i .. 7 RED CLOUD. NEBRASKA. CHIEF SWttrf kJA i mi . a aa ii ssw' mtmm Christmas :"S- By .".BOOTH Tho ninplc-hordcrcd street wns ns till ns n country Sunday; so quiet tlint there seemed nn echo to my foot nteps. It was four o'clock In the morn Inp; clear October moonlight misted tlirniiKh the thinning foliage to the Bhndowy sidewalk nnd lay liken trnns imrunt silver fog upon tho house of my admiration, as I strodu nlong, return ing from my first night's work on the Wnlnwrlght Morning Despatch. 1 had already marked that house as the llnest (to my taste) In Wnlnwrlght, though hitherto, on my excursions to this metropolis, the state capital, I wns not without a certain nntlve Jealousy that Spcncervllle, the county-seat where- I lived, had nothing so good. Now, however, I approached Its pur lieus with a pleasure In It quite unnl loyed, for I wns at Inst myself n resi dent (nlhclt of only 0110 dny's stand ing) of Wnlnwrlght, and the house though I had not even an Iden who lived then. pnrt of my possessions as a citizen. Moreover, I might enjoy the warmer pride of n next-door-neighbor, for Mrs. Appcrthwnlto's, whero I hnd taken n room, was Just beyond. ThlR was the quietest part of Wain Wright; business stopped short of It, and the "fashionable residence see , tlon" hnd overlenped this "forgotten bnckwnter," lenvltig It undisturbed nnd unchnnglng, with thnt look about It which Is the quality of few urbnn quarters, and eventually of none, as n town grows to he n city the look of still being n neighborhood. This friend liness of nppenniuce was largely the emanation of the homely nnd beauti ful house which so greatly plensed my fancy. It might be dHllcult to sny why I thought It. the "finest" house In Wain wrlght, for n simpler structure would bo hnrd to Imagine; It wns merely n big, old-fnshloned brick house, painted brown nnd very plnln, set well nwny from the street among some splendid forest trees, with n fnlr spread of flat lawn. Hut It gave back a great deal for your glnnce, Just as some people do. It was n Inrge house, as 1 sny, yet It looked not like n mansion but like a home; nnd mnde you wish thnt you lived In It. Or. driving by. of nn eve ning, you would have liked to stop your car and go In ; it spoke so sure ly of henrty, old-fashioned people liv ing there, who would welcome you merrily. It looked ltkc a house where there were n grandfather and n grand mother; where holidays were' warmly kept; where there were boisterous family reunions to which uncles nnd aunts, who hnd been horn there, would return from no matter what distances; a house where big turkeys would bo on the tnble often ; where one cnlled "the hired mnn," (nnd nnmed either Abncr or Ole) would crnck walnuts upon n (latlron clutched between his knees on tho bnck porch ; It looked like a house where they played cha rades; where there would he long streamers of evergreen nnd dozens of wrcnthi of holly at Christmas time; whore there were tearful, happy wed dings and great throwlngs of rice nfter little brides, from the broad front steps: In n word. It was the sort of a bouse to make tho hearts of spinsters nnd bachelors very lonely nnd wist ful nnd that Is about as near ns I enn come to my reason for thinking It the finest house In Wnlnwrlght The moon hung kindly nbnve Its level door In tho silence of thnt Oc tober morning, as I cheeked my gait to loiter along tho picket fence; but suddenly the house showed n light of Its own. The spurt of a match took my eye to one of tjie upper windows, then n steadier glow of orange told me thnt a lnmp was lighted. The win dow was opened, nnd n man looked out and whistled loudly. I stopped, thinking he meant to at tract my attention; thnt something might he wrong; thnt perhaps some one was needed to go for a doctor. My mistake was Immediately evident, how ever; X stood In tho shadow of the trees bordering the sldewnlk, and the man nt the window hnd not seen me. "Hoy! .oyt" he cnlled. softly. "Whore are you, Slmpledorln?" He leaned from the window, looking downward. "Why, thero you are!" he exclaimed, and turned to address some Invisible person within tho room. "lie's right thero underneath the window. I'll bring him up." Ho leaned out again. "Wait there, Slmpledorlal" be cnlled. "I'll bo down In n Jiffy and let you In." Puzzled, I stared nt the vacant Inwn before me. The clenr moonlight re yenlcd It brightly, nnd It was empty of ny living presence; there were no bushes nor shrubberies nor even shadows that could have been mis taken for a boy, If "Slmplfdnrlu" was pir P.yf2fmffmm'' KT--V !.... . ...