THE GIFTS G214

 THE GIFTS

One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all she had saved. Three times Della counted it. Only one dollar and eighty-seven cents. And the next day would be Christmas.

There was clearly nothing left to do but drop herself onto the shabby little couch and weep. So Della did. You see, life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles—but mainly of sniffles.

When Della had finished crying she went to the window and looked out sadly at a grey cat walking along a grey fence in a grey backyard. Tomorrow would be Christmas Day, and she had only $1.87 with which to buy Jim, her husband, a present. She had been saving every cent she could for months, but twenty dollars a week—which was the total of their income—doesn't leave much for saving. Expenses had been greater than she had calculated. They always are. And now she had only $1.87 to buy a present for Jim. Many happy hours she had spent planning for something nice for him. Something fine and rare—something worthy of the honour of being owned by Jim.

There was a mirror between the windows of the room. Suddenly she whirled from the window and stood before the glass. Her eyes were shining brilliantly, but soon her face lost its colour. Rapidly she pulled down her hair and let it fall to its full length.

Now, Della and Jim had two possessions in which they both took very great pride. One was Jim's gold watch, which had been his father's and his grandfather's. The other was Della's hair. It fell about her, rippling and shining like a brown waterfall. It reached below her knees and almost made a garment for her.

She did her hair up again nervously and quickly. She hesitated for a minute and stood still while a tear or two splashed on the worn red carpet.

On went her old brown jacket. On went her old brown hat. With a whirl of skirts and with the brilliant sparkle still in her eyes, she ran out of the door and down the stairs into the street.

She stopped at a sign that read: "Madame Sofronie. We Buy Hair Goods of All Kinds." One flight up Della ran, and paused for a moment, panting. She opened the door.

"Will you buy my hair?" asked Della.

"Take your hat off and let's have a look at it," said Madame.

Down came the long brown waves.

"Twenty dollars," said Madame, lifting the mass of hair with a practised hand.

"Give it to me quickly," said Della.

The next two hours sped by in a whirl of happiness. She searched shop after shop for Jim's present.

She found it at last. It surely had been made for Jim and no one else. It was a gold watch chain. It was even worthy of The Watch. As soon as she saw it she knew that it must be Jim's. It was just right for him. Twenty-one dollars they took for it, and she hurried home with the remaining 87 cents.

When Della reached home she looked at what was left of her poor hair and started to work on it.

Within forty minutes her head was covered with tiny curls that made her look wonderfully like a naughty schoolboy. She looked at herself in the mirror long, carefully, and critically.

At 7 o'clock the coffee was made and the frying-pan was on the back of the stove, hot and ready to cook the supper.

(To be continued)