The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-12-20

MRS. TRENCH AND CHRISTMAS.
DRY BY HARRIET PRESCOTT SPOFFORD.


good as bought them. and she had as good a
right to sell them. And it was not an hour, hav-
ing been detained on her way by succession Of
delightful shop windows before she came out of
Sparkler s. Co 8. swapping her porte monnaie to-
gether with just 500 and her car ticket in it,
thinking how nice it was that now she could do
all her Christmas shopping before the rush.
1t was very uncomfortable that, just at this
| instant, she should run against Harry with q
violence that set her hat all awry. But he said
| 'Hallo! and she said, GOOD gracious, there
goes my hat' And with the impatient
| concern that anything at fault in her hat
| always gave her. she stopped, in momentary
forgetfulness of all else, to set the hat right by
the aid of the wonderful Venetian mirror in the
adjacent window: and she gave a glance after
Harry and thought how angry she was with him,
and what superb looking fellow he was. in spite
of his being SO unkind to her, and half wished
she hadn't sold her ear rings. But if she hadn't
sold them all the world who got presents
from them would think he was stingy he
was good looking, and it was nearly as much to
prevent such thinking as anything else that she
wished to make her gifts. And she turned to 60
her way-and her pocket book was gone.
The passers the crowded thoroughfare
might have thought there was little mad wom-
an scurrying around there for the next five min
utes; and SO many of them assisted her in the
| search that, as a bee gets wind of sweets a po
Gceman presently came bearing down upon them
| and scattered them by his appearance. 1t was
nowhere on the sidewalk, or the grating, or the
gutter. If it had flown out of her hand in her
grasping for her bonnet, it had been swept along
| by the crowd. If purse-snatcher had it, he
had made off with it. She had lost her money
and she had lost her earrings.
Her first impulse was to rush into the jewel
er's shop and demand her earrings back But,
of course. they wouldn't give them back; aad
Mr. Sparkler might speak of it to Harry. And
IT she told the policeman, again it might 60 to
Harrys ears And at last, the tears pouring
down her face, oblivious of all she saw, she hur-
ried home and wept herself into bed with sick
headache. Her earrings. her money, and all
possibility of her Christmasing were gone-for
what could she do without a cent, and with all
the brothers and sisters nephews and nieces to
pangs of head and stomach her
mind rummaged her drawers and wardrobe
shelves for thinss that might be transformed
into gifts. A message had come from Harry
that he should not dine at home and she need
not sit up for him, but could spend her evening
specializing as to whether he was detained at
the club or at champagne lunch, or by yacht
Ing. or racing or theater party. Of course
she only cried the harder, and Josephine bathed
her head till midnight; and when Mrs Trench
woke in the morning and found Harry beside
her, she shut her eyes again in a twinkling
meaning to keep them shut till he up and
gone. She was far too deeply hurt to have any
CuluS Whatever TO say TO him. ana Sl0 ola not
descend to the breakfast-table till she thought
he was we'll out of the house.
10 her amazemenJ Mr.. Trench sat there with
his morning paper in the sun, having break
tasted. but wishing apparently for the privilege
of another cup of coffee with her. DO you sup
pose didn't see you open your eye and shut tq"
he cried quite gayly. II never knew how bright
your eyes were before. That was really done
like flash. Hurt because stayed late at the
clubg Well. wasn't at the club / made ten
CT DO L:.I~ 1sAA1-
night would be rather in order How do you
like thatW And he took couple of tickets from
his waistcoat-p0cket, magic talismans that open
ed the gates of music and joy to the little be-
ing opposite. whose ribbons futtered and
whose eyes sparkled whose bushes came and
whose dimples deepened. till she had to laugh !
with him. a5d say to hsfssiiff that bygones must
be bygones between husbands es.... and
run round the table and kiss a.,Ss anu l. RI two
or three tears sacred to the memory OF anger,
grief, remorse agitation. and the far off unat-
tanned and dim. Poor, pretty Mrs Trench! AT
ter dinner sne came down ready for the fray, in
her white fur opera cloak with its rose-colored
satin Innings, and her rose-c olored bit of hat.
tremulous with white maraboutS and gold tipped
sprays and spires over her lovely rosy face.
Dressed for the war-pathF said her husband
gaily, pulling on his gloves. FIT for conquest.
That's the way like to see my wife look! And
that's pretty hat. by the way"
Il made it myself, to-day" she cried tri-
umphantly.
''1t's work of art" he said Sand you have
genius for millinery" and then he looked her
over from head to foot There won't be such
little beauty in the whole house." he said
Where are your diamonds2 You've forgotten
your earrings. Run and put them in; and make
haste-we're little late as it is
Mrs. Trench turned so pale that the powder
stood on her face like blue bloom. Lob, peo-
pie don't wear earl rings now" she managed to
say, although her lips seemed too much to move.
g. Don't wear earrings? How long since9"
"Oh, they're quite gone out" she said, gather
ing heart.
Gone out2 Half the women 1 meet have them
in. Come make haste"
You're very much mistaken!' cried Mrs.
Trench then. Nobody thinks of such a thing.
And | think l ought to know as much about the
fashions as man. And nobody pretends to
wear diamonds at all now, any way They're all
given up for colored stones"
II don't care if they have!" exclaimed Mr..
Trench hotly. II thought women were supposed
to dress to please their husbands, and I like to
see you with your diamonds"
II couldn't wear them anyway, you know"
she said, sure that she had hit on the right rea
son at last; FOR you see it's so long since l wore
them that my ears ought to be quite grown up"
snow look here Mabel, | saw you with some
Roman pearls in your ears night before last So
what's the use Of talkine2 If you don't hurry
shall lose this ear and have to go to the expense
of a hack"
"We needn't wait another moment" said
Mabel. "Pm quite ready. And I'm not going
to wear the ear rings so there's no need of delay
ing"
Now, Mabel, why do you want to make such
fuss about nothing9 It's absolutely essential
to my credit that you shall be seen well dressed.
And if you can't oblige me by wearing these
diamonds, you can just 60 up stairs and take off
your things. and we won't go at all. So do as
you please" and he waited half a moment
what do you thinkp he said pleasantly
II think you're a terrible tyrant" she cried
passionately. land you rob every pleasure of its
honey! And don't care whether l go mott"
And she fiuttered up stairs and flung herself
down in dazed bewilderment.
What was there for her to do, she asked her
self. And what must her husband think of her.
so stubborn and hayward that she would rather
keep him at home from the opera. their rare and
costly pleasure. than give up her way about
trifie. What did she what such a husband
thought And yet, if she did, and she returned