& 4 HBAa ii ' i. Mias : i r i f' BVih -'y'vrrwz?. TARKINGTON Z&6k&JZs& n boy. There wns no dog In sight; there wns no cat; there was nothing benenth the window except thick, close-cropped grass. A light shone In the hnllway behind the brond front door; one of these wns opened, nnd revealed In silhouette the tnll, thin figure of a mnn In n long, old-fnshloned dressing-gown. "Slmpledorln," ho said, nddresslng the night air with considerable sever ity, "I don't know what to ninke of you. You might have cnught your death of cold, roving out at such nn hour. Hut there," he continued, more Indulgently; "wipe your feet on the mat and come In. You're snfo nowl" He closed the door, and I heard him call to some one up-stalrs, as he ar ranged the fastenings: "Slmpledorln Is nil right only n little chilled. I'll bring htm up to your lire." I went on my way In n condition of n8tonlshment thnt engendered, almost, a doubt of my eyes; for If my sight was unimpaired and myself not 'sub ject to optical or mental delusion, nei ther boy nor dog nor bird nor cat, nor any other object of this visible world, hud entered thnt opened door. Wns my "finest" house, then, a place of cnll for wnnderlng ghosts, who' came home to roost at four In the morning? It was only a step to Mrs. Appor thwnlte's; I let myself In with tho key that good lady had given me, stolo up to my room, went to my window, nnd stnred across the yard nt tho house next door. Tho front window In the second story, I decided, neeessurlly belonged to thnt room In which the Mrs. Apperthwalte Was the Kind of Woman Whom You Would Expect to Have a Beautiful Daughter, and Miss Apperthwalte More Than Ful filled Her Mother's Promise. lamp had been lighted; but all was dark thero now. I went to bed, and dreamed that I was out at sea In a fog, having embarked on n transpar ent vessel whose preposterous name, Inscribed upon glass life-belts, depend lug here and there from an Invisible rail, was "Slmpledorln." II. Mrs. Apperthwalte's was n commo dious old house, the greater part of It of about tho same nge, I Judged, as Its neighbor; but tho lnte Mr. Apper thwalte had caught the Mansard fever of the late 'Seventies, and the building disease, once fastened upon h'n, bad neer known n, convalescence, but, rather, a series of relnpses, the tokens of which, In tho nature of a cupola and a couple of frame turrets, were tcrrl- fylngly apparent. These romantic mis placements seemed to me not Inhar monious with the library, n cheerful nnd plensantly shabby npnrtment down-stairs, where 1 found (over a substratum of history, encyclopedia, and family nihle) some worn old vol umes of "Godey's I.ndy's Hook." nn enrly edition of Cooper's works; Scott,' Hulwer, Mncnulay, Iiyron, and Tenny son, complete; some old volumes of Victor Hugo, of tho elder Diimns, of Klaubort, of Gautler, and of Ilalzac: i "Clarissa," "I.nlla Itookh," "The Al- hnmbra," "Heulah," "Uarda," "I.uelle," "Uncle Tom's Cabin," "Hen-llur." "Trilby," "She," "I.lttle Lord ..'mint leroy;" and of n later decade, there were novels about thoHO delicately tan 3lii & Sv VTO' III Wkiv gled emotions experienced by the su preme few; ami stories of adventurous royalty; tales of "clean-limbed young American manhood;" and some thin volumes of rather precious verse. ' 'Twits amid these romnntlc scenes thnt I awaited the sound of the lunch hell (which for me was the announce ment of breakfast), when I arose from my first night's slumbers under Mrs. Appcrthwnlto's roof; nnd I wondered If the books were n fair mirror of Miss Apperthwalte's mind (I had been told that Mrs. Apperthwnlte hnd a daugh ter). Mrs. Apperthwnlte herself, In her youth, might have snt to nn Illus trator of Scott or Bulwer. Evon now you