American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1880-12-18

elder sister impatiently awaited her.
"welcome, Pose dear." she cried, as she
met the pretty clerk at the door and kissed
her glowing brown check. at seemed as
though you would never come. What an up
roar the street has been in tonight 1 never
knew SO noisy Christmas-eve before. As
our old nurse used to say, Il could scarcely
hear myself think" All the time she was
talking she was taking of the hat and jacket,
and chatting the half-frozeu hands with moth
er's tenderness and care. "There, sit down
in the rocking-chair and put your little feet
on the footstool, and here's n plate Of toast
Drowned just you like 1t. with plenty of
butter and cup of delicious hot tea TO re-
fresh you. I'm sure you need them, dearic,
after your long days work"
"You heard yourself think of me in spite of
the uproar Rica," said Posie, her face already
beginning to lose Its tired look, land you're
the blessing of my life. How glad l am that
it's Chrismas-day to-morrow!-not particular
" because 1t is Christmas, but because it is a
holiday, and can stay at home and he pctted
by you We shan't have any presents as we
used to in old times, nor any roast turkey ana
plum-pudding; only n small chicken ana
love-" adding, rather irrelevantly, AFTER the
manner of Young girls, las for candies, m
sick of them"
As said before, it was a poor little home
that to which Posie came-only one room an d
a tiny bedroom.
A small cooking stove; a cheap but CHEEKY
ingram carpet; two ottomans mot for the
world would hint anything about old pack
ing cases or PoSies cast-of cambria dresses in
connection with these articles of furniture,; a
large old-fashioned rocking-chair with COM
Portable fat cushion made from one OF those
same cambric-bless mel what am saying!-
made from the same material as that which
covered the ottomans, 1 meant to say;
round table which, when not holding break
Co. dfrrna hald TOW n rod
books. first and foremost among them Dick
ems christmas Carol" the blessedest Christ
mas story that ever made glad the heart OF a
reader; two or three cane-bottomed chairs;
round mirror above the mantel-and the sit
ting-room was furnished.
Stayl had almost forgotten the two most
valued things, the only things left to the sis
tiers out of the many gifts bestowed upon
them by their indulgent parents in days gone
blythe portraits of their father and mother,
which hung one on each side of the mirror,
and tonight were wreathed with Christmas
green ana immortelles.
The kind-hcarted gentleman and his sweet
wife had died within a month of each other.
four years ago, leaving a comfortable compe-
tency to their daughters, but in less than a
year, through the villany of an unprincpled
guardian, it had all disappeared, and the two
orphans found themselves entirely dependent
on the great-aunt in whose house they had
own once happy household.
Ulrica, the eldest sister, had been lame from
her birth, and was a shy, fragile, reserved
girl; but Tryphosa, called Posie for short, was
a brave, frank, strong little body, with a clear
head and hopeful, honest nature
The great aunt was the only relative remain
ing to them, and she was widow and a She
dragon, and having no children of her own,
tyrannized over her unfortunate nicces in the
most cruel and selfish way, denying them
everything in the shape of pleasure and amuse-
ment, and constantly threatening to turn them
into the street.
"Sometimes wish she would" Posie would
say to her sister, "for then, 1 believe, our
good angel, who appears to have forsaken us,
would return to protect us. Anyhow, my dar-
ling, we must get away from here soon, or
shall do something dreadful"
But they got AWAY without Posie being
obliged to "do something dreadful" The old
lady died suddenly-much to her own sur
prise, for she had made up her mind to live
forever-one morning, after discharging the
servant-maid on the spot for flirting with the
grocer boy. and rating Posie soundly for TAX
ing the girls part; and all she left the orphan
nieces was the small sum of one hundred dol
lars, the rest of her money going to a distant
relative of her husbands whom she had never
seen.
..Only a hundred dollarsr' said Posie laugh
ingly: "why, it's n small fortune. Wen take
n couple of rooms, my Rica, and you shall be
housekeeper, and the money-maker."
And having no uncommon talent by which
she could become money-makcr," she
sought and obtained a situation in a store.
Her pretty face and sweet manners helped
her make her way, and at the time we are
introduced to her she Is supporting herself
and sister, owes nothing, and has been PROM
fsed an increase of salary for the ensuing
year.
But in spite of the bright smile, sparkling
black eyes and rosy checks of the winsome lit
tie woman, she has a sorrow hidden away in
her loving, constant heart, and the name of
that sorrow Is Mark Hillyer.
Two years ago, just before the aunt died,
Posic, then not quite seventeen, had met Mark
Hillyer at the house of q schootmate- He was
not a handsome but n good-lookin9, manly
fellow. about one-and-twenty, and already
holding an excellent position in a downtown
Wholesale establishment. 1t was case of love
ut first sight on both sides, and the poor
things came near having no second sight, for
the tyrannical old aunt allowed her nieces
neither to receive nor make visits But, thank
fortune! tyrannical old aunts can be circum-
vented sometimes, and, thanks again to sew
eral school half-holidays Of which the dragon
knew nothing, Posie and Mark had some dozen
happy interviews, each one Of which found
them more in love than ever.
But at last Marks firm-Posie had never
thought of asking who and where they were;
indeed, the young lovers meetings were too
short for anything but lOve-making, and not
half long enough for that-determined to send
him to Europe; and with many VOWS of eter-
nal fidelity, and promises to keep up rs brisk
a correspondence as possible, Mark and his
Posie parted.
81 will write first" said Mark, "as soon as i
know am going to stay long enough in one
place to receive an answer, and the letter shall
be sent under cover to Kate'-Kate was the
common friend; "but you know, my dearest
that shall be obliged to travel almost all the
time, SO don't be uneasy if often month
passes and you do not hear from me-"
"A MONTH" Nearly two years had passed
and she had never heard from him. Kate and
her family had moved to far distant Western
city shortly after his departure; then tho serv
ant-msid fiirted with the grocer boy, and the
great-aunt flew into rage, from which she
never recovered, and Posie and her crippled
sister were thrown upon a cold world, friend
less and penniless.
But Posie had remained constant to her first
and only love, and had laughingly turned from
all would-be sutors, and firmly said mo" tc
two proposals of marriage. True, she had
gone to a concert or two, taken a few sleigh
rides and half a dozen moonlight walks with
several of the would-be su:tors, but that don't
constitute Inconsistency, I'm sure, and L don't
blame her a Bit, for the little woman couldn't
be always signing over the remembrance of
Mark Hillyer, although 1t Dds shrined in heI
Utmost heart.
Ulrica, with the wisdom pertaining to her
superior years, shook her head, and said moth
ing but disappointment came of these boy and
girl attachments, and that Mark very likely was
engaged to some one else. or married, or. more
likely still, his Posfe forgotten, had no thought
of marrying for the next ten years.
But Posie refused to believe in either his
fOrUetfulness his faithleSSness. oTIl wait