The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1882-12-14
4" AT EOME."
A STORY OF NEW YEARS DAY.

"Peep into the library-do, father
and see the dear girls. What a pie
ture they make !"
Mr. Bell downtown was a man
much respected as Il rich, successful
merchant, much feared as an over
shrewd financier uptown, in his own
house, he was just "fathar." Mrs.
Bell, a comely, stout, blonde matron.
had let her whole soul overflow on the
little bald head Of her first baby. Sue
cessive babies brought more outpour-
ing of inexhaustible affection and in
dulgence. She was content as a brood
ing dove to be only "mother," and
that MIR. Bell could ask greater glory
or honor than to be father" why, the
idea was absurd. So absurd that it
never came into his mind. On tiptoe
ne obeyed his wife's injunction and
looked in at the library door.
What are they doing?" he asked, in
a whisper.
Directing envelopes for the New
Years cards-the invitations to call,
you Know"
They were certainly pretty, those
three girls, with their slender forms
thrown into graceful, unrestrained at
titudes, as they sat about the library
table eagerly talking and busily writ,
ing. They were respectively nineteen
eighteen and sixteen years old and
called respectively 10 or Josie for 10.
sephine, Sissy for Cecilia, and Tiny fOl
Christina. These were their home pet
names, to be sure, but following a Gus.
tom that obtains nowadays, they chose
to be known by these diminutives out,
side in the fashionable world. The
great society paper described them as
"three Graces shading in styles Of
beauty from Miss Josie's brunette bril-
siancy, through Miss Sissy's brown,
haired, blue-eyed bewilderment, to Miss
Tiny's moonlight blondenesS." The
description was considered acurate as
well as extremly poetical, and Mrs
Bell had asked the reporter to lunch
Josie read off names from list, the
other two sisters wrote, and q fourth
"a mite called Poppet-neatly piled
up envelopes.
"Let,s see," said Josie-'the AS
BIS, Cs-all done down to the Ms
Morse, Morris, McIntyrc, Mumford-'
Sissy, who was biting her pen-handl(
in deep reflection, and had turned III
her blue eyes to the ceiling until she
looked like the saint whose name sht
bore, interrupted just here with,
"Jo, didn't we meet Montgomery
somewhere?"
Montgomery? No. Yes there
was somebody of that name, it seems
to me, at Saratoga"
II remember" exclaimed Tiny
getting upon her knees in the chair
like child, and stretching well across
the table, "somebody, I've forgotten
who, brought him up to us one day or
the piazza, and said he was an agree
able man who lounGed about the
Office and seemed TO have no friends.
"Oh, ye-s," said Josie, with lncer.
tainty "and l think lie spoke Of being
at the Windsor, in New York. Direct
him an envelope, Sissy"
"But, Josie, asked Tiny, "do We
know him?"
Nonsense, child people aren't Sc
exact at New Years. And we must
have lot of calls. Three girls of us
why, less than two or three hundred
calls would be a disgrace"
"Of course" said Sissy, with /;
sense Of the gravest responsibility; zane
to secure that number we must sent
out at least twice as many invitations
There, .Mr. Montgomery, Windsor
Hotel 1t may not find him, bu
there's a chance, and every one counts.
She threw the directed envelope among
the others that were ready to b'
stamped and mailed.
"Well, my pets" Mr.. Bell asked, a
he came in and looked down ut thu
pretty group in fond pride, "where ar
all these cards to be sent :"
"Oh, papa" exclaimed 10, "noN
Just run anywhere so busy"
snow, papa land Sissy jumped W
and kissed him" do be a docile parent
there's q dear"
"Yes, and don't disturb u.s." added
Miss Tiny, clapping her hand over I
pile of envelopes to protect them iron
scrutiny.