The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1892-12-24

blue and white sparkling morning, sky
like the tent Of the tabernacle, an earth
snow-clad with purity, every tree and shrub
wearing an angels plumage, and bright
wind blowing that seemed to shake the
sunshine out of heaven. Such happy
sounds there were in the early Christmas
bells, such happy faces in the street, too,
and inside the house was all spicy with
the hemlock boughs and holly of jose
phine's handiwork ''Its as sweet as a
forest, said Mrs Trench to herself. "But
| declare these presents are the shabbiest
Christmasing | ever did wish | had
made something for Harry after ALL l
guess I'll give him one of Johns necktics
Well, they'll all come over to breakfast,
and LII have a breakfast that would make
Delmonico's mouth water" And she was
as good as her word, her table giittering
with red oranges and black grapes and rus
set winter pears and marmalade lucent as
Jewels while the kitchen of the king of
with good odors than hers that morning,
from chicken pot-pies, steaks done to turn,
slices of cold duck, broiled oysters quiver-
| ing on their way from the gridiron to the
toast, omelette slipping from the pan ike
slice of gold, biscuit like snowballs, turn
overs for the children, and coffee that might
have made one doubt if really that were
not the nectar of the gods.
Mrs. Trench surveyed everything, and
then hearing the arriving family announced
by the voices of Will and Loly and little
Janet and the gay greetings between the
elder Janet and Lawrence and Margie and
Sally and Harry and the rest, she ran up to
slip on her pretty brown silk-she had not
had it on since she went to the opera-and
she put geraniumi in her hair and tried to
greet them all with smiling face; and she
felt that the house was full of sunshine and
music and Christmas cheer, and none of it
in her heart, while Josephines pale face
and swollen eyes smote her with sort of
terror every time she looked that way.
And what an uproar the house was in,
and how little Janet hugged her rag baby
with its pretty painted face, and how pleased
the older Janet was with her crazy quilt,
and Lawrence with his silk stockings, one
and all exclaiming and thanking and kissin,s
and laying her own gifts in yet unex-
plOred heap and hoard beside her chair.
And she was having hard work not to cry,
and Josephine was bringing in the dishes
and Mr. Trench was sharpening the cary
ing knife, and all were taking their seats
in the midst of the iollity and clamor.
And then Mrs. Trench was mechanically
turning over her plate that had been re-
versed upon some trife, and Mr. Trenchs
knife was murderously suspended in the
air as he watched her.
For suddenly Mrs Trench's eyes had
grown large and shining, a color like a wild
roses began to spread over her wan face,
she half rose from her chair; bending over,
what she saw there before her-two spark
ling, shining, quivering drops Of luster,
her earrings, her old earrings that her
father gave her And beside them
what else? \ little, slippery, tortoise
shell portemonnade, her own pocket-book,
and as she seized it and opened it, her own
hundred dollar bill in it And all in
flash of iustinct-for her poor little mind
could never have compassed it-she saw
that her husband, meeting her on Mr..
Sparkler's steps, had gone to inquire of
Mr.. Sparkler what she had been about
there, and had bought the gems back out
of his hand; and it was he who in mere mis-
chief had snatcbel the pocket-boOk in the
crowd and had kept it for this moment.
JOY and anger swept across her in force at
one breath, joy at the recovery, anger at
the delay
"Oh, how could you, hew could you y
she cried, flashing her eyes at her husband,
and "Oh, why did you, why did you !" she
cried again as the tears began to come, and
she ran round the table to throw her arms
about him and whisper the rest in his ear.
As she did so something that glittered in here
dress caught his eye.
"What is this p he said, as he stopped
to disengage it.
ooh r she exclaimed 'Let me see!
1t must be'-and she nearly tore the dress
in her feverish haste to snatch the thing
into light .''no, it cant bet is Oh, it
is Josephine's earrings, the one she lent
me the night of the opera, and that Mrs.
Courcy de Spencer says are hers, and
thought l slipped them into my pocket and
somebody stole them in the opera house.
And 1 slipped them into this fold instead
Oh, isn't this a lovely Christmas And
oh, Josephine, turning, regardless Of all
the rest, to the stately maid who had just
come in again, sMr Trench has made me
a present of my old earrings, you see, and
there's hundred dollar bill in my purse,
and it's for your mothers eyes, and as every
body's Christmas was in that bill, of course
it's Christmas present to her from every
body in this room, isn't it, Harry? |
never had such Christmas as this in all
my life y she cried then with ehild's
gayety. "And | want to tell you-what
do you think besides, Josephine? Here
are Mrs. Courcy de Spencer's earrings, her
actual earrings, that she says were mistaken
for those you lent me. And | want you
to ran over to her without losing a moment,
breakfast or no breakfast and tell her ]
sent them with my compliments, and |
found them exactly where [ put them, her
own earrings, her real earrings-no, you
needn' say her real earrings, because they're
not real, there's nothing real about them
or about her, either They are just pair
of cut-glass brilliants like yours. Mrs.
Couray de Spencer's diamonds were never
any diamonds at all And I'm sorry I'm
so malicious, she cried, with Harry's arm
still about her. and the whole family won
dering what the coil could be, al must be
Just as wicked as anything But l do
declare-that woman is such cheat, swim
ding poor working girl Of her hard-earned
wages-that Tm-Tm afraid this Is the
best part of my Christmas T
1t Comes but Once Year.