The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-12-17
Two Christmas Ewes
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.

manner Oh woman, she was not lOOhAHs
for advice from her brother, although l
am older than she by Is years. She
said L was. prejudiced, because I was
a confirmed old bachelor and knew
nothing outside of hides. Well, sisters
are privileged to say things no one else
has a right to say, and so l only smiled
with conscious air of superiority that
always made Flossie angrier than any
thing my poor wit could hatch up.
AS 1 am telling the story, it is but
fair to say something about myself at
the outset and drop into the back
ground as far as possible, for l am not
an interesting figure. My first name is
John, just plain John, and no one eX-
cept sister ever dreams of calling me
Jack. For many years the sign John
Norton, hides" had grimly frowned
down upon the passers-by on the
water front, until one day l was taken
into the firm and then the words "a
Son" were added. On the water front
there are few gilded signs or palatial
Offices but in our dingy counting rooms
there as as large a business done in
South American hides as was done by
any house on the street. I lived at home
where my rooms were in a separate
part of the big, old house and there l
spent most Of my evenings.
Flossie was about as pretty girl
as you often see, and no wonder that
she attracted the young men, who came
to the house in droves and sat and
glowered at each other nearly every
evening in the week.
AS sister grew into Womanhood she
did not shake off a certain girlish way
she had. She was sensitive, proud and
yet absurdly babyish. Well, out of all the
crowd of fellows there came to see her,
willful Flossie set her fancy on the
worst man she could have chosen.
There were plenty of men could have
recommended that were honored in
business, and in the staid old Hide and
Leather" club They were no tops, but
good, common sense men who would
have given her a respectable home. But
she turned up her little nose at all of
them ard seemed to like a young man
with foot ball hair and wasp-like frame.
who sang like an ostrich and recited
worse than a Zulu.
1t was Christmas eve, and l had just
come iii from the office, where l had
been footing up some accounts, as on
the morrow I would not do any work.
AS l went by the library 1 looked in
through the open door and saw the de-
tested fop, whose name, Harold Fred
erick Vandemburg, was enough to con-
denim him in my opinion, sitting on the
window seat with his arm around
Flossie's waist. 1t had come. 1 knew
my proud little sister would let no man
embrace her unless she loved him. l
cougheU, TO let them be prepared, and
then STROBE into the room, trying to get
a set smile upon my face. But the pair
of lovers never moved as | entered.
Flossie looked up with her sweetest
smile and said:
ooh, Jack, Harold-that is, I mean
Mr. Vandemburg, has asked me to be
his wife; and oh, will you tell papa?"
Many words gushed to my lips that
would not read we'll in print or do to
utter in the presence of women, but, of
course, I choked them all back, and Civ
ing Vandemburg's delicate hand a
squeeze that made him vince, said
rather lamely
well, so you two are engaged.
hope you will be happy, and 1 offer my
congratulations"
OF course my speech seemed cold
but what could you expect of a man
when that sort of thing was sprung
on him?
l stood staring blankly down upon
the two at loss, as to what more
could say, when Flossie jumped up
from the seat and throwing her arms
around my neck, exclaimed:
you dear old Jack, know that you
will do all you can for US. Now you
are the only one papa listens to, and
you can fix it up so nice"
She looked so pretty and leaned on
me so confidingly, that 1 had not the
heart to say no. "Flossie," replied,
Il will go and tell father all about it at
once"
I turned and left the room and look
ing back saw the two foolish children
embracing, in a crazy fashion. l went
to the smoking room and found father
in his accustomed seat, a big leather
easy chair his coat off, a cigar in his
mouth and a paper in his hand. He
looked up inquiringly as I entered, but
said nothing, and went on reading the
paper. That was a way of his, but if
two people ever understood each other
it was father and 1.
l felt decidedly nervous, and select
ing cigar lit it and stood looking
modify into the open fire that blazed
cheerfully in the old fashioned brick
fireplace l thought of Tx Marvel"s
"Reveries Of a Bachelor" with the
flame signifying doubt and all that.
Father" 1 blurted out in despera-
ton, "Our Flossie says she wants to
get married 1 came in to ask your
permission. She wants to marry that
id Vandemburg."
Father looked at me in establishment,
his face clouded. He said not a word
for moment and then asked quietly.
What do you think of it, John?'' II
don't think of it at ALL" l said
THE fact is that 1 knew no more
about it than you do, a moment ago.
We have both been blind. If mother
were only alive!" Eyes, john" my
father said, with slight culver OF his
lip, but we must act wisely and just
~ in the matter. We both love Floss,
and we must consider it carefully" And
so we sat there, and discussed the
whole question over and over again
The trouble was neither of us knew
much about his honor, Harold Freder-
lex, and of course a girl that was 20
years old had something to say for her
self in the serious problem of getting
married. At length, we decided to let
the matter rest for the present, without
giving any decisive answer. l went
into the library again, leaving father
leaning his face upon his hand, the
paper fallen to the floor, and his cigar
gone out. There they were, billing and
cooling away, when / entered the room.
Il spoke to father about it," l said
land he wishes time to think it over. .
This seemed to satisfy the two, and !
left them there happy in their first
dream Of love, forgetful of everything
save their present bliss. I went to my
room and smoked and thought, until
the clocks gave token that Christmas
day had begun. / wished now that we
had not been so unconventional and
had kept two or three chaperons in
the room every time his royal highness
had called. But the damage was done
now, and the only thing left for us tc
do was to investigate in a systematic
business way the character and pros
poets of Vandemburg. Surely one
should use as much precaution in ar
ranging life contract as one would