THE CHARLOTTE NEWS, CHARLOTTE, N. C, SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 1921.
Illustrated by C D. Batchelor
By El
eanor
Hallowel Abbott
I'KKSONS !X THE TALE
Maine, eighteen-year-old Flamanda
Kourico, who resembled her scholarly
father. the , . .
Reverend Mamande Nouncc, in be
inj dusky-locked and "dreamy", and her
."Mrs. Nmiricr, capable and matronly,!
in being "sa.'1 ....
Aunt Minna, a vegetarian disdaining
sweets a worthy woman so methodi
calto whom Mrs. Nourice planned to
send Flame for Christmas because
Incle Wally. a deMcate relative, in
considerately had a shock and sent for
Rev. and Mrs. , Nourice.
The Lay Header, good-looking assis
tant to the minister.
Mr. Deloote, mysterious new tenant
of the "Rattle-Pane House," who was
"traveling for his misfortunes," accord
ing to
could go to a dozen places in the par- thrust into a covered basket and lashed
lsh and bo cry -babied over. But if I j dewn with yaras and yards of tinsel.
made a Christmas of my own every
thing about it would be brand-new
and unassociated!"
"Honk-honk!" screamed the motor
at the door.
whatever in me p
The door key was exactly where the
ok butler had said it would be under
the doormat, and the key itself turned
astonishingly cordially in the rusty old
lock. The four dog dishes, heaping to
the brim, loomed in prim line upon the
led Flame's-moth- j kitchen table.
I'm Lj m-rn sniffed Flame.
"Nothing
"Oh. dear me
nwlrt shall I do?" cr
... "T'-m olmrjt distracted!
"When in doubt" suggested Flame's ! but mush! Mush!" she doffed her iy.d
father eeniallv '"choose the most j tarn and sweater, donned a huge white
doubtful doubt' on the docket and j Pl!-envelopins pinafore, and started to
CT,m0'a t n nrettv level head." ho work.
interrupted himself
No vounsr girl has a level heart,"
asserted Flame's mother. "I m so
worried about the L,ay Reader."
"Lay Reader?" murmured her fa
'vhv vps. Just what kind of a
-, -v ' . , -, . 11 l- I mf .
Harrrt. his butler, old. crumpiea, lm" j Christmas is it. Flame, tnat you want
. i : ,1 . j-i s& C t
perturbalde. who grieveu a.L me nrwr
ty for spending Christmas caring for
Mr. Pehote's pets:
Beautiful-Lady, "a great, long, nar
row sofa-shaped dog, upholstered in
lemon and white" a -Russian wolf
hound; . ,
Lopsy, red-haired setter With one
black ear;
Blunder Blot, the "neatest looking
paper-white coach dog, just perfectly
ruined with ink spots," and
Miss Flora, "the biggest, ugliest most
wizened bulldog Flame had ever seen."
The Time: A snowless Christmas Eve.
It was a frankly disconsolate Flame
who stole that night to her father's stu
dy and perched herself high on the arm
of his chair with her cheek snuggled
close to his. . ,
"Father," said Flame, "did you -?ver
in your life know anyone who had ever
spent Christmas just the way he wait
ed to?"
"ny no, l uuu i VM"" ." . btipp harl
flia, eonsiueieu utri ii.-l , "Oh n
re muf , v'iiiv, - - "Will I-
v,a aav thA wav voiif elders want on v ill
. . , J .,V, t
to! And when your re oiu rrj.fc.i .
go courting." he signed, your
love's sentiments are outraged if vo,i
don't spend the day her, and your
own family are furious if you don .
spend the day with them! And after
you're married?" he sank back into Ins
cushions. "N-o. no onr-1 suppose, has
ever spent Christmas just exactly the
wav he wanted to!"
"Well 1" triumphed x'lome. na-v e
the one' chance perhaps in a lifetime.
U would seem! And now mowni
to make?" He turned at uie muum".
to force his wife's arms into the
sleeves of her fur coat.
