The Portland daily press., 1882-01-14
TUE PRESS.
[Harper's Bazar,l
At Home, January First.

see the dear girls. What picture they
maker
Mr.. Bell down town was man much re-
spected as a rich, successful merchant, much
feared as an overshrewd financer; up town,
in his own house, he was just father. !"
Mrs. Bell, comely, stout, blonde matron,
had let her whole soul overflow on the little
bald head of her first baby. Successive ba-
bies brought more outpouring of inexhaust-
ible affection and indulgence. She was con-
tent as brooding dove to be only mother,
and that Mr.. Bell could ask greater glory or
honor than to be 'sfather' why, the idea was
absurd. So absurd that it never came into
his mind. On tiptoe he obeyed his wife's
Injunction, and looked in at the library door.
s'What are they doing%' he asked, in a
whisper.
"Directing envelopes for the New-Year's
cards-the invitations to call, you know"
They we're certainly pretty, those three
girls, with their slender forms thrown into
graceful, unrestrained attitudes, as they sat
about the library table eagerly talking and
busly writing. They were respectively nine
teen, eighteen, sixteen years old; and called
respectively 10 or Josie for Josephine, Sissy
for Cecilia, and Tiny for Christina. These
were their home pet names, to be sure, but
following custom that obtains nowadays,
they chose to be knowp by these diminutives
outside in the fashionable world. The great
society paper described them as three
Graces shading in STYLES of beauty from Miss
Josie's brunette brilliancy, through Miss
Sissy's brown-haired, blue-eyed bewilder-
ment. to Miss Tinys moonlight blondeness. !"
The description was considered accurate as
we'll as extremely poetical, and Mrs. Bell
had asked the reporter to lunch.
Josie read off names from a list, the other
two sisters wrote, and fourth-a mite called
Poppet- neatly piled up enveloprs.
ssLet's see" said Josie-'sthe AS, BIS, C's,
all done down to the Ms. Morse, Morris,
Mcintyre, Mumford-"
Sissy, who was biting her pen-handle in
deep reflection, and had turned up her blue
eyes to the ceiling until she looked like the
saint whose name she bore, interrupted just
here with,
''Jo, didn't we meet Montgomery some
where?"
Montgomery? No. Yes; there was some
body of that name, it seems to me, at Sara
toga."
81 remember" exclaimed Tiny, getting
upon her knees in the chair like child, and
stretching well across the table, somebody,
Pve forgotten who, brought him up to us
one day on the piazza, and said he was an
agreeable man who lounged about the office
and seemed to have no friends"
ssOh yes" said Josie, with uncertainty
sand think he spoke of being at the Wind
sor, in New York. Direct him an envelope,
Sissy"
'.But, Josie," asked Tiny, edo we know
him?"
"Nonsense, child; people aren't so exact
at New-Year's. And we must have lot of
calls. Three girls of u.s. why, less than two
or three hundred calls would be a disgrace"
"Of course" said Sissy, with sense of
the grayest responsibility; sand to secure
that number we must send out at leas. twice
as many invitations. There, Mr.. Montgom-
cry, Windsor Hotel 1t may not find
him. but there's chance. and every one
counts" She threw the directed envelope
among the others that were ready to be
stamped and mailed.
ssWell, my pets,'' Mr.. Bell asked, as he
came In aud looked down at the pretty group
in fond pride, "where are all these cards to
be sentp"
"Oh, papa" exclaimed 10, s'now just run
away-we're so busy"
"Now, papa''-and Sissy jumped up and
kissed him-"do be docile parent, there's
a DEAR"
'sYes, and don't disturb u.s. added Miss
Tiny, clapping her hand over pile of enve-
lopes to protect them from scrutiny.
Mr.. Bell looked amused, patted their heads
all around, and observed, in mild specula-
tive way, as he saw about one-quarter of the
number to be sent, SIT seems to me there
are great many"
"It's all right, papa; we know the customs
of society,"" came the re-assuring chorus.
"We know the cuthtomth of thothiety
perfect ly," echoed in shrill solo from Pop
pet, who at present lisps, being minus one
milk-tooth In front, but who will shortly be
known to the newspapers as ''the piquant
Miss Poppet Bell"
Then all the girls jump up and make
dash at papa, and in a few moments hand
some old gentleman, very merry and very
proud of his handsome and merry girls,
makes feint of having been elected with
great violence from the library, and the door
is closed and locked on the inside
Mr.. Bell can hardly stop laughing to say
to his wife, 81 suppose you know all about
the cards sent out?''
''Oh no." she answers, placidly; IT leave
social matters to the girls. They're great
favorites, father, and very attractive. The
number of friends they have is astonishing
It's all right"
By force of example, Mr.. Bell echoes,
cheerfully, "Oh yes, it's all right"
On New Years Day there was a very
rainbow of girls in the Bell drawing room
Such filmy, dainty-hued dresses, such bright
cheeks and eyes, such bewildering tangle
of glossy hair, never before shimmered
around prosperous, beaming old father
Mr.. Bell was so apt to be late down town, or
deeply absorbed in business schemes, r'ssee-
ing man" in the library during theevening.
that he seldom met his daughters in grand
toilette, and had never realized what radian.
creatures they were, and that up town he
was chiefly known as 'sthe Bell girls father"
He himself, in full dress and light overcoat,
was complimented by his eldest daughter as
"just too sweet for anything Then he
jumped into the carriage, consulted for
midable lis, and began the days work.
The first caller at the house was old Mr..
Crump-' nobody at all, you know; just
friend of mammals ages ago, when she was
young," as Sissy remarked.
"Ah," exclaimed Mrs. Bell, with rapture,
as she was entertaining him, ''my dear girls
are quite leaders of society,""
"Yes, madam" answered the ridiculous
old party; ''and we live in the only country
in the world where mother can make such
a boast of children il their teens"
"I know it" responded the mother, with
q sigh of pious contentment, "and Pm de-
voutly grateful for our free Institutions
Free and easy institutions" Mr.. Crump
suggested; then pinching Poppet's cheek, he
asked, -'Well, small child, and what do you
do on New Years Day?'
Ou, ACtuSIfo oil uaJ iOuS. IL I'LL QulJt
tirethome," said Poppet, gravely.
Crump, as he gave hasty farewell nod,
made some strange noise under his breath.
Josie thought it was groan, but Tiny, who
stood nearest, said, sit was swear, an aw-
ful swear.'
81 think" said Poppet, che ith dreffully
poky, and hathn't any thyle.n
The early calls were mostly from very
young men, solemn under a sense of juvenil-
ity, or hilarious and kindly patronizing to-
ward elder people.
At eleven o'clock Josie whispered to Sissy:
s'What borel hate boys"
By noon old married men and the heads
of families hurried in, paid elaborate COM
declared that Mrs. Bell hadn't
grown day older in twenty years; then
made off, checking against the name"Belr'
in business-like way just at the carriage
door.
"At lastr' exclaimed Josie, about one
o'clock-"at last the manageable men are
coming"
They came by dozeus-men who led the
German, men who drove their own "four-in-
hands," men who lounged about clubs, men
who had "seen life'' in Paris, and watched
talkative young girls with sinister interest.
Rather late in the afternoon Mrs. Bell be-
came so pleased with tall, handsome, dark |
haired man of about thirty-five, who spoke |
Ill -