Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1904-12-22

MISS van Spuy JenluyIels lelterS
down. Knock as you pass on Mr..
Prices door, tell his man thatitis near
iy twelve O'Clock. And, look here, do
YOU want that bouquet of violets? Take
it, then: never mind the thanks. Go
along. Well. Auntie, why do you look
so shoehed?"
Because Rogers FIELD would be
broken-hearted if he knew these preci.
Gus flowers had been flung to a maid
servant"
Rogers Field is a precious fool to
send me precious flowers. He might
better buy his old mother new bon
net
And you are not in the least touch
ed By the pathetic worship of a broken
down swell, who spends his whole
weeks salary in flowers for the shrine
Of his ideal?'
''Giyer of good-dinners? Rogers is
agent for a new brand of champagne.
He wants me to help him advertise
it."
"He has sunk as low as that"
HE has. While seeking to rise with
the champagne he sinks to bribery and
corruption of all the women whose in
fiuence can push him. And Auntie dear,
won't you kindly examine that square
of drawn work with the bordering of
lace? Does it not look like the most
disinterested love-labour? Strained
eyes and stiffened fingers have toiled
onights over those tiny stitches. The
motive one would fancy was a tender
desire on the part of Mrs. Graham
Green
Mrs. Graham Green, you say? l see
the point. The lady, once, it is said,
poor seamstress, now married to a
rich contractor, has a daughter to
bring out and needs the social back
ing
'You catch the idea perfectly. That
piece of Tiffany glass is from Ante
Cummings, who wishes to give a piano
recital in my drawing rooms. That
edition de luxe of Stevenson is from
the fair widow Douglass, who wants
Larry to let her in on some Amalga-
gated Brass manipulations. That tour
quoise studded vinaigrette is from
Penny Foster, who is figuring, so to
speak, upon being asked to lead my
cotillion next week. Shall go on?"
"No, beg that you won't. Such a
collection of Christmas false pretenses
is enough to shake a saints faith in
human nature. But, perhaps you are
unduly suspicious. Mixed motives,
just grain of self interest, with a
bushel of good WILL may have in
sfred a good many of these gifts,
these Goals to Newcastle for you
have too many of these things already,
more than you can ever USE
81 could make use of them if be-
lieved in the givers.'
"W1ell, at least, Amy, you are not
over-conceited; you don't allow much
to your own personal powers of at
tracing and attaching people"
''Oh, I've tolerably high estimate of
MY own intrinsic worth. Though as
self devoted as you please, I don't
pretend to be otherwise. But it is
not for love of my candour nor any
other charm of character that | am re-
ceiving these tokens of toady.sm."
Mrs Price walked to window and,
drawing aside the curtains, looked for
a moment on the glittering world
outs de.
Leaving out the automobile from
Larry and the sable coat from father
and mother, and a remembrance or
two from relatives, or acquaintances
who have no special axes to grind, you
may have the whole collection by pay
ing for carting them away.
These travestes of the peace on
earth, good will to men spirit create
ugly pictures in my mind. A world
full of masked faces, fawning and
cringing creature 8, with daggers held
behind their backs, ready to strike if
one ceases watching them for a single
moment
HIN. Rogers champagne must con-
tain something after the nature of
potion when taken late on Christmas
Eve
Amy's laugh let her fine teeth glisten
in the sun-glow.
"Oh, don't drink it. Larry does the
drinking for the family
so l perceive
Miss Van Spuytentuyfel joined her
niece at the window, with tighten ng
of the jaws that was not particularly
becoming, though it really signifed
that her sympath es were touched.
DO you remember" asked Amy,
carelessly tapping upon the window,
DO you remember if Larry used to
to be inclined-to be-er-convivial
when he was engaged to Alice Barnes?
You knew her, did you not?"
Il knew her parents well. She was
very young girl then, and | saw her
but seldom. You know her mother
was daughter of old Governor Well
ington, of Massachusetts. and her
father was Professor of Greek at Har-
ward, and they lived very quietly in the
country They were married late in
life, and Alice was their only child.
She was a spirituelle little creature,
brought up in an old-fashioned way by
her. conservative scholarly parents and