CHINA MAIL CHRISTMAS SUPPLEMENT, -1929.
CHRISSIE'S CHRISTMAS FAIRY denuded tree over which Chrissie's fairy
(Continued from Page 4.) "We are absolutely sold out, madam, un- less for those on our own trees. You have left it rather late.”
"I know," said Ruth, and, encouraged by the assistant's kindly manner, told her cale of the little child robbed at Christmas time of both daddy and mumray. The girl was touched, and called for the department
manager.
After consulting together the manager turned to R¤th.~
"If you could come to-morrow, madam, just on closing time, we could let you have one of our own fairies. Of course, you might find one in another store, but I very much doubt it.".
"It is very kind of you,” said Ruth gratefully. “I dare say I can find someone to take care of the children and let me come in again. How much will it be?"
He named a price which rather took her breath away. It would leave her with very little to carry on with till her next salary was due. But Chrissie must have her Christ- mas fairy, no matter what the cost.
Yet she believed she had but little of the true Christmas spirit in her, and felt a little sad as she made her way to the Kenyon. home. She found Mary impatiently waiting her, all eagerness to get off to do some shop- ping of her own.
"And I hope you will come home earlier to-morrow, -miss," she added. "I want to meet my sister at the station, so that we can go home together. Missus promised that I would get away just after lunch, but I wouldn't be disobliging.”
Displayed The True Spirit But when Ruth told the warm-hearted little Cockney maid the tale of the fairy quest she promptly displayed the true Christ mas spirit.
"Well, Miss Elson, we can't ask any neighbour to look after other folks' kids on Christmas Eve... They've all enough to do with their own. So I reckon I'll just have to stick it till you get back with your fairy. After all, it ain't much to what you are do- ing.
"Oh, I'm going to have quite a good time," said Ruth, even though she was al- ready feeling heart-sick at the prospective loneliness of a Christmas with only another woman's children for company—children too young to be really companionable to a gre- garions soul like Ruth.
When she had struggled to the well-nigh
still presided she had to wait a good half- hour before she got hold of the assistant she required. And even after that another ten minutes passed before the fairy could be Must Bring Good Fortune
taken down.
under foot.
Her cry of dismay rang out poignantly. Scores of eyes turned towards her. The thief made good his escape,
"What is it? What has happened? Stand back there! Give the lady room, air. She is fainting.”.
"I'm not." Pride came to her aid: But when she really had it in her arms "Catch the thief. Let me get my fairy. Ian her face lit up with joy. It was even more-oh, Ian!" looking up with tear-dimmed For he had forced his beautiful than she had thought. Surely it eyes into his face. would bring good fortune into the home way to her side now, gripping her hands, news, perhaps, that Chrissie's daddy was giving of his strength. No matter what his round the corner, going to get well.
cousin had written to him about a London lover, she was his
his woman and he would defy any man to take her from him again.
She turned to struggle back to the lifts, going now against the streams. She had to pass the mechanical toys section, and there one of a crowd of men watching the working of the biggest toy electric railway she had ever seen, was Ian Graham-yes, unmistak- ably Ian. She had forgotten to take account
of the years.
all. Before she could catch it back his name He had, aged more than she had, after had escaped her lips. And above all the stir
and noise and talk it reached his ears,
He looked up quickly. Their eyes met, questioned, answered, and yes, caressed, in
the old familiar way, and then his hardened. He deliberately turned away.
:
The shock was so cruel that a little cry of pain was wrung from her but firmly re pressed. She stopped dead for a moment. She felt a tug on her wrist, from which her bag was dangling, both hands being required to keep fast grip of her precious parcel. A shabby enough old bag it was, the last Christmas gift she had got from Ian. But it contained all she had and she forgot everything but her need to save it.
Fairy Falls To Floor
She freed one hand to grab the would- be thief, someone jostled her, and the fairy fell to the floor and was speedily trampled
'LEGEND OF WISE MEN
The legend of the Wise Men of the East, or, as they are styled in the original Greek of St. Matthew's gospel, the Magi, who visited, the infant Saviour with precious offerings, became, under monkish influence, one of the
"Never mind the doll, whatever it is, or your old purse either," he said in quietly authoritative tones. "Let us get out of this rabble. You've no right to be here alone."
