The Monticellonian., 1899-12-22

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 1NAf' had be n
 A Kred to Christ mas giving yson knew that he or she present from each of the Yifscns. and SO here was Mr. S ayson (bachelor, mis- anthrope q 1ie) elbowirg his way along Stat lt with the other shop pers.
 Mir. Payson have been utterly miserable had fl been for the fact that he found a SC Nnjoy in knowing that the Christmas Season brought neither peace nor good will.
 He had reached that stage of soul distemper at which there can be no happiness except by the discovery of misery in others. Mr Sidney Payson was the kind of man who loved to tell iuyalids that they were not looking as well as usual, and who frightened young husbands by predicting that they would regret having married. He made it rule never to put the seal Of approval on any human undertaking. and il was a matter of pride with him that he could find aSinister motive for every act which otR Rer people applauded. He dealt in sar2 Ism, was perpetuany bored and might have lost all interest in life had it not been that he found contin- ued satisfaction in making himself feared and hated. Some of his pious friends used to say that Satan had got the upper hand with him, but there were others who intimated that it might be bile.
 Imagine the surly wrath and the sense of humiliation with which Mir Sidney Payson set about his Christmas shopping In the first place to go shopping for Christmas presents was the most conventional thing that any one could do, and Mr. Payson hated conyentionalities. For another thing the giving of a Christmas present car ried with it some eN N1dence of affection. and MT. Payson regarded any sign of affection as one of the crude symptoms of barbarous taste and deficient educa- tion.
 ] If he could have assembled his rela- tives at Christmas gathering and -Ypened few old family wounds, re- .pinding his brother and his two sis fers of some of their youthful follies, fhus shaming them before the children, MT. Sidney Payson might have managed to make out rather merry Christmas. Instead of that, he was condemned to go out and purchase gifts and be as oheaply idiotic as the other wretehed mortals with whom he was being car ried along State street, No wonder that he chafed and rebelled and vainly longed that he could hang crape on every Christmas tree in the universe.
 Mr. Sidney Payson was not only hu- inflated. He was greatly puzzled Aft e wandering through two stores and looking in at 20 windows he had been unable to make one selection. It seemed t him that all the articles offered for ale were singularly and uniformly in appropriate. The custom of giving was afarce in itself and the storekeepers hd done what they could to make it lopsiekening travesty.
 This was Mr. Payson's point of view I'll go ahead and buy a lot of things 3ataphazard," he said to himself. Il Ect care blank whether they re ap- pI0riate or not"
 Z that moment he had an inspira- tios It was an inspiration which could haNcome to no one except Mr. Sidney PaJon. Ii promised a speedy end to him Christmas o his own liking.
 Hewas bouEd by family custom to buy hristmas presents for his rela- tiyes, He had promised his sister that he woid remember every one in the list. at he was under no obligation to givepresents which would be wei come ad appropriate. Why not give to eachof his relatives some present which sould be entirely useless, map propriatSan superfuous? It would serve thu right. for involving him in the fool performances of the Christ mas seasn. It would be a burlesque pn the wlole foolish custom of Christ i2as giving It would irritatc and pug ENs lis relltiyes and probably deepen