Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-01-02
A NEW YEARS CALLER.
THE WIDOW.

UIlSHllyi causing liN SiAo"i
fallen the night before to sufficient
depth to render sleighing OF the avenue
possible, to sparkle brightly, and make
weak ey ed people wink when they look
out of doors. A merry jingle of sleigh
bells gave cheerful sound in the air, and
everybody said "happy New Year to ev-
ervbody else, with hearty zest that very
plainly indicated sincerity and enjoy
ment.
Every house on the magnificent avenue,
except here and there one where small
basket hung by black ribbon on the
door bell, was open to callers, and inside
were bright groups of pleasant ladies
waiting amicably to receive the comph-
ments of the season from the gentlemen
of their acquaintance. But nowhere in
the whole city could aprettier picture be
seen of New York lite on New Years
day than in the parlor of Window Dusen-
berry, 1t was fine house, with brown
stone front and bay window, and 1t con
tanned great many fine things beside
the fine lady herself, who, on this par
ticular occasion, was the on y visible oc-
cupant OF her richly decorated drawing
room. The widow had been fortunate in
marrying a member of an old Knicker-
booker family; she adopted all his an
cestors as her own, and furnished her
apartments with all the quaint old fur
ture that old families are popularity sup
posed to leave to their descendants. Old
china,old clocks, dingy looking portraits,
in furnished gilt frames, curious cabinets,
and queer glasses and falence dishes
abounded in all her rooms, which she
had bought at auctions; and, if the peo-
pie chose to imagine that they were heir
looms brought from Holland by her an
cestors when they came over with Hen
drick Hudson in the "Halt Moon," it
was none of her business 10 correct their
mistake. But she by no means wanted
to be considered old herself. Quite the
contrary. Her hair was scant and grey;
but she wore perfectly lovely dresses, Of
a rich brown hue, which had once be-
longed 10 o peasant girl OF Brittany.
And, although it was many years since
her cheeks had been in the least sugges
tive of damask rose, on this occasion,
they were SO skillfuly tinted by her
maid thatno one would suspect the COM
plexion was not her own-as, indeed. 1t
was. But if her complexion was not real,
her diamonds and laces were, and they
harmonized most admirably with her
dove-coIored satin dress and her pearl
handled marabout fan.
Not only did the widows taste run II
the direction OF old furniture and old
families, hut she preferred the old relig-
ious forms to the new, and she had one
of the high priced pews in the church OF
st. Bonifacius, which was very high and
ritualistic, and she enjoyed the reredos,
the candles on the altar, the boy choir,
the purple chasuble of Father Lansing,
the acolytes, the thurible, and all the
other ornamental accessories Of that
fashionable place of worship immensely.
She believed in personal D, and
would not have yielded her faith on that
point for any consideration.
Like a good many other good people
who begin the new year with good reso-
lutions, the Widow Van Dusenbery had
resolved to turn over a new leaf and In
eugurate reform movement. She had
always been charitably inclined, and had
subscribed very generously to the Anti
Mendicity society; but, owing to the
failure OF the Rainbow Insurance COM
pany, she had been considerable loser,
and her income was diminished to such
an extent that sho had been compelled
to sell her coach horses and to dismiss
two Of her servants, and she was now try
ing to rub along In quiet way, with
only three maid servants and one horse
cab, in which she did her shopping and
took her airings in the park. 1t was
rather humiliatlng condition to be
placed in. Her husband had cruelty left
her with the miserable income of only
$4,000; out OF which she had to defray
her own enpenses and maintain her only
child, a promising boy of %, who was
then completing his education in Paris,
after having visited the Holy Land and
Egypt
The name of this precious youth was
Balthazar. But she called him Bait, be-
cause that was the way they called his
uncle, after whom he was named, and
whose property he was expected to in
herit. 1t was for his sake that she had
determined to turn over a new leaf. 1t
was time she began to save up something
against Balt's return; for the poor boy
had met with several little accidents
which required his overdrawing the
sums he had allotted for his European ex-
penses.
Scarcely had she seated herself in her
parlor, with her feet resting upon a Per-
Sian rug, and glowing canal-coal fire
lighting up her handsome features, than
she had an opportunity for putting into
practical shape her new resolution. There
was ring at the door-bell, and the
widow wondered who her first caller
would be, when Bridget entered the
parlor and pettishly exclaimed: 'It's
only beggar boy, who says he wants
something to eat"
"Drive him away" SAID the widow,
with a look of disappointment. ats
too bad that people who live on the ave-
nue. should be so troubled with beggars.
We pay taxes enough to be protected
from beggars, and burglars, and book
agents, am sure. Don't let one of them
come into the hall door. They are the
plague of my life"
Another ring at the hall door, for it
was now noon, and the sound of bells and
carriages and merry voices were heard