She made no answer. Was there any need just then for words?
They got to the door, avoiding the lifts.
They went silently down three long flights of
+
stairs. They came out of a side entrance, where his car was waiting. He put her into it, then asked abruptly:
"Where to?"
to
And with quick understanding of him she answered, "Jenning's. You were blame for Chrissie's Christmas fairy being broken. It is up to you to get the one on which she had first set her heart, which was far beyond my means. "We'll just manage it before they close."
"Who is Chrissie, and what are you do ing in London at all?" he demanded, when he had given the order and stepped into the car beside her. "I was told you were going home for the last time before you were married. And I stayed in London to avoid you, and refused every invitation, to enjoy my misery alone.”
Difference Between Man And Woman
"And I stayed to avoid you-but with a temporary adopted family -the difference between man and woman," she said, between laughter and tears.. "Chrissie is Edith Martin's little girl only she is Edith Kenyon now, but as easy-going and irrespon- sible as ever. So I was buying the fairy for Chrissie, yearning-I can own it now-to be buying toys for my own child. And you— for whom were you contemplating the pur- chase of a railway?"
"For myself," he confessed, with the old boyish laugh, which had a wistful note as he added, "Wishing I could be taking it home to our son. Darling, it isn't true that there is another man, is it? The Christmas fairy has brought us together again in very truth."
"My dear-oh, my dear, there never
And back in the great store a young assistant was lifting the broken fairy, almost weeping because it was beyond repair.
That feeling of loneliness was intensi- fied, a hundredfeld next evening, when she formed one of the seething mass of gay, light-most popular during the middle ages and was, never could be, any man but you," she hearted last-minute shoppers in the great was told with increased and elaborated pers-whispered, and the next moment she was in store.
picuity as time advanced. The Scripture his arms, lip to lip, as heart to heart, and all No one else, she thought, sadly, seemed nowhere informs us that these individuals the sorrow and bitterness of the parting, the so entirely alone, though doubtless there were kings, or that their number was re- loneliness of the long weary years between, were countless in the same plight. There, stricted to three. The legend converts the were as if they had never been. for instance, was a man just in front of her, Magi into kings, gives their names, and a wandering rather aimlessly along. There was minute account of their stature and the something familiar in the set of his should-nature of their gifts. Melchior (we are thus ers, she mused, just as he turned to the left told) was king of Nubia, the smallest man for the jewellery department while she had of the triad, and he gave the Saviour a gift to bear to the right for the toys. She got of gold, the emblem of royalty. - Melchior just a glimpse of his profile under his slouch means "King of Light." Balthazar was king hat. Her heart-missed a beat.
of Chaldea. He offered incense. He was a man of ordinary stature. His name means "Lord of Treasure." But the third, Gaspar, | put it safely aside." king of Tarshish, was of high stature, a black Ethiope," and he gave frankincense and myrrh, the emblems of divinity. Gaspar means "The White One." All came with many rich ornaments belonging to king's array, and also with mules, camels, and horses loaded with great treasure, and with multitude of people, to do homage to the Saviour, then a little childe of xiii dayes clde.'
He was like Ian, bat a much older man. And Ian would be in Scotland by now, with- out doubt, making love, perhaps, to the girl the family had always wished him to marry -a rich manufacturer's daughter. Even if he were not, he would not be wandering alone on Christmas Eve in a big multiple store mainly patronised by people with not over-heavy purses. He had too many friends in London for that. He would have pick and choice of numerous gay gatherings for his Christmas Eve.
"Poor thing! Its day is done," she said a little sadly, but an older saleswoman who had witnessed the whole scene reassured her. "It has done its work, dear, brought a real Christmas into two lives. I fancy some- how it will be claimed after the holidays, so
And if it was Jenning's wonderful fairy which welcomed Chrissie's daddy and mummy home early in the New Year, it was the broken one, smiling even in death, which went with Ruth and Ian Graham to their home across the seas.
And soon-very soon now-Ruth will be able to tell its story to the little daughter who came to them on a still more wonderful Christmas Eve.