Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-12-25

though In few days after these sales
his pocket was as depressingly empty
as ever. He had scarcely decent
coat to cover him. but had INDUCED in
his own and my fOndness for old china
and antique ornaments |, who was
growing a grain more common sense,
with added years and experience, took
him to do for this last piece of extrava-
CANT folly.
Gertrude's stories were of the highest
order. bright, fanciful, subtle; but they
were not in such demand in the mari et
as to bring high prices, which, as John
was continually remarking, was the sur
est test that there was genius lurking
darkly in their brilliant pages.
As for me, the salary [ received for
playing on the organ in the little Epis-
copal church was small, and my pupils
were of poor families, who could not
afford to pay much for lessons. | was
the owner of a good, well-trained voice,
and had been invited to join success
full and highly respectable concert
troupe, with the promise of very re-
spectacle salary, but Tom could not
bear the idea of my singing in public,
SO gave itsup, for his sd e. Taking
everything together, we did not seem
to be any nearer having home of our
own than we had been a year before.
By next Christmas we shall have done
with landladies and gloomy rooms and
trowning looks and cold coffee and
hopeless dinners. And this Christmas
we We're little more gloomy than on
the year before; and SO on. 81" ''''
All, what bliss that little home of our
own was to look forward to! Once there
it seemed as if the whole world would
change; that editors would be more
open to reason; that the public taste
for pictures would be suddenly refined
and cultivated into an appreciation for
Tom; that story-writing would bring the
fortunes its writer's deserved; that every
utterance Of that Heavenly maid, ]"
music, would be straightway coined into
gold for follower like myself: that
housekeeping would be the little pleas
ant recreation in the intervals of the
sterner exercise of genius. We had
planned a thousand times just how we
should manage everythjng,-how de-
lightfully we would entertain our friends,
what jolly, reckless fires should always
be dancing on the hearth to brighten our
spirits while we sat to its glow, and wei
come us home with a cherry sparkle af
ter evenings spent at a concert or q the
atre; what dainty spread tables we
would have, what a wilderness of flow
ers in our windows, what a holiday-air
should pervade everything, and never a
gloomy or an i'm patient word be spoken
under the roof from years end to years
end!
"Dear me! what shall we do to-mor-
row." said Gertrude, with little sigh.
while we sat waiting for Tom. "Must
we eat our dinner here, and try to be
thankful" ,... r. r
eve might go to the play, and dine
at Copley's afterward if you PREFER
said John, the shadow creeping from
her brown eyes into his own.
"But we can be all by ourselves here, "
said I; ''and even this seems more
homelike than fashionable saloon
could. Don't you wish we had some
respectable uncle or grandpartnt who
would invite us all out to his aristo-
cratic country-seat to spend Christ
mas?" -... ........
"No," said Gertrude decidedly, ''but
[ wish it were warmer weather, that we
might have little picnic out in the
country, such as we had last fall, and
dine on a moss-covered bench, with
brown leaves dropping into our cups,
and brook near to sing us a drinking
song" -..- .r# ... ~ ..~..
Here Tom appeared, looking some
what flushed and excited, and bearing
a huge bundle in his arms.
'What made you so late?" we've been
waiting for you, Tom, said [ looking
rather pathetically at the cold sausages
that were calmly reposing in thick
white, unviting-looking substance in
stead of gayly swimming in the clear
brown sea of fifteen minutes ago.
Business" he responded briskly;
"sold a picture to rich old fellow, who
didn't care what he paid for it, and
thought would celebrate the event, by
buying present for you, Bess."
Such a huge present as tnat?" |
said, examining the paper with dread
full misgivings. "You are very good,
Tom"
Tom looked a little guilty, and as if
he dreaded i'll. Twas growing econom-
ical, and it depressed him. John pro-
posed that we should lave dinner be-
fore the present was brought to light,
and then could enjoy it at my leisure.
'Everything is spoiled" grumbled
the landlady. ''It is of no use for me
to try and provide good. comfortable,
warm dinners, if things are going on in
this way" ......... .....-s. F..
And she wiped her widowed eyes
with her apron, and wrung her unpro-
tected hands in the most hopeless man.
ner.
We acted on Johns proposal, and
made somewhat hurried and silent
meal Then Tom undid the present,
and waited breathlessly for exclama-
tons of admiration and profuse thanks
and delight on my part. But neither
explanations nor thanks came at first;
we were all too much surprised to speak,
even though it was Tom WHO had pur-
chased the splendid affair, and brought