HI I THE (fTRTSTMAS HANDKERCHIEFS ~*WL \\ A I f/Afliflfll PYWAN IVOEY- '' ; SHAVING BRUSHES, ' sfl^K^w!f J ? ll^ JAPANESE BOXES, !| | COFFEE CUPS, Sll^^^^^^P^^^B ; V >S^> II PERFUME, y' HANDKERCHIEFS, V*^^ ALKI SLEDS, No. 3, l| For the Baby For Little Sister For Little Brother SLAM BANG BINGO DOLLS, 20c DOLLS, 70c and up IVES MECHANICAL TRAINS, $1 up jl RATTLES, 10- and upwards DOLL BEDS, 75c and up FRICTION TOYS, 75c and up \ STUFFED ANIMALS, 10c and up DOLL BUGGIES, 75c and up HOBBY HORSES, $2.00 and up !' FLOATING TOYS, 10c and up DOLL FURNITURE, 15c and up BUILDING BLOCKS, 25c and up '! CAPS AND MITTENS, 15c and 30c TOY KITCHENWARE, 15c BALLS AND TOPS, 10c and up ![ Xmas Candy 10c per half pound and up. Xmas Tree and Home Decorations |l THOMPSON'S VARIETY STORE The Place Where SANTA CLAUS Came J! i llllllllllllllilllllllilHlllllUlllllllllllllilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllillliiiiiiiiHlllllllllllllll -~~~~~ , ~~s~>~^~^ <**<** | Christmas Dinner | ' t^^^m | "" Hm* _mmß 'Ht^Bmmß'^ Mm mmF § Is always a big feature of I I jtSSt" ■ *: ' I Christmas Day. j -^^Ml | We can supply the big fea- 1 ( y_ _' vT^IF^K AX ' § lures of that dinner. § f T V'■ W«( _' ' i 1(1 send yout « ™Urn (CITY MARKET I V™ *°™%aj3 iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiuiiiiiji C M IAI ti A?i |& V'_f_S\iA =""""""""""" """'"" ""'" ' ■■■■■■■■■■■lillHilllHll.llllH.Hi ,„, ,||,|„„„,„„„„„ m „„ HH11111111H,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, IfiTfFrriUTf/ f^B^^^^ I Why Not Uive a Christmas Plant?! fefo ,ndt mgm ! NEILLS' GREENHOUSES ~l hUS 1 I.m* I Phone 366 Pullman, Wash. - — .^^A^Aw^ ' ggC iiimiiiimiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiii i ni,,,, , iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniii iiiHiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiHiiiiHiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiHiiniiiiiiuiiiimimiiiiiumiiifi ■ --^ mmm*^msr 'BB^K^mW',': P^rtrtmaßyEw] JCAP^ C> ■>■ JJLi."\ the '"'' town of i 1* J ;.HflT "New France," a j&&(09 I few miles from Que JGSMjjfl JUL bee, there lived an IS^gSjRgjMBsJS: old man by the '""^SVyN name- of Perry Fan- IssAgJ^ 1 ' lihlon. Be was r*" __\ about sixty years , mmmmms 0 f aKt>( v „.,;_ __ old bachelor, who, with 'he excep tion of a housekeeper, lived alone In a great weather-beaten 0.-: l man sion on the river road. 11.- lived H very secluded kind of lit -. was seldom seen upon the streets of the town, and attracted very little atten tion when he was seen. There were hardly ten people in the place that knew the man or anything concerning his life, j Yet there had been a time In the life of Perry Fanchion when he had ! attracted a great deal of attention, ! and won the sympathy and pity of the whole town. That had been over forty years ago, and in the meantime the town had changed from a village j info a city. The old families had died out and the younger generation hud forgotten the history of Perry Fan chion. j It was Christmas eve night and bit terly cold. Sleet and snow drove with incessant fury against the great French windows. The heavy old oak doors rattled and shook, while the wind shrilled mournfully among the many old-fashioned gables and chimneys. Perry sat gazing into the fire. His hair was snow-white, his eyes were dark, and tonight they had a tragic, gloomy look. On the old colonial furniture the sinister faces carved th.-i.- grinned hor ribly and the Iron claws seemed to ■'Well, Well—l Hope the Children Are All in Bed." grip the floor hard, as though they were repressing some dark emotion or evil thought. Forty years ago this night Perry was a happy man, for tomorrow be was to marry the beautiful Miss Net- ! ly Leroy, daughter of the rector of St. Agnes. But that great factor in the events of a man's career, fate, willed other wise, for only a few days before the wedding was to take place the brlde- j to-be was stricken with a fatal illness and less than a week later was laid away in the village graveyard. After the funeral Perry Fanchion shut himself up, almost alone, ,n the great house. Time moved on and peo ple forgot! One by one his friends left him, until at last he stood alone, a stranger la a stranger world! About this time the poorer people, the destitute of the city, became aware of the fact that they had a friend, a very good mysterious friend, mys terious because, try as they might (and .lid) they never c^uld discover his Identity. One time when a severe landlord was about to turn a poor family out of the home they lived In, because they were not able to pay the rent, that family found the required amount and a short note asking them to ac cept the money as a gift, by the fire place. Several times incidents like this occurred among the unfortunate, hut as to where these mysterious pres ents came from, or by whom present ed, none could ever tell. But the chil dren Suspected Santa Clans of having a hand in the matter. Tonight as Perry sat by the fire he was very sad aud very, very lonesome. The town clock