The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1883-12-20


There was a dead silence for a minute,
and then old Crabbe spoke. ''On the
wnole," said he, II prefer to be Santa
| Claus. Come"
But the air Of bewilderment and uncer-
! tainty has disappeared. He waited i'm
! patiently while Katy pu5 on her rel cloak
and hood, and as soon as the door was
| open he lifted her in his arms and strobe
! out across the dangerous step into the snow.
( The storm had ceased and the sun was still
! two hours high.
A carriage was passing. Old Crabbe
hailed the driver, hired the carriage and
put little Kate into it. Lots to do" said
he; tive mus: hurry"
40, YES, indeed" said Katy. "You will
have to drive hard to get around to all the
houses. Why, it would take an hour to go
to the little girls that KNOW"
"How many do you know? Tell me where
they live" said he; and In a few minutes
he had the names of some twenty girls.
Then he stopped the carriage and left Katy
in it for a moment. Looking out of the
| window she saw him enter a door over
| which was the sign: "DiStrict Telegraph
Office. Messengers at all Hours" But she
| did not see or hear his astonishing per-
Torrance in there, the result of which was
that all the messengers in the concern were
| off within five minutes carrying invitations
| to the houses of Katy'S friends, begging
them to please excuse lack of ceremony
and come to No. 142. with their brothers,
and fathers and mothers, too, if they liked,
that very evening.
As old Crabbe was about to get into the
carriage again he spied the agent coming
| along the street. "Just the man want TO
see. Hello, there! 60 right down 20 No.
142, and stop on the way at the confection-
| er's and order a supper for about-well.
about hundred-and have those steps
mended in half an hour; and while you are
about it, get big Christmas tree, and all
| the fixings. Never mind what it costs, Pll
pay it: Pm good for it-well, what are you
staring at? Get along, can't you? Stay
this is for yourself. Now hurry up, will
! you?" And he put into the hands of the
! astonished agent several gold pieces
amounting to more than a months salary.
But the agent caught glimpse of Katy in
| the carriage, and understood how the
matter lay without any explanations; and
away he went, as wild as young colt with
delight. y 'Whoop" said he; ito think of
ould Crabbe caught by the witch of a
choild. o, kathleen Mavourneen! av We
begin this way whin ye're young, faith the
boys'l break hearts an heads for yer
purity eyes whin we're bit olderw
| Meanwhile old Crabbe-Old CrGbbe!-
was shopping like mad. Whatever Katy
admired he bought. The shopkeepers all
knew him, and knew that he was able to
pay. So they made no objection to his ex-
travagance, though they could not under
stand it. At last Katy herself interfered.
"Santa Claus" said she, gravely, 81 am
afraid you are spending too much money.
| You don't seem to understand shopping.
| You ought to look at things and admire
them and ask the price, and whether they
| will wash, and say you will look further
before deciding; and then the clerk will
offer to sell them to you at cost, because it s
you, and he would like to oblige an old
customer"
| .@g- o1l
| Crabbe, remembering his merchant days.
Then why don't you do it," pursued
Katy. "You just ask how much it is, and
say DO it upv That's no way to shop!
And Pm afraid you'll waste all the money
in the world, and that will make every
body poor"
"Now don't you worry" said old Crabbe,
cheerily. ~ like this way of shopping
best. And Pve got plenty. Why, child,
I've got twenty thousand dollars to spend,
if like!n
40, what lott" said Katy. "But sup
dose it don't make so very much when you
divide IL around. OF course, 1 like it; you
needn't stop on nly account. l never had
such fun in my life as buying the Christmas
presents for all the boys and girls in townp ~
So that wild shopping went on until both
of them were tired. Meanwhile the agent
and crowd of assistants were working
like men distracted at No. 142, receiving
| anu IDo dIJlCItS Judt CdHlc W Guc
door in perfect procession of express
wagons; and all the folks i'll the neighbOr-
hood were hattening their noses on their
window-paneS in admiration at the goings
on at No. 142, or else they were scrubbing
and dressing the children who had been In
vited to spend the evening there.
| At last old Crabbe and Katy drove up to
the door. 1t was almost time for the party
to begin. He wouldn't let her go into the
parlor, but made her hurry up stairs to her
own room to put on her best dress. "What-
ever you find up there on the bed" he
shouted after her, "that'S what L meanD'
For there had been a bundle of wonderful
clothes-just out of fairy land-sent to the
house an hour before, with directions to
the agent; and the contents were all ar
ranged in Katy's chamber. Now it was
her turn to think she was in n dream!
But old Crabbe was very wide awake
now. He dashed back into the carriage and
drove swiftly to his own house. The house
keeper met him at the door, but he ran by
her so quickly that he was halfway up
stairs before he heard her say: "And now
she's gone, and good riddance."
"WhO's gomez" he asked, sharply.
ga crazy woman, who said she was your
daughter, and stayed till told her to get
out"
"You're an old foolw said Mr.. Crabbe to
the hOusekeeper. 'No; Pm an old fool
or was. But l can't stop to explain now.
Look here; you'll have the upstairs bed
rooms aired tomorrow, and send word to
the cabinet-maker and-and everybody
that | want to see them early. Do you
hear?" And old Crabbe disappeared into
his own room, leaving the housekeeper
struck bv lightning. In less than ten min-
utes he was out again, dressed in blue
coat with brass buttons and a splendid
frilled shirt such as fine gentlemen
used to wear in his younger days. And he
| rtai plx lonl-aH lil-a fine orQnttaOlon a
younger and happier one than had gone
out of that hose for many a day. Into The
carriage again and off like the wind!
AS he whirled through the streets, he
caught sight of woman's figure, plodding
slowly along the snowy sidewalk. He
started and was on the point of stopping
the carriage; buc he checked himself, say
ing: sit is only a few minutes more that
she W i'll wait and suffer. And perhaps she
could not forgive Inc here and now.
must have the child at hand. So he leaned
back out of sight, and the carriage drove
swiftly by, leaving the lady toiling bravely
but sadly homeward
| Whv, what was this? Her old house
cleaning with lights and running over
with music and laughter-guests coming in
crowds-those rickety steps gone-a bower
of green's arching the front door! She
leaned against the gate in speeches:
amazement. But they were on the lookout
for her and once more-for the last time il
this story-Katy opened the door and
To be continued; for the happiness thai
came that day never departed any more
but was continued, like story without
end, through the next and the next and the
next.-R. w Raymond, in Our Continent
| ~
No Mystery to Him.
A studded farmer, who had come II
market with load of potatoes, entered
a restaurant near the Central Marke