Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1883-01-17
"AT HOME"
A STORY OF NEW YEARS DAY.

peep into the library--do, father
and see the dear girls. What pic
ture they make"
Mr.. Bell downtown was man
much respected as rich, successful
merchant, much feared as an over
shrewd inancier; uptown, in his own
house, he was just father" Mrs.
Bell, a comedy, 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 inexhaustiDle affection and in.
diligence. She was content as a brood
ing dove to be only "mother," and
that Mr.. 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
he obeyed his wfc's injunction and
looked in at the library door.
"What are they doing?' he asked. in
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 Jo-
sephine, Sissy for Cecilia, and Tiny for
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 Josic's brunette bril-
liancy, through Miss Sissy's brown
haired, blue-eyed bewilderment, to Miss
Tiny's moonlight blondeness." The
description was considered accurate as
well as EXTREMITY poetical, and Mrs.
Bell had asked the reporter to lunch.
Josie read off names from list, the
other two sisters wrote, and a 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, 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,
$40, didn't we meet a 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 on
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 uncer-
tainty; "and | think he 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 so
exact at New Years. And we must
have a lot of calls. Three girls of us!
why, less than two or three hundred
calls would be disgrace"
"Of course" said Sissy, with a
sense of the gravest responsibility; "and
to secure that number we must send
out at least twice as many invitations.
There, Mr.. Montgomery, 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.
"Well, my pets,' Mr.. Bell asked, as
he came in and looked down at the
pretty group in fond PRIDE "where are
all these cards to be sent?"
ooh, papa" exclaimed 10, "now
just run anywhere so busy"
"Now, papa" and Sissy jumped up
and kissed him" do be a docile parent,
there's dear"
Yes, and don't disturb u.s." added
Miss Tiny, clapping her hand over
pile of envelopes TO protect them from
scrutiny.
Mr.. Bell looked amused, patted their
heads all arouAd, and observed, in a
mildly speculative way, as he saw about
one-quarter of the number to be sent,
at seems to me there are great
many"
"It's all right, papa we know the
customs of society,"" came the reassur-
ing chorus.
1--WE know the cuthtomth of thothiety
perfectly" echoed in shrill solo from
Poppet, 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 few moments
a handsome 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 SAL to his wife, II suppose you
know all about the cards sent outp"
"Oh, no." she answers, placidly; II
leave social matters to the girls.
They're: great fayorites, father, and
very attractive. The number Of
friends they have is astonishing. It's
all right"