The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1884-12-23

MR. CHHRRUP's CHRISTMAS.
Mr.. Chirrup was glum. ANY one else
any one with less amiable disposition,
that is, would have been "cross'' under
the same provocation
But Mr.. Chirrup was never cross, and
he was seldom "glum.''
However, when it comes to the day be-
fore Christmas and you have no money
to buy your wife Christmas gift, or any
thing to put in your children's stockings,
and no prospective turkey, or mince pie
and plum-pudding for your Christmas
dinner, you are exeusable for being glum.
So, at least, thought Mr.. Chirrup, as he
sat looking out of the window of LAWYER
Ledgerly's office, where he was employed
sta by-no means extravagant salary. Law
yer Ledgerly was ill-'toc ill to be SEEM
his motherin-law said So there was no
hope of anticipating his next quarters
salary, as he had sometimes done on SINH
lar pressing occa asions.
For Mr. Chirrup's salary was so small
and his family so large, it was not much
wonder there was usually some difficulty
in making the salary stretch from one
quarters end to another.
All these things Mr.. Chirrup pondered
as he sat looking out OF. the window in
Lawyer Ledgerly's Office, which was on
Fifth street, just opposite Union Market.
And our hero-if little Mr.. Chirrup can
be called anybody's hero-grew gum-
mer than ever, and beat the ''DeviPs tat
too on the window-sill, as glum people
generally do. For the sight of the mark
ct stalls crowded with Christmas luxuries,
was not exactly calculated to cheer up a
man in Mr.. Chirrup's circumstances.
He was still gazing moodily at the
well-tilled market stalls, at the crowds of
people, .ostling and elbowiug each other,
when he suddenly started and peered
sharply from under his eyebrows, as if
he had seen some one he knew.
The short, sleek-looking gentleman in
the uobby hat and overcoat, with huge
market basket in one hand, and a gold
headed cane in the other. Surely that
was Mr.. Chirrup's elder brother, Roths-
child.
AS he made the discovery, Mr.. CHR
rup-Mr. Rothschild Chirrup that is
was evidently pricing turkey; mon-
ster turkey it was, tSs,t the biggest that
Mr. Chirrup-either of the Mr.. CHR
rups-had seen in the market. And the
wouldbe purchaser held it up, punched it,
turned it around and held it up again for
all the world as if he was exhibiting it
for the benefit of his brother, looking
glumly down fom the window opposite.
But in reality he was deciding only in
his own mind that this was really the
biggest. the plumpest, the tenderest and
most tempting looking fowl he had seen
yet, and therefore he would take it. And
plump it went, forthwith, into Mr.. Roths.
child Chirrup's huge market basket, which
seemed yawning to receive 1t.
Mr.. Chirrup-our Mr.. Chirrup this
time, came as near sneering as he had
ever done in his life, when the turkey
disappeared in his brothers basket. For
a bitter arrangement had existed be-
tween the two brothers from time i'm
memorial-or thereabouts.
"No doubt he can buy turkeys"
thought Mr. Chirrup-Caleb his name
was. "No doubt he can buy turkeys,
and celery, too" For big bunch of
celery, large enough for winter bouquet,
had followed the mammoth turkey to its
hiding place.
"And if there's one thing like better
than another, it's celery" thought Mr..
Caleb Chirrup, trying very hard to look
grabbed and revengeful, but not succeed
ing very we'll. However, he did manage
to look quite savage and resentful for him,
which is saying good deal.
Mr.. Rothschild, in the meantime, pur-
sued the even, though pompous, tenor of
his way through the crowd which jostled
him on every side Now and then he
stopped at the best-illed stalls, aud ad
ded RELAYS of vegetables and other articles
to the contents Of his roomy basket.
Clusters of ripe bananas, dozens of
golden-rind oranges and lemons, "scuds"
OF candies and cakes, and other indigesti-
bic compounds, alse disappeared in the
same ample receptacle.
"Humph trust the little Rothschilds
have well-seasoned stomachs to dispose
of all that trash, thought Mr.. Caleb, sar-
castically. Though in reality he could
not have told whether his brother was a
bachelor or Benedict, so long had been
the teud between them. And then, Mr..
| Caleb Chirrup's humble abode was many,
many blocks removed from the aristo-
cratic precincts of "West End" where
his brother resided.
The elder Chirrup-for Mr.. RothschiId
| was the elder-seemed at last to have
completed his purchase of edibles, aud
paused in front of flower stall, where he
selected pot of crimson and white
chrysanthemums.
"The very pot" thought Mr.. Caleb,
plumly, "that I picked out over month
ago, as q Christmas present for poor
Patty.
"Poor Patty" was Mr.. Caleb's wife.
Mr.. Rothschild, however, deposited his
purchase in the basket, and trudged
away, in blissful ignorance Of the shah
bily dressed brother, glowering at him
from the window across the street.
|
"What-what's thisg"
Mr.. Caleb Chirrup had ascended to ths
two secend-story rooms he called home
had kissed his wife and babies, shoel
hands with his sister-in-law, and hung ny
his ovsrcost, prepsratory to eating M
supper.
for Mr.. Patty and her sister. Miss Ne
| E..a Locked cheerful and smiling, and