The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1889-12-25
MISS MARIA,s SANTA CLAUS.

Oaood In The kitchen door and ook
ahuus him and with much disausA. sIron-
dsrssood, Maria, that you were . bosrder
ssWell. I am. brother," Miss Maria 70
3oiued In all eood faith, 81 pay @ every
Saturday night Of my life."
s.Yes, / Ruess that's about there In
q lev Mr.. Bascom hid q sMile In his
h~andkerchi IL 'Don's these Conwaysoever
40 any work Maria 2" I suppose you
took . hand In the washing. Monday.
didn't you 2"
To his assonishment his sister began .
sIs vas not tho nrst time, Joseph; upon
0y word. OF course I've hung them cut,
- know-mild weather. an like that; just
20 Res tn things out o. tn way. Hut this
week Miss Cnnway bad company comm
- I'D just a. lieve. There really warsnt
any reason"
sAaria Bascom amt overly smart" the
neighbour used to say In cruel country
b~luntness; but that any human being
eould impose ON such docile trust and
child like innocence had never entered
her brothers mind 10 believe.
He stood staring at her In grievod sur
prise for . moment, and then. with the air
~ tell you this, Maria: You 20 up
re no bach % New York sosstnsr. / guess
our house is big enough 10 hold my sister.
and you won't have to do any washins
door. .'I'l settle with the Conways, and
they'll learn q little wisdom before they're
maj" .Poo aa Miss a.' Maria ss' asssi Away. to obe-
knew how IL came. about-thfs sudden
dear ASSOCIATIONS To Joseph's awe-inspir-
ing city house. Probably Mrs. Bascom,
Who was somewhat her husbands supe-
rior, and the Misses Bascom, who went n
little further mp the social ladder. did not
welcome this addition to the family with
hearted folks i'm the world. they made
Aunt Maria as comfortable, as possible.
gave her q pretty room, and p~erhaps-as
not very much regret that she stayed N
good deal in the room they gave her. -.
I,,deed. tine newcomer found herself
everything went by clockwork,w whore her
own service was in no way needed, and
Conways had been many. She was most
at ease with the servants, and soon made
great friends with Molly, the second girl,
''over our way" and whose Yankee acute
ness had often been long in gauging the
'': Tn S' old Ss 9oaR. s=p sanas,!Y . as,s said to the
was same as them: What she wants is 70
Ter, their maxim out she's grown-up as
understand"
~ SsoA SSGast thD
"What d'ye s'pose she's frettin' about
now ?" Molly queried, fi~ourishinR a dish
why says sHc,. here ii. the midiie o.
November, an I amt heard n word ~
Chris'muss yeti Don't they make much
.What did ye tell 'er :" asked the cook.
o. sea TN Bascoms WANT i'm tn way
o doin, much; JUS plum pudiin' fer din
apiece q you M me M the rest. They
don't make no prcsents,' sea 1. an she
. :ssnss 4. I'll sh 700" 81. lady 1sSs. say Sss sSs: WHY W..
q tn Conways there was always a great
time, all them children a-taikin' about
ina. We all hung up our k Z tn
Conways,' Sea she, it was reel pleasant,
TOO; Thing. seemed diii'rInt someway
then she drawcd 'erself up an tried to-
look very dignified. 'Of course seq she,
am I don't know ez children ought 4 he
encouraged in il, but il sounds kind ~
good, too. y have 'em Hoin, ON about Til
reindeers. I like 4 hear it,"
poor ole SOUL" unused the cook. ~
got a soft spot i'm my heart for Miss Maria
me-. as il / was her own fiesh IN blood.
she's worth all the rest of 'em put to-
SOY course she is" Molly though, there
were no two opinions 10 that. "Do ye
mind how she busted tn parlors, that
ough To have a Christmas az she wants
one; an it's my opinion SANITY Claus is ez
much e her ex ever he was q them Com
way children"
But Miss Maria came up from breakfast
q few mornings later with u very troubled
face. She found the chainb.rmaid maxi
ing Ter bed. and sitting down by the open
fire began dolcfully enough:
why, Molly" and there was a suspi-
cion OF tears in her voice, edo ye know
Joseph's folks Amt plottin' tai do a. single
thing fer Chriss'muss not "a thing! Why,
tell 'en, Z TIL Conways we usett 4 give
half our winters clo'es tina way tippets
and rubbers, am all. Last year him m
me put together m got her n blanket
reel nice one. ~ course'-with
a foolish srnile-"that couldn't go i'm no
stocking Z ever WAS made; We JUS put il
OF tn hearth, underneath. We often put
things on TIL hearth. II seemed just as
uice."
AN what ID they say Co that, Miss
Maria 2" asked Molly, in ~ fashion she
had OF recalling the simple soul from her
long, rambling reminisccnces.
40. the girls they didn't say nothin'. nor
yet Celia. Joseph he jis' aughed. and
sez he: We got out ~ tn way ~ maxim
presents Y this house; there don't seem
no cos it, seq he. w ifc IN TIL girls, an
you all has your allowances, am can buy
jus wot we want, ez ye want il. I don't
b'lieve i'm "a man keepin' all his money q
himself. N maxim u great show i'm tn