could seo she hnd come as near being romantically beautiful ns wns consistently proper for such n timid, gentle little gentlewoman as she wns. Ilcduccd, by her husband's Insolvency (coincident with his demise) to "keep ing boarders," she did It gracefully, ns If tho urgency thereto were only a spirit of quiet hospitality. It should be added In haste that she set nn ex cellent tnble. Moreover, the guests who gathered nt her board were of n very attractive description, ns I decided the lnstnnt my eye fell upon the lndy who snt op posite mo nt lunch. I knew nt once thnt she wns Miss Apperthwnlte, she "went so," ns they sny, with her mother; nothing could hnvo been more suitable. Mrs. Apperthwalte was the kind of womnn whom you would ex pect to have n beautiful daughter, and Miss Apperthwnlte more thnn fulfilled her mother's promise. I guessed her to be more thnn Juliet Capulet's age, Indeed, yet still be tween that and the perfect age of woman. She was of n lnrger, fuller, more striking type thnn Mrs. Apper thwnlte, n bolder type one might put It though she might hnvo been a grout deal bolder than Mrs. Apper thwalte without being bold. Certainly sho wns handsome enough to make It cllHIcult for a young fellow to keep from staring at her. Sho had nn abundance of very soft, dork hair, wont almost austerely, as If Its pro fusion necessitated repression; and I inn compelled to admit thut her fino eyes expressed n distnnt contcmpln tlon obviously of habit not of mood so pronounced that one of her enemies (If she hnd any) might have described them as "dreamy." Only one other of my own sex was prcseiit nt the lunch table, n '.Mr. Dow den, an elderly Inwycr and politician of whom I had heard, and to whom Mrs. Apperthwnlte, coming In nfter the rest of us were scnted, Introduced me. Sho mnde the presentntlon gen eral ; and I hnd the experience of re ceiving a nod nnd n slow glnnce, In which there wns n sort of dusky, estl mntlng brllllnnce, from tho benutlful lady opposite me. It might have been better mannered for mo to nddress myself to Mr. Dow den, or one of the very nice elderly women, who were my fellow-guests, thnn to open n conversntlon with Miss Apperthwnlte; but I did not stop to think of thnt. "You have n splendid old house next door to you here, Miss Apperthwnlte," I snld. "It's n privilege to find It In view from my window." There wns n fnlnt stir ns of Rome coustcrnntlon In the little compuny. The elderly Indies stopped talking nb ruptly nnd exchnnged glnnces, though this wns not of my observation nt the moment. I think, hut recurred to my consciousness Inter, when I hnd per ceived my blunder. "May I nsk who lives there?" I pur sued. Miss Apperthwnlte nllowed her no tlcenble lushes to cover her eyes for nn lnstnnt, then looked up ngaln. "A Mr. Bensley," she snld. "Not the Honorable David Bensley I" I exclaimed. "Yes," she returned with n certnln gravity which I nfterwnrd wished hnd checked me. "Do you know him?" "Not In person," I explained. "You see, I've written a good deal about him. I was with the Spcncervllle Journal until n few dnys ngo, and oven In the country we know who's who In politics over tho stnte. Bens ley's tho man that went to Congress nnd never made a speech never mndo even a motion to adjourn but got ev erything his district wanted. There's talk of him for governor." "Indeed?" "And so it's the Honorable David Beasley who lives In thnt splendid plnce. How curious thnt lsl" "Why?" asked Miss Apperthwalte. "It seems too big for one man," I answered ; "and I've nlwnys had the Impression Mr. Beasley was n bach elor." "Yes," she said, rather slowly, "he Is." "But of course he doesn't live there nil nlone," I supposed, nloud, "prob ably he has " "No. There's no one else except a couple of colored servants." "What a crime I" I exclnlmed. "If there ever was a house meant for n large family, that one Is. Can't you almost hear It crying out for heaps nnd heaps of romping children? I should think" I was Interrupted by n loud cough from Mr. Dow-den, so abrupt and arti ficial that his Intention to check tho How of my Innocent prnttlc was em barrassingly obvious even to me! "Can you