II want to make a Surprise for
Miss Flora," Flame confided.
"Honk-honk!" urged the automobile.
"At the Rattle-Pane House, you
know!" raillied Flame. "Don't you re
member that I called there this after
noon? It it looked rather lonely
there." , , i
"Honk-honk-honk!" implored the au
tomobile. "But who Is this Miss Flora?" cried
her mother. "How do we know she's
respectable?"
"Oh, my dear," deprecated Flame's
father. "Just as though the owners
of the Rattle-Pane House would rent
it to anyone who wasn't respectable!"
"Oh, she's very respectable," insisted
Flame.
With a furious yank of the door
bll. Uncle Wally's chauffeur an-
rcounced that the limit of his endur-
been reached.
-1-e-a-se!" implored Flame.
ou promise not to see the Lay
bargained her mother.
cone and wished me on Aunt Minna in
stead! Oh. father, dear:?:" im.noved
Flame, "couldn't you please ptrsuaue
TiS 'flutter of skirts Flame',
mother, herself, appeared abruptly in
th"Why? wherever in the world have
you people been?" she cried. Didn t
you hear the telephone? Couldn t you
ever hear me calling? Your Incle
Wally is worse! That is. he's better,
but he thinks he's worse! And they
want us to come at once! It's some
thing about a new will! They've sent
an automobile for us! It will Vie here
anv minute! But whatever in the
world shall we do aoout .blame; sne
cried distractedly. "You know how
Uncle Wally feels about having young
people in the house! And she can't
possibly go to Aunt Minna's till to
morrow! And "
"But, you see. I'm not going to Aunt
Minna's!" announced Flame Quite se-
"Yes'm," said Flame.
Waking at dawn, two single thoughts
consumed Flame the Lay reader and
the humpiest of the express packages
downstairs.
"As long as I've promised most
faithfully not to see 'Bertrand, tin?
Lay Reader'." she laugher, "how can I
possibly go to church? For the first
Christmas in my life," she laughed, "I
won't have to go to church!"
She tore back the wrappings of the
humpiest package with eager hands
only to find a gay, gauzy layer fo
I animal masks nosing interrogatively up
; tit her. No identifying card!
I Perhaps a donat ion for the Sundav
j School Christmas Tree? But there
(wasn't going to be any tree! "U m
ni m," mused Flame, "whatever in i t --..-! riii it tfrf-
j the world shall I do with them?" j
! 1 hen quite abruptly- she sank back on j "PEACE on EARTH
ner neeis anu laugneu. tsn even yr t DOGS."
j herself she did not say just wha-
she was laughing at. j In the doorway opposite, reared a
lakn all in all. it was a Christ- . hazily constructed pasteboard mimicry
J mas morning of works! Kitchen works. I of a railroad-crossing sign to the el
i r.iosily! Useful, flavorous adventures feet:
j with a turkey! A somewhat nervous j
1 i-auy with a pie! A few experiments
By five o'clock the. faded yellow
kitchen must have looked very strange
even to a dog. Straight down its
dingy, wabbly floored center stretched
a table spread with the Rev. Mrs.
Flamande Nourice's second-best table
c'oth. Quaint, high-backed chairs
dragged in from the shadowy parlor
circled the table. At one end of the
table loomed a big, brown turkey; at
the othep,- the appropriate vegetables.
Pies, cake and doughnuts intereiersed
themselves between. Green wreaths
streaming with scarlet ribbons hung
nonchalantly about. Tinsel garlaitds
shone on the walls. Conspicuously
placed above the rusty stovepipe
fa
Reader. "I had never suspected myself
of being actually dazzling."
"Oh," explained Flame. "It's just
my promise. I promised mother not
to see you!"
."We might tie my big handkerchief
across your eyes,; suggested the Lay
Reader. "Just till we got this mystery
straightened out."
With the big white handkerchief ti.!
firmly across her eyes, .Flame's last
scrupie vanished.
