The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1892-12-23
BESELENA'S PRATTLB.
Signs Of the Coming. Holiday Season
Up in Seattle.
Beautiful Things for Young and Old
Why 1t is More Blessed to Give
Than to Receive.

once more Christmas is close at hand.
The fact is attested by the crowds of
people who throng the streets and shops.
The store-windows these days are be-
wiidering display of pretty things, from
a perfume bottle TO an opera-cloak.
This is the only time in the whole twelve
months when L sigh with all my heart
for riches galore, so that l could remem-
Der each of my friends with some little
souvenir, no matter how trifing. 1t will
make one's heart glow with satisfied
pride ana amply compensate for any
little sacrifice Of self one may have made
when you see pleased look of surprise
light up the recipients face. Then you
think Of the dear old Biblical saying,
"Verily, it's better to give than to re-
ceive."
But we ''grown-ups'' don't half appre-
ciate Christmas like the little folks. Their
sublime faith i'll Santa Claus is some
thing beautiful. How eagerly, yet fear
fully, too, they retire to rest the night
previously. and i'll the morning before
daylight rush pellmeN downstairs in
their eager haste to see what old Santa
Claus has brought them i'll his wonderful
sleigh. Soon the house is ringing with
their delightful shouts, and sleep has to
be abandoned, for that day at least the
children hold high carnival. They have
not reached that period of their existence
where their illusion of this mythical per-
sonage has been rudely dispelled, and they
have grown blase with a surieit OF this
worlds goods.
no, they can enjoy Christmas with all a
child's careless enthusiasm, and this is
the best wish I can make you, my friends,
that you will enjoy this coming Christ
mas as YOU did in the days when you
hung your little stockings before the fire.
place and believed with answering faith
that Santa Claus would fill them.
/ think one Of the greatest trials in
Woman's life is to 60 shopping in the
rain. Unlike the male member of soci-
ETY., who dons a huge macintosh and
stalks forth utterly obiivious of wind or
rain, ii woman must carry an umbrella for
lear OF spelling her bonnet, pick up her
dress, no matter how short it be, and, in
addition, is more often than not, incum-
bered with half a dozen parcels.
Did it ever strike you that there is an
art in picking up ones gown? L will adj
init the fact did not occur to me very fore
IDLY until l was walking down street one
rainy day and having nothing better to
do, fell to watching how the ladies car
ried their gowns. There comes q tall,
semi-masculine woman; she is man
hater and a confirmed old maid, you can
tell, both by the scornfuI tilt of her nose
and her independent walk She has
grasped her dress in Yise-like clutch,
and sails along totally unconscious Of the
interesting TACT that at least half a yard of
black hosiery ana the whole of foot that
would do honor to Chicago are exposed
10 view. The women litter as she passes
(some one once said women are pro-
verbally cruel to their own SEX, and the
men stare and turn around to stare again,
but no one tells her, and when she goes
Rome she tells her parrot, cat and monkey
how glad she is she got so little mud on
her dress. Then comes a little woman;
the hand that holds the umbrella is small,
and by that you know she has a small
loot, but the dress is dragging through
the street, and you wonder if she is
troubled with attectation or lazineSs-pos-
sibly a combination of both. Then comes
another woman; the upper part of her
gown is held high and dry, but beneath
is exposed an unsightly cambria lining.
IOu are beginning to wonder how The
next woman will hold her gown, when
scarcely has the thought been framed
then she trips daintily into sight, the
dress is grasped in just the proper place;
there IS just the suggestion of French
boot and underneath pretty skirt, the
exact shade of her dress. You look after
her in admiration, and vaguely wonder
why her sisters do not emulate her ex-
ample. l heard some one say the other
day that big women were going out of
fashion, and that for a time at least little
women would reign supreme. The bare
possibility OF such an occurrence made
me feel good all over. possibly because
Pm such small woman myself. When
we little folks get beside tall woman,
we ieel-tO use the language of the day
as though we were mot in it,"
Is it then any wonder that l reioiced at
the idea OF our tall sisters taking back
seat and giving we little ones a show?
Though the back seats won't be so very
low that they won't be able to look over
our heads. Most tall men like little
women. 1t is the love of extremes in
their nature-the same love of extremes
which prompts little man TO fall
desperately in love with woman head
taller than himself.
But it makes little difference whether
we are tall or short, so long as our friends
are satisfied with us. 1t is not the per-
sonal appearance that counts, it is the
disposition that pleases and attracts.
BEsELENA.
Seattle, Wash, Dec. 70, 1892