The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1885-01-01
RING IN THE TRUE"
Mrs. Arthray's Plan, and Tom Dol.
ser's Reformation.

The richest people r not always the
happiest, but on the last day of Deem
Der of a year that need not be designated
by its calendar number, the most joyous
heart in the little manufacturing city of
Thornton, was Mrs. Alice Arthray, wife
of the wner of the great Arthray mills.
Although she has passed her fortieth
birthday, she would not have exchanged
places with the prettiest girl in the city
of which, when she and Thornton were
twenty years younger, she had been,
though poor and simple, the reigning
belle. Good health, a clear conscience,
a good husband and an active mind had
SO steadily increased her beauty, spirits
and appreciation of everything worth
enjoying, that she looked forward eager
ly to the year to come, instead of long
ing for those which had passed. Al
though most of her time was spent in
New York, she was the ruling spirit of
her native town, for she never returned
to her Thornton residence without at
least one new hobby that all her old &C
quaintances were eager to ride.
This time her hobby was New Years
calls. Thornton society had so divided
and sub-divided itself into cliques that
families, once ON intimate terms, now
scarcely saw one another. Mrs. Ar
thray believed the original Knicker-
booker system of receiving all ones old
acquaintance on New Years day would
break up this undesirable exclusiveness,
and she was now, for the first time, able
to put her theory into practice. At least
a score of other ladies we're willing to
assist at their own houses.
Oscar Arbitrary fully approved of his
wife's plan; his only advice was:
Don't neglect any of your old adj
mirers, my dear, even if they're now
prosy old farmers or stupid mechanics.
L don't want any one of them to remain
miserable under the impression that you
might have been happier had you mar
ried him instead of me. Men will be
fools on the subject of their old flames,
unless absolutely prevented"
So Mrs. Arthray mailed cards to all
whom she could remember, whether she
had recently seen them or not, and her
memory proved SO good that the post
Office clerk was mystified at seeing tiny
envelopes addressed to several men who
had been dead for years.
Among the young men whom Mrs
Arthray remembered pleasantly was
Tom Dolser; indeed, she had never
known anything against him except
that he sometimes drank liquor. She
had long ceased to know or hear any
thing about him, but most OF the old
residents knew hat Tom had become
the most hopeless sot in the village.
His home was the stable of the common
tavern that had once been the village
hotel, and for serving in the bar-room
as ~bootblack and general messenger he
was allowed to eat with the landlords
colored servants. His wardrobe was
supplied from the cast-off clothing of
stable-boys, yet his dress never was as
unsightly as his c~ountenance. Only two
friends of his youthful days remained to
him-rum and the river; the latter could
not cast him off if it would, and he
would not abandon the former if he
could: when he could get rum, he was
happy; when he could not, he solaced
himself by lounging OF the river bank
and listening to the only village babbler
that talked as it used to do and never
upbraided him.
Late in the afternoon of the day pre-
ceding the beginning of New Years
calls in Thornton, Tom Dolser% returned
from a long errand and entered the bar
of the tavern in a doleful frame OF
mind, for the trip was to yield him only
ten cents; the next day, New Years.
could hardly bring him business of any
kind, there being no travellers with
boots to black in town on holidays, Sc
how was he to get his customary stimu-
lus? The prospect unnamed him-as
almost anything could-and he felt like
crying, but after some effort he sue.
ceeded in swearing instead. As he
shuffied to his place on the bootblack's
bench he was startled by shouts of:
Here he is now!'' Tom, you're in
luck!' There's a week of solid bliss
ahead of you!' and other remarks OF
similar purport.
The sot looked about him detiantly
he had been the subject of very rough
Jokes in that bar-room. He stared in.
quiringly at the ~bar-keeper, who always
spoke with authority when he spoke al
all.
They mean it, Tom said the bar.
keeper. 1.-The New York fashion OF
New Years calls is to be taken up here
to~morrow-Arthray's wife started it
and the fellows here hink twill be fur
10 keep the women and the men who
are to call on 'em, awake all through
to night, SO they'll all feel good and
stale tomorrow"
Il don't want to get into the lock.
np," said Tom, shutting again toward
The bootblack's bench and looking much
disappointed.
There's no danger of that, Tom,'
explained one of the opponents of New
Years innovations from New York
'.AIl the bells of Thornton are Away:
rung at midnight of the last of the year
but the racket sometimes ends pretty