The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-12-23


Christmas. and | am preparing to poul
out my soul on YOU for the selfish pur
pose OF easing my own overDurdcneo
mind When that ls done [ shall put
in the rest Of the night finishing nF
various odds and ends, in order 10 b'
ready with a satisfied smile when the
Youngsters come rushing downstairs at
davbreak 10 see what Santa has LETT
them. I wonder why children walker
so easily Christmas morning, when al
the other mornings we must call them
SO many times0
Dear me, Betty, am so tired That 5
one reason why l am writing. The mo-
ment / begin letter to you | can
see your big, tolerant mouth widening
into smile-the most beautiful And
| can hear YOU say: ''Never mind
dear!f as plainly as il YOU were here
What r love YOU are. Sometimes | al,
most wonder If you are as good as your
wonderful theories-but that's when
IN cross and done up. ] IN not so to-
night, only dead tired: and so I want
your theories of life that they may
frcshen me n bit for tomorrow and the
day after. Do YOU know, | think there
is something in theorizing that most of
us fail 20 get II YOU have an idea
about life and express it, and it helps
someone, does ii matter so much IT you
fall far below the same idea most of
the timer OF course, II s moro to live
up to your best belief, but the other is
worth while, too.
The past two weeks have been the
most paralyzing in my experience. You
know one never really faces the num-
Der one must do for at Christmas time
until the last moment. Two weeks ago
last night | wrote out my list and
found that there were thirty-three peO-
PIE whom ] felt compelled TO remem-
ber And while | sat thinking how |
should do it with the money ] had. and
feeling like a wilted chrysanthemum
al the work il meant, what should dear
old Phil suggest but that we have a
Christmas tree and family dinner
When people have married and died,
and married again and been divorced,
as they have in Phil IS family il S no
joke TO think of inviting them 10 dinner,
to say nothing of necessary gifts, But
Phil doesn t often make suggestions like
that and rather felt the spirit moved
him; so I freshened up-you know ]
am home -grown,-and said;
"Why. Of course, let's have the
whole bunch!'
Some members Of the family are so
exceedingly swell that | know they
wouldn t come. so | sent those invita-
lions with an easv mind. That cut out
eight: and after hearing from the rest
] found we should have Just eighteen
TO dinner-only, | couldn't have you,
for YOU would not At in under any
conditions, and that's why I've not
written To YOU before. IN going 10
put a special delivery stamp on this,
and YOU II get II tomorrow afternoon.
So. If you please, We made Christ
mas bags for every ono OF us and got
out my list of gifts besides--but at
what cost Not one night since be
ginning have / gone TO my soft couch
before 3 in the morning; and We made
Duchess lace collars and handkerchiefs
until / dread the sight of either. But
YOU know articles like that make quite
valuable gifts and The cost is nominal.
Also, 've made three charming opera
bags. gray, pale blue, and faint pink
velvet. respectively. each covered with
A Duchess lace design in roses. Re
ally. when finish these things | always
want to keep them myself)
You know Lettie Doaue and ] are
such good friends She s one of those
sincere women (tbo kind once so near
~ extinct, but now being eultiyatedD-
who ] so much enjoy, and | had quite
a scheme in regard TO her gift. Saw
beautiful piece of Venetian glass at
C-'s-a little bon bon disb-and
bought it for her. Thought to myself
] d borrow il sometime when ! had an
smart luncheon. 1t is so
unique 10 have one S guests look at the
display Of silver and glass, and hear
them talk about it in semi-audibe
tone ! know how you like that kind
of thing.
And there is Jane Waring and her
mother. They always send me such cX-
pensive things-so much better than I
possibly can afford-that ! Just hate
10 give them anything, But | had to-
nj least | felt that way-and so | sent
Mrs, Waring one of our local artist s
best landscapes, and gave Jane a per-
fectiy lovely little lace affair to wear
on her pretty blonde head when she
goes TO the theater with Jimmie Brown.
1t will make him love her moro, If
that is possible. But ] wanted 10 blow
mp my purse and tie it tight. the poor
thing felt SO fat after paying for it.
('Twas Phil did the initiating, however.
The dear thing can write a beautiful
cheeky
And so on. down the list, giving here,
there. rushing madlv down town early
in the morning, hoping that no one else
had thought of it. to find the counters
four deep, To hunt. To search from shop
to shop, 10 pause for delicious hour
and 90 TO luncheon with Phil where
forgot for time that the sacrificial
day was so near-and afteTward TO re-
sumo my shopping tour until the length
ening shadows and increasing crowd
warned me the dinner hour was near.
All this. day after day, until | m
mere fragment of my former self
which is the only real consolation ] we
had from. the whole thing. OF late.
We rather thought AIDE had stolen some
Of my thunder His directions TO Ke-
neka, the fat daughter Of the Governor
General of Morovenia, TO reduce her
flesh are so startlingly similar 10 the
exercises ] take each morning in the pri-
vacy OF my own bedroom, that il is,
TO say the least. suspicious.
But, honey. How ] do run on. Arc
you tired, too' How do | know that
you care about the gifts | give or the
troubles I've been at to get them in
shape TO give? At present writing the
library table is hcapcd with them. and
I'm writing on a pad as 7 sit here ly
the fireplace. a big coal has just fallen
apart, and the flames are leapng up
up-throwing the room into creepy
shadows. Everything is so still. II is
long after l2-so yon see it's Christ
mas now-and how shall have tho
Y