The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1892-12-23

! say, she'd ought to have Chris
muss eff she wants one; an it's my
opinion Senty Claus is ez much t. her
ez ever he was t. them Conway chill
dren."
But Miss Maria came up from
breakfast few mornings later with a
very troubled face. She found the
chambermaid making her bed, and,
sitting down by the open fire began,
doletully enough
'Why, Molly" and there was a sus-
picion Of tears in her voice, edo We
know Joseph's folks amt plottin' t.
do single thing for Chris muss-not
a thing! Why, l tell 'em, t. tn Con.
ways we uset t. give half our Winter
clo'es, that ways, tippets an rubbers,
an all. Last year him m me put to-
gether m got her blanket-shawl-a
real nice one, o. course"-with fool
ish smile-"that couldn't go in no
stocking It ever was made; we JUS put
it on tn hearth, underneath. We Oft
en- put things onth' hearth. 1t seemed
just as nice"
can what'd they say to that, Miss
Maria?" asked Molly, in fashion she
had OF recalling the simple soul from
her long rambling "reminiscences.
ooh, the girls they didn't say moth
in; nor yet Celia. Joseph he jis'
laughed, and SEE he, we got all out o.
maxim presents It this house; there
don't seem no cause fer it," SEE he.
Wife, m tn girls, an you all has
your allowances, an can buy JUS wot
We want, ez We want it. don't blieve
In man keepin' all his money t. him
self, m making a great show in tn
family at Chris 'muss time SEE he. 1t
sounds kind O. reasonable, too, don't
it?"
She looked over wistfully at Molly
shaking up the pillows.
II don't know" The second girl
thought for q minute, "ev'ry body
has a chance e be his own Senty Claus,
then, eff they all git their due, I sup
pose he means. Yes, that does sound
good. Eff we was meant t. be independ-
emf o. each other, that is"
Miss Maria heard only part of this
speech, and that part haunted her
long after she was left alone.
Everybody his own Santa Claus.
Molly had said. It would not 60 out
OF her mind. Bornof tie despair
which had seized upon her weak spirit
when she found they were to know
here no Christmas, and no good fairy,
a despair which in turn was part of
the great wave circumstances sweep
ing up to her heart, she began an to
build up a crazy plan and formed on
the servants careless speech.
",What did you buy, Aunt Maria?"
asked Sarah, the pretty daughter,
with an attempt at small talk, one
afternoon when the two older women
had paused in the parlor to rest before
going up stairs with their wraps.
'Your lap is piled up with bundles;
are you gong to have new dress?"
Miss Maria looked disconnected.
"Mebbe," she replied briefly, gather
ing her parcels together. l got some
stun-colored cashmere, nm some
little things" She rose to her feet hug
ging up her load. One twist of paper
fell to the ground. Mary, the plain
daughter with the nice eyes, ran to
pick it up.
''It feels like Gloves" she said, for
want OF a happier thought, handing
it to her aunt.
Miss Maria seized the parcel almost
rudely. 81 don't remember" Color
rose to her cheeks; the eyes fell. IL
got q lot O. little things, Mebbe didn t
buy no gloves. II amt sure!"
The door closed upon her suddenly,
in what seemed very like guilty flight.
"Why, mother!' cried all three girls
together. ''What has gone wrong?
Aunt Maria is always as voluble as a
child over every paper OF pins!"
lido believe" added Bella, chat
going down street and dom a little
shopin' is all that reconciles her to
New York.
Meanwhile upstairs Miss Maria was
hurriedly thrusting her purchases into
O. deep drawer she had emptied for
the purpose.
Il don't believe" she thought, with
a prick from her tender conscience,
81 don't believe | remember eff |
bought them gloves or not. They
was other things I was lookin' at,
tool amt sure" She paused a
moment to consider something else.
Anyway" her face cleared and
beamed, Il don't skursely know how
that aprun looked. I think twas
crossbar, but / wouldn't be sure fer
nothin.' An then mufflers Celia,
she chose for me, an I didn't look t.
see eff she got tn red one, or that dark
blue. hope" she gazed down into
the drawer. II hope twas the red
one, but / won't know till Chris
muss."
Day after day Miss Maria added to
the contents Of the drawer.
"Whether or no." as she phrased it,
she meant to give some little present
to each member OF the family, from
Joseph to the GRAND boy. But, with
these weightier matters, her own pre-
parations went on. "The girls" could
not understand why their aunt wore
those shabby shoes, when Sarah had
helped her buy new pair, or why
she made such a mystery Of even a
couple of hat pins which their mother
carelessly bestowed upon her one day,
and which disappeared and we're no
more seen, though her bonnet hung
awry upon the good gray head as
usual.
Poor Miss Maria! Shefound it hard
work, but she never relaxed her ardor,
now that this idea was hers. Her
Winter plenishine was bought in an