tell tne," he said, leaning forward and following up the Inter tuptlon ns hnstlly ns possible, "whnt the farmers were getting for their wheat when you loft Spencervlllo?" "I mean he's a man of no Imagination. None In the world. Not one ounce of Imagination. Not one grain I" (to bb CO.NT1NUBD.) Tfie Christmas J Christopher G. Hazaid Copyright 1922 ku g. Western Newspaper Union T WAS not a very cheerful boy thut was looking out of the window ut whut llttlu dirty Ice the winter thaw had left upon the hill In front of the house. Through the fine coasting days he i.ail heurd the happy noise of the sledding while the doctor had said that he could not go out and Join In it, nnd now, though he might soon be out of doors ngaln, there was no surety of as good a hill ngaln and small pros pect of sport. It wasn't u very cheerful house, either. Mr. Bondage was a chalnmak er, and when he came home from his lion works he always seemed to bring Ills business with him. The house of liondngu wns big and strong, but It was bard, and still, and dark, and too orderly. From the outside It looked like a fori, and Inside, the chairs stood at attention, like soldiers. The par lor was a solemn place, where the stiff furniture was seldom prevented from looking nt Itself in the gilded mirror. The d nlng room didn't get tho sun until towards evening, when the motto, "Be (nod and You Will Be Happy" couhl I as plainly seen ns the one on the opposite wall, "Chil dren Should Be i-ven but Not Heurd." When the lm.v put on his hated 1)11) there, it exhorted him with. "Don't Eat Too Much." Chained to the front porch was an iron dog, whose fixed anil ferocious Miarl was a standing Insult to all the village dogs that could get through the Iron fence to dispute with him. Tlfere was some fun about the place; It was when a surprised 'dog retired from the nttack with a new respect for the tough guardian of the Bondage in terests. Even the Iron-clad knight In the front hall seemed to laugh through his visor then. Besides all this, Ishmael had hnd no Christmas. Mr. Bondage did not be lieve In Christmas; to him Santa Clans wns a foolish Imagination and a hurtful superstition. He hnd Joined "The Society for the Prevention of Useless Giving," and wns glad to bo called a Spug. On December 2uth he had presented to his son a picture of himself, standing In front of his ofllco with the scowl upon his face that rep resented his Idea of the expression of greuiness, nut me oniy comrorc or tne day for tho boy had been the sweet contents of the small package that his mother had smuggled Into his room Just before daylight. But Ishmael Bondnge had an Aunt Sarah ! And Aunt Sarah had the pleasantest home In the country. It was a low, wide, rambling old house, In the midst of the trees and hugged by the climbing vines thut loved It. There wasn't a plnce In It too good to be used and In Its snowy whiteness It seemed to shine out upon, the fenceless grounds with nn Invltntlon to the hos. pltnllty of Its gardens nnd the good Aunt Sarah Carried Ishmael Off. cheer of Its friendly owners. Thnt was the bright spot for I.shinnel. When he went out there his aunt would hung his Kauntleroy suit up In the Closet and give him n leather suit that could not he torn and tell lilm to go It, He could eat without a bib and there was pot a motto In sight. By the time that vacation was over he wns a ral boy. The other hoys stopped calling him "Sissy" und no longer asked him If his niothtr knew ho was out. Indeed, he up and thrashed n bullying boy who had knocked over one of his compan ions wIip was about hulf his size. Af ter this thero wns nothtug thut ho could itrt have among his crowd. So, every retention sent a prim but Joyful boy to Aunt Sarah and closed with a more robust hut rather dejected one on his wu? home. But Aunt Snrah also had n mind of her own, Sho hnd so much mind thnt sho hnd concluded that winter to go nnd give Benjamin Bondnge n pleco og It. Sho considered Ishmnel's stnte mil situation und resolved to give his iiuher "u good talking to." When she Green 1m r XV ill i. wftity III tJ m appeared Mr. Bondage felt that hlo time hnd probubly come. When