- "Well, you see," she began oripi
tately, "I did think it would b. such
fun to have a party. all my own! No
parish in it at all! Or good works! Just
fun And as long as mother an! father
had to go away, anyway You see,"
she confided, 'Uncle Wally's making? a
new will. There's a corn bar't and a
private chapel and a collection of Chi
nese lanterns and a piebald po:iy orin
cipally under dispute. Mother, of
course, thinks we ought to have thj
corn barn. But father can't de.-.ida be
tween the Chinese lanterns and the
private chapel. Personally," she si li
ed, "I'm hoping for the piebald ponv.;'
"Yea, but this party?" prod led the
Lay Reader. "Why have it in a de
serted house?"
"Oh, but, you see, it isn't exactly a
deserted house," she explained
"Who lives here?" demanded the Lay
Reader.
"I lon't krow exactly." admitted
Flame. "But the butler is a friend of
mine, and "
"The butler is a friend or yours?
"I will help you, said the Lay Read
er. "Where is your hand?" fumbled
Flame.
"Here!' attested the Lay Reader.
"Lead us to the dogs!" commanded
Flame. " ,
Bertrand Laurello, who for the cause
he served, wouldn't have hesitated an
instant probably to1 be torn by Hin.'u
lions, saw no conceivable reason at the
moment for being eaten by' dogs. at a
purely social function. .
"This this mush that you speak of?''
he questioned. "With the dogs as as
nervous as you say Don't you think
that perhaps a little mush served first,
a good deal of mush, I would say,
took another peek at the table. .and turn out the sliver chest! Hu-r
Set a chair for yourself directly
opposite me'" she ordered. "And
whenever . I reaily feel obliged to look
you'll just have to leave ' the table,
that's all! And now" Appraisingly lier
muffled eye swept the shining vista.
"Perfect!" she triumpher. "Perfect!"
Then abruptly, the eager mouth wilt
ed. "Why why, I've forgotten the
carving knife anr fork!" she cried
out in real distress. "Oh, how stupid
cf me!" Without avail she searched
through all fie drawers and cupboards
of the Rattle-Pane kitchen. "You'll
have to go over to my house and get
them Mr. Laurello! ' You'll have to
I V mine, and " -zj - ' MJf.r mW' ,j
Flame took one blank glance at him and bunt forth into a blood-curdling scream.
j stretch the Parish's Gift Motto duly
Good Will to
j with flour paste! A flare or two with
: a paint brush! An errand to the attic!
j It was four o'clock before she wan
even ready to start for the Rattle:Pane
j House with a sledful of miscellaneous
Ch'-istmas goods. She had to make
three tugging trips. And each- sturr
renvly. 'rather says i cion t nae to. j wap delayed bv her big grav pussv cat
Of course, you didn't say it with your j st(,.,iins out to trv to follow her And
mouth." admitted Flame. "But you j eacn arrival complicated by th,e yelp
ft 'l ,v- ' i;igs of four dogs who wanted to
"Not go to your Aunt Minnas? I escape from the shed vard. With th
p?.ped her mother. "What do you ; third arrival finally accomplished th
want to do?" j crafty cat stood waiting for her on the
"I want to make a Christmas for j steps of the Rattle-Pane House back
ny-elf! Oh. of course. I know per- ; arched, fur bristled, spitting at tn
frrtiy well." Flame agreed. "that I stci m in the shed yard, and had io !.h
j
Here's wishing you Happi- n.
jip ness on the glorious Christ- Wm
!"r; uiv Seville : ;iv
goes1 for many more to M
. come. ffij !
j' NATHAN'S '1
l'A W. L. DOUGLAS SHOES i Ml
jlp 38 East Trade St -
There," gasped the Lay R ji ier. "I i served first, might act as a as a sort
could almost have sworn that C heard, of anesthesia?"
a famt scuffle, the horrid sound of a
person strangling."
Christmas Crossing.
YOU WILL ENJOY THIS
Christmas Day
IF YOU GO TO CHURCH.
Compliments of the Season.
