upon a buttered raft i brought the children to "But you. Doctor ’pounded Mrs. Brace *“how came you Cb-bt-*: “I arrived there after aa the reply. “1 had aped Be mission, later our peerless Rhoda. wueca •«***<

dooX" pleaded Rhoda. looking eertons, shy and embarrassed. -He UMly« great good friend to all of ns. and -he-has so encouraged my singing that It has made me more anxious than

please him.''

Early In Nor ember Mrs. Brace, the

children and Rhoda went to the

winter home where the family

spent four months of the year. There

anticipated happy days in the

pretty bungalow' when Mr. Brace should Join them later on. It was Just two weeks before Christmas when Mrs. Brace decided to take n trip North and rdnain With’hef husband until the holidays, when he Would be ready to accompany her to Fair Villa. It was a few days after her coming that her husband said-to"her:' “Laura. Doctor ^lerritt has fairly haunted the house evenings since'you went away. I met him today and ibid him of oar plana and he was especially pressing in his Inquiries about Rhoda. I presume he will be'Here this even lag to ask you about Rhoda." bat the young physician did hot materialize as expected, nud the next day the Br_ces understood

He Covered It With

AM they knew was that the. prmtltf ^ Bext da - T ** Br -^ tahgnlbw md many others, vrithtowtr had left the city, •ccuwmta, had heed Went awI/VnA K^wastWo days bef,

Mgrch had copic Into Xhejr

. bowerer. that Rsldor dream rnd Woden's vlstt -to tne land a never be Injured or made roUcr-1 of night and they a* to saveBaldnr When he grew up he married “Come! PromiseT said the measea-

— ' la j ser. “AU the world Is promising."

V end every da; he looked hap “I wlU ijot promise," aald the mlstlet than t>efore. Bu* one morning, toe. And be dldaX In spite of all

• greatly trooMed; be bad ; the mwnger -»uld say.

of dying! What roold H; But who cared? What could anythls dream of death to tinted ! thing eo frill as the njMltfoe do to >-.d the next night It mrae.barni Baldur? ins tef«) was torI the nett, and the aettli gotten lu tht. over aru! mother aw so wor-1 the fact that all the world ’Ad proto-

!hey roold not sleep, and at j lard never to harm BakKr.

father. Woden, went far And the rejoicing xrrj great. And I lo<o the land of night to' talk | when the rejoldng was at lu fmigfat itw fj,, mm there and find sot the gods. Just far a lark, began to 5w (bey Intended to do to hl» hoy. throw things at BaHSirr. knowing nothartwt «lo you stippooe he f -jOdt j lag could bait him. What fun they did

A tsMe sec for thoor who must

liodtir, who wu. ao bnlHippy hecaoM he could not aee that be •e'dam cmlled. and almost never lingfeed. “V/hy dotlt y,m tilayT" asked LokL flow can a blind god play?" aa*wrrt<; Hodttr, stprowfolly. ’-okl laughed loudly. ”Why. Ill aki>w you toow.“ be Mid. “Slant' here and throw thla spear with all your might." '.Uodur look the war. aimed It aa I'Okl directed, and harted ft wRh all the power of his atrang ana. II hla»ed through the air; It strmck; Baldur, the god of auq**:lne. fell d-ad! The forgotten tittle ihlQg. the mistletoe

hilled a god!

Sllnitly his body

days before Christmas

when the dreadful news came of the diatster It. the South. Fair Vila hsd been practically swept eff the map their whiter home had btm carried away by the raging waters. Telegrams contained vague and dlstrs-ting-de-tails. 'They "had Bo feason to hope that- -their loved ones had escaped the gFoeral fate of those who were mlsaihg among the farmer residents of the little.Inland town. They were now ready to go South and seek a trace of their two little'children acU of Rhoda. In whom they hod so trastingty left

ihsm to chargCi

<*Tt must be the taxi," spoke Ur. Bruce, sraeslng with a’sigh from hi# painful reverie as the doorbell rang, hot heicrossed the outer threshold toctwie fare so faoe with Doctor Merritt. The manner and words of the latter were Jarring to the bruised seruibll!Ctes sf the bereaved father, for rhe yoang physician was radiant of face., His ay* saggested a fervent exhllarattoi m be greeted Mr. Bruce with riotons embrace and wnked his hand gayly to Mrs. Bruce, who had followed her htn band Into the hallway. '*1A glad and merry Christmas to both of yon!" ballad Doctor Merritt

