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your Christ and King. , --Christina W. from a fitful elumber her telephtne | rudely aroused her, 'It was a tel \ from John Higgins. =~ ~~ » 4 "Cannot release you from engge- 'ment Christmas Eve.. Have made arrangements for gala performa Will reléase you all the rest of the week." a] The message angered her. How dare Al- he! When Helm later called her on the up | telephone, she told him of Higgins' message, wot 3 "Did you sign any kind of contkact with him?" : a "Yes, a little slip of paper." a "H-m! That probably constitutes' a contract. Perhaps I can buy him oft," Mary Jennings said that she hoped that it would be possible. "Well, don't-worry about it)" Helm assured her. "I've got a lot of work fof you to do. I've just had word thht Albrie, who's been playing in a con- cert town with a pianist and Madanie Shavet, the soprano, has been taken sick, T want you to fill in his dates for a few days. Can you start this afternoon?" ¢ Could she start? She could have been ready in twenty minutes! s It was ten days before she returned 'to Ottawa and Carl Helm's office. She had not heard from him for several days and was anxious as to whether shie was to start for Montreal at once, or if by any chance, she would be forced to play the Christmas date at Thompsonville. Thompsonville! Suddenly she almost hated the name, For ten days she had travelled in luxury and lived at the best hotels. :She had been playing be- fore audiences who wore evening clothes, who applauded correctly, who understood her music. Of course, the small town folk had been fond of her, and John Higgins loved her. But everything was changed now and sure- ly it was a right change. She found that Helm had gone West but had left an order for her. As she feared, he had not been able to break the Thompsonville engagement. She was to keep it and then report back to Ottawa. He would be back the day after Christmas and then the contract for the long tour could be signed. She was disappointed, so much so 5 but suddenly stopped. * "Say, by the way, at a couple ot 3 Ime, i WoalL| open concert 'dates that I've got got to run now for my train.) have someone to fill. There's one in flu + =| Kingston next week, another in Belle- Jbefore| ville and--" he stopped, looking at her She-sat| keenly as if weighing his own wisdom. en there's the big Christmas festi- the| val in Montreal on the 24th. Say!" he was suddenly: enthusiastic, "You can play the kind of stuff that the 'mob likes to hear and you play it well. il p ak you n at the Christmas festi- ~ That'll make every paper in the ¢ 4 ony Tiention you¥ mame." EY . > 0 little woman clasped her hands @ want, Mary?" he her. 'To play at the Christmas He said that he was | festival in Montreal was a dream that er. Does he want you| few ever realized. . Her eyes were we "| wide as a child's seeing its first Christ- 'mas tree. A tear of happiness glisten- ed on her lashes. Yes! She would play to them the "kind of stuff" that y liked to hear. She would make 1t had lost flavor. Ottawa! : «Was ghe dreaming? 'What did he asked quickly. "How Sondorully she breathed. _ "I'guess you can do it!" Helm said bluntly. '"Good-night! in tHe morning." It was several minutes before she moved. She stood there, thinking, thinking, her brain almost numbed by the glory that had befallen her, This l,| had been her day of days! * When she went back to her hotel she sent half a dozen telegrams, each one cancelling an engagement to play in a small town. Mary Jennings told Y ierself that these telegrams were the y she ifiterrupted him, "I| knives that cut her free for a wonder- "that you have this theatre "and. ful world-wide experience. 's the farm that, has-been such| It was hours before she slept and "baying proposition but, a RTT 1 tende } came indo her voice,| : ; 3 ll call you I pass where the pines for C \ Stand thick in the crowded street, Where the groves of Dream and Silence Are paced by feverish feet. A ene ie y hom eart go To the pine-clad hills of childhood, - 7 To the dark and tender North. And I see loo pine-lands, Ronin Sh And ills he. d cold, re the sunset falls So Bute hills of gloom and gold! still dusk woods close know the waiting And the rotind 'me, es x tender, '| mllaby, Silent Night, Holy Night. The | 8che iri her heart. | house. A woman muffled a 'sob. Mary | Almost a) iF «| music as if she were hearing another. | 1t seemed to exalt her, to carry | above smallness and unres came | the § "| insistent demand 'she 'played the Mary's hesrt | Hark, the Herald: Am Came ui "| with the thunder of applause. Prayer. Lord! Grant to es eyes . That, through the gross ma- Baby Through earthly mists that ever We glimpse to-day in clearer Lo skieg The Guiding Star! many of us would be if instead of struggling strain- ing. to give silly, useless Christ- mas presents which we really cannot afford to buy we would give freely of what Christ gave ~love! that she considered playing sick and' 80 cheating Higgins after all. She shivered at her smallness but argued with herself that she was right. For a whole day she moped about her ho-' stel,; one, 'minute 'deciding that she might as well go, the néxt determin- ing that she would 'never play in Thompsonville 'again. In the end, however; duty won, duty plus a