she hnd finished he knew It hnd. She told lilm thnt he had forgotten thnt ho wns ever n boy, If, Indeed, ho had ever been one, thnt ho had made himself Into nn Iron mnn, thut he wns blind eyed nnd hard-hearted, thut he seemed determined to fasten nil his chains up on Ishmnel and make his son as stiff und cold as an Icicle. Mrs. Bondage, behind the door, ex pected her husbnnd to object In loud und nngry tones, but, to her astonish ment, he wns silent. He seemed to remember nn old motto, "Discretion Is the Better Pnrt of Valor," profitably, and did not Interfere, even when Aunt Snrah, Hushed, but triumphant, carried Ishmael off. There was some winter play left and to come at Sweetllcld, but Aunt Snrnh wasn't satisfied as easily ns thnt, for she hnd made up the rest of her mind Into nn Idea thnt Ishmael should hnvo tho Christmas thnt ho hadn't had, af ter nil. It wasn't much of n Chrlstmns day when the belated Chrlstmns tree blossomed nnd bore fruit, but It wns n fine tree. The snow nnd Ice hnd dis appeared and n warm wind made tho late winter seem like early spring, but Aunt Sarah said that evergreen trees kept Christmas all the year round, anil that every day was their day. Cer- & xaicj "A Wonderful Pocketknlfe " talnly It was the most Interesting tree that Ishmael had ever seen, from tho bundle ut the bottum, through all the oninments, lights und gifts., to the mys terious pneknge nt the top of It shone with kind und thoughtful love and sparkled with merry wishes and glad promise. They and the children from the neighborhood who had come to share the Joy und the presents that Aunt Sarah had prepared were won dering whnt would bo found In thut lust parcel ut the top, until It wns tuken down, und then u part of the party, at least, was surprised when the wrapping was taken off and a wonder ful pocketknlfe, beside a first-class football, conveyed merry wishes from Mr. Bondage to his, son. Aunt Sarah said afterwards that nt this she near ly "went off the handle." When May came It boomed time for Ishmael to go home, but he was not very happy ut the prospect. Indeed, he was rather unhappy about It. He felt something like one on his way to Jail, and even shed tears at the thought of leaving Sweetlleld, so thut a squirrel, seeing lilm wiping his eyes under a tree, exclaimed "Oh, what n rainy boy!" but the dny came and Ishmael went. Another surprise awaited lilm, how ever, for, us he neared home and en tered It, everything seemed changed. The house looked sunny and pleasant In Its new colors, the fence had disap peared, the Iron dog hud been moved to the barn, and the mailed knight had gone down to the ironworks to be turned Into plowshares. When Mr. Bondage went out to Sweetlleld to visit his sister und to report upon Ishmucl's progress, Aunt Sarah had her rewnud. "It Is all your doing, Sarah," said he. "I needed someone to show me up to myself." "Well, brother," said Aunt Sarah, "A Stitch In Time Saves Nine," as the proverb has it, and you certainly will bo proud of our boy yet, as proud of him as I am of my big, new brother." When December came blustering around again ami brought Santa Clans and nil his load of love and Jollity, there was no place that more warmly welcomed lilm than Mount Freedom, as Mr. Bondage's home had come U be called, nnd of till tho happy Christ, mas parties of that year, none wnt fuller of mirth and good cheer than the one at Mount Freedom. They danced about the tree and under tho motto thnt hung from the top of it with Its message of good will to every body, the football was kicked all over the iloor and they shouted In their glee. The squeaking toys, the tooting whistles, the happy songs, all made the time as merry ns It ought nlwnys to be, while tho gifts spoko messages of love. Ishmael had prospered enough In his studies to make a picture of Sweet lleld. It hung over the mantel shelf In the living room und under It ho hnd written, "Tho Homo of tho Green Chrlstmiis." When nnyone asked him nbout It ho would tell them how spring onco enmo In a wintry time; he would say that while Christmas comes but once a year, It sometimes comes twice, and that whenever It comes