Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1882-12-21
A Case of Coincidence,
A Christmas Story.

mOIner Grant; Sn6 was not Dit like
other grandmothers; she was short and
fat and rosy as winter apple, with a
great deal of snow-white hair set up in
a big puff on top of her head, and eyes
as black as huckleberries, always puck
cred up with smiles or laughter.
She never would wear cap.
81 can't be bothered with 'emp she
said; and when Amelia Rutledge, who
was determined her grandma should, as
she said, "look halfway decent" made
heI two beautiful little mob caps, soft
and fluffy, and each with big satin bow,
one lavender and one white, put on to
show where the front was, Grandma
never put them on right; the bow was
over one ear or behind, or the cap itself
was awry. and in the end she pulled
them off and stuck them on china jar
in the parlOr, or tin canister on the
kitchen shelf, and left them there till
flies and dust ruined them.
"Amelia's as obstinate as pig" said
the old lady; "she would have me wear
'em, and wouldn't"
That was all, but it was enough; not
grandchild ever made her another cap.
Moreover, Grandmother Grant always
dressed in one fashion; she had cali
co dress for morning and a black silk
for the afternoon, made with an old
fashioned surplice waist, with a thick
plated ruff about her throat; she some
times tied large white apron on, but
only when she went into the kitchen !;
and she wore pocket as big as three of
yours, Matilda, tied on underneath and
reached through slit in her gown.
Therein she kept her keys, her smelling
bottle. her pocket book her handkerchief
and her sPectacles, bit of fiag-rooL and
some liquoriee stick. / mean when l
say this, that all these things belonged
in her pocket, and she meant to keep
them there; bnt it was one peculiarity
of the dear old lady, that she always lost
her necessary cOnveniences, and lost
them every day.
"Maria!' she would call out to her
daughter in the next room, shave you
seen my spectacles ?"
mo, mother, when did you have them 2
Five minutes ago, darning Harry's
stockings; but never mind, there's an
other pair in the basket"
In half an hour wnen Gerty came into
her room for something she needed,
GrannmOther would say:
"Gerty, do look on the floor and see if
my specs lie anywhere around"
Gerty couldn't find them, and then
Grandma would say:
Probably they dropped out on the
grass under the window, you can see
when you go down; but give me my
gold pair out of my upper drawer"
And when Mrs. Maria went to call her
mother down to dinner she would find
her hunting all abont the room, turning
cushions over, pesring into the wood
basket, shaking out the silk quilt, and
say "What is it you want, mother?"
MY specs, dear. l can't find one pair
But there are three on your head
nowp and Grandma would sit down and
laugh till she shook all over, as if it
were the best joke in the world to push
your spectacles up over the short white
curls on your forehead, one pair after
another, and forget all about them.
She miSlaid her handkerchief still Oft
ener. Gerty would sometimes pick up
six of these useful articles in one day
where the old lady dropped them as she
went about the house; but the most
troublesome of all her habits was way
she had of of putting her pocket book
in some queer place every night, or if
she ever left home in the day time, and
then utterly forgetting where she had
secreted it from the burglars or thieves
she had all her life expected.
The house she lived in was her own,
but DR.. White who had married her
daughter Maria, rented it of her, and the
rent paid her board; she had thousand
dollars year beside, half of which she
reserved for her dress and her charities,
keeping the other half for her Christmas
gifts to her children and grandchildren.
There were ten of these last, and che ten
always needed something. Gerty White,
the Doctors daughter, was twelve years
old; she had three brothers: Tom, John,
and Harry. all older than she was. Mrs.
Rutledge, who had been Annie Grant,
was widow with three daughters
Sylvia, Amelia and Anne, these latter
two now out in society and always glad
of new dresses, gloves. bonnets, ribbons,
lace, and the thousand small fineries
girls never have to their full satisfac
ton. There Were Thomas Grants two
girls of thirteen and fifteen, R0samond
and Kate, and his little boy Hal, Grip
pied in his babyhood 80 that he must al
ways go on crutches. but as bright and
happy as Grandma herself. and her
prime fayOrite.
Now it was Grandma's way to draw
her money out of the bank two weeks
before Christmas, and go to Boston with
Mrs. White to buy all the things she
had previously thought over for these
ten and their parents; and one winter |
she had made herself all ready to take
the ten o'clock train, and had just taken
her pocket book out of the drawer when |
she was called down stairs to see poor
woman who had come begging for some
clothes for her husband. @
"Come right up stairs Mrs. Slack said |
Grandma. III don't have many applica-
tions for mems things, so guess there's |