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Show -180- thing. As he saw his name on one of the packages (obviously a book), he did begin to feel a little of the holiday spirit and though he must run down to the stores tomorrow and buy something for his wife. "Shall we have & fire?" he called to ask her as he carried the empty carton to the fireplace. "If you want to," she replied, walking into the room. "But first, tell me again what happened today." He didn't want to tell it again, not right now when he had got his first touch of Christmas spirit." "No. First I'll start a fire. Then I'll pour us a drink. Then we can talk." "All right," she replied. He left her examining the packages on the couch. When he returned from their woodpile, down under the house below the patio, he had his arms full. He had to kick the outside door to get her attention, and she let him in. He put the wood down on the hearth, then filled the fireplace with the crumpled paper from the carton? piled on kindling, placed the logs of oak on top of that. From a ceramic match box on the mantle, he procured a large kitchen match, struck It on one of the andirons, and lighted the paper. As the flame flared up, he pulled the screen. As he stood, his back ached, and he felt momentarily dizzy. '. "What's the matter?" his wife asked him. |