It bring! good cheer; but V.o wns never nblo to mako n picture of his Aunt Sarak that Beemed to him good enough- Llllf' V J H rTMlRM SPENT HALF HER TIME IN BED Farmer' Wife Tells How Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound WadcHer a Well Woman Carter's Creek, Tenn. " Thrco years ngo I was almost nn invalid. I spent half of my time In bed. hoinc nfiliptflrf with a trouble which women of a certain nge aro apt to have. i wok L.ydia ta. Pinkham'svepfibihla Compound Tablets nnd used Lvdia E. Pinkham's Sanativo Wnsh. I nm n well womnn no w nnd hnvn been for two years. I inn work na wnll ii any one who is younger and as I am a farmer's wife I havo plenty to do for I cujtivato my own garden, raise many chickens and do my own housework. You may publish this letter ns I nm ready to do anything to help other women as I havo been so well nnd happy since my troubles aro past." Mrs. E.T. Galloway, Carter's Creek, Tenn. Most women find plenty to do. If they aro upset with aomefemnlo ailment ana troubled with such symptoms ns Mrs. Gnllowny had, tho smallest duty Eeems a mountain. If you find it hard to keep up, if you aronervousand irritable, withoutnmbi tion and out of sorts generally, give tho Vegetable Compound a fair trial. Wo behovo it will help you greatly, for it bos helped otber3. Bad Breath Is Usually Due to Constipation When you nre constipated, not enough of Nature's lubricating liquid is pro duced in the bowel to keep the food waste soft and moving. Doctors prescribe Nujol because it acts like this natural lubricant and tliua replaces it. r u j o i is a lubricant not a medicine or laxative so taf cannot gripe. Try it today. A LUBRICANT-NOT A LAXATIVE CURES COLDS -( LA GRIPPE o&N Standard cold remedy world over. Demand box bcarlnc Mr. Hill's portrait and signature. 1, At All Dru6tists3Q Cents Let Us Hope. "Tho old prejudice against being photographed in a hat seems to bo dy ing out," buys a fashion writer. It Is hoped that this foreshadows nn end of the modern reluctance to be photo graphed In n dress. London I'unch. Loyal. She So you kissed thut painted i creature. Ho Yes. I saluted the colors. Help That Bad Back! ARK you tortured with constant back ache tired, wenk, all uustnine after the Icift exertion? Evening find you worn out nnd discouraged? Then look to your kidneys! -When the kid neys weaken, poisons accumulate in the system and cause nagging backache, tabbing pains, hepdachea and dizziness. You feel nervous, irritable nnd "blue," and likely suffer annoying bladder ir regularities. Don't waft. Neglect may lead to FPrious kidney sickness. Use Doan's Kidney Pills. Doan's have helped thousand and should help you. Ask your neighbor! A Nebraska Case Frank Copen hnven, P o n o a, Neb., nays: "I had lumbago nnd I couldn't walk HtrarlKht. Sharp pulns cnuBht mo through my kid neys and my kid neys acted fro nuontly. Tho so crotlons wore highly colored. A friend pavo mo a l4kv box or Doan's In tliroo dnys tho Kidney Pills nnd lumnaKO was Kono nnd my hack was BtronK. Tho euro linn lusted." Cet Dcnn'i at Any Store, GOc Dos DOAN'S "p'ssy FOSTER-MILDURN CO., BUFFALO. N. Y. A TRUE RAT STORY AtlhllrntATvn Tnn 0-44 Stoarns Rlectrlo Parte Co., Dear Slrn: Mr. Ilobert T. Donnell of Auburntown, Tonn., came In our itore tho other day and wanted somethlnr to kill rata, eo I aold him a box Stearai nat I'aato. And he put some pasta on alx bltculti that night and the next mom. lne he found llfty-four big rata. And the aecond nlsht ho put out four more bla cutta with paate on them, and the aecond mornlne he found aeventcon more rata, maklnic a total of seventy-ono rata In two nlchti, and there were lota more that he did not find. Thl Is some big rat talej but, never theless. It la ao. Juit thought would write to let you know that your rat pasts la good, Beapectfully, KENNEDY BnOTHEnS. Buy a 35c Box Today Enough to Kill SO to 100 flats or Mica Don't waate time trying to kill these pesta wlthpowdera,llqulilsandotheroxperlmental preparations. lUfldy for Dae Ilrttrr Than Trap. Drug and Oenera) stores sell STEARNS' ELECTRIC PASTE IIIIIIJ,M"'JIIIIII -; m$m x xil rHT I y ..MTU '( n v1 f X I i j