Jutmantiy.,

i“Ton haven't heard?" speke Mr. Brace Ir a low, rcproacbfcl torn,., "Why, what do yon mean?" que*. ticnod. Dorta- MeiTlU. ‘The disaster at Fair Villa—rhe chll-

anktod. to become my wife.” sad m Rhoda extended her hand hr saaswa It with kisses and jirritd MBs Ml happy, happy heart. “If there was a mlrtlease harayl would march you two proaqefy aaM threatened Mrs. Brace. AaMmad In thrilling toy and graUtaha "There shall be one beteve OcM mss morning aerlvaR.'" «xUt MSMtoi Merritt In tones that rase ' cheer. “Come, Bruce, yoa a hunt for Santa dans and tw«i gifts he can bestow, Oh I arwh the world, and never to awr-< has there corue a hupptoe. ■ Christmas than the one we SW

brate!”

Ooth Wars Somber Faced and Wearied of Mlsn.

L“

■! have! One wov'd throw s

■ock, aa- '

ha tit when Harold Brace had bans from the funeral of his n. ferlagtag with him a wistful-eyad, ead

♦hip. and all was mads ready for _ ...

. _ . . 'n* the to sm a. was the , tzemi *!u«f , girf. Iona of darknea*. end one •ml other a spear, another a bal cf «ro., jmtom among the goos. Thea cams - - Urara.- he said ,o Ida wife "tota Ttaldar: Almost j and ««> or throe getting together hum» .Us wife, to aee him for tha j BuMia Moral... a poor oniia AIM

Woden harried back .ould hurt a whole tree trank; but fhe sv-rowful mesaarc to hl» , as soon aa anything drew near him. W s</rcw»» j n lMpM - to one -Me or the Other, .while, however, rrtgrt Had Land refus-d «»**** him. Now.

King and thinking ar 1 Jo*l wasn't that wemderfut?

•nt.-rod »he gave him the | One day. as the yoang god# were _ rt,e bad hit ni«’t> the I shouting over the way they eouldn't

And the j hit him. »» wwman. seeing Krlgga

last tln»e; but wh.-n she saw the tman- J ff butu »»

tlfu'. yellow hair nbou the white face ; har^he , b

dt. could not beer the alght. «td felt

w

they Dy upon «.* great ship a* It was set afire and floated out Into the far-otf ocean. An<i of evenings, whan the efin Is going -town, you you reel' may see Baidur’t ship still burning In

(he distant west.

But all nature refused to be cmafoned; It monrn-d so tdtierly that Hela restored Baldur to life at Easter '

^ erfrythlnr the trora.: "Oh." snswered paaaffly, thTi«?thf®ou0t«is.. the animals. -Jhe god. sro -ittitiw i-'-salse irx to hurt my boy. hut they ran nevP**B. •“ S' , -cr^jth'njr

tt. ^<1 mviriMn, 1» *' * --I" » prnM n—« ”2“ i mWU'tu'. •< 'ran*.

*-! .n n» nortfl 11 .wtraW.- * aa A fin* piso for ever"' 1 ' '' c*»'hr 0 ...

r»v* the prom 1st never.

t.w of her life nod teas a blessing t-

1 •*■' *>• Is left without e Bhcnlo we give her oner

“Why. bless yoaT fairly shouted the doctor—“Uwy are rich: hers!“ Hnndd Bra a. warerod against the watt far support. Mr*. Bruce uttered s. wild scream. Across the threshold tram the porch there rushed little Etta and her brother. Joy. delight, ecstasy mitlgtled tbs shock of what ut first atuaned the frantic parents as an uHpuwrtu.cr from the dead. , 'And last, tut not .'eaat. she whose mission In life seams ever to be tobring healing and happiness, and love, ]

r_-4ro'ertndo'er; Ul , L j,

Philv', AM.4JA.

