The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1884-12-19
4 CHRISTMAS LARK.
By MARY STACY WILMINGTON.

By MARY STACY WELLINGTON.
1t Was q neat, pleasant chamber, with
shaded crimson carpet, mantel- piece SUI
perfuousiy upholsted with sky blue
plush; embroidered in golen-rOd and
shaded sumach leaves, table-coyer har-
monizing; a cleaning fire in q polished
CRATE; two oaken bookcases filed from
floor to ceiling, and two ladies, the one
in a crimson wrapper with q little pale
blue silk kercheif knotted round her
throat; the other Is In an old-gold cash
mere wAlking-dress, sitting on either
side of the dancing fire; By its flicker,
and the paling light that came through
the heavily curtained windows, you
could not see how the lights, the tints,
the round curves of youth had forsaken
each lady. "Our room is really de-
Iightful now, isn't it, Laura?" said the
old gold lady, who had Lit upon the has
sock by the side which faced the win
dow.
go yes" sighed the other yawning,
ats well enough. Why shouldn't it
be after all the money and bother we've
spent on it?" Then looking down at
the silent, bent, old-gold head of her
comrade, she added, but not harshly,
''You viii always take such an absurd
lot of comfort out of everything, Gla-
dysI"
well, / can't help it" said Gladys,
d~eprecatingly. "There does seem to
me such lots of comfort to be taken!
Now, 1 know ever SO many ladies in the
same room with me at the treasury who
have seen better days; who never were
bound to a regular business routine be-
fore. Some of them have kept house
kept gorgeous houses, and ordered
everybody else round, and never had
anybody order them round until they
came into the department. Now you
see, Office is terrible to them"
"Frightful, agreed Laura with a sus-
picion of sarcasm in her languid voice.
But You know, Laura-well-the
Left 3 trar1pled orphan and q selfish uncle's
ward
nearly describes my case. I always
dressed worse than other girls at school,
i never had a piano or the books [
wanted, because uncle was saving my
money till / grew up. And when / had
grown up, somehow it was all gone. /
was never the sort of girl aunt or uncle
liked. i never had a sister-untll I
met you
Me, Gladys?" said Laura, stirred O
little, and risingin her cushioned chair.
81 have always Thought more of you,
Gladys Day. than I have ever said ever
since you came like q live spirit into
our room of mummies, four years since
but / dont think that ! have been q
very good imitation of a sister to you.
AT least we have not quarreled like sis
ters since we took our two rooms to-
gether."
1Do sisters quarrel" asked Gladys.
II thought they always had good times
together, as VIC do when we go to our
beloved operas, or take our spring and
autumn journeys into Rock Creek
woods. Do you know, Laura, / never
hadsuch good times IN ell ~ life be-
fore as 1 have had in one OF two of oui
little expeditions p"
ADon't own it then. It's dreadfully
lacking in sasvcir faire to own yourself
anything but q martyr, in q government
clerkship,"
well, ! think it's real ~ungrateful and
horrid, and wanting in sensibility, tt
complain Of Office life, in a world full 81
shop-girls that work from Z q. m. to II
d.. m, and horse-car drivers that work
the good God knowshow many hours
. day l"-fred Gladys, "for ! believe I'll,
does watch and keep the accountI"
ut ID, come to think Of it," yawnet
Laura.
1Laura. what makes you so--wh.
don't yon"-
"sSweet my coz. be merry morel"
YES: it's Christmas time, you know.
That's the very reason. To see al
these ~rediculous people tearing, hust
ling and iostling around to spend thei
money on no~nsensical inutilities tina
nobody wants snd everybody buys be
they expect some Of the useles
things, and they must reciprocate b