Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1872-01-04

Nearest or most remote
! But dearest, hath none DELAYED: .
And the spirits Of kisses AOat
| q, Der the lips th, It never fade.
The Night each guest denies
OF The hand of naughty btain.
But the loves that Weres arise
| AMI the loves that are, remain.
Atlantic AontktS ~ January.
BACHELOR BLUFFS HOLIDAYS.
II hate holidays" said Bacbelo
Bluff to me, with some little Irritation
ON Christmas q few yearsaQo. Thej
he paused an instant, after which h
remarked: II don't mean to say TIA
hate to see people enjoying them
selves. But I hate holidays, neverthe
less, because they are tome always tn,
dreariest and saddest days of the wear
I sliudder at the name of holidays,
dread the approach of one, and thanl
heaven when 1t Is over. T pass through
on holiday, the most horrible sensa
tions, the bitterest feelings, the mos
oppressive melancholy; in fact I an
not myself at holiday times"
Very strange" I ventured to inter.
pose.
"a plague on til" said he, almost
with violence. "I'm net inhuman.
don't wish anybody harm. I'm glad
people can enjoy themselves. But
hate holidays all the same. You see,
this is the reason: I am bachelor :
I am without kin; I am in land that
did not know ME at birth. And 80.
when holidays come around, there is
no place anywhere. for me. I have
friends, OF course; I don't think I've
been very sulky, shut-in, reticcat fel-
low; and there IL many q board that
has place for me-but not at Christ.
mas"time. At Christmas, the dinner
is family gathering !; and I've no fam
ny. There is such gathering of kin
dred on that occasion, such reunion
OF family folk, that there is no place
tor friend, even 1.-THE friend be liked.
Christmas, with all it's kindness and
charity and goodwill, is, after I'M.
deuced selfish. Each little set Gathers
within it's own circle; and people IKE
me, with no particular circle. are left
in the lurch. So you see, on the day
OF oil the days in the year that nv
heart pines for good cheer, Tn without
an invitation. >.
ooh, it's because pine for good
cheer, said the bachelor, sharply. in
terrupting my attempt to speak, Sthat
Z hate holidays. If I. were an infer
nally selfish fellow, I wouldn't hote
holidays. I'd 60 off and have some
fun all to myself, somewhere OF. some:
how. But, you see, 1 hate to be in the
dark when all the rest of the world il
IN light. hate holidays, because 7
S Saght a to be en-. merry and happy on Holt
"Don't tell me, he cried. stonn;noe
the word that vas ON nv lbs: :. tali
You, hate holidays. The shops look
merry, do they, with their bright TOYS
and greensbranches7 The pantomime
is crowded with merry hearts, is III
The circus and the show are brim full
OF fun and laughter, are they2 Well.
they all make me miserable. Ihavenf
any pretty-faced girls, or bright.eved
boys to take to the circus or the show.
and I'LL the nice girls and fine bows al
my acquaintance have their uncles or
their grand-dads or their cousina tn
take them to those places and no. If I
go, I must go alone. But I don't 90.
l can't bear the chill of seeing eyery.
body happy, and knowing myself 40
lonely and desolate. "Confound it, sir,
I've too much heart to be happy under
such circumstances I'm too humane.
SIR! And the result is, hate HOLIDAYS.
It's miserable to be out, and vet ]
can't stay at home, for get to. think.
ing OF Christmases past. I can't read
the shwdow of my heart makes il i'm
possible. can't walk-for I see moth
ing but pretty pictures through the
bright windows, and happy groups OF
Pleasure-seekers. The fact, is. I've
nothing to do but to hate HOLIDAYS Bnt
will You not dine with me2"
or course, I had to plead engage
ment with my own family circle. and 7
couldn't quite invite Mr.. Bluff home
that day, when Charley and his wife.
and sister Susan and her dauobter ana
three OF my wife's kin, had come in
from the country, all to make a marr1
christmas with u.s.. 1 felt sorry, but Il
was quite impossible; so wished Mr.
Bluff "merry Christmas" and hur.
rled homeward through the cold and
nipping air. "''
did not meet Bachelor Bluff aoain
until a week after Christmas of the
next year, when learned some strange
particulars Of what occurred to him
after our parting on the occasion inst
described. I will let Bachelor BlnA
tell his adventures for himself:
II went to church, "said he. "and
was sad there rs everywhere else. O1
course, the evergrecns were pretty. and
the music fine; but all around me were
happy. groups Of people, who could
scarcely keep down merry Christmos'
long enough, to do reverence to sacred
Christmas. And nobody was alone but
me. Every happy paterfamilias in his
pew tantalized me, and the whole at.
mosphere of the place seemed so mucl,
better suited to every one else than me
that L came away hating holidays
worse than ever. Then went to the
Pantomlme and sat down all alone in q
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 onlv
person IN the whole theater that wns
alone. And then there was such clap.
ping of hands, and roars of laughter
and shouts of delight ut all the fun 90.
ing on upon the stage, all of which was
rendered doubly enjoyable by every.
oody having somebody with whom 70
snare and interchange the pleasure.
mat my loneliness GOT: simply unbear.
able, and I hated holidays 3l,si uitela
,s.;>.: