Morning journal and courier., 1891-12-26
THE FLEETING SHOW.

Some of Its Facts and Fancies. Written for the JOURNAL AND CoURIERl THEIR CHRISTMAS TREE. Constant Hope, the mechanic, and Mercy, his wife, as perhaps you will remember, entertained on Thanksgiving day three of of their friends-the blind woman, the shopmate and the little dressmaker-who, but for this kindly attention, would have passed the day in loneliness or discontent. Delighted with the success of this, their first dinner party, Constant, generous fel- low that he was, proposed to celebrate Christmas day in the same hospitable fashion and was quite dismayed when his plans were met with an utter lack of that enthusiasm which was, to him, one of his wife's most characteristics.
 It was evening and they were in their cosy sitting room, which was also parlor and nursery, with sewing-room and library corners; Mercy repairing Constants work day coat, and Con holding the baby, who with little murmurs of satisfaction, was gnawing his thumb as an aid and relief in the rather trying process of dentition. "You surely would not mind the trouble ofit" exclaimed Con, and there was a note ol but pIlSO auo IcpTOACu III HIS tone that caused Mercy to look up from her work and smile at him lovingly before she re- piled: "No, indeedl dear But, you see. I had plan of my own to propose to you"
 ''Ah! let's have it," said Con. 'If it is better than mine we will unanimously adopt it."
 "My plan," said she, looking important, roguish, and happy all at once, is to have Christmas tree, and"-
 "A Christmas tree!" interrupted Con. "Well, that is a schemes But won't it cost lot of moneys"
 ''Not very much more than turkey, chicken pie, and Malaga grapes. You see, dear, as we cannot afford all these things, you and d. l would have to go without our usual Christmas dinner, and have only plain, ry-day dinner instead"
 A little frown appeared on Cons fore head as the rickly-browned turkey of his fancy, with the fork already sticking in its breast, melted away in thin air, and with it vanished the fsky pies, the quivering jellies, ruby and amberhued, the smoking plum pudding, and the heaped up basket of luscious fruit. 'sWell," he said, brave y, "our every day dinners are good enough for for anybody. Tn willing, if you are.
 'tI knew you d say thatl" she exclaimed dimpling and beaming ''It shall be the baby's Christmas tree-ittle sweetheart, she's never even seen one; have you, mothers precious little lambr Here Mercy paused to contemplate, in an ec- stacy of admiration, her small daughter, who cooed and blinked and spluttered and cooed again, being healthy and sweet natured little soul, over whom even the pains Of teething were passing lightly. Then she went on: "We will have the friends who were with us Thanksgiving day, dear old Mrs Faith, Patience Waite and H +rdy Strengthen there's your pet newsboy and his sister, that makes five. the six little Magilliouddy's around the corner in Pyncher's block, and we sthree make up just fourteen-all we can find room for.''
 "And presents for everybodyW ques- tioned Con.
 Presents for everybody. Oh you need not look so doubtful, can manage it, think. You will give me what the dinner would cost; have saved little; Patience will help me evenings - Ohl" said Mercy, as the coat dropped to the floor and she seated herself on the arm of her husbands chair, and slipped a warm arm around hls neck" our gifts may be neither costly nor handsome, but what joy it will be to make them, what pleasure we can give to those poor little motherless children
 "Hold up your right handl" said Con stant. 'There!" as he lifted his own, and with his left hand held up the babys dimpled fist," your plan is unanimously adopted. A Christmas tree it is, and it's safe to say that thereu not be another like it in all the good City of Elms."
 The evenings were busy enough after this, Mercy sewing and knitting, and Con- stant whittling remarkable but substantial toys. Patience Waite, the little dress maker, often joined them. She was the possessor of an unusually rapid crochet hook, and the celerity with which this magic hook caught and twisted up wool in- to shawls and caps, hoods, mittens, and slippers, wac astonishing, especially to Hardy Strong, who often dropped in for an hour or so to offer assistance and had been instructed in the gentle art of un- winding skeins of Germantown" coiling them in gay little mounds from which the bright threads slipped away and were woven into new and wonderful forms. Hardy's greatest trouble at this time was that Pa tience lived in the same house with the Hopes. When she bade them stGood night" and sped lightly up to the fifth floor, the life and sparkle and charm of