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THE LIBERAL DEMOCRAT mm if FPOSITE each other In the cosy morning room sat a young woman and a girl of twelve. "Now, Cousin Hilda," said the latter, as she smoothed down her dress and settled herself in her chair, "I'm going to begin at the beginning and and tell you all about It, and then we are to go out and buy a Santa Claua present for him." "Yes, Polly," answered the young woman. , "You had gone to Europe. You had Just packed up and skated as If the police were after you. Mother said she didn't believe you wanted to go the least little bit, but that your moth er made you." "Don't talk nonsense, Polly." . "Well, you Bkated anyhow." "And don't talk slang." "Skated isn't slang. It means that you Just glided off like a streak of lightning. You had skated, and I was lonesome, and I was out walking with poor Flora, when a boy came along with a big dog. He was tough. So was his dog. He shouted at me: " 'Take care of your dog!' " 'Why?-' I answered. " ' 'Cause my dog will chew him. up!' - "I was Just going to tell him that If his dog did there would be trouble iu the camp, when It sprang upon poor Flora and ended her life. I can't describe my feelings as I saw her breathing her last." "Well, don't try to not If there's any slang in it." "Why, Hilda, I haven't said a slang word. You know hw very, very par ticular mother Is with me. No, I can't . describe my feelings, but I remember that I went for that boy, tooth and toe nail. I hit and scratched and 1 I (i 1 n .1 n n A Kit anH T ii' a u Afrv him nivncu (uiu un, " "-J uw.mq " up when " "Polly Sewell!" exclaimed Miss Hilda In horror. 1 "Now what's happened?" Polly asked. '"I told It, to papa Just this way, and he patted me on the shoul der and called me good girl. As I was saying, I was putting In my test licks when along came a taxi with a fat woman in it. Maybe she was eloping, and maybe she only wanted to get home to lunch. . Maybe the chauffeur yelled 'Hi!' at me, and maybe he Just wanted to kill another girl. However It was, he ran me down. Yes, cousin, I was knocked' out." "You mean you lost consciousness?" "Gracious, but how Ignorant you are for a girl of tweftty! Nobody can be knocked out without losing their consciousness. That's the whole Idea of it. Yes, I was knocked out and counted out, and when I came to I was in the hospital with three broken ribs. That fat woman must have weighed a ton. It was hours and hours before I came to, and then oh, then4 "Then what?" "Then there was the loveliest angel standing beside my cot in the hos pital you ever saw. Nobody knew who I was, and they had rung for the ambulance and taken me to the hos pital. And, oh, that angel, cousin "that angel!" "You mean a nurse, of course." "I don't. I mean a man a doctor. He had hold of my hand. He was looking down on me with his sad, sad eyes. I saw at once that he had tome great sorrow on his mind. Yes, he had the finest eyes and curly hair, and a handsome nose, and whec he spoke to me there was pathos In his voice. And the fun of the whole thing was that I knew him at once, while he didn't know me from a side of sole-leather. Oh, you are interested, are you?" "Polly, I was Just thinking how frightened you must have been to find yourself in a hosiptal," said the blush ing Hilda.- .i ' "Oh, I see! Well, save your sym pathy. A hospital with an angel doctor to fix up your broken ribs Isn't a half bad place. In fact, I liked it so well that I lied to stay there." . "Polly Sewell!" - "I sure did. They had gone through my outfit without finding my address and bad concluded I was a stranger in the town. jen I opened my eyes and sort o' winked at the angel" "Polly, that's surely slang!" "No it isn't. I told papa about It, and he said things had come to a pretty-pass if a girl with three broken ribs couldn't wink at the angel-doctor who has set them. When I had opened my eyes and winked the doc tor said: " 'Little girl, what Is your name? "'It's Hanah Jones. " 'And where do wou live?' " 'At far-off Blackberry Corners.' " "Polly, you ought to have been sent to Jail!" was the emphatic comment. "But I had my little scheme to work, you see. Papa hunted for 0v days before be found me, and then it was ten more before the angel would let him take me home. Cousin Hilda, a girl who is the real thing can accom plish a heap in fifteen days, even If she has, broken ribs. I wanted to have a chat with that angel on outside mat ters, and I had three or four of them. You ought to have seen his face when I told him where I had seen him be fore and asked If he didn't remember me." "But but I don't don't " pro tested Hilda In a puzzled way. "But you will In Just a minute. I told him I had seen him In this very house! Now, then!" . "Polly, It wasn't?' "Oh, it wasn't eh? Want to bet a 920 hat It wasn't? Of course it was, and I was so mad at you that It set my broken ribs back all of three