And well 1 saw the (relight, 'like a flight of home
Yo ly elves,
et Go dancing round the china -plates that stand upon
it p
e.
le was of me,
e Of the shadow on the household, and the son that
ih went to sea;,
e And: U the wicked fool I' seemed, in every kind of
e
And well I knew the talk they had, the talk that
.
the shelves.
k way,
v. To be here and hauling frozen ropes on blessed
Christmas Day.
d
She looked up 'as Niles came slowly into the
om, "Sweetheart," she said, and her voice was
rich with love. "How dear of oft—bit h
Y t ow dear:
Imagine you ]raving ,the'. understanding tri know
how I missed the 'just plaiu dogs' we had d w
own
home, Anybody! else . . But then. .,' she in-
terrupted' herself, put the pup away affectionately
and getting to her feet, clasped Niles around his
prophecy of a bay window. "You aren't anybody
else, thank God! Olt, thank God :for you darling!"
Niles was silent. He held her gently as if
to were afraid • she might' melt away. 3' She was
nurinuring, "So happy . everythings8 perfect
p of
you , . , Muggins, and all tnyl Christina
s pres-
nts bought for onee. . Oh, my sainted aunt!"
She looked up, her eyes round with horror.
an forgot," she eatplained• breathlessly, "to 'get
single thing for Phil Oyy'enl"
They lit the high sea -light, and the .dark began to
fall. e
"All hands to loose topgallant sails," ls, I heard the
p
"BY thecaLoi-d,tain shecall.'ll never stand it," our first nate,
Jackson, cried.
"it's one ~vay or the other, 11Tr. Jackson," he
replied.
She' staggered to her bearings, but the sails were
new and good,
And the ship smelt up to windward just as though
She understood.
As the winter's day was ending, in the entry of the
night,
We cleared the wearyheadland, d, and passed below
the light.
And they heaved a mighty breath,':'
board but me,
As they saw her nose again pointing
g
to sea;
But all that I 'could think of, in the
- the colt!,
Was just that I was leaving home
'Were growing old.
—Robert Louis
every soul oft
handsome out
darkness and
and my folks
Stevenson,'
And Niles broke. down. The evening had been
entirely too much for hiin, . The room shook with
his laughter, Finally he swung Olive clean
off her
feet, "Give hiin'somethinof mine," .
g e, he 'managed
to gasp. Give him my pearl studs, give him my
cigarette case, give him my car, . ."
A..`reproachful voice broke in on'Olin '
wilderment and she turned onlysecond a e o s be
Niles wheeled. Muggins was standing before
in the door-
way.
"Chris'sniss presints i'" she asked with obvious
distrust,
Olive picked her IM acid her er father poked her
jovially in the 'r' "", '
Y tbs. "'Vetere darned right there'll
be Chris'miss presints." He told her. Ile hugged
Olive, "I�tnp her in,you lazy l' "g
��y ittle loafer, he
said, and help me do tip the rest of these tltittgs.i"
r"apy CI
ght, McCIuxe Newspaper• Syndicate