The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1879-12-25

yOu.
Dear, Dc l wrong your Life is hard and short
Fortune Is coy and chill, time aics so fast;
Wiser, perhaps the passing rays to court,
Nor hoard our all OF sunshine In the past;
Women will cling to dying dreams, you sec,
And memory keeps my Christmas day with
WHAT THE CAT BROUGHT IN.
OF all evenings in the year for lovers
to qusrrcl-Christma Eve, when the
whole world should be not only at peace,
bnt uncommonly jolly; when everybody
should be buying presents for everybody
else; when Scrooge should be dreaming
tho wonderful dreams and seeing the
wonderful visions which are to convert
him from detcstable grumpy old miser
into the most benevolent public benefac-
tor; when the cricket and the kettle
should be beginning, in merry rivalry, to
sing their tireside songs Of love and well
come; when the green Christmas trees,
standing in groups in the crowded toy
shops, should bc wishing each other a
pleasant 'good-by' ere they separated to
10 hung with hundreds OF tiny wax ia
pers and pretty gifts for young and old in
many happy home; when people who,
during the last 365 days, had fallen out,
should he seriously thinking Of shaking
hands aud falling in again: when all the
churches should be- bri ght with sturdy
evsrgreens, and sweet with lovely flowers,
and musical with the sound of joyful
childish voices blended tremendously to :
gether in quaint old Christmas carols.
And no doubt most Of these things were
being done, for there was no end Of laugh
ter and merry talk IN the streets, and the
shop windows were blazing with gas Jets.
and crowded with all sorts of articles for
all scrts of purposes; and from all the
houses came long rays Of light and sounds
Of music anil dancing and romping (and
wherakhere was house which gave forth
NO light or sounds Of merriment, it was
only because the family had gone to a
party next door, or across the way, or
around the co1Rer); and every man, wo-
man and child abroad carried bundle,
package, or basket, and every face wore
. smile-with one exception. And that
isn't the worst Of it. That exception wore
the frowniest kind Of frown instead.
Ptolemy Lolliyer, carpenter, young,
good looking, honest, sober, industrious
with but one fault, in fact-and a
shop Of his own in prospect as soon al
the new year was fairly installed in the
place Of the departing one and yet here
he was, on Christmas Eve, walking rap
idly through the street, looking neither
to the right nor left, his fur cap pulled
down over his eyes, and his hands thrust
deep in his overcoat pockets.
''Confound the fellow!' he muttered,
with his handsome face and romantic
name-'Arthur Godfreyr l wonder what
possessed the old folks to call me Ptom-
ley-Ptolemy, great in war; that may
be-I've never had chance to find out
but mighty small in love I take it.
saw him kiss her as she stood in the
doorway. She must have given him the
glove. If she didn't, why should he
confound his lmpudence flourish it in
my face in such a manner as was COM
ing up the steps? and why, if she didn't
confound his impudence again should
he call out, Take care of her, Lolliver,'
as he thrust it into his breast pocket,
showing those COMPOUNDED white teeth OF
his all the time2 It was hers; I'm sure
Of it. That shades one in a, hundred. l
ought to knew; I had trouble enough
finding it. 'Off for year, is he. He'll
be back in in0nth-that's my opinion.
I'd come back if I were he and Essie had
given me the glove to wear next my heat.
Provoking little thing not word would
she say; only drew herself up with trag-
edy air, and flashed her bright eyes at
me. And yet she's only known the
handsome scamp half year, and I-why,
Two loved her ever since saw her first
one summers day ten years ago, cum
ming, rosy-cheeked golden-haired girl,
standing near the school-housc, looking
after the big dog that had snatched her
lunch basket, and ran away with it, with
queer look on her sweet face, as though
she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
gave her.ny lunch-two apples and a
piece Of gingerbread-and bought her a
new basket, though it took almost all
the money I'd been saving for months
fol tho Fourth of July, leaving me only
enough to buy two packs of tire.crackers
and three pin-wheels. And this is how
It ended-ha! ha"-laughing sardoni-
cally-"like fire works in smoke.
couldn't have expected anything else
from such q feathery headed little thing.
ESTES to pretty to be constant to one, es-
pecially when that ones Ptolemy 1olli-
ver, carpenter, blunt and rough looking,
and the others Arthur Godfrey, q book
keeper, handsome and we'll educated,
Great heavens! how love herl'
ttYnt1 dot anrooLo1 on oll ,rv,,~,...
AGAINST whom he had run. ''Then you'd
better 60 and tell her SO, instead Of up
setting market-baskets. and knocking
honest folks down and walking over
them," which, to put it mildly, was a
slight exaggeration.
II beg your pardon, am very sorry,'
SAID Ptolemy.
"Pick up the potatoes, young man. and
III believe you," said the old woman
my back 10 too lame and stiff to bend
land there's IN onion rolled into the nut
asr."
"Potatoes, onions, love and jealousy, ;
sead Ptolemy, abstractedly, as he collect
ed tho scattered vegetables-'what .
strange mixture!''
"Leave out one of them ingredients
sao put Olt OF meat In its place, ant
It'd be very nice MIXTURE" said the ole
woman; land then let it 70 slow-slow
young man, over slow fire, and You'll
have NO reason to be dissatisfied with it
Merry Christmas!',
Any other time he would have burs,
into genial roar, and given the old wo.
man two merry Christmases tor her one
with "God bless you, auntie," throw
In, but now he did not even smile, but
thrust his hands into his pockets again
and, walking rapidly away, took up thu
thread tho basket had broken.
"I'll see her once more, though I told
her tonight we'd parted forever, and III
* her again, seriously and calmly thit
time, tor ! ''as in rather temper last
night, if she gave him the glove; and ii
ahe refuses to answer, or if her answer i,
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