The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1913-11-01
Keeping Up
With BesS
BY Annie Seigerbacner


even deeper sigh than one would
naturally have expected under the
circumstances.
whats the natter" asked her
friend. you look as though you had
lost pounds and pounds from worry
Il think | have" replied the stout
woman, rather feebly. "You see, it's
Bessie. Bessie's my favorite neice,
AS you know, and she's burdened with
over indulgent parents who give her
everything she wants before she
knows that she wants 1t. Now how
is it possible to please such girl
with any kind of gift? She has jewel
nv by the pound and she gets enough
candy every Christmas to feed an or.
phan asylum. So whenever Decem-
Der comes around ! begin to wiring
my hands and say, What under the
shining sum can ! get for Bessie"
That's the way / got my first gray
hairs! / get fresh installment OF
them every Christmas"
She was calming down now. Her
friend had politely assumed on air Of
deep attention.
after hours and hours Of brain
racking effort" went on the stout wo.
man, Il found out that Bessie wanted
a Princeton pennant. There was one
Princeton pennant left in the sport.
ing goods section the day | went to
buy Bessie's present and l wrestled
for It with two husky youths, a mid
die aged woman and half dozen
giggly girls. ! got II, too, although
in the process l lost three perfectly
good jet buttons and sprained my
wrist.
That night Bessies beau brought
her an atrocious big Princeton pen.
nant about three times the size OF
the one had worked so hard for.
Sweet of him, wasn't it,"
go on" begged her friend. "Your
thrilling recital makes war story
look as fiat as plug mat that's been
sat on. What happened next?"
Bessie came over to my house one
day." said the stout woman, land
raved about an embroidered shirt
waist of mine that some poor soul
had spent six months making. Well,
that gave me an idea and immedi.
ately started to make Bessie one like
1t in six days. / embroidered until
saw French knots dancing all over
the wall and | counted stitches in my
sleep. Even my football playing son.
who reels off signals in his dreams,
became alarmed at the symptoms that
l displayed. My family rose in wrath
when brought the thing to the ia.
BILE at dinner and embroidered be.
tween courses. And then when the
waist was nearly completed Bessie
casually announced that she thought
embroidered shirt waists were getting
common and she would not wear one
for anything"
Dear, dear!" murmured her friend
sympathetically.
i felt like telling Bessie that II
she changed her mind again she would
'ot get an present from me-" said
the stout woman. But next morn.
ing started our on the Warmth. All
Spilled up in my Oldest clothes so
that | could gr"D bargains with the
best OF them. | ran into n sale Of
Jewelry-women six deep fighting ov.
er little SO cent reduced from 81 coin
purses and all trying to get waited
on at once. 1t took me half an hour
10 get next to the counter. Really, II
was cruel the way climbed over PEG.
pie but 1t was for worthy cause.
Anyway, ! got there. found the coin
purses all gone, took another half an
hour getting untangled and had to
pay SO for the same thing in another
store.
After I'd been patting myself on
the back for about day for having
solved the problem l met Bessie on
the street. She hailed me and then
broke into lamentations. What dc
You think, Aunt Helen? she said. I'm
Gle Billy brought me another coin
purse last night, and | had three al
Teady!'
when ! came too I was in a drug
store and Bessie was rubbing my head
and cooling, You should not worry so
over Christmas. You know you do too
much, auntie.'
Yes, know, Bessie ] said. VIVA
do you want for Christmas|
why, | do not know, she replied
Nothing much that can think OF
want diamond ring, but dad won