The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-12-25

ginia, $50 as 20 escape Co=isIn Cecilia-he
always tries to-"
.Oh.' cried Emily, 81 aon't see how he
can refuse such thing wsien he sees how
we have set our hearts or il. Oh! lit
isn't bit like papa to-
"Sh-shn' exclaimed Viayinia and Lucia,
as resounding peal fillets the house with
ciangor. Here is Cousin Cecilia.
Il declare, Robert" salzi Cousin CecIiia
to her husband the d;sv she returned
home, II never go TO z Ohm BoIsoyer's
without thinking l will. never go there
again."
But you always do goagain, said her
husband.
well. I'm forgiving, =and l overlook
things, and you can't keeZ, up state OF
feeling between relatives. | always go
little early, so that they ,aay have time 10
the list. When arriyed=-the day but one
before Chrstmas-the MIA tried to keep
me down stairs. But / went right up to
the sewing room, and theFe was every one
OF the family in tears, trying to pretend
nothing was the matter. ald never telhng
me word about it. Wat could those
girls have to cry about-sif it was some
lover Or other lifting EMILY, l don't see
why they all cried-and taey've got every
thing in the world, so these's nothing left
for them to cry for. Do You suppose"
Bless you, Cecilia, how should l
know?"
"Well. And didn't ses John Bolsover
till Christmas morning. of course there
were the presents as usua., piled up In my
plate and around it-one Of Sarah's little
workbags-the most ridiculous present tor
millionaire's wife to giv6-only there was
good-sized treasury note in mine"
THAT puts another cosslplexion on 1t.
And there were the osher things, the
trifes those girls give. useless bits OF en-
broidery and photographs and drawings
and the like, and under my plate, OF
course, the usual check fr9m Cousin John.
and very handsome of hEm. And that's
what | 60 for, Robert! cousin John was
sitting at the foot of the table reading
his newspaper when che girls came
in, rather late, very ul5ike their usual
| Christmas manner, not q bit of the gay
rush and crying out there: used to be, and
they each said in a foanal sort of wav
wish you a merry Christmas. papa,
and he growled out something in reply. l
said to myself that it was plain John was
very unhappy in his honss-he'd brought
up his girls to have every wish gratitied.
and, we'll, he'd made hss own bed and
would have to lie in it. They went round.
however. and made q mstion of kissing
him. the way bird peaks. and he just
let them and that was ALL And they took
their places; and he pug down his paper
and growled out a blessing, For what We
are about to receive mas the Lord make
us duly thankful and zthe girls began
to open their parcels in listiess way,
they've got everything soshey don't care,
II Martha and Julia just elad what they
forget they've got! And Ghere were dog
ems of things. this and that. pretty useless
tribes, some handsome oTres, though: and
they were all as still as nzce. hardly any
of the ordinary exclaimirss and running
to look, no sigh OF pleasurs, although the
bell was ringing and tiowess were coming
IN. and bonbon boxes frofi one and an
other, all the time. And II declare! The
ungrateful set! | said Ito myself; for
their father had given one of them
white satin box and 8 pearl in it
the size of a marrow fat pea, and
Susette. think 1t was. zlad a gold belt.
the price of which wolsd keep me in
pocket money for year. l don't believe
she could ever get it ros,nd her. How
that girl must lace! And snother of them.
John had given won3erful piece of
jewelry-very unfit for "a young girl,
and he should have been ashamed to
waste his money so, fostering their vanityl
And Brandon-he WASH: down-had
check IN an envelope marked, a pony
and Sarah had check. too. for a new
cloak-a piece of sheer ex.ravagance with
all her cloaks. And tsose girls and
said very politely and coblly. ooh, thank
you, papa and put them down again, as
1t such things were not worth more words,
and handed them to Fri,zand Fred to put
on the side tables with the other things;
and was just on the pGnt of breaking
out and crying, We'll, if eyer l saw more
ungrateful lot of minxes.' when Lucia.
who had picked up the paper and opened
1t indifferently, murmufsd, 'Ah. here's
the list OF the Champagne passengers.
Let's see if the Carmichae.s have sailed
And suddenly the color poured all over
her face. 'Oh!' she cred. as if she
couldn't help it. oh! Just see here,
Havre. How-Oh, do yosl supnose-iust
listen. Mrs. Rupert Consers. Miss Elise
Conyers, Archer Conyers. Why, Emily
why, mamma and she terned to look at
her father. and there vas sort of
twinkle IN his eye. oh: papa! they all
cried at once, and there /. as a movement
that upset the chairs and seariy upset the
table. and those girls all literally fell upon
their father with their ar.ns, their faces.
and they cried, and thesr laughed, and
they kissed him and Ragged him and
hung around him, and :wouldn't have
thought pearl ring fit foe princess and
set OF amethysts like STAYS, and a moon
stone crescent for the .nair-that was
Emlly's-and all the rest OF their things
were OF the least consequence in the world,
but that some unknown people of the
name OF Conyers had gonefo Europe, been
swept on III u hurry, as Well as L could
make out. was an event on which the uni
verse depended. And it was oh. papa.
how did you?' and Il guess you'll under.
stand your old father in I.me.' and 4 felt
you must be ill. John, yol: were so unlike
yourself, and that was az | could make
out OF IL. And there waszEmilv standing
at last. crying. with both hands over her
face, right before those great gaming
servant-men, till John took her in his
arms and began to cry go: and she hid
her face in his and begget. him to forgive
her, and you'd have supposed she'd been
committing some capital .crime. or that
they'd found out he hadn't. And all the
time Lucia was excialmi5g, oh what a
glorious Christmas it muse be TO them ont
in blue waterp And the coffee was get
ting cold all this time, an thew never ex
planned one W ord about il 20 me from thar
day 10 this -
HARRIET PEEsCsrr SroFFoRp.