Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-02-11
lovingly. they went into the house to
parhor

SctHeT-
AT Reuben Harrild's there was as
sembled on this evening as merry and
hght-hearted a company as ever met
within four walls. Genial faces every
where; smiles and cheerful looks on
| all sides, from old and young; every
person on his best behavior, ready to
shake every other persons hand with
as much amiability as can be expressed
by the pressure of palms and fingers.
And II such thing as truth exists,
hearts accompanied the pressure As
| for duplicity, double-dealing. suspicion
of motives, artful maneuyering for
selfish purposes. such qualities were
| purely mythical. good enough TO put
color into dreams. but utterly imagin-
| atlve-almost comical to think of-as
to any part they might play in the bust
| ness of life The business of life What
am / thinking of? Business, TO the
right about 1t is Christmas-eye. and
| the world is pleasant to heart and eye.
| sweet and loving and charitable.
| Astounding in thought
Butt am bound to confess it-there
| was heart-burning in the kitchen For
| in that region of shining stew and sauce
pans, in whose polished surfaces the
genial reflection OF jolly time was
clearly visible. Samuel Medium (the
| man-serTant of the establishment had.
| by the merest accident. come plump up
| on Kitty Simons (the maid-servant of the
establishment and had discovered her
in the act of being kissed, beneath the
miserable pretense of a piece of mis-
| tletoe, by retainer of low degree. who,
| being especially recommended by
Samuel Medium. had been Temporal
| rily engaged to assist in the general
joy, and had thus basely betrayed the
trust reposed in him. Now, Samuel
Medium regarded the kisses of pretty
Kitty Simons, both from and for, as his
| especial prerogative. and most particu-
| larry and solely within his department
| at Christmas-time. This act of the tenn
porary retainer was clearly, therefore,
an act of treachery. and as such was
| regarded by his patron, who. after
| treating the treacherous dependent to
..piece of his mind glared at Kitty
with eyes in which love and jealousy
were plainly depicted. Pretty Kitty.
| busy at the dresser. whittier she had
demurely walked after the kiss under
the mistletoe, was of course entirely
unconscious of the state of Samuel Mel
drum 5 feelings-which was the reason
why she furtively watched him from
beneath her dark eyelashes. and Won
dered when he was going TO speak.
But Samuels moral dignity was hurt,
and he preserved silence-more from
| not knowing what to say than from
any other cause.
.-They'r re playing games upstairs
| said Kitty, taking the bull by the horns:
'tsuch games!
Samuel only grunted.
They're playing" said Kitty, slyly,
Il love my love with A, because he's
amiable. and amusing. and an angel;
| and / hate my love with 4. because
he's aggrayating, and absurd. and an
moving; and his name amt Alexander.
and he comes from Aberdeen, and /
took him TO the sign of the Axe and
Anchor, and treated him to apples and
| anchovies."
And don't love my love with a
We retorted Samuel, goaded into a
full sense of his wrongs by the pretty
maids attempt at Cancellation, .'be-
cause she's vicious. and vile. and
vixen; and hate her with We, be-
cause she's vulgar. and vain. and a
wiper; and her name amt Venus. and
she comes from Wandieman's Land.
and took her to the sign of the Wen
omous Vampire, and treated her to
vinegar and water
The retort caused Kitty to smile to
herself more slyly than ever; for the
next best thing to declaration of love
from a man you have liking for is
declaration of jealousy. and there was
no doubt that Samuel was in a desper-
ate condition The temporary retainer,
driven by kitty's distracting airs into
state of overbubbling love. listened to
this quarrel with secret pleasure. and,
beguiling Kitty under the mistletoe, at
tempted to snatch from her tempting
lips a repetition of the temporary bliss
which had fired his soul. But this time
he reckoned without his host. Kitty
sly puss as she was,-knowing that
Samuel was near, pretended to struggle
fected Indignation: How dare you,
sir, What do you mean by it? Oh.
Samuel, Samuel Save met Where
upon Samuel. his jealousy melting in
the warmth of this appeal. few to the
rescue. and caught Kitty in his arms
where she lay painting. her pouting lips
in direct line with the mistletoe and
looking altogether so lovely and be-
witching that Well, he did what
you would have done-kisSed her once.
and again. and again, and would have
gone on for there is no saying how
long, had not Kitty ran away to hide
her bushes and delight.
Every room in the house had such a
bright look about it that there was no
installing the time. Had Father Time
himself suddenly appeared with his
opera hat under his arm, and (being an
airy old gentleman) with nothing else
worth mentioning on his old bones in
the shape of garments. for the purpose
of telling YOU that he had made mis-
take with his glass. and that he was six
or seven weeks too fast or too slow.
you would have snapped your fin
gers at him. Not Christmas a
nice thing. indeed As if you
did not know better! As if every
saucepan in the kitchen did not know
betteri As if the very sparks flying up
the chimneys did not know better. Not
Christmas Ask Mrs. Ramage. Who
was Mrs Ramage? Mrs Ramage was
a Large woman, with q Large mouth.
and Large nose, and Large eyes, and
Large limbs and Large way of assert
ing herself which there was no resisting.
And in Mrs. Ramage was merged Mr..
Ramage, who was a little man, with a
little mouth. and little nose. and lit
tie eyes and little limbs, and such a
very little way of asserting himself that
no one took the slightest notice of him.
II by chance he was spoken of. it was
as one who had vested the whole of