The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-12-31
Some Little Christmas Stories

4 haven't seen il yet said she.
well if / wont jack those mon
keys UP, said I: i told them TO de-
liver it here before breakfast this
morning ..=.
ut was a holiday and ] couldn't get
into the stores. But the next night
took her home a mighty pretty thing
in an inch square box. and ! was so
remorseful that it cost me about three
times what Christmas usually does. It
doesn't pay to try to read your wife's
character" ls--
There's an opportunity for a new
profession in this town." said the man
from out west. weafiy.~s
You see, we only moved to New
York this year, and as I've a father
and mother and several brothers and
sisters back home, and il was the first
Christmas we were separated, want
ed TO send them all something nice.
Last night my wife suggested that
we'd better pack the box, so as to get
it started in good time before the
Christmas rush began in the express
Offices I had a good book and wasn't
enthusiastic; but when she remarked,
in a slightly injured tone, she had had
all the trouble of buying the things,
| and as they were all for my folks, she
! should think 1 might help a little, that
| settled il.
When she had brought out all the
things they covered the table. That
| was bad enough, but when it trans
| pired that there were several break
! able articles among them the situation
| grew truly CHASTITY. Each breakable
article had to be packed in a box by
| itself, with cotton wool around It, I
| had ia 90 ont opd I no an
my slippers and had TO put on my
shoes. had to go over to the ave-
nue.. and, if you'l believe me, was
obliged to walk FIVE blocks before I
| found one of those little notion stores
/ that keep cotton wool Five blocks
and back makes ten blocks, besides
| the one long one, and il was cold, and
! all for Is cents worth of cotton wool
/ didn't feel good, but I said nothing.
First we packed all the breakable
| things In their own packages. Then
We tried to pack the big box. For this
we had chosen the box my new over
coat came home in II was a splendid
box to keep my Sunday clothes in, be-
cause it slipped under the bed just
right. But I sacrificed IT without a
murmur. My wife had a lovely bali OF
string It was made OF all the string
months, wound on, Some OF ID was
hemp cord, and s5me OF it came of
candy boxes. 1 sorted the pieces that
matched the best and tied them to-
gether. They looked like a crazy quilt.
! My wife, who was a saving soul, had
| also plenty Of wrapping paper, She
| brought in a pile of it. stout and in
good condition, but there didn't hap
pen to be a single piece in the lot big
enough to wrap the box In. She in
geniously suggested FASTING three
pieces together. She made a little hot
flour paste pasted them up and ironed
| them dry with a fiatiron. II looked
very neat, but the instant we tried to
wrap the box every seam burst.
Il picked up my oveTeoat without a
word and started out again to get
paper. And while I'm about it I'll get
some decent string said 1, and went
out without waiting for her TO answer.
When / came back there was some
thing wet glistening on her eyelid. I
went up and kissed her and put her
head on my shoulder and said: Tn
so sorry Jim, that I didn't think 10 get
the things. But / thought there was
So much paper in the house that it
would do
That's all right honey 1 said.
forget it.
I'VE finished packing the box then.
and when it was done there were bits
of cotton wool, paper string and paste
all over the room. 1t took her three
quarters of an hour to clean up. Then
We footed up the account: One
spoiled evening, two trips out in the
cold, one temper. one weep
And the worst of it is concluded
the western man. that those break
able things are In my mind all the
time. / can't forget them, and Irshan't
have any mental peace till 1 hear in
what condition they arrived. Pack
ing them impressed me so strongly on
my mind that they haunt me. If some
smart man would go from house to
house packing Christmas presents
about now, III bet he could make
money and earn the thanks OF a grate-
full public at the same time"