The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-12-24

above trying one of my cigarettes They're
worth smoking, I can tell you, and when
come down to the rectory 1 will come
into your study and smoke a church
| warden with you. Yes, I will. Now,
what's your wife looking like that for?
Does she think can't2 Hmr'
BY this time the family at the lodge
mad already come to a belief that there
| was nothing Of the nature which is usu-
4 ally called impossible of which Aunt Mary
Anne was not capable; and, worst of all.
she was possessed of an appalling frank
neess OF speech such as kept every one
OF the two households, excepting Geoffry,
on tenternooks of apprehension lest she
should let fly some shaft of unusual Bit
terness or of disinterested plain speaking.
Heaven help you, my poor dears, but
you live narrow lives here" she remark
ed, as she departed to her welf-earned
rest on Christmas night you've been
very kind and forbearing and hospitable
to me, and L can see plainly enough how
1 get on your nerves. My! I thought
| that good lady down at the Rectory
would have fit when I told her I'd go
and smoke a churchwarden with him."
And will you, Aunt Mary Amer" ask
ed Eva.
''WiI II" Aunt Mary Anne echoed.
why, of course, will. I'll take a pride
and pleasure in doing It. Bless you, my
| child, woman like me loves to shock
a woman like that and perhaps I like her
all the better for showing 50 plainly l do
shock her. Now, that willy Mrs. Graham
came to see me in Paris once, and she
made herself sick by smoking to keep me
In countenance. Good night, Bright Eyes
there are more things in heaven and earth
than are dreamed of in your philoso-
ply.
A whole fortnight dragged itself away;
he Do -Iro
longest two weeks they had ever known,
and then Aunt Mary Anne declared her
intention of departing
But on the last evening, when dinner
was over, and the whole party happened
to be together in the drawing room
Aunt Mary Anne spoke out. IT wanted
to say few words to you all" she said,
taking her little Russian cigarette from
her lips and holding 1t .delicately between
her slender old fingers, on which many
diamonds twinkled bravely. Pm going
to speak plainly, for the last time my
dears. I had never seen any of you
excepting my nephew heretofore, and
wanted to see you in your own home and
as you are. and so / proposed myself,
without amy regard to your convenience
as a guest. L haven't been exactly a
SUCCESS
:. "I'n sure you were very welcome, Aunt
Mary Anne, put in Mrs. Jex, all in q
hurry, land we have all done our best
to be nice. 49,, e
'Facts are facts" said Aunt Mary
Anne; land you may bespleased to know
now that I'm not: usually such a hedge
hog as I've seemed this last fortnight
My dear Mrs JeX, you were not born a
Parker, to begin with, and you don't
know what it. is to be alone in the world,
the only one of your generation. and rich
as am 1t is a great responsibility to be
cursed with a huge fortune. It's so hard
ia know where. TO re7Ee tt justly. I've
kept my family at arm length for years,
because those T did come across laid
down and begged. me to kick 5em-they
| licK-spitted to me, and that I hate"
I'm sure we HAVEN'T" flashed out
| Eve
Eva" cried Mr.. and Mrs. Jex in the
same breath
| Leave her alone" cried Aunt Mary
Anne. "The child is right, and what is
| moress like. you all the better for it.
When2this boy hadn't notion who I
was he championed my wretched Mar
gheritai he was nice and kind to me, and
when he found out I was the rich old
aunt he let me alone. You've all en-
| dured me, you've been civil, and I've
enjoyed it. Now, I'm going to- have my
Christmas. I'm going to distribute my
Christmas boxes. My dears; I'm eighty
years old, but I'm hale and hearty. I
may live to be hundred. I don't want
/ you to wish I was dead I should like
with a curious little break in her voice
''to spend another Christmas at Adding
ham, so Tn going to1give you each a
cheek tBnIgfIt ut it gsy,sZnfy dears.
for it will help you on In the world, and
later on. when I've no more need Of 1t,
there'll be more for each Of you. Here
are the envelopes; you can open them
by and by
For a moment there was a dead 81
Ience; then Geoffry spoke. Aunt Mary
Anne" he said, 'I see that you under
stand us, and how impossible it is for any
of us, either here or at the Rectory, to
l.lick-spHt, as you put it just now, for
what we might get, out Of. you. But
we're glad that you like US for our
selves, and, now perhaps, you Will let US
like you because you are the most re-
freshing, amusing, not to say lucky Old
lady that ever existed, and not because
one dav YOU may benefit us in another
way For this holding up the envel-
one. whatever it is, thank you very
much, Aunt Mary Anne"
s'Margherita's champion" said Aunt
Mary Anne; "you take after your moth
ers family. Come and kiss me ana
now good night, my dears. tomorrow
Thomas, you must take me down 10
smoke another churchWaroen VIII VIII
Dick. and 1 must make it up to his wife
if I can. But, Lord! how she snubbed
me-, that woman. Good night my
dears."
Ten minutes later Eva turned, with a
haIf-scared look, to Rosamond: HoN'
what's In yours? Do you think it's
give thousand golden jokes" answered
Rosamond. what guest for Christ
mas!"