Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-10-20
A Christina s-Hater's Christmas.

Several packs of fo1,hounds hunt nea
the town of b. AZ during the WIN u
ter months the 8 SwaAs whlch Is tn
chief hotel of this snug Il 'afhe, 'oMn-
as noted in it's way as Melto> ! MN pL".
lis tenanted by number OF ., ''oi'Si m,'
whose only business is huntins> ~
hotel is, indeed, mostly dependent "a 'n'
custom of these gentlemen, for b
has no assizes or garrison, and If 1T were
not for the Tuesday markets and the
yearly calling out of the Yeomanry, who
make their headquarters ut the "Swan, !,
this excellent hostelry would scarcely pay
its expenses. But the sportsmen above
mentioned not only support the house
but keep it prosperous. They have
given it a name all over the country,
and render it what some slang-loving
Nimrods call "gummy shop" Its
joints, its mullins, it's beds-aH four
posters, of cOurse-are voted better than
any to be found elsewhere and some have
even been heard to praise it's French
brandies.
Last year there was staying at the
s'Swan" retired officer named Lyon
Harkway. He had just sold out of a
quick-marching line regiment because he
had dropped in for an inheritance of
81 900 year, and he came to B to
hunt, because he scarcely knew what
else to do with his money. He could
never have lived up to Ell 900 year III
London. He was one of those men who
do not know how to spend money, not
because they are niggards, but because
their own personal tastes are so simple.
Lyon Harkway had learned economy by
living for ten years on regimental pay,
and now that he was thirty years old he
was SO broken toinexpensive habits that,
although he kept his hunter and groom,
he always had handsome surplus out of
every months budget But by these
means he had obtained reputation
quite unfounded-of being a not very
sociable fellow, so that he had more
serious friends than boon companions.
Lyon Harkway had no relatives In
England, for his mother was residing
with his sister, whose husband held
some appointment in the colonies; so it
came to pass that as Christmas APP
preached he began to perceive that he
was lonely. Somehow that year Christ
mas g grew upon him more than it had
ever done on former occasions. He
noticed the preparations of the towns
folk, who we're making their shop-win-
dows smart-here some beef decked with
ribbons, there some mounds of mince-
meat with sprigs of holly stuck Ill them.
In the poulterers' windows turkeys hung
by their necks in a denuded state, and
the benefcence of the local charities Of
B was finding vent in all sorts Of
preparations for providing poor people
with Goals, blankets, and guilds Of
tobacco. So long as Christmas was a
few weeks distant the retired hnesmar
watched these festive symptoms with i'm
patience, but without irritation; when,
however, Christmas week arrived, anC
all his fellow-sports1nen departed from
the '@Swan " to go to their homes, LyO1
Harkway experienced sort of humilia
ton at having no home to go to. Al
the talk about Noles, snapdragon, mis-
tletoe and waits made his nerves jar; an(
every time he passed Miss Kitty, wht
served In the hotel bar, he was afralt
that she would stop HIM to ask: "Shal
YOU want your room on Christmas sir {?
This alone will show what an uncomfort
able state of mind he was in, for Mis-
able. and Lyon had never avoided he
presence till then. Rather the contrary
for he used to be very fond of stopping
TO have a chat before the snug fire in th
bar-par1or when he returned from hunt
ing. and his altered behavior appeare
to cause Miss Kitty some surprise
She was pretty girl, with large, candid
hazel eyes and excellent manners; an
when she had anything on her mind @
on her heart, it was in her nature t
= have it out y as people say, in orde
that they might be no misunderstood
ing. On the day before Christmas-eve
az Lyon was entering the hotel III hi
s'pink,' boots and all, after a fine run
the last that was to take place before til
new year, Kitty accosted him in the hal
and asked point-blank the question h
had been SO long dreading:
ssPlease Captain HarkHEay, shall yo
want your room on Christmas day 2"
.sWhy, ye-es, stammered Harkwa,
WOO was a shy man; that is TO say,
nobody else wants them. +"
.sOh, no, sir. / only asked you
arrange about the attendance. We lii
to know beforehand how many Peep
are going to stay in the hotel.
" I suppose l shall be the only one
said Lyon, bitterly.
Eyes, sir, unless some commerce.
traveller comes; that happens som
times"
q daresay even the servants VIII
going away?"
Some of them will take their no
day."
And you, of course, will go hol
too; think you told me you had gre
number of brothers and sisters 2
E'Oh, yes, sir; We make fourteen
III all, with my father and mother, al
we always meet together on Christm
day."
Kitty laughed as she said this, and t
ice being now broken, Lyon walked Ill
the bar-parlor and sat down by the fiji
1t was coy room, wearing that hos
table look of old inns built before t
days of plate-glass and gimcracl