queer little feeling of resent- ment, She would go down to Thomp- Sonville!' She 'would play as she had never played before! { the' gorgeous 'gown that she had bought with the thought of her, Mont. real'engagement in mind. She would show Thompsonville what it would be Missing in the years that 'were com- ing! It was after noon when she arrived, and she Went at once to the theatre to find what part she was scheduled to play in Higgins' gala program, She found the lobby trimmed with ever- green and in a frame of holly was her name with the familiar Princess of the Violin heading. The stage, too, was gayly decorated. A plano was on the stage and the organist of the Methodist Church, the best local mu- sician, engaged especially to play her accompaniments. She: found, too, 'to her surprise, that there was to be no afternoon performance, and only one that evening. Higgins, so the man at the box office told her, had gone to his sister's but would be back at seven. Her accompanist would meet her at four to practice, There seemed to be nothing else to do but go back to her hotel room and put in the long afternoon. Last year, she, too, had been invited to John Hig- €in's sister's for over Christmas. But now a change had come. She had be- gun that change herself. At four she returned to the theatre to rehearse, then back to the hotel for a lonely meal: and hours. until -the evening engagement. She dressed herself more than care- fully that night and the mirror. re- flected her image as a handsome wo- man jin startling raiment. She had not seen Higgins. She wondered if he were avoiding her. She hoped not, for, after all, she liked John. He had been very, very kind to her and, with him, friendship had blossomed into love. She smiled when she realized that if she had wished, she might be Mrs. John Higgins of Thompsonville, instead of Mary- Jennings with the sure prospects of a glorious career be- fore her. As she stepped on to the stage: that: night, a chorus of "Oh's!" mingled She Us perceiving | L8 She would wear | born aled to Seek' we now Thy ce With our gifts of love; Felix brings a lambkin, 'I will give a dove. : Baby Jesus, small and sweet, Lo, we lay them at feet. ~~ =Norah Holland, me A rn BWALY 217 guod wishes foxy erry Christmns hard to rest even when one travelled: in luxury, 'She would play no more , to-night. Bhe walked toward the side of the stage and bowed, as if to end her program, i "Oh, you've got to play Home, Sweet Home!" shouted a middle-aged [Man down in front and the whole house echoed him. "Yes! Home, Sweet , Homel. You've got to play that!" She . smiled at: them and touched the bow 'to the strings. : "Mid 'pleasures and palaces--" the simple strain of the music flowed from her violin, and then, "Home! Home! Sweet, Sweet Home," and so on to the finish of the melody. Obeying a warm, inward impulse she repeated the re- £rain, the bow wandering in soft har- 'ionies and variations. A sob rose in her 'heart. The old song was right! The old song was right! There waa "no place on earth" quite like home. And to her, this little theatre, with the people who knew her best with John Higgins and his sister, was home to her. They loved her! There was not one of them that wore perfectly' cor- rect evening dress; they might not understand her more difficult musical themes. But they loved her. She was' one of them. After the last high, sweet note died, she took no bows, she had to hide the free-running tears. She tumbled to the little dressing- room and dropped to a chair. They were real people, her own folk. And in the world beyond lay--what? Suc- success? Money ? Yes, but here were men and women who had driven miles through frosty air to hear her. After all, hearts were more than money, friendship more than fame. : was a knock at her door. It was John Higgins She smiled at him through her tears, "Crying? What's up? You were more wonderful than ever," he sald, "I don't wonder the big world cally you. "When you pliyed" that" Holy Night piece, I almost cried--and--" He stopped abruptly. "What's up ~--dear?" SE - "It's nothing," she' smiled wanly, "Im just tired." "That's all? = Sure?" "They all love me 50, John) It's been wonderful playing in the big ities but --'there is no place like home,' " and she sobbed outright. He dropped to his kneese beside her chair. He took her hands in his. "You don't have to be tired any more, Mary. You don't have to fiddle for eity folks. You'll never have to work again, but dust play when you will for tha, folks that love you best. Why--" he stop: | ped. . That the . She knew what he checked it, almost imperiously,. and meant, played. First, there was a lilting waltz| big farm and, the theatre could keep which showed all tie fire of her" ast, | them: TRU ware to marry her, Then, scarcely waiting for the silence, The thought Was 4s the sweetest niuaia she played the ever-beloved Christmas that 'filled hersonl, It' foothed - the sathed saftly, y in prayer 'and leaned ennings felt the spirit of her: own | closer to) ii Jennings felt the epirit of her: own | closer to } understosl' Th her} the silence of He litte, harn-iks i m ovigun hush of a great peace was over the| "Holy Night!" she breathed t. At their| came to him Christmas favorites they Safle for: i et So started wing vords, giving im, 1