River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1878-04-04
and happy, the little housewife went to

/ not long after she heard little Phil tum-
/ bling cut # bed and his shouts of delight
! over his stocking The horn began to
foot, the whistle began to blow, the toy
cat squealed. the woolly dog bow-wowed,
and the children held q regular revel.
what good times they do have 7
| thought Prue, as she hurried ont to join
/ in the fun.
That clear. cold Christmas Day was
! different from any Prue had ever known
| before To tell the truth, good part Of
| it was passed in the kitchen, for Rosa
moud had announced her intention to
| have regular genuine Christmas dinner,
and Prue borrowed an apron and wanted to
help. She chopped bread-crumbs, washed
celery, grated cheese, and did anything
she was told and Rosamond said itseemed
quite like old times, when they were girls
and always together Phil raced up and
down the rooms on his hobby horse, and
| Rosy, trotted after him on broom, enter
| tanning themselves so we'll that their
elders paid them but little attention.
| There was one tremendous moment,
though when, in the very midst of stuff
| fng the turkey, Rosamond turned her
head and saw her baby on the top of the
stationary tubs, holding in her hand the
reservoir of oil from the student amp and
alternately shaking it ovor the water
| pitcher and the teapot.
{" Don't you wish you could keep a
nurse2" asked Prue, as Rosamond flush
ed aud hurried, stopped to scald the tea
pot
No, DON'T said her friend, I'm.
dauntedly. 81 feel through and through
my heart, that, when ! get TO be an old
woman and look back on my life, the
very sweetest part of it will be the time
| had my little children around me and
took care of them. And | think Rosy is
| fully equal to IIelen's Babies, don't
you?"
The turkey Drowned famouslv. and all
| the various articles stewing and boiling
on the stove did their best, when, at a
| quarter of three, Prue, who had no more
to do, thought that she would take the
| children &c the parlor and tell them a
story. Suddenly the door bell rang.
That must be the man with nuts,
said Rosamond; sand [ don't possibly
see how l can leave the gravy. wish
| Philip was heres"
"Tll go to the door," proposed Prue.
g If you really don't mind" began Res
amond; but Prue was already out in the
hall. She ran alphabetically down
the stairs, opened the door, and met
Harry
Phillip had fallen in with him, down
town, invited him to dinner, and then,
having to stop on the way home, had
sent him on alone. Prue gave him swift
| glance, saw that he looked care-worn,
| but the same dear old love was shining
in his eyes, they assembled the stairs and
entered the little parlor now perfect
bower with its Christmas greens.
He sat down before the glowing fire
and looked about the room.
"Phillip's lucky fellow he said, with
sigh.
Prue heart beat rapidly, for new,
brave thoughts were finding their way in
| to it; but she said nothing, only stroked
Harry's hair with lingering och.
| Rosamoud came in now with welcome
and, few minutes later, Phillip Gray
arrived, blithe and cheerful, and, with
/ child on each shoulder, was quite ready
! to lead the y TO dinner.
Such merry Christmas dinner as it
wasl Harry grew gay in spite of him
/ il.
| nation pink Philip and ROsamond did
the honors finely, and the fact that they
were little pinched for dishes made
them all the merrier. Prue got the cup
/ that was cracked; but the tea was from
Hinodis, and delicious. The turkey was
splendid, and all the side-dishes were
nice as any lady in the land could have.
! When it was time for desert, little Phil
could not keep still in his chair, and had
to be reproached for telling the guests
beforehand that they were going to have
plum pudding. R0samOnd Was little
slow about bringing it; but when she
did come, holding it on platter, 1t made
a seesation; for she had finished it off in
old English style, so that it seemed to be
On fire with blue flames.
Dinner over, they adjourned to the par
| lor, and tossed nutshelIs into the fire to
make pictures there for the children. The
happy day waned away, and at last it was
night and bedtime for Phi and Rosy.
Their mother sang them to sleep with
CAROLS and came back into the paror in
time to hear Harry say:
Il suppose housekeeping is twice as cx-
pensive as boarding. Isn'tit, Gregg"
"Well, said Philip Grey, serenely, "as
you are novice, don't mind throwing
a little light on the subject. Rose, darling
where's our account book2
Rosamond found it, and her husband
ran over the items aloud Rent for one
month, so much; marketing, so much;
coal, so much washing, sundries, etc, so
much; and then footed it up.
Something like $65 in all this month,
perhaps" he said. "When we boarded
we paid one hundred month. So you
see, my boy"
Harry was surprised and silent in a
sort of breathlessness. Itseemed as If IN
the high walls around Eden he had sud-
denly discovered gateway be had never
dreamed of where even he might pass.
! But, no; il could not be. He felt that IN
the next instant, Prue, his dainty little
love, never could undertake the care. 1t
was too much to ask of girl like her.
LET me read you a poem of Brown
ing's," said Rosamond, taking up book
and turning t be leaves. ITS about two
Young people who loved each other, but
were too poor to marry; so they waited
on and on, and finally gave it up. The
girl married a rich old Lord. Here's
what she says at the end:
Each Iife's unfulflled, you see;
1t hangs still, patchy and scrappy;
We have not sighed deep, laughed free,
Starved, Toasted, despaired-been happy
"And nobody called you dunce,7
And people suppose me clever;
This could but have happenedonce:
And we missed it, lost it forever
Prue's little hand stole into Harry's as
Rosamond read, and when she glanced
up from her book she saw them gazing
into each others eyes with look that
was pledge.
Gwen try it." said Prue, turning
round toward her friends with bright
smile.
And they will May God bless them
and all brave young hearts who are will