H. C. LONG CO.
Stepping aside for a moment to
study the full effect cf her handipork,
the first psychological puzzle of her
life, smote sharply across her senses:
namely, that the instant you find
yourself absolutely alone with a Really
Good Time you begin to hunt about
for somebody Very Special to share it
with you.
"Maybe that's always the way things
happen when you get your own way
about something else!" she mused.
Like a blast from the Arctic, the
Christmas twilight swept in on her as
she opened the shed door.
"Come, Beautiful-Lovely," she im
plored. "Come, Lopsy! Miss Flora'
Come, Blunder-Blot!"
Leaping, loping, four abreast, they
came plunging like so many North
Winds to their party! Yelping-mouthed,
slapping-tailed! Backs bristlings! Hurt
ling, crowding!
"Oh, dear me, dear me," struggled
Flame. "Maybe a carol would calm
them."
To a certain extent a carol certainly
did. Cocking their ears to . the old pi
ano's quavering treble notes snorting
their nostrils through its gritty gut-1
tural basses they watched Flame's fa-!
cilc fingers sweep from sound to sound. !
"Oh, what a glorious lark!" . auiv-
ered Flame. "What a a lonely glorious j
larK:
Timidly at first, but with increasing
abandon the clear young soprano voice
took up its playful paraphrase:
God rest you, merrie animals!
Iiet nothing you dismay!
For
At this moment Beautiful-Lovely,
muzzle lifted, eyes rolling, jabbed his
shrill nose into space and harmony
with a carol of his own.
Wow Wow Wow! W-w ow W-w
o w w-w Oo W-w-w-w !"
As Flame's hands dropped from the
piano startled fists beat furiously on
the door!
"What is It? What Is it?" shouted
icumiiar voice. "Whatever in
world is happening? Let me in!"
&ii-iy: hissed Flame through a
crack in the door. "It's nothing but a
party! Don't you know a a partv
when you hear it?"
"Bertrand, the Lay Reader," relaxed
in a gasp of astonishment.
"Why! . Whv. is that irrkt ht:
Flame?" he gasoed. "Whv t th
it was murder! Why why, whatever!
vvunu are you doing here?"
I m having a party." kisser!
Flame through the keyhole.
"A a party?" stammered the Lay
Reader. "Open the door!"
1 can,t-" sd Flame.
Read?ry not?" nded the Lay
i,J, ..r , s.ne. admitted a bit
fv . wu"iant-oe convenient. I
"Trn,fvS troule w"h my eyes."
Trouble with your eyes? Please
open the door! I've been looking for
you everywhere" Purged the Tav
?na?r "At the Senio Warden's- S
"Strangling?" giggled Flame. "Oh,
that is just the sound of Miss Flora's
'girlish glee'! Miss Flora is a a dog,
I neglected to state that this is u i-og
party that I'm having."
"Dogs?" winced the Lay Reader.
"Will they bite?"
"Only if you don't trust thet. ' con
fided Flame.
"But it's so hard to trust a dog that
will bite you if you don't t:iiai lum,
frowned the Lay Leader.
It was Flame's turn now to wince
back a little. "I I hate peonle who
hate dogs!" sl .e cried' ou': abrupt!-.'.
"Oh. I don't hate them." lied the
J..ay Reaa?r like a sentient n. "I tell
jou l line1 aogs good dogs! I assure
you I'n very oh. very much interest
ed in this dog party of yours! If I
could be of any possible assistant" ha
implored. :
"May be you could be. The.-', is a
prob'em," admitted Flame. "Five prob
lems, ro be perfectly aceurite. Four
dogs.- nnd-a cat.''
; "An l a cat?" echoed the Lav Reader
quite idiotically.
"The table is set," affirmed Flams
"But I don't know how to get the dogs
into their chairs! They run around so!
They yelp! they jump! They haven't had
a mouthful to eat. you see, . since last
night this time! And when 'they once
see the turkey I'm I'm afraid they'll
stampede it!"
"Turkey?" quizzed the Lay.. Reader,
who had dined that day on' corned beef.
