The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1892-12-24
Select Sturp.
MRS. TRENCH And CHRISTMAS.

| ears, and then ltS Faster, anu llS DrIn-
DAYS all the time! What a way it is to
keep festival Stirring up all the COW
etousness we have, appealing to our low
est nature, as if we could not be glad
without receiving tribute As for we'd
ding presents, they add horror to life
first weddings are bad enough, but g lass
tin, leather, linen, silver-perfect vulgar
ityl If we live to be married hundred
years we shall not have any Of that"
II don't want any of that, Harry" said
his wife, gazing up at him in his TRADE out
of pair of limped gray eyes that just now
looked like two tears or two great jewels
glittering in dew. 81 only want money
enough for my Christmas presents. A
hundred dollars will get the whole of them
and I'm sure that's good management
when you think of this family"
"a hundred dollars y
"Why, | always spent that"
"To waste on Christmas folderols, and
people starving all around u.s.
'Im sure it's not my fault if people
are starving!" cried the wife. "They
wouldn't starve if ruled the universe. [
should portion things out equally to every
one alike. There wouldn't be any Queen
Victoria then with a million dollars year,
and shop girls with half dollar a day
"There wouldn't be any shop girls,
suppose said her husband quietly.
Mrs. Trench looked up again and the
color mounted her cheek. No shop girls
no shopping-the idea was perhaps ap-
palling; her lips quivered. II suppose,
said the lovely little imbecile hesitatingly,
:'that men could take their places"
Her husband laughed in spite of the
righteous indignation under which he was
laboring. "You see" he said, "if the
world is upside down it can't be righted
all at once. You can only do your best in
your own little corner And one thing to
do in your little corner is to discourage
this promiscuous Christmas gift enterprise.
1t is the discomfort of every head of a
house in Christendom who can't spare the
money, and it half ruins young men, be-
ginning life, who earn pittances and have
to remember everybody in their boarding
houses because its expected of them. For
my part, l wish the old Pilgrim Fathers
who forbade mince pies and Christmas
carols and all the rest, had their way now
II should think you would be ashamed,
Harry Trench !' cried his wife slowly,
but with gathering strength. "Christmas!
The one day in the year The sweet
est, heavenliest festival, full of green
boughs in winter, and children, and bells,
and crisp snow, and Homecoming, full of
all sorts of happiness and good feeling!
And you want to abolish Christmas"
"I never said 1 wanted to abolish
Christmas l only say that, if this sort
of thing is to be kept up, wish it were
a movable feast and took place at some
other season, not when all the half-yearly
bills come in and a man is dead broke
anyway"
"Why don't you abolish the half-yearly
bills" cried his wife, ''if you want to abol-
ish anything r'
HYou begin !" said Mr.. Trench.
II begin 1 must say, Harry Trench
wonder if Courcy dispenser talks so to
his wife | should think it was I who
spent my money in clubs and went to
races and hired yachts, and had suit for
every season and a necktie for every day
in the year, and took champagne with my
lunch and went to the theater without my
wife. II who turn my dresses twice
"Why shouldn't you turn your dresses
if they can stand it? Many things are
all the better for turning new leaf, for
instance I'm going to turn one to-day.
And l shan't furnish anyone with single
dollar to buy Christmas gift, and that
ends the matter r' And Mr.. Trench,
rather indignant at this recapitulation of
his shortcomings, or long-goings rather,
threw down his napkin and shut the door
behind him with gentle vehemence that
could not be called slam, but yet was
certainly more than jar.
Mrs. Trench, of course burst into tears
Josephine, the maid, not being present.
But it always hurt her to cry, and indeed
she was so angry that her tears were more
like sparks Of fire. No money for her
Christmas Wanting to abolish her Christ
mas Wanting to change Christmas from
its seasons of SHOWS and frosts and ever
greens into paltry, warm, lifeless summer
weather Each allegation was pulse of
fame, and of course her tears were dried
almost before they fell There always
had been streak of meanness in Harry,
her reflections ran on, for all he spent
money so freely and tossed it away to the
first asker he never had any to toss away
to her she never had an allowance like
other wives Mrs, Courcy de Spenser had
her own bank account for her part, she
had to cut herself short in everything her
heart longed for, in order to give her
Christmas presents, every year since she
had married II don't care, she cried
aloud. II shall make my Christmas pres
cnts all the same But as he disapproves
of them so strongly shall make none to
him y And, very much pleased with her
first determination, and strengthed and in
vigorated with her last one, she went up
stairs and took her diamond earrings from
their hiding place and put them in the
sun to look at. "It's shame !" she cried.
"Mrs. Courcy de Spenser doesn't have to
sell her earrings, just to be decent" How
splendid they were Not very large, but
of clear water, like two great sparkling
concrete sunbeams themselves. How she
had longed for them before she had them;
how she had thanked her father when he
gave them to her, and pitied him for the
sacrifice, in his slender circumstances, that
he made to do it, and hated herself after
wards for letting him do it, and coaxed
her mother to dismiss the second girl and
allow her to do the parlor work herself for
a whole year till she had nearly made it
up, before her father noticed what was go
ing on. Now father and mother were
gone, and the little hateful stones were
only symbols of her own selishness she
didn't want to see them any more. All
the same, the idea that she was forced to
part with them whether or not, was bitter.