Belt Valley times. [volume], December 17, 1925, Page Page Six, Image 6

About Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977

Image provided by: Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT

                
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Christmas Parcel
for Miss Melinda
Package Did Not Contain
Expected Ring, but She
Became Engaged.
By MARION R. REAGAN
ISS MELINDA
BROWN, spinster,
had been waiting
all year for Peter
Moffat to propose.
In fact, ever since
they had met some
two years before,
she had felt that
Peter could b* brought around to take
the "big plunge" with ber into the sea
of matrimony, but things had not gone
on so well as she/could have hoped.
She was sure Peter loved her, but he
was an extremely shy man and It re
quired no little pushing to get him up
to the point Several times Melinda
thought she "had" him. She bad given
him every opening by referring coyly
to her "own Uttle
home—If she ever
had one." and to
her "lonely life
at present," but
Peter only sat si
lent at such re
marks. ignoring
them completely,
or stupidly tell
ing her that after
all, many people
led more lonely
lives than she,
and not to be so
discontented.
Melinda looked
forward to the
approaching
Christmas season
with glee. Surely
M
:
Jh>'t
be would give ber a ring for Christ
mas. after theee months of courting.
The season advanced and Christmas
arrived bringing a parcel from Mr.
Moffat and a note sent from Chicago.
Melinda's heart sank when she saw
the postmark. "Out of town for
Christmas. Then it la all off," the
•aid sadly. She glanced at the pack
age-tea inches square—eorely no en
gagement ring In that" Slowly abe
untied It It waa writing paper. She
opened the letter from him and read
"Just a Christmas greeting, hoping
you will write to me frequently.
shall be In Chicago for several months.
"Sincerely,
"PETER MOFFAT."
Furious, Melinda tore the note Into
bits. *T shall never look at him
again," she breathed. -And after the
way I've run after him! But that's
been Nie trouble. Tv* run after him
too much. I shall never writ* to him.
From this out I shall never apeak to
him again—never apeak to him
again r she repeated emphatically.
And Melinda kept her word.
Peter Moffat was growing a little
messy. Three months had passed and
bo word from Melinda. It finally be
came too much even for the patient
Mr. Mofffet. He felt bis temper rising
ÿ steadily against Melinda -Thinks she
can play a game like that, eh? Ran
atom me while Pm in town and then
drop ne wImq Î go mj. p4Æ
after
«bought hwgirt crimson flashes of
jteaJeasy to «« already highly colored
Moffat "By George,
ether man now." This
m w&mm Will ragke a fool out of
f* fee exploded. "Hi go to Spring-
tonlgfct and TU make her marry
is, t»»r
îïlernj Christmas,
Happy Neu? IJearl
•«
,,
By BlUs Park« Ball«,
TITTLE cmllssd Rastas com» a sh ip p m
« dot** the street,
A-tmilin' an' a-grmnm' at everyone he meet,
My, ohl he trot happy! Boy! but he wets ray
Wishia' « Merry Christmas" an' "Happy
New-Year's Day *7
Wiskin' that kss wishes might every am
come tree—
And- bless yarn door haart, honey,—I wish
tha soma to you!
In, Arthur, who had come from Kan
■aa City was having dinner with her
at the hotel the night Peter Moffat
came In from Chicago. Peter was hur
rying down the street JTrora the station
when he happened to look in at the
brightly lighted restaurant of the
hotel and there—what? He stopped
dead still, the evil green monster ris
ing In his breast. It was Melinda
with another man! His first Impulse
was to rush Into the hotel, punch this
Impertinent stranger and carry Me
linda off with him. Bat this shy
ness was stronger than his pas
sion and be only
turned away,
grinding his teeth
and clenching his
flata. He would
see Melinda In
the morning at
her house I
The next morn
ing shout nine
o'clock Melinda
was surprised to
see Peter Moffat
at ber door. She
began to tremble
nervously. "Good
morning, Peter,"
she said to him,
à I
:
I
and (extended a
cold, moist hand,
Peter granted.
-I've come to talk to you, Melinda,*
he said very seriously indeed, and
closed the door behind him. They
sat Is the little parlor of the Brown
house. "Ton haven't been playing a
straight game with me, Melinda." he
began. "1 know all about It—yon
needn't try to explain. I saw yon last
night, and I've seen you other nights.
Too have only been using me aa a
plaything while you've had these
other fellows on the side."
Melinda gasped. -Why Peter Moffat,
you—yon"— ehe could think of noth
ing to say.
*T know aH about It," be repeated;
Tt* been watching you. Now all I've
got to say 1» that I'm not a man to be
trilled with. Either your merry me at
once or yon never will eee me again.
