The Arkansaw traveler., 1882-12-31
ABIMRLRcH BADGER.
sr MRS. cATHiE JRwErr.

.Abimeiech Badger slowly slipped his hand inside his brooches pocket and thea quickly withdrew it.
 The reproachful glances, darting from h,s xife's brown eyes, seemed to shoot through his comfortable neither gar meuts. and focus themselves, as Ii were. upon tha, part of his anatomy situated underneath his pocket-book.
 To such a degree did this uncomfort- able fancy disturb him, that almost in- voluntarily his hand again sought his pocket, and again, by strong effort of will. he resisted the impulse, determined 10 assert himself.
 In pursuance of which design he hast llv buttoned his ulster, and dashed out of the house, slamming the door behind him: that is, he shut if with most un- necessary cizuer, because he thought he heard his wife calling, and he did not wish 10 be certain about il.
 As III luck would have il, no sooner aid he step upon the pavement than i'm Try George, Little Jim. they called him at the office. came skipping lightly within the radius of his vision.
 He would have hurried by, mindful of a shadowy face watching him from the window, bu, the little fellow stopped him, eagerly.
 .Hold on.- he cried. his red. beaming face. bright as girls. his short, hdgety legs dancing abou, Tn an odd, eSaspera- sng fashion.
 Look here.n and with desterous fri Of wrappers. d long, rich cloak of sos; ia,. he lsnh
 Christmas. you know" with an in- saangly hilarious ehuokle.
 Abimeleoh Badger felt himself grow ko, and cold by turns.
 That Hattie had seen the costly gar men, he had no doubt
 He wondered If the sight brough, into her heart any regret for the choice made ten years ago. when he and little Jim were both suitors for her hand.
 He had been won't, in moments Of rare good nature, to anbend from his usual portly dignity, to chaf his wife about her little beau :" he remembered now tha, she had never laughed at his wittioisms.
 He had seen the new Mrs. James George; large, s~ee,-faced. blonde woman he thought of her wrapped ia sealskin sweeping by his little Hattie.
 He vas sorry for a certain ungracious .asver he had made weeks ago to her modest request for a new cloak, a request which had never been repeated.
 He remembered, with thrill of ye- morse, that her old one was undeniabiy shabby
 He made up his mind. then and there. that as soon as all this Chnstmas tom fooley aas over with. he would-he would he would-see about it.
 Laying this flauering unction to his soul, he might in time have grown quite comfortable. had no, all things consplred sgAns, his peace of mind.
 The ,eD shop windows. overfio~ing nth holiday attractions, glared al hum.
 Old friends clapped him on the back nth the senseless rei,eration of mean 'ksless phrase.
 Even the very children shouted at him their merry greetings.
 He entered his offiee. fairly hating Christmas and its widespread frivolity.
 He blamed the day for his own dis comfort. which vas momentarily inIeas- ns.
 For week past Abireiech Badger had been bracing himself for conflict
 He had determined to be hrm as a rock in discountenancing any Christmas a,nsense. bu, for all that, he wanted to eiplain himself.
 He wanted to point out the folly of celebrating a ong anniversary, tomake startling guess al the actual unneces- s-sH expenditure; he wanted. in short. to ,indicate himself from any suspicion of raeznness for. no matter how deeply the ron of avarice has entered the soul of any man. he dislikes the dis6guring scars io show.
 We do not like to brace ourselves tor a shock that never comes.
 There is no such utter defeat as that of an unfought battle.
 The gentle wife Of Abimelech Badger lad turned the tables upon her husband completely, by her unques,ioaing acQui- essence in his wishes.
 The day was long and lonely one.
 He could no, interest himself in busi- ness
 The office boy fairly bristied with sup pressed hilarity, he giggied over his long Ines of figures, he chnckled as he set co~n their amounts, he seemed to regard each sum total as something too inea- pressibly ludicrous for belief. So e>as- pers;ing did he at las; become, that in sheer self-deiense his employer was obliged to send him home for the day.
 He would gladly have gone home him self. only for the life of him he dared not before the usual time.
 He threw himself upon the lounge. wishing that he might sleep, and thus, for d tune at least, forget his discomfort.
 A knock at the door startled him.
 In answer to his listiess scome in,- the coor opened, and the Rev. Peleg postie- ihxait entered.
 The Rev. reieg was godiy man, and Abimeaech Badger vas a rigid church member, yei. in his pastors presence, . certain vague presentiment Of coming esii foxe the welcoming words upon his lips.
 His visitor came slowly toward him, with outstretched hands, and eyes full q compassion.
 The Lord gave, and the Lord ha4h taken away, said he, so6ly, 70, my brother, remember that a living Chris,