"Oh, of course, mush was what they
were intened to have," admitted Flamt.
."Piles and piles of mush! Extra piles
and piles of mush, because it was
Christmas Day! But don't you think
mush-does seem a bit dull?" she ques
tioned appealingly. "For Christmas
Day? Oh, I did . think a turkey would
taste so good!"
"It certainly would," conceded the
Lay Reader. ' . ..
"So, if you'd help me," wheedled
Flame, "it would be well worth stay
ing blindfolded for. Otherwise," mur
mured Fiame with a faint gesture to
ward . the door.
"Lead us to the mush," said Flame.
- The door knob turned in his hand,
and the cheerful kitchen lamplight,
glitter of tinsel, flare of red ribbons,
savor of foods, smote sharply on him.
I "Oh, I say, how jolly!" cried the Lay
Reader.
"Get the mush." said Flame. ' It's
there on the table by the window.
iJiease set ali tour flislies on tne l!oor
each dish in a separate cor nor. And
then open the parlor door, or maybe
I'd better," conceded Flame. "Lead
me to it."
"Sniff sniff snort!" the red -5et:2r
sucked at the crack in the door.
"Woof! Woof! Woof!" roared the big
wolfhound. ...
slapped the
"Slam! Bang! Slash!"
Dalmatian's crisp weight
"Yi Yi! Yi!" sang the bulldog.
"Hush! Hush, dogs!" implored FJame.
"This is father's Lay Reader!"
"Your Lay Reader!" contradicted
the young man gallantly. -
In another instant four shapes with
teeth in them came hurtling through!
With a single sniff at the Lay Reader's
heels, a prod of paws in his stohiash,
the onslaught swerved and passed.
Guzzingly from four separate corners
of the room issued sounds of . joy and
fulfillment. -
Flame turned her back to the Lay
Reader, and lifted the bandage. Bulg
ing mush, the four dogs lay at rest.
"O h." crooned Flame. "Howr swost!
Xow, Mr. Laurello," she suggesred
blithely, "if you'll get the Bibles "
"Bibles?" stiffened the Lay Reader.
"Bibles? Why, really, Miss Flame, I
couldn't countenance any sort of mock
i service. Even just for for quaintness
even for Christmas quaintness!'
"Bibles? All I want them for is to
plump up the chiirs. The seats, you
see. are too low for the dogs. Oh, I
suppose dictionaries would do," reluc
ts ntly. "Only dictionaries are always
scarcer."
Obediently the Lay Reader built
Chemistries on Sermons and Ancient
Poems on Cook Books till the desired
heights were reached.
For a single moment more Flame
aiul
climb in through the window some
way," worried Flame. "I've mislaid my
key here among all these dishes and
boxes. Only please please hurry'"
"If I hurry enough." said the Lay
Reader quite impulsively, "may I hae
a kiss when I get back?"
"A kiss?" hooted Flame. In th
ci-rve of . her cheek a dimple onencd shaken" the reason of a
suddenly. "Well maybe," said Flame, young man.
The Lay Reader snatched his hat I Startled by the unwonted illumina
and sped out into the night. tion from his kitchen windows and bv
Flame dragged down the bandage I tne unprecedented aroma of fir balsam
from her eyes, dashed to the door . nd tnat. greeted him at his new front door,
r.ello'fl to the fast retreating figure. , ne . gropea tnrougn tne dingy hall, and
Rallying back to the bright Chi, '
mas kitchen, an accusing blush -r.
the spotwhere the dhnple had -c,n
"Oh, shucks!" purried Flam?,
kissed a bishop before I -,V3s ' .. ,
What's a lay reader?" She rolUd '
her white sleeves without further T ,V
spection. and dragged out fnun rh
shadow of the sink the "humpiest"' ,x
The clumsy cover slid off. evp,,';;
once mor the ?ay-colored muslin ,v'":
of animal masks leering fatuously '
at her. . '
"Poor Miss Flora' must he so tj.. , ,
of being so plain," she though-. ''p:i
give her the first choice, of evorvtiui i?'
