Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-02-02
WHAT THE GIRLS BROUGHT HIM"
Diversity of Experience That Should Be
Valuable to Other Gift-Hunters.

A group of girls got off a downtown
car yesterday morning. They wore
/ disconsolate faces and capacious shop
| ping bags; incidentally the other raj
ment that custom and the climate die
| tates. The tallest, and evidently The
leader of the party, gazed up and down
State street, noted that it was $50,
and said, spiritlessly: "Oh! girls; it is
so hard to know what to get to give a
man"
And every blessed girl of the party
chimed dreary assent.
| Now that is no such thing, and so
the same girls agreed when they met
in cafe at noon five floors up in big
dry-goods store and ate salad and
chocolate eclair and compared their
| purchases.
Cecilia had bought chin" tiny
gold locket to hang from his chain and
wear her picture in, because che. p"
poor dear, is a long way out of sight
of her sweet, grave face. Three little
diamonds were set diagonally across
the dead gold of the locket.
"Exsravagant," said the other girls.
But Cecilia explained that she had
saved the price of a new gown just be-
cause she" wasn't here to admire her
in it, which seemed a sort of recapitu-
,ation in the advantage of a non-resi-
dent lover.
Etta's present for "him" (each girl
| had her own individual "him." you
understand) was round shaving mir
ror, set in silver, with his monogram
on the back, and on the top loop OF
silver by which the thing could be
hung up on the wall.
But suppose he isn't his own bar
ber," objected Jane.
Then he will like to look at his own
face just the same-for it's good
enough" retorted Eta.
"And men are so conceited," laughed
Annie. "Look what I've bought
pocket mustache brush. Isn't it funny?
See, the bristles are as silky as the
mustaches it is made to brush, and the
little oval back has superb chasing
and his monogram besides. And
think. girls! it is a gift that will lie
close to his heart"
| you mean his vest pocket"
81 assure you it is quite the same
thing-and then the daily contact
| with"
| Goodness, Annie. Don't YOU wish
you could exchange places with that
| brush occasionalIy?"
| But, seriously, you may work him
| slippers that won't fit and suspenders
that won't suspend anything but pa
thence, and, take my word for it, "he"
would have been a great deal happier
if you had left most of the presents
alone and had given him the picture
of his own girls face in little flat sill
yer case that he could slip into his
very smallest pocket and look at as
many times day as he wanted to.
And, girls, take bit of advice
don't overstep the delicacy line. Moth
ing really mars the pleasure of mans
gift as much as that | wouldn't knit
him socks or embroider him night
shirts, if | were you, nor send him a
decorated laundry bag too fine for use
or a laundry list that argues a dread
full knowingness concerning his per-
| sonal environment. No, dears, men
are queer objects, but treat them as
though they were all poets or Great
ures with no more material needs than
highly aesthetic angel and they'll fall
| gravely into line with the idea and
behave beautifully. Of course, it will
be absurd, but men are all absurd, and
there's only question of degree, any
how Chicago Post.