struck ten. Perry arose, donned a huge fur coat to play his little act bravely. A worn, tired smile played around hi* usually grim mouth as he thought of the scenes of Joy and poverty he would witness this night. He crossed the town with rapid, nervous strides and entered a little family burying ground. He was gone for thirty minutes und when ho returned his face showed traces of deep emotion. "Good-night, sweetheart, I have wait ed forty years; surely the end cannot be far distant!" he murmured as he softly closed the gate. There came a jingling of sleigh hells — a sleigh drove up, he entered and was whirled away over the snow. In a tiny little hovel on the edge of the city five little headed chil dren, dressed in old and ragged but clean clothes were grouped around a small tire trying to keep warm. Their mother was sewing for a living, her husband having died several years ago, leaving the children to ln-r to provide for, and being it woman of good educa tion, sho was trying to rear her chil dren as best she might She was hav ing a desperate Struggle and day by day she saw with despair the fight growing harder and harder. "Mother, when is Santa Clans com ing?" inquired little Billy. Fur a while mother didn't seem to want to say anything. A large tear fell silently on her work. With a hasty movement, almost angrily, she brushed it aside. "Perhaps he won't come at all!" she replied with a little catch in her voice,! "N-o-o-o-o!" came a chorus of un believing voices from the fire. "He is coming I" Suddenly there came a jingling of bells and a sleigh drew up in front of the home. "Whoop!" yelled Johnny. "Come on ' kids—Santa Claus! My eye 1" In an Instant the fire was deserted ' and five little heads were peering eag- ' erly out of the door. j "Gee willikins! Look at the toys!" I "Well, well," said Santy in a loud ' voice, pretending not to see the little J ones. "I hope the children are all!, In bed tonight, for if they are not, 111 will not come again." M Five curly heads vanished in a sec- ! ond, and when the old gentleman en- H tered the room all were tucked snug- !' ly in bed—that is all but Billy, who , in his excitement and hurry pulled all, < the cover up over his head and left ' I his feet and body uncovered. < Santa Claus laughed and dumped the i Santa Claus laughed and dumped the j contents of his pack near the hearth. ' < There were drums, dolls, tin soldiers, ( books, candy, nuts and fireworks. M Just at this moment Billy's toe j rubbed up a splinter, and there came ! ( a subdued grunt from the bed which N changed to a fitful, sleepy kind of M cough as the "old fellow" turned J around. The snores redoubled in vol- l < ume. Old Santy handed mother a' J sealed envelope and departed before !J she could Sufficiently recover from her ( confusion and surprise to thank him. I It was addressed to her, so she broke H the seal. The sum and substance of it ! j was, that the house and property of j ( Fanchion and something like five nun- < dred dollars were to be hers upon the i < death of Perry Fanchion. - M So at last the identity of the mys- torious Santa Claus and the friend of L the poor and unfortunate was dis- j I closed. i Her home was only one of the many ; J to which lie had been that night. To- ' j morrow they would honor him. They < would come one and all to thank him, ( to praise him, to bless him—perhaps H to beg for more as the case might be. ' J The sleigh stopped at the Fanchion < homestead and old Santa Claus paid < the- driver and entered the house. I Perry was weary and as be walked J down the dark, gloomy hall he almost { dropped with fatigue. Fatigue of the [I body, weariness of the soul, the sore- ' ness of a broken heart, all conspired ] against him! Wearily he slid out of!] the disguise. Ills eyes wandered with A a pitiful expression over the empty, It dark room. None came to welcome P him. No one to love or care for him. , She had gone on before. Perhaps she was waiting for htm up there now. He didn't know. The blood-chilling faces grinned and the cruel claws gripped. : He drew one of the heavy old chairs ! up before the dying embers and cast ! down, bowing his head far over Into i the grate. Closer he huddled. What i was this dreadful chill that seemed to : be taking possession of his body? His i great sorrow preyed upon him. j "Oh, God!" he murmured; "I can \ stand it no longer." Something gentle and soft stroked j his hair! his hair that was white as j snow. Two arms encircled him lov- < ingly. He looked up, at first unbelievingly, j and then a wonderful smile lit up his ; face. "Nelly!" he exclaimed, joyously. "At last you have come for me. I knew you would! I thank Thee 0 — His voice trailed away in the dis tance. The fire died out and the faces no longer grlned, but seemed to smile in the darkness. Far off, just as the dawn was breaking, the chimes rang out their message. Was it fancy or did a soul far out ln space echo: "Glory to God ln the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men." Perry was at rest I