The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1886-12-19
JAMES CHRISTMAS.
BY HELEN WHITNEY CLARK.

Duc uuu COult lTOUu u6T uOlue db I-lu'
Hill to try and earn some money to hell
her father make the "laSt payment" on hi
forty-fve acre farm, and as she worked al
a small millinery shop down town, anC
wore plain calico dresses day in and Gay
out, with cheap alpaca on Sundays, th'
other ladies at Mrs. Simmsslooked coldly
at her. or over her, or beyond her. II
they spoke to her at all il was in frigid
numb palsy kind of a way, that seemed t.
chill jamie through and through to the
very marrow of her bones.
Miss Verena Gillette, the Boarding House
Oracle, had pronounced jamie nobody, y
after glance at the slim little figure in
the pink calico frock, with her hair twisted
in mass of g.ittering gold high upon her
head.
so old fashionedi" sneered Miss We
rena. NO more style than dishpanp'
And her fellow boarders and follow ers,
the Widow DashawaY, Miss AdelinaI Duffy
and the two Miss Bobbs, at once turned
up their noses at poor, homesick jamie,
who felt foriorn enough in her new posi-
| ton among cold hearted strangers.
However, she was not compelled to see
much of them outside of mealtmes, ex-
cepting on Sundays, or other holidays;
for the rest had their places Of business as
we'll as herself.
Miss Verena Gillette, with all her airs
and grace, was 'saleslady'' in Griggs &
Grimshawe's Mercantile Emporium, on
Broadway; Adelina Duffy was cashier at
a restaurant, and the Widow DashaWay
Vas teacher in kindergarten school.
As for the masculine portion of the
boarders, they were of no avail in JAMES
case, being prosaic married men, middle
aged aud grum, who swallowed their
victuas and took themselves out Of the
house as soon as possible.
But when, as occasionally happened,
jamie had been induced by the well-mean-
ing landlady-who never saw an inch be.
You'd her nose-to spend an evening in
the parlor with the other "ladies,'' she
might as well have been one of the china
ornaments on the mantel-piece for all the
share she had in the conversation.
Sitting bolt upright on the stiff legged
horseh hair sofa, she had the pleasure of
lisening to a discussion of the latest
Styles Miss Gillette being appealed to
on this side and on that as to what would
or would not be worn during the current
season.
And so to morrow would bs Christmas,
and no wender poor jamie felt lonely, with
the prospect OF whole day in such com :
pauy.
:" If conld only afford to go home,'' she
thought, winking very hard TO keep the
tears back, and see father and mother,
and grandma, and the dear old homel l
know just how it looks, with the hickory
logs cracking and swapping in the fire.
place, and strings of dried apples and red
peppers hanging in festoons from the kit
chen rafters, with grandma knitting in
the high. backed rocking chair, and moher
making cookies for tea, or setting away
the crooks of milk on the buttery shelves,
and father smoking his cob-pipe, amp
But here jamie broke down in spite of
her efforts to wink the tears back and Sob
bed like home-sick child
"Dear me sighed Miss Verna Gillette,
the same evening, as she glanced over the
top of JAMES head at the Widow Dash
away, who sat next, what luck does hap
pen to some folks Now, there's Cousin
John. seen by The papers to-day" Miss
Verena always said s'seen'' instead Of
''saw')-"I seen by the papers he's been
left fortune by distant relative cut in
Arknsaw."
ooh, Verena !"
The Widow Dashway glanced past jamie
at Miss Gillette.
GLOW roman ic Do introduce us p
"l es, do, chorused the Miss Bobhs,
and Adalina Duffy, glancing around, or
over, or beyond poor jamie.
tl..4h hoe f,1f @i1s., aI 7
sHe's in Illinois. haven't saw him.
Miss vefena used '.saw1) when it should
have been " seen y" haven't saw him
since last summers year ago, when wss
a-visitlng my aunt John amt my real
cousin you know. Only his uncle mar
ried my aunt, and we call ourselves cous-
ms" explained Miss Verena, looking
down on her plate with conscious air,
which gave her hearers 10 understand
that If John was not already much nearer
than cousin, he would be soon, thereby
filling their hearts with envy on account
of the fortune left by the 'Arkansaw"
relative.
\ -
All, girls, do look herel A gentleman
in sleigh stopping herel Who on earth
is it?
1t was Christmas morning, and jamie had
gone to church. The Others were gos sip
ing in the little parlor, with its gaudy
Brussels csrpet, cheap, snowy curtains,
and prim, hair cloth furniture. = Such a
hand ONE man! Who is he? repeated
the Widow Da'haway, peering out .through
the Stats of the half closed window blind
She had just time to change her position
when Bridget, the hired gill ushered in the
strange gentleman.
He was tall and handsome, with curling
brown hair, and dark expressive eyes.
Why, Cousin ohu, WHAT surprise 2
Miss Nerena WAS shaking hands, intro
ducing him to her friends, aud showing
her cousinly admiration IN very demon
strative manner.
But why didn't you write you were