The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-12-25
TIE HAPPIEST MOMENT.
How: 1T cAIE To THE GUESTS OF a CHRIST
MAS PARTY.

How. IT CANE TO THE GUESTS OF CHRIST
MAS PARTY.
Honor. aged 20, and her Aunt Margaret,
aged - and unmarried, . maintained them
selves by keeping a morning school for young
ladies' in Paradise row, one of the back
streets of Camden Town, London, which
consists Of ten mean little houses. Aunt Mar
garet was the daughter Of the rector of Bray
leigh and Honor was her sisters child. The
sister had married an artist and she and her
husband both died when Honor was n mere
baby. Her aunt and grandfather had e'iu-
Gated her Soon after the rector's death the
two ladies' were Impoverished by the failure
Of the bank which contained their little store
| Of wealth SO the school was opened, and
they got ON fairly well, enjoying their indie
pen,ience, although not iii receipt of "a very
promising income.
Honor had an uncle-hcr fathers brother
the rich Mr.. Brysou, who, although he gave
them no financial aid, always invited his
niece and her aunt to spend the holidays ut
his house. AS the ChristIna. of 1877 drew
near the two impoverished, gentlewomen be
gan to fix over their bits of tlnery III the ex-
pectation of the usual visit 10 Uncle Bryson'S.
Instead of the anticipated invitation they re-
ceived very polite note from Uncle Ii. say
ing that 1.-The coming so far must have always
been n tax upon them" and therefore he
would not again press the invitation" He
softenel the blow with n check for 800, his
best wishes and the compliments Of the sen
son.
There was a reason for this beyond what
the two disappointed ladies could dream OF.
The BrySons had a manageable daughter,
and there was n certain Sir Edward DuSart
who they thought, was about to propose 10
her. ard Aunt Bryson had discovered that
EIonor was much too handsome and attractive
~ have around when such an important pos
slbilitv was pending: and Sir Edward was To
be n Christmas guest. Aunt Margaret had
fon,ily dreamed that Sir Edward cared for
Eonor whom he had met more than once at
Wnce Bryson's But when she heard that he
was about To propose to Uncle BrySonS
daughter Amelia he hoped that Honor did
not care for him.
The first impulse of Aunt Margaret and
Honor on receiving Uncle Bryson's check
to send 1t back. Second thought persuaded
them To keep it and use every penny of it i'll
giving Christmas party themselves-not q
party for the rich and prosperous, nor even
good and kind among their neighbors, the in
habitantS Of Paradise Row, humble souls, To
whom ali pleasures We're rare.
They took Mr.. Redmond, the incumbent of
.he new church in their district, into their
confidence, and he was greatly interested in
-he plan, ami promised TO help them all he
could. He was the only friend the two ladies
kad made since they went to Paradise
to whom they could say anything about their
past lives. He often looked in upon them
after their days work was done and it seemed
plain To Aunt Margaret that he took great in
tercst III Honor. Sometimes Aunt Margaret
s,iid To herSclt-that the match would not be
go undesirable, although he was a widnwer
with a grown mp daughter, and little too
old for Honor
They had busy time preparing for the
feast. They felt in duty bound to spend every
penny NJ The money. In addition to the sup
per. every guest was to have a present, and
several sick ones We're to have presents sent
them. They called in "Old Mamie 10 help
the maid % all work get the feast ready and
in her language, the house soon -smelt as
good rs 4 COO; shop" Old Mamie was TO be
one OF the guests of the Christmas party. She
had been IN charge Of the guardians of the
poor; but had managed 10 have her low
ances' sent to her lowly lodgings, and never
got into the dreaded house" where the pooI
are taken in the last extremity.
Among the other important guests were
the alittlc tailor and his wife, "Sallys grand
mother" "Johnny and his mother" and the
"poor lodgor." Sally's grandmother was in
the receipt of parish relief The poor
ledger" rs the neighbors called him, was a
young man about whom no one knew any
more than that he did not appear to have u
friend in the world, and that he had been in