Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-02-11

again interrupted me.
"Whatever they may be-" said, they
seem to be unanimous"
What do you mean by that?' he
asked, turning very red in the face.
Nothing that you need take any Of
Tense att [ said. only, if you don't
mind my rcmarking it, haven't you your
self been struck by the uniformity Of
sentiment. so to speak, in all these Christ
mas compliments? Really, Shelter, l
don't think that your personal worth is
so very much of q secret as these three
acknowledgements to believe; really l
DON'T
You don't?" he asked, with a pathetic
turn in his voice.
mo, l don't. who the dickens are
they-this inner brotherhood, who think
your virtues ave been revealed to them
alone?"
Shelter seemed to hesitate before an
sWering.
"First,' he said, when he had made up
his mind to answer at all, Il want you
to tell me something-honestly, now.
Don't people generally take me for a
hard, unsylnpathetic fellow?'
"Pcople generally do not l answered
promptly. Like all steady, strictly bust
ness men, you are regarded by the crowd
whom / may call the cocktail-before-
dtEner crowd, as rather slow and
and
And what?"
"Well. ladies-to be quite frank-are a
little afraid of ~you-think that you think,
you knoW-cr that you will think--that
they are after your money. You can't
help that, being Il successful money
maker. can NOu?'
Ills hard on me- Shelter said, shak-
ing bis head sadly. "But you have COM
fCrtcd me-
He smiled mysteriously to himself for
a white in silence. then he aid:
Il believe / ought to confess al to you.
1t may help you to synpathlze with
me-
"Confess?" 7 said, in some astonish-
rent. Confess wh2t"'
Il sent Them
"Sent what?'
'Thesa presents"
"You mean that"
ct sent them to myself. ! couldn't stand
it another Christmas. old fellow. So
many Christnases had passed since my
last rela tive died. and nobody seemed t1
care for me. / just played, like a child,
at getting Christmas presents. Don't
laugh at me, 1t made me happy for q
week or two. It did, indeed
The thing struck me as about the most
pathetic happening ] had met with for a
long time. But laughed and slapped
Shelter on the back.
''Sholter.' | said, suddenly inspired. 81
would like to bet you won't have to play
this merry, but expensive, game another
ChristmaS.'
that's easy for you he said. 'You
have only to sen me a case of wine, OF
something next Christmas-'
Il won't send you anything.'
"Then you'll tell someone else to senc
me something's
"No. [ won't. I'll simply take ny
! chances on what | know"
Shelter smiled obviously, but | got hin
. tn "a Sp the hIt-9 new hat.
He bound me to secrecy about his pres
! ents for not less thai one year, and
have kept the bond.
But it was not two months after thi
memorable visit that l met a young Wo
man-One Of several WOmen-WhOm
knew and whom Shelter also knew
though he and they always seemed mu
tually afraid to improve their acquaint
ance.
Nov your friend Mr.. Shelter, for in
stance" She said, as we were talking
about the difficulties in the "a of bring
ing the new woman and the contempt
rary man together. He seems to Away
stand on the defensive against o SEX
Your penetration has suffered by you
cultivation of masculine attributes
said scntentiOusly.
LAS how?'
Your ideas about tina man are jus
what any man-unblest with the femi
nine gift of intuition-might have. As
matter of fact, Shelter is the lonelies
man I know. and he is shy. But of a.
the men who long for feminine sc
l. C~iety-''
1 left the sentence unfinished. But
was enough. h stared at me Their
Some time after that she and her chur
got Shelter to come to a studio tea. II
told me afterwards that the thing was
revelation to him.
) Well, Shelter is. at the present writing
; still a bachelor. But one thing is certain
2 he will receive genuine Christmas pres
S ents this year, and they will come froI
persons not of his sex. Also, anOthe
!. thing is probable; that he will not muc
| longer remain a bachelor.
WHAT A FUNNY OIL WORLD.