The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-12-17

20 know hors while the vIlIalns tne only
decent person in the story, dies with an
a. II It meant something. ut'which you
yourself would Be sorry to have 70 ex-
plain. ! have also written the old-fash-
toned Christmas story-you know that
also; you begin with good oid-fashioned
snowstorm: you have q good old-fAsh-
toned squire, and he lives In good old
fashioned hall: you work in good old
oId-faxhioned Christmas dinner. have
gathered Christmas guests together round
the cracking logs to tell ghost stories to
each other on Christmas even. while with
out the wind howled. az 1t always does on
these occasions. at IT. proper cue. I have
sent children to heaven on Christmas eve
lit must be quite busy time for st.
Peter Christmas morning, 50 many good
children die on Christmas eve. 1t has al
ways been q popular night with them.
have revivihed dead lovers and brought
them back well and jolly, just in time TO
at down to the Christmas dinner. I am
not ashamed Of having done these things.
At the time thought them good. I have
trotted out the indigested jokes TIL the
sight Of one Of them gives me indigestion
myself. have ridiculed the family gath
ering. have scoffed At the Christmas
present. / have made witty use Of pater-
familias and his bills. have"
did I ever show you," broke OF to
ask as we were crossing the Haymarket,
''that little parody Of mine on Pope's poem
OF The Bellsr 1t begins" He interrupts
ed me In his turn.
..Bilis, bills, bills" he repeated.
You are quite right" admitted. Il
forgot ever showed II to you"
'sYou never DID," he replied
Then how do you know how It bcsinsT"
asked.
''but get on an average sixty-fve a year
submitted to me. and they all begin that
way. thought perhaps yours did also"
II don't see how else 1t could begin."
retorted He had rather annoyed me.
besides, It doesn't matter how poem
begins. It's how It goes on that Is the Inn
portant thing; and. anyhow, I'm not go
ing to write you anything about Christ
mas. Ask me to make you a new joke
about plumber; suggest my inventins
something original and not too shocking
for child to say about heaven; propose
my running you or dog story that can
be believed by man Of average deter
mination, and we may come to terms. But
on the subject Of Christmas am taking
a rest"
Il don't blame YOU" he said. III you
are as sick Of the subject az am So
soon as these ChristmaA numbers are on
my mind, and Christmas Is over till next
June at the office, I shall begin 1t at home.
think the presents are the worst part Of
Christmas Emma will give me water
color that she has painted herself. She
always does. There would be no harm in
that II she did not expect me to hang It
in the drawingroom. Have you ever seen
my cousin Emma's water-colors?" he
asked.
IT think have" replied.
There's no thinking about IT," he re-
torted angrily. They're not. tho sort Of
water-colors you forget"
He apostrophized the circus generally.
why do people do these things7' he
demanded. Even an amateur artist must
have some sense. Can't they see what Is
happening? There's that thing of hers
hanging in the passage. put 1t In the
passage because there's not much light in
the passage. She's labeled 1t Reverie II
she had called 1t Influenza I could have
understood 1t. asked her where she got
the idea from, and she said she saw the
sky like that one evening in Norfolk.
Great Heavens! Then why didn't she
shut her eyes. or go home and hide behind
the bed curtains? II had seen sky
like that in Norfolk I should have taken
the first train back to London. suppose
the poor girl can't help seeing these things,
but why paint them From Jerome K.
Jeromes Second Thoughts Of an Idle
Fellow"