The sun., 1908-12-20
'CHRISTAfAs asEEEFBRS.e
W'smah's Name for the Felix's wheSe
PFeseuts Gene Tse Late.

|, Inc mustered, tired looking utLl0 woman
was talking II. over with her shopping
mate 10 the writing. room Of the depart
ment store. .
SWhat l do hope above all things,
she walled. -is that there won't DO any
sleepers sending me things this year,
deed do. Sleepersf Oh, that's what
my husband Gala them. It's . good
name for them, too. II II In slangy.
sSleepers, you know. are folks from
whom you never expect TO get anything
for GhFistmas. and Of course you don
Send'them q thing. not even Christmas
card or calendar, and then day Of 90
after Christmas. why, along comes some
thing from them. and then Of course
you've got 10 scamper out and get some
thing for them; and then, too. you've got
to write all kinds Of horrid fairy tales
abont how you had got them their little
gift sway back early In December, but had
forgotten In the rush 10 send II, and
and oh. ali that dreadful story teilingl
Honestly. there must have been nearly
q dozen sleepers who cent me- things
last Christmas. and not one Of the thines
did gee until after Christmas.
"of course always try to think ahead
Of time Of all the mean old creatures who
are liable TO prove to be sleepers on me.
But try as l will ] can't always get all
Of them right in my mind. and 80 every
year I am mortified almost to death,
Il know Of course that they never
believe when they get something right
back from me any of the feeble stun
that I write about having the gifts ready
TO send them for weeks and weeks. for
Of course don't believe q word OF IL
when they write me that, and
s0h. yes, guess there are lots and lots
Of them who consider me Christmas
sleeper too, for send heaps Of things
TO folks-women of oourse-that haven't
an idea in the world are going TO remember
me, Now isn't that oatty Of me! OF
course II is, my dear. but then. you know,
I've got TO get even some way. and know
they'd do IL to me II they only thought Of
tin fact, as ! say. there are lots and lots
Of them who do.
Il know one woman that made four
months tour OF Europe with her well to
do husband summer before last, and
would you believe II, she never even sent
me picture postal while she was abroad,
although she promised faithfully that
she'd send me lots and lots Of them And
when she got back, why. she hadn't oven
a teeny -weeny thing by way Of q souvenir
gift for me, though she d been everywhere,
and she's a woman that comes often to
my apartment for luncheon, and her
husband is wealthy. and it wouldn't have
hurt her one bit to've brought me back
some dinky little thing.
sof course that cut me-not that I'm
greedy or anything-and so last Christ
mas, although we'd never exchanged
anything moro than Christmas cards at
Christmas why. what did do but 60 and
get her q real nice little gypsy ring that
came from Budapest. It cost me three
and half. but I was just bound and de-
termined that I'd pour Goals Of fire on
that woman, decd was.
sYou get the Significance OF that gypsy
ring from Budapest, don't you? You
see. she'd spent nearly a fortnight In
Budapest on. her tour. and, as say.
she hadn't sent me any kind OF little
souvenir nor brought me back anything;
and 30 ! Just thought 1t was right for me
to sort OF remind her. That's why I
nes the ypsyt rae sfs her With rG% fSe
incest little note that could write. saying
that the ring was from Budapest,
where I added, you had such n happy.
happy ting last summer. sent IL tvo
days. aftef Christnas.
SOf course she must have been in a
perfect tempest Of rage when she got that
little gift from me. for she couldn't help
Of course but, see what my meaning was.
Well, the very next day after she got II
what did she do but send me the hand |
soonest hall lantern of funny looking but
handsome green bronze that you ever
saw, and with IL there was note written
very. idea. poohl-that she'd sent to
Florence especially for that lamp for me,
and that II had only just arrived that morn
ing and ehe was 30 pleased with the ring I'd
sent her, and she hoped / ID be pleased with
the little lamp-and hadn't seen at least
dozen lamps exactly like the one that
she'd sent to Florence for right here on
view In the shop windowsf
Somehow or other, though, there
are always more sleepers sending me
things than ] can possibly guard against,
and they worry me almost to death---far
moro than the people I've just sent
things to whether ! wanted to or not
and ] just wish these sleepers would be-
have! I'd never be a Christmas sleeper
myself, Of course, IL nobody else was, but
Of course I can't let these women play
such horrid tricks on me without getting
back at somebody but oh, my, don't
Just dread TO have the postman call and
the express wagon drive up for the first
two or three days after Christmas, Rra-
cious sakes alive!"