I want an answer right now, yes or
no."
Melinda felt as though she had been
suddenly hurled Into an avalanche.
She could not understand what had
gotten into Peter, or what he waa r*.
ferrlng to. She did know, however,
with an ecstatic
be was proposing.
of delight that
Peter," she said meekly.
L P * tw triumphant,
1~-«1 ov.r .n« HM U. fnt,„ .If.
tenderly. "Well be married tomor-
raw," be said.
(to I***. Waatara Nwapapw Daten.)
DaUyad Appreciation
It's dUBealt tor youth to reckon with
Th« saasrou« Joy« that mate* th*
pulnna throb.
Som« day thay Inara that Santy ta a
myth
And that *!d tathw dear eras «a th*
leb
llilAtttt
IMtlltHI
Upon
: ; Christmas Day
• I By William Low, in The Christian
; m » I mm
^ STAR peeped forth upon durlat
And told of that other Star:
Whose beams shins bright, through
ths world's dark night.
And scattar tha shadows far.
mas Eve,
A enowdrop bloomed upon Chrladgaa
Day,
And told of that spot Ip as flower:
Whose perfume pure, should all treats
endure.
And brighten Barth's wintry bow.
Ths balls rang out upon Christmas
Day,
And thslr massage came a call
To worship the Son of the Highest
Ons.
Who cams with good will to all.
The holly berries on Christmas Day,
Blushed red In their fadeh y n
For their coral red, shewed the blood
drops abed.
As they shone ths barbsd leaves
between.
A feast was spread upon Christmas
Day,
And mirrored the feast He spread.
Who was born that He might onr
Banquet be.
The True and tha Living Bread.
A son came home upon Christmas Day,
A son from a far off land:
And he told once more, of God's open
door.
Tbs kiss and the welcoming Hand.
A babe waa born upon Christmas Day,
And the speechless infant told.
Of the manger Child, that in baauty
smiled.
On that first glad day of old.
Christmas Giving
and Being Happy
How Yuletide Problem W«
Solved in Most Satis*
factory Manner.
By KATHERINE EDELMAN
OHN WARNER
his wife sat talk
ing In the living
room of their little
bungalow until
clock on the man
tel struck the mid
night hour.
"Good gracions.
John I" Ellen said, *T bad no Idea that
It was so late."
"That's because you were so Inter
ested. dear," John answered ; "when
comes to making plana for Betty you
forget time and everything else."
Ellen reddened ever so slightly. She
knew that what John said was true,
for ever since
Betty had come
to them, now
nearly six years
ago, her whole
life bad been
wrapped up In
the child. Hers
was such a pas
sion of mother
love that some
times she grew
almost frightened
at Its Intensity,
and often when
John had laugh
ingly teased ber
about forgetting
him for Betty ber
conscience smote
her.
IS
And now she had talked John
into letting her buy the big doll
that had been In Harwell's wltùow
since the holiday season open ad.
John had tried to tell ber that the
small gifts they bad already pur
chased would be enough for Betty,
but finally he had given In to her
pleading. She agreed with him that
twenty dollars was a big sum to spend
for a doll, but Betty was Betty and
deserved It,
For the Warners were poor—not
poor In the utter, abject poverty that
flaunta Its face to the world on-
shamed—but poor In the poverty that
means worn and threadbare carpets,
clothing grown thin and shiny from
long usage, and a careful pausing be-
fore the spending of an unnecessary
penny. Somehow, since Betty came
they bad never been able to get ahead ;
there waa always something needed
for Betty and she had always gotten IL
Next morning Ellen left the house
early, with the wonderful twenty dol-
lars In ber parse,
left next door, all unconscious of the
errand her mother was on. Half way
to town two women entered the car
and sat back of Ellen. They were of
the loud, overbearing type of wom-
en, overdressed and contemptuous of
those who possessed Uttle of material
things. Scraps of their conversation
came to Ellen at rimes through the
mase of her busy thoughts.
-I think It's perfectly awful. I du"
<me of them waa saying, -the way
some women do. It's really sinful In
these days to be dowdy, a woman's
got to wear good doth« to be any-
body, and believe mo, lt*a the dowdy
women who walk alone,"
-You've Just said It," her companion
Betty had been
answered. -As I tell George when be
kicks shout tbs bills, a woman has got
to dress nowadays or gut nothing rat
of life." , ^
The words sank Into Ellen's brain
t taraient at a crossing: "Be fair to
yourself, buy your laffHnery «t Madam
Courteau's," And as other words of
that ilk floated beck from th« women
inside of Sura Warnt*.
