The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1905-12-23
THE Old YEAR
LIES A-DVTNG"


ToriEinall
He had declined several invitations
to join merry party and see the old
J year out. 4 bachelor 81 thifty-fve, lie
had been well brought up By a good
mother, and his sisters were pure, well
behaved girls of the olden type He
had long been a elubman and : mem
Der Of the smart set His companions
spent a great deal OF money, living a
fast life, the men not pretending to
have any purity in them, the wemen
following the latter day custem Of
drinking cocktails. At the Country
club, of which he was member, there
was separate cafe where the ladies'
We're served with beverages without 1t
being known how much they drank
lie knew that any OF the parties to
which be had been invited would be
drinking bouts. The influences under
which lie had been brought up had as
serted themselves, and a sudden dis
taste for the company OF his set had
kept him in his rooms when others
were roistering.
He was surrounded by luxurles, and
cheerful wood fire blazed on the
hearth, but there was one comfort
lacking. There was no friend to bear
him company. He thought of d chum
who was far away and wished that he
might suddenly be dropped down be-
side him. Then he fell to thinking how
nice would be woman's companion
ship. Why not marry? He thought Of
tie women who were his usual associ-
ates and repeated the words of an old
song;
WHAT Marry old Mariorys oh, no,
nor
Then he thought of family Of girls
who had been brought up under the
same influences as his sisters. They
We're not rich and never had been rich.
but their mother before them and their
ancestors had had enough to enable
them to live as ladies aud gentlemen.
The Brinsley girls were all very. pretty
and very attractive. lie liked them i'm
mensely. but he never met them in Sc
ciety. They were too renred and too
poor to move in his set. They had at
times invited him to simple dinners,
and he had always come away feeiing
refreshed In return the,had taken them
out, but If he met amy Of his own set
while doing 50 be knew he would be
twitted with Who's your beaaty. old
man? Where did yonf6nd hcr7' spoken
in tone he did MOI rclish.
Then It ocGlrrcd,fo hin!thz nc had
only returned tho. Erinsleys' invtafions.
He had never done then. 4 favor. Fad
he ever done any one = favorl He
tried to think Of one, unselsish act and
failed. They had all been returns !"
Among his reghari eenlpaniols. twas
hardly possibletto dsfavors They Gid
not need favors. Like him, they had
a-plenty and, like him, spent. it all on
themselves. Itt-occsEred to him that
he would like toy do ono disintercstea
act. What coakB he do? There was
the youngest MSS Brinsley,. scarcely
twenty, who woahdi be delighted to re.
ceiye any triAe lie would give her that
it would be PROV er for her to accept.
Presents were us tally giyer on Christ
Iias. but why not Ion New Fears? he
resolved in the u s.ning to- go and buy
come pretty thing and taln it to Lucy
Brlnsiey iust'to $ e how it would make
him feel 10 give amething to which no
return wtA'id be expected.
His medA1tionsi were interrupted by
a shot IN tht Astres :, without Infan In
slant there's tere THE ringing Of bells
and tile footing .of horns. Heth5agat
Of the scenes ttrails piring:in thc.hctlses
to which he hiNIbe.n invited. Men and
women with Il Nsheischeess were sand
ing around tab es. thinking to TIE nom
year. lau-hlngta adtshouting boistpo rs