Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1879-12-19

hhCh Iide Clu uOl Ah1Niih0I9 gIdSpeu MS
arm.
But must give her up now, Susie, "
! he said to me-we had no secrets from
each other" though | love her more
than ever. TwOuld have been no match
in n worldly sense, for her before-a
printer with only what he earned from
week to week, ,and pretty young widow,
owning houses and lands sufficient to
give her an income of thousand a year.
But now it is simply impossible. Dis
abled for life. / must make up my mind
to be a burden on you, ana see her
marry"
You'll do no such thing, Nathaniel, u
cried /. "What has come over youP 1t
seems to me that the people who are the
jolliest when they are Jolly are the bluest
when they are blue. One would think
you'd lost both arms and legs to hear
you talk. Do you forget your favorite
motto, Nil desperandum,' to say moth
irsS Of UP, sDassi dSi saaId tU 'UIIIF =
But Nat continued very low in his
spirits, all could do or say. And this
is how affairs stood in our house the
Christmas eve before that Christmas
day.
The kettle had just began to boil next
morning, and | had just called out,
Merry Christmas to Nat, hearing him
stir in his own room, when Widow
Winterpippin's blue-eyed little maid
knocked at the door, with a merry
Christmas" a giggle, and note from
her mistress. The note read:
Winifred Winterpippin sends her
love to Susie and Nathaniel Bracket, land
begs that they WILL asa great favor, give
her their company in her rooms this
evening at seven O'clock"
And I've got note for everybody
in the house, and there's to be a supper,
miss. So don't cook no dinner, MISS ~
said the little maid, laughing outright.
(This little maid was almost always
laughing, in which respect she much
resembled her black-eyed mistress.
"Say we'll come with pleasure, Mamie, 81
said |. " Yes, miss" and away she
flew.
And at seven precisely the invited
guests were assembled in the widows
pretty parlor. Dear me! How pretty
it was. Christmas green's were festoone1
all around the walls, and anchors, and
wreaths, and hearts, and crosses were
hung wherever they could be hung, and
| above the mantel, Merry. Christmas -
in large dark green letters, frightened
by crimson berries greeted us as we en-
tered the door. And there were stands
filled with lovely geraniums and be-
gOnias, and lilies in each window, and
asplendid fire in the CRATE and the most
charming of all there was the widow
herself in q pearl-gray silk with scarlet
ribbons at her throat and scarlet flowers
in her hair.
When Nathaniel-poor fellow, how
his empty sleeve annoyed him-and |
arrived, Mrs. McChilly and her grand
children were already there-the old
lady in the easiest chair in the room
nearest the fire, with glass of lemonade
of which she was very fond chow did
Widow Winterpippin manage to find
out everybody's little weaknesses in the
way of eating and drinkingP) on small
round table by her side, and the grand
son and his wife looking over the photo
graph album in a cosy corner.
Mr.. and Mrs. Rose and the three rose
buds, as we called the children, wee,
darling, auburn-haired girls, came in at
the same time we did, and Mr.. and Mrs
Summer, he looking worn and haggard,
and she with traces of tears around her
beautiful eyes-and the baby-made
their appearance a few moments later.
"And now that we are almost all
here" said Widow Winterpippin-we
wondered who else was to come" We'll
have a dance to begin with. You will
play, Mrs. Summer? Mamie can hold
the baby"
But Mrs. Summer blushed and said
she never played, now"
but you can" insisted the widow in
her genial way. "You surely have not
forgotten, l used to hear you playing
so much and so well when you first
moved here, and Mr. Summer sang
then, too. Many happy hour have !
passed listening to you both" And
Mr.. Summer, with a conscious cOntrite
look in his face, put his arm around his
wife and led her TO the piano.
Then Nathaniel took the widow, and
Mr.. Summer Mrs. McChilly's grand
daughter by marriage, and Mrs.
McChilly's grandson Mrs. Rose. and
Mr.. Rose me, and we had an old-fash-
ioned quadrille dance in the old fash
ioned way-and a jig to end with. And
Mrs. McChilly declared it made her feel
like dancing herself, and she would have
danced, too, l believe, if it hadn't been
for her rheumatic foot. AS it was, she
beat time to the jig tune with her cane
until her arm was so tired she couldn't
beat any longer, and Mamie and the
baby took it and beat away, utterly re-
gardIess of time, until all the ladies had
made their final courtesies to their
partners.
After the dance we had lovely bal
lad from Mr.. Summer, who had fine
tenor voice, and q comic song from Mr.,
Rose, who had a voice suited to it. The
comic song had silly, rollicking chorus
in which the company all Joined with as
much earnestness us though their lives
depended upon their doingso.
" Ira -la-la-tra-la lu
Ta-la.h-and that will do"
And then supper. Such supper!
Roast turkey, Gran berry sauce, mince
pie, crisp celery, homemade bread,
pickles, tongue, stewed oysters, candies
and wax dolls (the dolls beside the chill
dren's plates.) And when we were all
through and back to the parlor again,
sitting in half-ch Gle around the CRATE
fire, a cup of fragrant tea or coffee in
every hand, Widow Winterpippin, who
sat in the center ofthe half-circle, said
:" And now, if no one has any objection,
| would like to tell you q wonderful
dream | had last night"
"Any objectionp "No, indeedr
Delighted to hear itp' from all sides
And, while the Summer baby crowded
itself to sleep in its mothers arms, and
the Rosebuds, on the floor at theil
fathers feet-eacl with a new dol
clasped to their breast-drooped thcil