, 1874-12-27
BETWEEN THE HOLIDAYS.
Glanelng Backward Mt Christina. a.,
Forward TO New Year's.--What tha
Old Folks and The Little
Folks Will Do on New
Years DAY.

YEARS. Day.
Christmas is over, and New Yeas's ia co-,;..>:
The reaction of ali this long preparation And ~
c'tement Is upon us, and everything seons
tnde dull and commonplace. By tb;.; wv.
Johnn'e has begun to indulge a suspicion H., H.,
hls horse is not a real fesh-and-blood s,;n..,s
jennle's wax doll already exhibits ala,n;.s
symptoms OF optical derangements dne n-os
ably 10 the celebrity with which SHE has be.n ="
pected to 70 to sleep and wake up aeain. ".
baby's ]umping-iack has suffered some internal
injuries, aud no longer performs a e.lv,n;a
dance at the pulling OF the string,-in short ~
are inclined to think just now, while 1oot;ns
backward over our shoulders at Christmas ,h.s
everything Ii
OUT OF GEAR.
Ihe Children. from oyer-excitement and fea3;,.
are fretful and aiIlng. The husband is tronh1ss1i
with sl;adowy suspicion that his wife cha,;sse..
= secret regret that her furs were not se,t ia
stead OF mink. But then he selected tia noe,
expensive. What more could he do? The ~
ls 1ealously watching every book her hush,r5
opens, and, now that she has ut last given b;Ta
the volumes LIE has been 10 long ofayino aha
cannot understand why he leaves his histories Or
NAUsAAtI41I2s VI NlAkCAc4 tuEF are
opened, while he amuses himself rib
the magazine or newspaper, Into Aramints;s
mind is creeping vague misgiEng ~
to whether Augustus will wear his smo2;n1'
cap, and Augustus on LIS part ievoutly gishs,
Le had giren Araminta anything but a book of
engravinss. Probably" he reasons, sha
will never look 1t through twice." And in trnt5
tits question. Very! likely Augustus thross
lis smokipg-cap into his trunk, aud never ru!s
it on his head second timc. Araminta Las =
little soreness at he- heart as che sees. befora
her Christmas parcel is 1ntied, that it is hooE
She had 80 lopgcd for q fan or q handkerchief.
ring! But wLo docs not know thar Christina
like arose, is more beautiful in tie bud thaa
the b1ossom-in
THE PREPARATION
than the completion7 When the husband n.ds
that lucky stroke in business which earned him
the extrG @5O to bis yearly income, be resolved
then and there the wife should have the coveted
furs, and the resolve kept his heart warm for
months. The long weeks in which he carried
his secrer-were they not as pleasant as the mo-
mont in which lie realized his authorizations, and
lips murmur thanks? And what can it be
but the pleasure Of preparation which
induces women to e1pend their misdirected en-
e1gies in the construction Of smoking -cary which
no sans man evor wears, and Shippers Which
never by any chance lit tho feet intended? Yes,
We all Of us asonlzed over the selection Of our
gifts, aud get the agony itself WAS pleasure.
10 begin with, there WIS grandpa. What could
one give an old gentleman-one already endosed
with gold spectacles? Then, il he had fur
collar and gloves, the caao WAS hopeless. An
old lady wears caps-but an old gentleman!
Bibles, and books of devotion. AMI volumes Of
sermons, are. of course, yery appropriate to per-
SONS Ut advanced agc.-but then one hardly likes
to be reminded, by the very nature OF present,
a. DIM rt9a
long for this world. and 30 He vent hurryiug
through the busy streets, cudgelinS our BRAINS
as to our Christmas purchases. str1ying in whera
the crowd was greatest, and feeling lIexplessi-
Eiy mean whenever dapper clerk came bowing
up, aud asked if any one was waiting on us, or
inquired what he could show Us. All mel how
different were our feelings whan We Were chill
dreu and did our
FIRST c1R1sTd4s SHOPPING.