Her glance traveled to her dress,
ber shabby, mended gloves, and
face began to born as ah« thought
the little hat abe was wearing.
tried to shake off the feeling that was
upon her and to get her mind back
her mission, but somehow everything
seemed different now In the light
the strange nnreat that was filling
her heart •'Was abe a little fool,
these women had said. Was she fair
to herself? Bad she. In the little
mean things that were her everyday
portion and which until now had
seemed to her veritable things of de
light cheated herself out of all that
meant so much to other women? Had
she really been fair to herself In sacri
ficing so mnch for her child?"
The car pulled up with a Jerk. She
alighted quickly and made her way
toward Harwell'«. Suddenly she
stopped abort A sign overhead caught
her eye: ''Be fair to yourself—buy
your millinery at Madam Courteau'*."
Then her gaze traveled to the window
with its array of tempting millinery.
And as she gazed her breath began
to come quickly, her hands to open
and close with nervous, twitching
movements. For a little hat In a dull
shade of blue caught her eye. She
was gazing at It fascinated, for as the
sun outshines the stars, so to Kllen
did this particular hat eclipse ail the
other* In the window. Somehow, It
seemed to her at that moment as If
she had been wanting a hat like that
all her life. The little pink rosebuds
that nestled around the crown seemed
to call and beckon to her, and almost
before she realized what abe was do
Ing she was Inside the store and ask
ing to see the hat The saleslady,
with all the art that was hers, placed
It with a skillful touch on Ellen's
head. And as Ellen looked in the
great mirror she saw a face that was
flushed to a rose-pink with excitement,
and above It the much-wanted hat,
which seemed to be s very part of her
self, so thoroughly becoming It was.
She wanted the hat so bad I The soft,
lovely colors brought out all-tbe charm
of her fair loveliness and she thought
how much John
would like to see
her as she looked
now. The thought
of her husband
brought another
thought to her,
too. Perhaps all
these y^ars, while
they had been
sacrificing
skimping, he, too,
had wished for
and wanted many
things. Surely he
must have ! Not,
perhaps,
like women cared
tor, but other lit
tle luxuries that
many of her friends had. She re
membered now how longingly he had
often looked toward the golf links
—what a big thing it would be 11
Christmas would bring him the things
necessary to play the game. The city
maintained a free course not far from
their home. And If she wanted so
badly to spend twenty dollars for a
hat, surely John, who was seeing and
hearing things every day, must often
have wanted something pretty badly,
too. She thought now how wonderful
he bad always been—never a word of
complaint, bat always cheery and
happy. She realised now, with a bit
ter feeling at her heart, that she had
not been fair to him—she had given
thatr child more than her share of the
little they had. Bat from now on
things were going to be différant —
John mast have the best Betty bad
many years ahead to enjoy things, and
besides she realised now It did not
take expensive gifts to please children.
With hands that trembled Ellen
reached op and took the hat from her
head and, not daring to look at It
again, hurriedly left the store.
That Christmas waa a very happy
one for the Warners. For, although
Betty did not
and
Y
I
tilings
!*
get big doll,
seemed just sa pleased and happy as
a child could well be. And mien felt
a new glow at ber heart when she
presented John with his Christmas
gift, for he was as Jubilant as a boy
about It Her sacrifice had been in
deed worth while—what did a becom
ing bat matter when pat beside the
happiness she felt Just now?
But the good Christmas fairy mast
bava beau watching all, for an hour
later John's boos called up to wish
him a merry Christmas and to tell him
that Old Man Jlnaon was going to
resign and that John would have hts
place. A wonderful Christmas sur
pris* It waa, for It meant an extra
five hundred a year to the Warnen.
Which made It probable that Ellen got
her much-wanted hat. after sIL
Mb t*M. VMM Mowapaper Date*.)
THE MISTLETOE
MO MISTLETOE la needed
A* u> the heart to ta the right
place," "people say. But neither
to there any real need for a
Christmas tree, a special Christ-
mas dinner, a worn-out feeling
from doing too modi around the
11
Christmas seas«)- There to no
actual need «f all this, l et If
it were not for all these there
would be lees happiness and
more and more happiness to st-
ways needed.
So do not discard the mistle-
toe. There may h* love without
It but tt lends a romance, a
char» of Its own that no heart
can di*** nan with.—Mary Om-
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rriiTTLE
Looks awfully silly g||
Dressed up in her mother's best clothes«
If she doesn't take care
She may trip on the stair.
Or fall down and bump her small nose.
Miss Lilly
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