The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-01-21
Confession of a Gossip.

| for Christmas, the buttons and the maid
have caused our han and drawing-room
TO bristie with holly. For some reason
| or other-it is not well TO excayate too
| deeply into our reasons-I am touching
up their waning decorations with sprigs
of mistletoe. Being the Sage's junior by
twenty years. it should be my duty 10
| look after him-middle-a people are so
easily led astray; but, as il Is holiday
| time. / think ne deserves q chance. The
| mistletoe will give him one. with twig
| in his hand man of refinement can in
vent all sorts of interesting converse
items that might not otherwise occur to
| him, and there is no telling what unut-
terahle things may yet find VENT
He deserves the chance. and then-if he
| neglect to avail himself of it-why.
| then
Five p. m She came, With laughing
| lips that matched the holly berries she
threw al him a host of good wishes for
the New Year, and 20, how much be-
sdes,''
What smart decorations" she chirped
delightedly. How bright the holly Isl
l love looking al 1t, but hate pricking my
fingers in the arrangement" Warily she
touched with the points of her gloves the
glossy leaves, and her eye rested a mo-
ment on the sprigs of mistietoe that mes
tied among them. The Sage followed her
glance, and 1 knew ne was wondering
as the King wondered about the apples
inside the dumplings-how the dickens
they got there,
''All the brightest things of the world
are prickly,'' he said. feelingly. Holly
roses-girls ."
Not girls Girls are like nettles-
harmless to those who know how 10 ham
die them
20! q saw the Sage mentally examin-
ing himself)
by the way" she jerked out, evident
ly for the purpose of changing the con-
versation, II am longing TO introduce you
TO my cousin Phyllis. This is her first
visit to London, and talking TO her is like
talking to a Judge. She says such naive
things. Yesterday she asked if Sloan was
a great parsonage. and why we had
square and a street named after him"
Pleasing girl! I see her on Sunday.
Your people have asked me to join your
New Years party, haven't they?"
And Mr. HeimdaI too. He has no one
of his own in London?" she asked with
a slight blush.
Hes not married, If you mean that"
said the Sage.
81 don't think any one ought to begin
the New Year without some friendly soul
to rub shoulders with.
gsAnd that is the reason why you want
Mr.. He!mdal?' questioned the Sage. (My
ears tingled for her answer.
Eyes, yes, think so, and because-weN,
perhaps he might amuse Phyllis"
ITS scarcely wise to invite man to
meet pretty girl till you know how
many naughts there are in his income"
But when it's all one big naught-as
he says it is-there can't be any HARM
she laughed
I'm afraid you've turned the fellows
head; he has become terribly absent of
late"
20, young mems heads are made for
turning. On the screw principle, you
know. They're built to be screwed this
way and that a piacere. I wonder il
Herr Won Dohnanyi will have his head
turned; every one has been making fuss
about him."
so believe"
cit is seldom you get a chance of hear
ing in the course of one month two such
performers as he and NJ. Paderewski."
I'm keen on hearing some of Able Pc
rosi's work. They ought to give his Res
direction of Lazarus over here"
Another prodigy" They say he is only
26! Mr.. Kipling must have set fash
ion in Juvenile against genius. Since his
debut, twelve years ago. all sorts of pre-
cocious artists have revealed themselves"
Talking of Mr.. Kipling. have you read
his "reminiscences of Westward HOP
They are absolutely jolly aren't they?
So inspiriting. But he modestly refrains
from telling us how Gigs, otherwise Bee
tie, put his talent to practical uses at an
early age. AS a small boy he was, OF
course, tagged by the bigger ones and
once, whe in the act OF smuggling a par
eel of contraband goods-cider, think it
was-he suddenly met the housemaster-
the gentleman he calls Mr.. Prout you
know! Well, Mr.. Prout. on various occa
sions, had eyinced condescending interest
in Kiplingesque anecdotes, so the young
ster, feeling retreat to be impossible.
greeted the enemy with the most astound-
ing yarn that ever tickled mortal ears!"
splendid"
1.-THE ruse succeeded-rnore than sue
ceeded! The housemaster was fascinated
just as all of US are fascinated today
and the better TO hear the tale 0he youth
was putting and painting under the COM
bined weight of his load and his iniqui-
ties.) volunteered to bear hand with the
parcel, and thus, all unconsciously, was
the means at steering the precious cargo
into port,r
The Sage laughed unbelievingly. I'm
afraid we must take the story cum
grano," he said.
Not a bit of il. The tableau. as seen
by Stalky, MacTurk & Co., from a re-
spectful distance, is memorable item in
the school historyi''
Il should like to hear what he has
to say about the promise of universal
peace"
80 should I. II any one could express
a wink of poetry. he could. Tell me,
what do they mean by Bulling and Bear
ing on the Stock Exchange? 1 suppose,
translated, it means a process by which
somebody wants to get the better Of some
body else, doesn't it?'