The Richfield recorder. (Richfield, Idaho) 1909-1931, 1913-04-10
KEEPING UP WITH BESS
BY ANNIE sEIGERRAcHER.

into the nearest armchair, scattering
about twe7ty-four Christmas bundles
on the floor as she did so, she heaved
even a deeper sigh than one would
naturally have expected under the cir
cumstances.
What's the matter?" asked her
friend. you look as though you'd
lost pounds and pounds from worry"
Il think l have" replied the stout
woman, rather feebly You see, it's
Bessie. Bessie's my favorite niece. as
you know, and she's burdened with
over-indulgent parents who give her
everything she wants before she
knows that she wants it. Now, how
is it possible to please such girl
with any kind of gift? She has jewelry
by the pound and she gets enough
candy every Christmas to feed an
orphan asylum. So whenever Deem
Der comes around l begin to wiring
my hands and say, What under the
That's the way l got my first gray
hairs l get a fresh installment of
them every Christmas"
She was calming down now. Her
friend had politely assumed an 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 | wrestled
for it with two husky youths, middle
aged woman and half dozen giggly
girls. l got it, too, although in the
process l lost three perfectly good jet
buttons and sprained my wrist.
THAT night Bessie's 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 hat that's been
sat on. What happened next?"
Bessie came over to my house one
day." said the stout woman, "and |
raved about an embroidered shirt |
waist of mine that some poor soul had |
spent six monts making. Well, that /
gave me an idea and l Immediately |
started to make Bessie one like it in
six days. l embroidered until l saw
French knots dancing all over the wall
and 1 counted stitches in my sleep.
Even my football playing son, who
reels off signals in his dreams, became
at the symptoms that l dis
played. My family rose. in wrath
when l brought the thing to the table
at dinner and embroidered between
courses. And then when the waist
was nearly completed Bessie casually
announced that she thought embroid-
cred shirt waists were getting com
mon and she wouldn't wear one for
anything"
Dear, dear" murmured her friend,
alphabetically
Il felt like telling Bessie that if she
changed her mind again she wouldn't
get any present from me- said the
stout woman But next morning l
started out on the warpath, all Spilled
Up in my Oldest clothes, so that l
,ould grab bargains with the best of
hem | ran into a sale of jewelry
women six deep fighting over lit {
lie 80 cent reduced from 81 coin ,
'urses, and all trying to get waited
N at once. 1t took me half an hour
o get next to the counter. Really, it
vas cruel the way | climbed over peo
lie, but it was for a worthy cause.
anyway, / got there, found the coin
urses all gone, took another half hour
citing untangled and had to pay SO
Or the same thing in another store.
After I'd been patting myself on
he back for about day for having
olved the problem | met Bessie on
le street She hailed me, and then
roke into lamentations. What do
GU think Aunt Helen? she said.
Jncle Billy brought me another coin
urse last night, and | had three al
sady'
when | came to l was in drug
ore and Bessie was rubbing my head
nd cooling, You shouldn't worry so
ver Christmas You know you do too
UGH, auntie
Yes, know, Bessie, l said. What
} you want for Christmas?
Why, l don't know she replied.
Tothing much that l can think of. l
ant diamond ring, but daddy won't
We me one. Must you go so soon?'
81 think now that I'll go a florists
I'd order couple of dozen roses for
stems to be at least three
ct long. l sent her some when she
d appendicitis and she raved over
EN- then, but goodness knowsi
lie may have developed case of
Sc fever by this time.
Honestly, the thought of all the
lristmases that are yet to come is
ough to kill any one. Yes, l do feel
though I'd been through key
le
Well Merry Christmasl Here goes
: Bessie'sl"