We had d few slil:suss,- perhaps even dollar
or two. It seemed big SUN, and wo had bean
long time saving it mp: hut the1e were somaaT
people to be remenlberel.i Wo triel ail3t:i6gso
many pennies-or ehill1ug5, as cur fortune nigh:
a!low-to each person, hut, even az i'll these la.es
Christu.ases. We found everything NC wanted to
buy cast more than wo could a1orl We alSava
ended by buying the most inappropriate articles
for everybody, from granlma down. and
vet everybody preten1e! to be eqRal-
" surprised and delighted. and out
childish nea:ts were suprcmsfj content. Christ
mas was maie for chi1lien. Tho crown MIN
who never Enew tho agony Of childisaimpatieuea
with which the long NC 'ks before Christmas Ee!t
laden: who never countcl tie weeks d@ind!ins
to days, and tho days to houre, and the hours to
ono night, who never found it impossible to
60 to sleep because of expecting Santa Caus;
who never woke in the early gray OF morning,
and reused his bed-feIiov with ''merTy C:iziss.
mass" and battered down. pislt-goaned ING
e-footed, to ind nis STOCKING, aud then hoa'
tied Lack to bed, and sat taera exp!o1-
ING thas bu1ging STOCKING and injins
all manner Of treasures, -that man never nad
childhood worth the name. No. indeed CHRIST.
mss IS no longer Christmas Wien one can Wan
till he is dressed IN the morning before he knoH1
what Santa Claus has brought him.
On the other hand, Now iears Is emphaucalJ
. day for
THE YOUNG AND MDDLE-AcED.
Tie old folks sit IL the bacE-roon8 and catco
the sound of sleigh-bells, and eay-Hreetmgt
and happy farcwells, tho whla the1
thoughts sadly revert to past scenes,
to the long-abandoned homes OF their cary
married lives, to friends long since paased fFom
t1is world: aud the first OF tho yesr il but. t.s.a
day to them. The l:tle children know tha
there is lots Of fun going on. but theT are not N
it. They watch the slelghs. and tho big gentls.,
men jumping out and stamping their feet. anu
the horses tossing their heals and making soe
bells clash out, and tie driver thrashlnH
his arms to keep warm. TheE peep
through the bannisters down into the ball oa-
low, and catch glitnpses OF gentlemen comlnS
and going, and hear laughing aud talking: 1 snd
there is Z smell OF coffee aud caia ana eoou
things generally. Oh, dear II only theY "eas
grown up! And Jennie sighs to DO ar q.esssa s.
beautifully and sit III the paElor, hsa Aam m;ns
and Cousin Allie. and Johnny kicks tug Ea1n.sn sa
OF the stair-rail IN lis impatleuce 10 10 uS3
like Papa and Uncle John. -, rx ~
It will be only little while before the 1qu -
New-Year's will be over to Mamma ana taia.
In few years they will both be Inchneu ~ ri 3i
each other about being etont: raps haa uear ".
be thin, and Mamma's upper lip Will nave a4aee,;; -;
sunken expression, and around the e5G3 ~
10th tI,era viii be little cEiss-cross lines. faEs
will hare a secret chagrin that the prott! soans
r;rla which every discreet New-}ears hostess
provides herself with seem so reaaY ~ 1uin ho
from him to any OF the " "beardless oo5s ,;ns r
come in. He will begin to find New, ear M ssanh :.
bore, and only makcs . fev calls Nnsn -, s.a;t
feels as il he ought to go" Mamma "ul nus .,
gets harder each year to remain stana1af a;.es
long; sho will caro- more Tor dlnnet, am iii tsen
for particular callers. While Sue Will st'u ~
omen house, she will groan IN spllit oset a.a =
hrrden of entertaining men who call but ouee
year and then oulv because she and her husoa.s
natropiZe them in business. or because 1n1: :ham
or because she 1ns1sea .I ~
to her last party, or because we'll becauso u'1
feel thcy must. She will be annoyed a. tnos'
NEW TEARS LocE5Is, ,.-..
the small boys who, with canes anu h1o.s,Ud
and cards 70 from house to house mas4ae1t tu.
inc under the guise Of juvenile gasauu:,' M.
WHO, being really impei!ed By gastiog.o..t,i ..tiea