days. Dr. Charles Mortimer, and because he Isn't rich your mother .Is down on him and she skated you off to Europe. Oh, I got on to the racket right away." "Polly Sewell, you are a wicked girl! You use slang, and you fib to the doctor, and you meddle with other people's affairs, and and " "And such dark eyes and such a deep, pathetic voice! And we had several confidential chats together very confidential. We didn't even let a trained nurse come within ten feet of us. Hilda, you don't know how confidential a girl becomes when three of her ribs are broken and she is afraid to draw long breaths!" "And and you talked about me?" "We did. I told him Just what I thought of your mother, and I told him I was going to have a plain talk with you, and I told him " "Polly Sewell, I'll never speak to you again!" declared Miss Hilda as she rose and tried to look very angry. "You'll have to, as we are going down town right away to buy Christ mas presents for your Sunday school kids. I want you to help me pick out something for our angel-doctor." "You you can do that by your self." "But you can tell me whether the diamonds are all O. K. or not. No rhlnestones for the angel with the deep, dark eyes. Dear me, while I can't help but grieve about poor Flora's death, I almost wish I could "You Mean a Nurse, of Course." have three ribs broken on the other side!" It was three days before Christmas, and the streets were crowded and the stores packed like a ward caucus. It was crowd and Jam-and push. The cousins had to link hands to prevent separation. They had visited two or three stores and were still In the Jam when Polly suddenly disengaged her hand and whispered: "Watch my hike!" And ten seconds later she was lost In the crowd, and the angel-doctor and Miss Hilda Fitch stood face to face. They were penned In. They had to lean against a show-case and hold their own. They had to talk" and say things, and by and by the angel-doctor had to help select the presents for the Sunday school chil dren and to help Miss Hilda through the Jam to a taxi, and and "Say, now," observed the twelve-year-old Polly when she made a call three days later on her cousin, "I don't claim to know everything, but I do know when to to bike!" And she wasn't even asked what "hike" meant! Holly and Mistletoe. In the language of flowers holly sig nifies foresight, and mistletoe means "I have surmounted all difficulties." Holly, as everyone knows, Is the sym bol or sign of Christmas, but the cus tom of using It Is older than Chris tianity. The Romans sent friendly greetings and sprigs of 'holly to one another during thler winter festival. For this reason, perhaps. It was taken to stand for the spirit of love and good-will. Mustn't Spin at Chrlstmaetlde. In North Germany, where the prac tical yet poetic spinning wheel still hums in the cottages, one must, not spin during the "twelve nights of Christmas lest he or she walk after death. If the spinning Is done after sunset on Saturday, mice will eat the work. If one wishes to have money and good luck all the year, one should not fall to eat herring on New Year's. Day. Liberal School News The primary, 2nd and 3rd B (Trades sent a Thanksgiving offer ing of $7,78 to the orphans home at Council Bluffs, Iowa. Mrs. Vickers has received a letter from the Home sending their apprecia tion and thanks to the children who helped in sending the gift. The primary teachers are plan ning a good time for the children next Friday afternoon. They will have a Christmas tcee and a moth er goose program. All grades will have some kind of a Christmas program except the 7th, who had an elaborate Thanks giving program. The 8th will have a mock trial in which Santa will be tried as an imnositor by a jury composed of Mother Goose, April Fool, Queen of May, Father Time and other peers o.1 Santa. The (5th will have a Santa Clans Xmas party. In fact, there will bo something of interest in all grades and we invite patrons of the school to attend. All programs will begin at 1:30 p. m. The enrollment in the Primary and lst year has reached 110. Fred Carson, Herald Friermood and Eva Kight have been out of school on account of sickness. Wm. Curry former princinpal of the Liberal Schools was in town visiting last week. Mr, Curry is now maeaging a large orchard in Jefferson Co. He was surprised at the increase in our enrollment in the last two years. School closes Friday for a two weeks' vacation. Miss Hesse will spend the vaca tion at her home in St. Marys; Miss Wells at Kingman; Mr. Ful ton at Winchester; and Mr. Rin dom at Emporia; Miss Glenn at Wichita; Miss Allen in Topeka; Miss Briley in Chanute and Miss Thompson at Hoxie. The other teachers will remain in the city. The Domestic Science depart ment at the high school are plan ning a Xma dinner Friday. The high school boys have purchased the turkeys and the girls are to cook them. ' Visitors last wepk: Mrs. Bradley, Mrs. Shumate Mrs. Hannity