Judge — December 6, 1919 — page 6: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

“If I hadn't cleaned the chimbly, mother, Sandy Claus would ‘a’ got awful dirty. Thump! His nervous foot reaching and pressing on the curved rubber stem of his pipe on the floor, it snapped abruptly. It was too much. With a yell, he went over back- wards and landed on his shoulder-blades. Struggling, still staring, he partly raised himself. And....yes, the door was openir The unbarred door was opening! The small click of the latch leaped at his ears and echoed from every corner. In the poor light he strained to sce as the primitive portal resisted and then gave way before an outward push, It moved an inch or so; a biting breeze rushed in. Hardley, unmanned, on his kr alf fell forwa His tongue hung from his mouth, his eyeballs were swollen, his hair stiff as porcupine quills. He put up his hands in a warding movement of defense. The door swung further and then was shoved back to the wall. With a shrill whoop, a quaint, elfish figure, red picked out in white, sprang into the room Tt was Sarta C Hardley groaned and fell over ona bearskin rug and fainted When he woke it was to the chill of a snow-bath A girl anxiously scrubbed his face. The door creaked and bauged on its leather hinges. In a corner the festal garniture lay discarded on the floor. The girlie wore a snappy Duff-Gordon serge and crimson tam. “Georgia! Georgina!” he pondered, and got up “How in the world——! Georgina!” He gripped her straight shoulders. She faced him, smiling, a little frightened. “I had to——TI had to, Huby,” she confessed, her eyes sud- 12.619 ! as! write them for him.” be worth listening to if he'd else to deliver them for him.” prisoner but she always refuses to answer.” brimming. “I bought a Government scout-plane for eighteen dollars—and here | am!” “And how did you know | was here—of all places?” he questioned. “Well, you know you told me about this little shack ; and when I found you weren't at your rooms, I knew you had no other place to go to!” She said it so frankly it didn’t hurt. An owl hooted twelve times. “Twelve o'clock midnight!” Hardley’s face chan and glowed with a smile. “Dear, it’s Christmas! cried gladly. “Christmas!” They hugged each other and one-stepped about the room. “Wait!” She ran out into the snow and darkness, and returned tugging a heavy army trunk. He helped her drag it in and then shut and barred the door. She stooped and struggled with the straps, then raised the lid and lifted out a large, nude turkey. “All ready to be cooked,” she informed. There followed a chocolate-layer cake, preserves, coffee, biscuits, cheese, and the rest. In his happi- ness, a frown clouded Hard- ley’s face. “Georgie,” he said in so unusual a voice that she stopped and stared. “Georgie, remember, we're in the middle of Manitoba and—still single. You didn’t happen to include a minister or a J. P., did you?” he inquired dryly. “No,” she responded, with scant interest. “No, but we can fly to Moose Foot tomorrow and rustle one up. Besides, aren't we going to stay up and roast the turkey?” “Well, yes, but even so,” he argued, true to his Chambers, “think of the conventions.” She went up to him and circled his neck with her arms. Her eyes, beneath a mist of blond hair, twinkled like blue beryls under a gold- en cobweb. “O——darn the conventions!” she whispered Only Half Remedied “Gassowa speeches ave improved a lot since got someone else to “Yes. ‘They'd almost just get someone Phoney “T questioned our fair Drawn by Cirantes A. Heones “Great Scott! Even kisses are high this Xmas!" “A hello-girl, no doubt.” comichooks.com