The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-12-25
Rather Serious Tale.

Into something Of a minor strain OF
thought 1 fell p%erforce when asked to
contribute TO this series Of Christmas
reminiscences In all the long and lovely
list Of pleasant holidays which life has
recorded for my undeServing sake | find
not one which offers "a story" for a
strangers ear. 1.-The happiest women
like the happiest nations. have no his
tory" said George Eliot. SO the happiest
holidays tells no tale. one only out of AL
these Christmas days has crystallized into
narrative material, and that one was, CT
seemed at the time Of its passing TO be,
q dead and bankrupt loss.
We were in a city whose name Is or
no consequence, at a boarding house
whose address 1 have long since forgot
ten-twO young women, sufficiently fami-
ia~ with dear and comfortable homes.
and. fortunately or unfortunately, strang-
ers to the miseries Of boarding house life.
My friend was q medical student In q
large university whose code Of honor
admitted women cordially and graduated
them well trained. l was there for sew
eral reasons, not for the sake of the medi-
cal school. which I never visited except
10 accompany my student home. and OF
whose CHASTITY mysteries 1 had and have
to this DAY an irrational horror. Personal
friends on the faculty tried to lure me
into the dissectlng room upon the ground
Of its high value as special culture, but
/ would as soon have gone to a slaughter
house or q prison. for such instincts for
reformation Of society as 1 may possess
do not turn I'm the direction Of the scaipei.
My friend was made of drawer and o.
tougher fibre n she shouldered her
profession without q Quavcr. In brief,
to put the matter in a word, her turn 10
dlssect her portion of the material" be
fell her at the holidays. We put the
point to a vote between us-two girls.
and our DOG, the King Charles spaniel
who's fate 1t was to share our exile
and decided by a majority OF two against
one TO sacrifice our vacation, spend Christ
mas in the clearinghouse. and by work
ing steadily through the recess finish the
anatomical task which frOwned before
us. The dog pleaded for the country
for the great white house. the blazing
open fires. the dea. faces. the pure, fine
air, the big garden, the sweep OF snOwlit
fields, the glorious horizon, the readings
to Wachusett and the sleigh rides through
the wooded roads and dipping hills Of
picturesque Andover. But we sternly
took the hand Of duty, or the thing which
bore the aspect TO our minds. ard COM
forted the dog for his misfortune in be-
longing TO such conscientious women,
and promised him q Christmas dinner
of fried liver, and tried TO forget how 1t
looked In Andover. and resolutely stayed
by "the subject"
It was a poor little pauper Irish girl,
I remember-lawful material" Nobody
had claimed her till the proper time was
over. and now. by the mysterious law OF
sacrifice. II fell 10 her lot. as the last
act Of her unknown earthly story, 10
teach the solemn science OF life and
death 10 this more fortunate woman.
Years after hundreds of suffering women
called her blessed who compassed her
rare power as a healer-T like to think
partly by the help OF that Irish pauper
girl and by the surrender of those lost
holidays.
And here at last is one OF the Christ
mas sides Of this sober story; for 1t had
more than one;
on Christmas Eve we made the best OF
our luck, which was the least we could
do. and gave the King Charles a new col
lar and a rubber ball. and took him TO
walk with a string. at whose thither end
he tugged. gasping audibly. and dragging
us after him at a dog trot. And we sent
on the Christmas packages and wished
we. too. could be tied up and expressed
home prepaid, and sighed or cried our
selves 10 sleep. according 10 our nature.
and woke. and II was Christmas morning.
and the big clearinghouse was astir.
tramping restlcssly and homelessly up
and down stairs-and where were the
dear. the dearest voices, wishing thai
our Christmas might be merry n our
souls at peace?
We came down 20 breakfast with aching
hearts. but smiling faces. as the holy
enfs hanna AL the boardsrs were VI.