The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-12-22
"x"-A CHRISTMAS STORY.

ut isn't thrilling enough" cried Ruth.
And not bit sentimental" said jamie.
Zone can't make head or tail out of it!'
was Aunt Betsey's scathlng comment; while
mamma pipeG out from her pillows, ct
really seems to me, Edith, that you ought to
make it more striking. In my day titles
were very important "A Midnight Mystery,
now would be the very thing?'
"Never mind the criticisms Edie," Agnes
right"
And as Agnes was the person most con-
cerned in the story, was willing to abide
by her opinion. 1 don't believe l would
ha We changed my title, anyhow, for 1 resem-
BILE the Barclay side of the house, and NAM
ma has always said that they are obstinate.
The Barclays are papa's relatives, CT course
who ever heard of a woman, no matter
how much she loved her husband praising
his folks? But both the Barclays and the
Mandells can trace their lineage ever so far
back. We have in our possession a teapot
and an old chair--both said to have been
brought over in the "Mayfower."
(Truth compels me to say, however, that
the teapot is a dingy, insignificantlittle thing
with dent in its side, while as for the chair,
more stiff-backed, uncomfortable sea. It
would be hard to find)
We haven't much beside our good name.
Once, and not so very long ago, we lived in
luxury. Papa had his fine horses rare pic
lures and statuary; mamma could deck her
self in silks and satins while we children
were dressed like royal prncesses. But there
| came a dreadful lawsuit, which dawdled
along year after year, eating up slice after
slice of our property, and when at last it was
decided against us, everything had to go.
Papa was so discouraged-poor mainland so
dismayed at having to face the world-you
| see he had been brought up in ease and was
a dreamy schoar-that he fell SICK and
after lingering Illness died.
Everything went-house, furniture, plate,
| jewels-and we had nothing left but little,
| lonely place way out in the country. An
| old-fashioned stone house, with gigantic
chimney and low, sloping roof. The view
was fne-two great Handicapped mountains
| at our back and in 'front.' winding, babbling
| little stream and fresh, green meadow 1t
| wss q delightful place in summer, for the air
was cool and bracing and laden with the
| spicy fragrance of pine and cedar woods.
| The house itself was roomy, though so low;
and after we had opened the doors and win
dows and let in showers of golden sunlight
| and whiifs of odorous breezes and when we
| had given the rooms a look of comfort with
the bits of furniture we had saved from the
wreck we all, with one accord, declared that
| 1t WASH so BAD alter all.
Even poor mamma, who all this time had
been more dead than alive, mourning over
her grief and our fallen estate, looked quite
| cheerful, though she murmured, plaintively,
| 1--WE have a roof to cover u.s. to be sure, but
what shall we do to feed and clotbe. our
selves? Dear mel what pity that my boys
| were all girls!"
"See herem cried Ruth throwing back her
magnificent chest and holding out an arm,
which, although as beautiful as rose tinted
marble, was as round and strong as Hebe's
See here l am as strong and we'll as the
! average young man, thanks to my always be-
| ing a Tom boy! So Pm going to be the man
of the family! There is that patch of ground
back of the house-it will be just the place
| for nice garden, and when you find the
| table supplied with fresh vegetables / rather
guess yon'il think I'm worth somethine'
Well" Agnes observed, smoothing down
her apron, IF the girls will see to the house
hold affairs, I will apply for the school down
in the village"
"Oh Agnes!' and mammals small, white
hands made gesture of horror and protesta-
| ton.
Agnes was the beauty of the family-a
slender, graceful girl, with face like a
| flower all soft curves and delicate tints,
| lighted by a pair of lustrous eyes, purple as
pansies. She seemed born to commandment,
| however, in naughty, imperious way, but
with gentle graciousness that was charm
ing to see, because it was so unaffected
She was the only one of us girls who had
romance | was too homely, Ruth too void
of sentiment and jamie too young. But ever
since the early age of eight, Agnes had had
her devoted lover-Guy Hunt, only child of
one of the richest men in town. The infan-
tile affection OF these two had been some
thing interesting 10 witness.
They had been solemnly welded with an
old brass curtain-ring, and were ever after
ward inseparable companions. On reaching
maturity the feelings OF neither had changed,
but the old saying "The course of true love
never runs smooth, had been verified in this
instance.
Unfortunately, the old squire was the man
with whom my father had had the lawsuit,
and, not satisfied with having his enemy I'M
der foot was disposed to crush him. He
sternly forbade his son to speak to Agnes,
but l am glad to say that Guy was too noble
to heed so unjust command and had Agnes
given her consent, the two young folks
might have been married Immediately. But
our pretty sister held beneath her gentle ex-
terror a most indomtable pride. She would
enter no family unwecomed and-well, l
can't exactly say how it happened, but, any
wav, she and Guy had a dreadful quarrel
But when we timldly asked her about it,
she looked at us in way that made us trem-
BILE in our shoes, and said: IF you love
me, girls, never mention his name to me
again."
And with this we were forced to be content.
Despite mothers protest Agnes took up
her drudging life of schoolteaching with
patience that made us wonder. How she,
with her fastidiousness and love of beauty,
could endure mingling with the dirty-faced,
tangle-haired, quarreling urchins who daily
gathered together in the little red school
house at the foot of the hill, l. for one, could
never see.
Ruth, cheery-faced and strong-armed, was
the imam of the family" The vegetables she
raised were marvels of perfection, and went
long way toward lessening our table expenses.
We kept cow and so had plenty of milk
and butter
We all tried to help along. I, being lame,
was of little use, though occasionally my
scribblings brought back a check and that, of
course made great rejoicing.
jamie waited on mamma. and that kept her