The San Francisco call., 1898-12-25

as much as three DdSS O4 oliNCS ' in quarter and half dollars in my treasurs box in the coach that has been poured, yes, just Showered upon them ever slnc0 | they started, and have been passed over from agent to agent and messenger to messenger-enough to pay their passage from here to Chinai It's time to say quits ing to that Christmas party poor! He caught up the boy, as Yupa Blll lifted the little girl to his shoulder, aho tho loungers in the barroom silently ana awkwardly followed. and when the oaT- decanters and glasses, to his astonishment the room was empty.
 spindlers house. or "spindler'si Splurge," as Rough and Ready chose 10 call 1t, stood above the settlement on a. Senged itself by not enough vegetation to cover even the few stumpS that were ineradicable. A large wooden fected by the Westerners. with an incon" gruous cupola, 1t was oddly enough Is. aege eged py ss ,nn more tH fog sdes held by wooden Doric columns. Wnicih were already picturesquely. covered with I Spindler had trusted the furnishing of it's interior to the same contractor Who nao upholstered the gilded barroom or 11tS tnSs bestowed the same design @ and material , plaster Cupids in the corners and stuccoed lions in the way everywhere. Ing tactful hands of Mrs. Price had screeneda some of these with seasonable laurels, IF boughs, and berries, and had imparted' slight Christmas flavor to the mousse But the greater part of her time hao peer employed in trying to subdue the eccen- tricit:es of Spindler's amazing relatlons, in tranquilizing Mrs. Aunt MarInS to-who was inclined to regard the glideC splendors of the house as indicative or dangerous immortality; Tn restralnlns "Cousln" Morley Hewlett from consider ing the dining-room buffet as bar TOT. intermittent refreshment''; and in keep ing the weak-ninded nephew, Phinney the veranda, wearing his uncle's clothes, or running up account in his uncle name for various articles at the general stores Yet, the unIooked-for arrlVa1 oL the two children had been the one greaO., compensation and diversion for her. Sne' wrote at once to her nieces a brier ac- count of her miraculous deliverance. | think these poor children dropped rom the skies here to make our Christmas party possible, to say nothing of the sym. pathy they have created in Rough and Ready for Spindler. He Is going to Keep them as long as he can and Is writing tos the father. Think of the poor little tots travelling a thousand miles to hrlSSmass, as they call iti-though they were so Wells cared for by the messengers that tnelr little bodies were positively stuffed hke quails. So you see, dear, we VIII pc aplo tc get along without airing your famous idea. I'm sorry, for I know you're just cying to see it all :"
 been, there certainly seemed now no need of any extraneous aid to Mrs. frlce management. Christmas night came vat st .u spite of the gloomy festal fears OF "Aunr Asasfha,' who was now more than ever convinced that Ars. Prices position f, fha housa was more ff1ssf pnuty0cal. the weak garrulity of Phinney Spinoiesk the boisterous alcoholic sentiments oh Morley Hewlett. or the half-frtghtenedsi hnif-choked silence of the two chiidrens the dinner passed off without serious dls- aster. But the ordeal or the reception For Mrs. Price well knew that. althougFAS sthe boys'' were more snbdued and. in deed, inclined t0 sgmpathize with tneir much In the aspect of 5pindler.s relatons to excite their sense of the ludlcrous. IF thev overlooked il kindred human weak ness in the dTunkard, swaying In osIen-9 tatious dignity beside the window, tney would be sure to resent the uneompro- missing self-righteous and lofty dissaus-- faction of the cook, rigid in her hostess silk dress, in a gilded arm chair; Sne hHd automatically put the two cnllaren In front, but even then she could not nelp seeing that in their new adornments or bows and ribbons they had lost the pa thetic aspect of their chains ana 4aneiS'
 But here fortune again favored tn@ house of Spindler with a dramatic sur prise even greater than the advent or tne children had been. In the change that had come over Rough and Ready, Fthe boys had decided out of difference to the women and children to omit the nrsr mart of their programme and had ap- preached and entered the house as so- berly and quietly as ordinary guests. guests. the host and hostess, and seen the rela- tions the chatter of wheels was heard be- fore the open door, and It's hghts 1asned upon a carriage and palr--au actual priv ate carriage--the like of which had noG been seen since the Governor Of the state had come down to open the new difch Then there was a pause, the Hash or ths carriage lamps upon white siik, the hghE tread Of a satin foot on the veranda and in the hall. and the entrance oL Nisl9na Of loveliness. Middle-aged men and ola dwellers of cities remembered their youth; younger men Dethougnt pet f,.!s, 1ssr,- 1nen- was thrill and a hush as this last guesI "a beautiful girl. radiant with youth and sdornl,nen'put Tl,ng eIs and sdvanced d % %faiiariy with outstretched hand, 10 Dick Spindler. Mrs Price gave single gasp, and drew 0@TE Uncle stits" Dick" said laughing contraltq voice, which indeed somewhat recalled Mrs. Prices own, In it's courageous frank.- ness ''I am So delighted to come-eyen if d little late; and so sorry that MT. Mc- Kenna could not come on account or busi- ness"
 more eagerly and surpriaedly than the host himself ''MeKennal the rich cousin wh9 had neyeT anSwerea % teth the aS 1asfasion hs a
 
 yorced niece! Yet, even in his astonish- ment he remembered that of course no one but himself and Mrs Price knew it. and that lady had glanced discreetly away.
 tv ssT came from Sacramento wteh soma friends so ShuoteFSvfilE, and from there | drove here, and though \ must return to-nsght I could not forego the pleasure og cCsgpgEg 1T it were only for an hour or two go answer the invitation 9f the uncle I have not seen for years. She paused, and raising hey glasses turned polite- iw at1estforinE eye toward Mrs. Price .fC,ns 0f our gelas19nA2 she sald srnil- iuglv tp Spin@ieF.
 sNo." said spindier. with some eTnbar- rassrnent ''a-~@ friend
 The halfnlecs extended her hand, Mrs. Price tou& h. A slight cry of pain fol- 1auea however. hy A little laugh. es- rauei the beautiful visitors lips. ! grieya I'd say that g lurking safety pin in Mrs Prices glove had eassghf her hand. Mrs. Price turned away t0 her other guests 5~lfh somewhat marked ahrlpsnesS. Spin a1er pgms distressed Had she ta1en an aversion to th5s beautiful creature on &C., Founf 0f her dlvnrce@ UF-~the thought gave a strange thrin 10 hln-pas sbe a. little feal0usg
 Fsr4 tha fair stranger " taf aha did and