The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-12-18
A CHRISTMAS LIE.

Her mothers image doomed so vivid, so
inspiring, and there was so much to say
of her present and the past. of America
and her native town in the northern
part of Sweden.
Each letter contained also half a doz-
en- lines, full of reverent affection, to her
father Nor did she ever neglect to send
her love to her sisters and nieceS. but
all this was usually put on a separate
sheet. Regina was the eldest daughter
of the family, and her relations with her
mother were marked by spirit of low
er-like intimacy which made the old
woman the target of good-nat ured fun.
Regina had been engaged to a school
teacher, and the engagement had beeh
broken. at his instance, rather than at
hers This was why she had left her
home There were as many of her
townspeople in New York as there were
in their birthplace; so the first thing
she had said to her mother after she
had returned Hialmar's sapphire ring,
was:
I'm going to America. mamma. I'm
going to New York"
And I say you're a fool her mother
answered, with the laconic nonchalance
which she tried to copy from her hus-
bands 1t was only lovers quar-
rel"
To her father she said, shamefacedly
L won't have him if he begs me on
his knees in the street"
Then why go to New York;" the old
man retorted. If you really don't care
for him show it by staying here"
Regina saw the force of the argu-
ment, so she flew into a passion
4 care so little for him that 1 don't
care whether he thinks I'm going away
on his account or not"
We'll said with a dubious smile.
i don't care what he thinks. I'm 60
ing to New York, and that's all there is
about it"
Nobody took her scheme seriously,
and that was the real cause of her COM
ing to this country.
She had now been nearly year here,
yet her heart chung to her native place
as desperately as il had during the ter
rible fortnight she had spent on board
the Dutch steamer, and the conscious
ness of having been deserted by Hal
mar was still burning within her day
and night. There was scarcely a mo-
ment when she did not remember first
that she was stranger here and sec
Ond that her engagement was broken.
She rented the tiny parlor of a five
room fiat on the ground floor of new
house facing public school The dress
makers sign in the window was hers.
Her customers were all Swedes and they
were scattered within three or four
blocks of her. Often when the street
became noisy with the voices of school
children her needle would come to q
standstill and for ten or fifteen minutes
at time she would sit gazing at them
and thinking of her home and Hialmar,
or rather of the fact that he had Tilted
her.
One of the male teachers in the gram
mar school across the street was a dark,
stately man of thirty. 1t was on
rainy murky morning that he first at
tracted her attention. and her first
thought as he disappeared behind the
yellow door Of the big red building, was
to the effect that he was taller than
Hiamar and that school teachers n
America We're paid four or five times
as much as they were in her native
land.
What would Hialmar say if an
American school teacher fell in love
with me?, she next wondered At this
the thought Of having been lifted be-
came clearer and more excruciating
than ever: yet she went on dreaming
her day dreams and asking herself
What would happen if the tall Ameri-
can overwhelmed her with love letters
and roses?
Now if an American school teacher
was likely to arouse Hialmdrs jealousy
how much heavier would have been the
blow if he had heard of her engage
ment to an American physician, lawyer
or college professor? And so, mounting
from Iung to rung, she reached the
vague generic image of an American
millionaire. An American millionaire
The two words seemed to have been
specially created for each others com
pany
mother wrote. You are as hard heart
ed and as full of caprices your faith
er If you had staid at home you would
have won Hialmar back It breaks my
heart to think of it all. " hat have you
done? What have you done? Christ
mas is coming and 1 dread to think of
the hour when the candles will be lit
and we shall all be seated around the
table-all except you. What have |
done to deserve it2 If you have not
completely forgotten your mother come
back oh, do some back Regina.
"Hiamar is still here, but 1 hear he is
going away from here. He expects to &c
transferred. If you were here you would
win him back. l know you would. So
come back as quickly as possible, or 1t
may be too late. But then what is the
use Of my saying all this? You are your
fathers daughter, and you have inner
tied his strong headed, impossible ma
ture so you will stay there in spite of
yourself. 1 know you will"
It was shortly after the noon recess at
the public school across the street that
she wrote her answer to this letter She
had just seen the tall teacher at play
with some of his pupils. He had never
looked at her window. and if he had Z
pair Of blue eyes peering from behind y
fashion plate was all he could have seen
there.
Don't grieve mother dear" she
wrote. Time will show that Hailmai
acted for my good without knowing it.
have every reason to thank God for
bringing me to New York, and if it had
not been for Hialmar's behavior toward
me I should not have come here. Don {
grieve mother. dear. 1t will break my
heart to be away from home on Christ
mas eve. but II cannot be helped, and If
I could tell you how happy I am other
wise you would not chide me. All I can
say for the present is that by jiting me
Hailmar has done me no harm
Il
The Swedish colony in New York OBJ
serves Christmas much as the old people
do at home though of course, the cele-
hra he Of t9
tive setting.
An old schoolmate of her mothers had
asked Regina to spend the holiday with
her. but she had preferred to nurse her
siclc- d., Liz