The Mineral argus., 1884-12-25
A CHRISTMAS LARK.
By MARY STACY WELLINGTON.

BIZ AAh1 D1AOL
Il was a neat, pleasant chamber, with
shaded crimson carpet, mantel-piece SUI
perhuously upholsted with sky blue
plush; embroidered in golen-rod and
shaded sumach leaves, table-cover har-
monizing; a cleaning fire in a polished
CRATE; two oaken bookcases filed from
floor to ceiling, and two ladies, the n
in a crimson wrapper with o 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-
lightful 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.
so yes" sighed the other yawning,
"It's we'll enough. Why shouldn't it
be after oil 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 will always take such an absurd
lot of comfort out of everything, Gla-
dys!"
"Well, I can't help it" said Gladys,
~deprecatingly. "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 e better days; who were
bound to a regular business routine be-
fore. Some of them have kept house
kept gorgeous houses, and ordered
everybody else round, and lever 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
'sBut you know, Laura-well-the
1AfE a IrdI1Dltu OIDldn anu u oCAlAo III
ward
nearly describes my case. I always
dressed worse than other girls at school
/ never had a piano or the books
wanted, because uncle was saving m
money till l grew up. And when ha,
grown up, somehow it was all gone.
was never the sort of girl aunt or uncl
liked. l never had a sister-untl
met you"
me, Gladys?" said Laura, stirred
little, and rising in her cushioned chair
az have always Thought more of YOU
Gladys Day, than L have ever said eve
since you came like a live spirit int
a room of mummies, four years since
but I don't think that L have been
very good imitation of a sister to yoI
At least we have not quarreled like 81
ters since we took our two rooms t.
gether."
"Do sisters quarrel?" asked Glady
at thought they always had good tim'
together, as we do when we go to OF
beloved operas, or take u spring al
autumn journeys into Rock Cree
woods. Do you know, Laura, l new
had such good times in all my life b
fore as I have had in one or two of o.
little expiditions?"
"Don't own it then. It's dreadful
lacking in savoir faire to W yours'
anything but a martyr, in a governme
clerkship,"
"Well, 1 think it's real ungrateful a
horrid, and wanting in sensibilty,
complain of office life, in a world full
sh~op-girls that work from z a. m. to
%. m, and horse-car drivers that woi
the good God knows how many hot
day l"-fred Gladys, "for ] believe
does watch and keep the account"
at is, come to think OF it," yawn
Laura.
"Laura, what makes you SOW
don't you -
"'Sweet my COZ. be merry morel"
Eyes; it's Christmas time, you kno'
That's the very reason. To see
these ridiculous people tearing, hr
ling and iostling around to spend tn
money on n~onsensical inutilities t
nobody wants snd everybody buys
cause they expect some Of the usel
things, and they must r~eciprocate