nfc i not ttiU.-hccmlassBeaus

hsiliy •ound.rfga,,*.,.,^. ^_ ■hersi theiqueskModM'iA*to.a^ & •toswi of DoUi-'vpc!iy. and fie lam^m u

Uusiacr fcdy from :h» -pr. te.

four. But stove Ml

tnsde by tale girlt and 1 ^ m to, i«c«r than »H toyi tr nos ’ ’ j mm '

u Ck c»u» ‘ w«'reiuhio')-C«>o»w

think tt j the

5», •»«:'**-; y,„ c ,. a „ ,t — OW *‘^ D ! ihc Old W.miar.. a* she tented niray.

ydlovshslrr.! god of «tt- lh ^° <r|(1 w ontsu was l-*l io dla- _ ^ ! ir "£ h ,rTlci straight to the eM oak iroodaed—except last one tbloa ^ an d rat a piece of mb. '•’•tiotoe that hung on the greet oa , r rt running to his dark

that hang

-utMda VxButlln. the Ponte of th ’'•s IWttag not of snrto when tt •■ngsr arrived Tmenl- >< r -"rar, aever. never h*.m B-'- - : t^od r< ruxtShlnrsaid the tiu*

*•*■?* aatjd ml**

t of vine hr mag-

tug. -Jiarp si-oar. Then, with

I» “Utilted to tvbwv

are.! playlns

dv was still *houting ovar <vr i Jlaldur's tllnd brother.

Christmas Trees

"Ws should, and we shjdl," came the ktock reply, as Mrs. Bruce gazod Into the eurnest. looglny eyr* of Ute girt of wrartneo, and read there truth and innoraoce and a aoulful appeal to all •hat waa.-tnatemai and symitathlxlng

in hsr as tore.

Ii prared to be a arts* and fortuitous choice. Aa the f-hlldrrn came along

Morarre". to pat the mistletoe on im I P** ,v h j «o Ihem • true and lovforever and forever It should be Frig- I .V 1 ® f*™* * to * t ° r tli * fidelity and ga s sacred ptjut and ermsoro ahould of u "' K«t merging stand fsr Meodsb'p and love raro yaong womauhr.td. Both of tlir But that Lr-ki might never have ] *"*> ■ d « n anything to «,v win the alsuefoe. the ! v Tt » 4 tlo “<' god.- declared that it must never eume *, Ehoda braved the down to kta klngd- m. the earth, and i *nd night she so to thto d*y It group Ur up to the ! ^ of Don tree*, and at ChrWmastlde it hung franCso sure a loving above our heads In rhe boose. j **'* j**' 1 And. .lace the m-fletoe to the Mgn ' ^

•f frten-lsnlp and »«..#. and Chrlstmaa I £

I. the ttoie Of peace and good will— | «

aljy, no home to «*r.mlele aithoot the bfikidcisn vho atlendrd the odd gm-n bunch wt'h Its waxen white ' cjll<,r, ‘ D *" lM Alblm. Merritt. H- liad *■—•— i v*'to red th« prof.- Mon the protege of a man. and had acquired «

-— | clientele of prominence and a large

Michigan, j though baleam trap* are to great da- > It wns when Ik# little nwod in New Vork because of their w< ** coovnlaavent that i.e bad eoa I -.ff near ! fragiaat odor. While many dalm that * fr - PWSA Who vo« a cl use personal

and (ben i ili* annua' Itarvastlog of to m.., r friend

ntog to a | young tro* win s,H»n deforest the [ "Bi uce." he eald. "I cannot find nher bun j sta*s. others deny U. i-inting out tha< —«1» »*> exjii.** my admiration and rero The -fbe buyrv conllna their work mostly fes. ni^l ..nnvtl.ing deeper, tor 1.1 ccotv | to back pislurea where there to , that i-evt UiMc heroine. Khoda wfcoe. , riH-.um- large eeeond growth of tivee and an- | • >adlons ran- of the ehlldnu. far mot* i cent* to laeroae "a.Tuba,“- . j40B mjr mlutotruUona, u rr^iontobli

"Who Said There Ain’t No SantaJ"

« "Wf* has always gon I with the moat fervea r.-BC«V. Uuler.

•’ •••Werrd Ifr. Bruce Witt! t farm in tie tubes, "oh* la t

4