Mrs. Quails Mrs. Nichols Mrs. Herethe The Liberal teachers held their December meeting Monday even ing in the high school building. The subject discussed was "The Place of Industrial Work and Applied Arts in the School." Miss Wells, Mis? Kelton and Mr. Rin dom gave some very interesting and well prepared papers on dif ferent pharses of the subject, which led to an interesting discus sion of the subject. Miss Camber Miss Gamber and Mrs. Vickers placer themselves on the program for sandwiches and coffee, prov ing for themselves that they are proficient in other lines than school teaching. Grace Dobson and Bessie Gus tofson will spend their vacation with their Barents in the country. Miss Gamber will visit a few days at Arkalon during the holi days. The 8th grade were made glad one day last week by the beauti ful rose brought by Ruth Glenn. We always appreciate the flowers, The picture "Young Mothers" that was given the primary by the Federation of Clubs has been framed and is a beautiful and in teresting picture. It is also a very appropriate subject for the little people and they enjoy it. The primary teach ers are going to use it as an in centive to prompt attendance, the room having the fewest tardies for the past month, will get the pic ture for the next month. " We wish for all the pupils A Happy Xmas and Pleasant Vacation. Foley Kidney Pills Tonic in action, quick in results. Will cure any case of kidney or bladder disorder not beyond the reach of medicine. No need to say more. For sale by ail druggists. Methodist Missions , 'The Woman's Home 'Mission Society will meet with Mrs. C. D. Gasaway, Thursday, December 28 at 2:30 p. m. Keynote: "The joy .of life is doing gobd according to a plan." Singing. "Rescue the Perishing" Lesson Luke 10, 1-9. Responsive Reading, "A Review of the Year" Selections from Mrs. Williams' Report - Mrs. Scandrett "The Gift Without the Giver" Mrs. Lipprant "The Enlarged Vision" Mrs. Wilkins Reports on: Mite Boxes Secretary Gen. Publications Secretary Our Papers Cor. Secy. Please bring your mite boxes to be opened at this meeting, and all who can bring something to pay on the pledge. Best on Earth This is tho verdict of R. J. Howell, Tracy, Ohio, who bought Foley's Honey and Tar Compond for his wife: Her case was the worst I have ever saw, it looked like a sure case of consumption. Her lungs were sore and she coughed almost incessantly and her voice was hoarse and weak. Foley's Honey and Tar Compound brought relief at once and less than three bottles effected a complete cure." For sale by all druggists. Th J candy store of Eidson Bros, has been a mighty busy place for the past month, while they have been getting ready for the Christ mas trade. Eidson's candies have a reputation of quality that is sec ond to none. 3 Col. G.K. Viimeth Metier known as 'llalililt fool Hill's Town hIu. commnr cMal and live nlock auctioneer. W'rlU" lo (iuyinon, Oklahoma. Herald for dales. Get your dates at this office. Three Special Christmas Prizes For Our tlrause Piano Contest In order to give every contestant a chance to win a prize in our big contest, we are going to offer three Special Christ mas prizes, which will be awarded on the Wednesday follow ing Christmas, December 27. The conditions of the awards of these prizes are different from those we have given dur ing the past few weeks. To the contestant polling the greatest number of votes with Taylor's Voting Coupons, between December 13. and December 27, we will give a beautiful writing set. To the contestant counting the greatest number of votes on the Liberal Democrat's Voting Coupons, we will give a beautiful pearl and gold trimmed fountain pfn. Both of these prizes are open to all contestants, regardless of whether or not . they have won prizes in this contest, prior to this time. To the candidate making the greatest increase in votes between December 13, and December 27, we will give a beautiful GOLD LOCKET AND CHAIN. This prize was purchased at tho store of C. S. Jarrett and is now on display in his window. All contestants who have won prizes in this contest are barred from the special price of the locket and chain. This locket and chain are guaranteed for ten years, and were purchased by the managers of the contest, and after careful inspection of tho linost jewelry on the market. As usual, not more than one of these prizes go to one person. In case one ontestant should be the winner of more than one of the prizes above mentioned, the second prize will go to the candidate having the highest standing in the special class. To Mm PDr We have this year a very at tractive line of Books, Fames, Toys and Dolls for little folks. For the big folk we carry Cut Glass, Hand Painted China, Toilet Goods, Books, Bibles, Photo and Post Card Albums and Pyrography Goods. We also have an elegant line of Christmas Cards, Booklets and Christmas Decorations. SHITH BR0& DRUG STOKE Established In 1888 9C