Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1883-01-19
A CASE OF COINCIDENCE.
"A Christmas Story

She WAS queer old lady. was
Grandmother Grant: she was not
bit like other grandmothers: she was
short and fat and rosy as Il winter
apple, with great deal Of SHOW
white hair set up in big puff on
top of her head, and eyes as black rs
huckleberries, always puckered up
with smiles or laughter.
She never would wear d cap.
Il can't be bothered with 'em."
she said; and when Amelia Rut-
ledge, who was determined her grand
ma should, as she said, look half
way decent" made her two beautiful
little mob caps, soft and flut1s. and
each with big satin bow, one laven-
der 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
war awry. and III the end she pulled
them off and stuck them on china
jar in the parlor. or a 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'tw
That was all, but it was enough;
not a grandchild ever made her an
other cap. Moreover Grandmother
Grant always dressed in one fashion
she had a calico dress for morning
and black silk for the afternoon,
made with an old fashioned surplice
waist, with thick plated ruff about
the throat; she sometimes tied a
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 smell
ing bottle, her pocket-book, her
handkerchief and her spoctacles. a
bit of tlag-root and some licorice
stick. mean when l say this, that
oil these things belonged in her
pocket, that she meant to keep them
there; but it was one popularity OF
the dear old lady that she always
lOSU luSIu every udN.
maria" she would call out to her
daughter in the next room, "have
you seen my spectacles2'
" No, mother; when did you have
them?"
Give minutes ago, dwnine
Harry's stockings; but never mind
there's another pair in the basket"
In half an hour when Gerty came
into her room for something she
needed, Grandmother would say:
"Gerty, do look on the floor anc
see if my specs lie anywhere around.
Gerry couldn't find them, and thor
Grandma would say:
Probably they dropped out OIL
the grass under the window, you car
see when you 60 down, but give mt
my gold pair out of my upper
drawer"
And when Mrs. Maria won't to cal
her mother down to dinner she would
find her hunting all about the room
turning her cushions over, peerine
into the wood basket, shaking oul
the silk quilt, and say, What is il
you want, mOther?"
My specs, dear. I can't find one
pair"
But there are three pairs on YOU
head noww and Grandma would sit
down and laugh till she shook al
over, as if it were the best joke il
the world to push your spectacles III
over the short white curls on youi
forehead, one pair after another, anG
forget all about them.
She mislaid her handkerchief still
oftener. 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
habits was way she had of putting
her pocket book in some queer place
every night, or if she left home in
the daytime, and then utterly f..
getting where she had secretcI it
from the burglars or thieves she had
all her life expected.
The house she lived in was her own,
but Doctor White, who had married
her daughter MAJ ia, rented it Of her.
and .le fent aid her board; she had
q thousand dollars a year bes.. d =,
half of which she reserved for hor
dress and hor charities, keeping the
other half for her Christmas gifts to
her children and grandchildren.
There were ton of these last and the
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. Rutledgc,
who had boon Annie Grant, was a
widow with three daughters Sylvia,
Amelia and Annie, the latter two
now out into society and always glad
of new dresses, gloves, bonnets, rib
bons, lace. and the thousand small
fneries girls never have to Their full
satisfaction. There were Thomas
Grants two girls Of thirteen and
fifteen, Rosamand and Kate, and his
little boy Hal, crippled in his baby.
hood so that he must always go on
crutches, but as bright, and happy AZ
Grandma herself, and her prime ia
vorite
Now it WAS Grandma's way to draw
her money out of the bank two weeks
before Christmas. and go into Bos
ton 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 10 take the ten O'Clock
train, and had taken her pocket book
out of the draw 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. Il don't have many
applications for mems things, SO 1
guess there's coat of Mr.. Grants
put away in the camphor chest and
maybe a vest or so; you sit right
down by the fire whilst l 60 up to
the garnet and look"
It took Grandma some time to find