Something really lovely! It can hi j
resting her."
She selected for Miss Flora
Canary's face. Softly yelU.w." jt
swelling, tender muslin throat f,iy
ref.king with the suggestion of i:,-.. ,.'.,.'.
song! Nudging Miss Flora eauiiou-lv
from her sonorous nap. Flame hr'svi
nt witn iiau. a uuugumu 10 ;or
pcinted chair, boosted her still
tiously to her pinnacle of boo ..,
1 ' J r-i.-i.-i v...r. l-i ,-i .....J 1"
SlJppeu me v,a.iia.ij o uvamuui '.nr J
countenance over her grizzled 211:1.:.
Miss Flora sat blinking bendiiv 0ir
through the Canary's yellov-rhm,.eij
eye sockets with frank curiosity l,.,va, 1
such proceedings as were about to i'.
low. It was easy to see she was ac
customed to sitting in chairs. p,r tiv,
.wolfhound Flame chose a Giraf.y,
heda. Beautiful-Lovely resigned hm.
self to the inevitable, and lolled tl;s
fine height against ihe mahogany thai!
back. The Blunder-Blot the trim Dnlrna.
tian,-Flame assigned the Parrot"-! hend
arrogantly beaked, gorgeously Miri, -Ul.
ed, altogether querulous.
For Lopsy, the crafty setter, sh,
selected a White Rabbit's artless, pink
eared visage.
Yet out of the whole box of masks
it had been the Bengal Tiger's fierc-ely
bewhiskered visage that had fascinated
Flame the most. Cocking her iKa,
toward the woodshed, Flame could not
be perfectly sure whether she heard a
twinge of cat or a twinge of ton
science.
"After all," she reasoned, "it would
be easy enough to set another placel
And pile a few extra books! I'm al
most sure I saw a black plush bag in
the parlor."
In five minutes the deed was accom
plished. The astonished Cat found her
self slumping soggily on a great pile of
books staring down as best she rniht
through the Bengal Tiger's ear at the
weirdest assemblage of animals which
any domestic cat had ever been forced
to contemplate.
Very diplomatically Flame broke an
other doughnut in two ' and drew all
the dog's attention to herself.
Thus it was that the Master of the
House, returning unexpectedly, stum
bled upon a scene that might havp
less sober
"Oh, Bertrand! Bertrand!" she called.
"If you don't find 'em in the pantry
you'd better go up in mother's room
beheld the gallowslike structure reared
m the kitchen doorway.
"My God!" he ejaculated. "Earret
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Made of genuine Red Cedar (Juniperus Virginiana), the only variety
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the
Only found filer!
'Zf TLaf -mri" bled Flam,
ureu x neara these nwfui
SC"ThTt' wflShUddered the Reade1
"Open the Door
"Weil just . a
Flame.
crack," conceded
It Was gnntal.:
.C:..,TW"U"U1. nwa . man as
broad-shouldered as the .Lay XadS
COUlrl nnco
Onnn r.";?" l"r.ouSft a crack
! fore him with h.. : , . ,e, ?ea e
1 ..'It V1,JUW cioOKea across
ner torehead. "Oh. mv ct k
cj1p , - . J ,-kJ- .eyes:
"Well,
The Man Without a Reputation
--BEWARE--
You may be offered so-called good coal at a lower price than actual
cost of best grade, with freight and delivery expense added BEWARE.
We can purchase cheap coal, but wiir not do so. Our reputation of 19
years is behind our coal, and 50 cents or even a dollar per ton less will
not tempt us to lower our quality. . ,.. .
. THE BEST COAL IS THE CHEAPEST! '0
Thanking our several thousand friends and customers who have
trusted their fuel problems with us during the year now closing, and as
suring each of you the same fair and square dealings for the New Year,
and with best wishes, we are,
Very truly,
W. A. AVANT.
Mwm. nt Woo
(dl & Coal Co,
PHONES 402-403