Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1872-01-11

until a week after Christmas OF the
next year. when / learSed some strange
particulars of what occurred to HIM
after our parting on the occasion Just
described. / wild let Bachelor Bluff
tell his adventures for himself:
81 went to church, said he, land
was sad there as everywhere else. Of
course, the evergreens were pretty, and
the music fine but all around me were
happy groups OF people, who could
scarcely keep down merry Christmas
long enough to do reverence to sacred
Christmas And nobody was alone but
me. Every happy paterfamillas IN his
pew tantalized me, and the whole at
m0sphere of the place seemed so much
better suited to every one else than me
! that I came away hating holidays
worse than ever. Then | went to the
pantomime and sat down all alone in
/ box by myself. Everybody seemed on
( the best of terms with everybody else,
and Jokes and banter passed from one
/ to another with the most good-natured
| freedom. Everybody but me was in a
/ little group Of friends was the only
/ person IN the whole theater that was
alone And then there was such clap
/ ping of hands, and roars of laughter,
and shouts OF delight at all the fun GO
ing on upon the stage. all of which was
rendered doubly enjoyable by every
/ body having somebody with whom to
share and interchange the pleasure,
that my loneliness got simply unbear-
able, and | hated holidays infinitely
worse than ever,
"By five o'clock the holiday became
so iutolerable that / said I'll go and get
a dinner. The best dinner the town
A sumptuous dinner for one. A dim
ner with many courses, with wines of
the finest brands, with bright lights,
with a cheerful fire, with every condi-
ton of comfort--and I'd seeif | couldn't
for once extract a little pleasure out of
a holiday.
1.-THE elegant dining room of the ia
nous caterer looked bright, but it was
empty Who dined at restaurant on
a Christmas but me- There was
tlutter Of surprise when | ordered n
dinner. and the few attendants were,
no doubt, glad Of something To break
the mOnOtOny OF the hours
My dinner was elegantly served
The spacious room looked lonely; but
the white, snowy cloths, the rich win
dow hangings, the warm tiuts of the
walls, the sparkle of the fire in the
steel CRATE, gave the room an air OF
elegance and cheerfulness and then
the table mt which lined was close to
the window, and through the partly !
drawn curtains were visible pictures of
lonely, cold streets, with bright lights T
from many window, it is true, but +.
there was n storm, and snow began /
whirlmg through the streets | let my .
paint the streets 49, cold F.
and dreary az it would, Just to extract /
a little pleasure by way ofcontras5 from /
the brilliant room Of which | was APP |
parently sole master.
- dined we'll, and recalled in fancy
old, youthful Chrlstmases, and pledged .
many au old friend, and my
melancholy was mellowing in low, sad
when, Just as | was raising
n glass Of wine to my lips, was start
led by picture at the window pane.
Il was n pale, wild, haggard face, i'll a
great cloud of black hair, pressed
against the glass. As | looked, it van
lshed. With strange thrill at my [
heart, which my lips Knocked with a
derisiye sneer, | finished the wine and .
set down the glass. Ii was, Of course,
only begger girl that had crept up TO .
the window and stole bright glance .
ut the scene within: but still the pale [
face troubled me little, and threw
fresh shadow on my heart. | filed my .
glass once more with wine, and was /
again about to drink, when the face re-
ut the window. 1t was SO 7
white, so thin, with eyes So large, wild, /
and hungrv-looking, and the black, /
hair, into which the snow had /
drltted, formed so strange and w1erd /
frame TO the picture, that | was
fairly startled. Replacing, I'M
tasted. the liquor on the table, rose
aud went close to the pane. The face
had vanished, and | could see no object
within many feet of the window. The
storm had increased. and the snow was
driving in wild gusts through the
streets, which were empty, save here
and there "a hurrying wayfarer. The
whole scene was cold, Wild and
desolate, and ! could not repress q
keen thrill Of sympathy for the child,
whoever it was, whose only Christmas
il was to watch. in cold and storm, the
rich banquet ngratefully enjoyed ny
the lonely bachelor, | resumed my
place MT the table but the DINNER was
finished, and the wine had no further
relish. was haunted hy the vision at
the window, and began, with an unrea
souable Irritation nj the interruption,