The morning sunlight streamed {into a room so full of flowers that it seemed June instead of December.
Tt was only when one looked across the lawn where last night's frost had blighted the blazing salvia and pinched the chrysanthemums that tone realized that Christmas was a subject for immediate consideration. Any Christmas present is a good present, Lady Turner was saying as she leaned back in the big blue feretonne chair and looked at the lazing fire, "You know there is no law against passing along gifts. Indeed I might almost say that the Pass-it-Along Club has a universal membership. That promotes the tremendously. White Elephant may be another's dearest possession. Somebody is bound to love the gift you don't want yourself."
"still," objected the interview, "1'd hate to take a chance in sending you some of the silly books of the season'
Oh, unless it was 2 bad book—and (politely) of course it wouldn't fbe if you sent it—I could always send it on to some one else. If it was a vicious book I should fling it into the fire, where it would take the place of coal and not hurt any The reporter despaired of secur. ing an answer to her question and turned to the Irish terrier who was stretched out before the fire—brave Tittle Mike. who was picked up in Yokohama Harbour while making a gallant swim for safety at the time of the earthquake. "See here, Mike old boy, isn't there anything your Mistress would refuse to accept for a Christmas gift?"
Mike cocked an attentive ear, gave a moment's serious consideration to the problem and then, suddenly bristling up, gave one shi Tarner, 300 "No eats need apply, need they, Mike? He knows that I wouldn't want any one to give me a kitten for We agree on that point. Ido? T couldn't drown 'a kitten on Christmas Day. I'm sure I couldn't give it away. Certainly I couldn't keep it here. Dear me, I most assuredly could do without a kitten for Christmas."
'That confession disposed of, the next came' more easily. "And one other thing I don't want is a box of chocolates," admitted Lady Turner, while the reporter gasped for breath but recovered in time to insinuate that there were those who didn't share that feeling.
't's not that I don't like them," explained Lady Turner. "I like them so much that I should eat them—eat far too many of them—and that's why I pray not to be led into temptation."
So no. kittens, Persian or ash-barrel either, are wanted at 12 Kinnear Road' this holiday season, \while as for chocolates—that must!
left to the giver's discretion.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.