Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-24
Fathers Present.

| Il CeptiOn of father. In the very
nature of things father came
| last. And he was a hard one to buy
for. Mother spent more time puzzling
over him than all the rest put to-
| gether. It kept her awake nights
| toward the last It troubled her days
! from first to last.
It's so hard to buy for man.
| she lamented to herself.
| Yet Burton, who was almost man,
presented no more difficulties than the
girlish Alicia. 1t was no trick at all
| TO find out and get what Burton want
ed Father was the only one in the
family who was difTicult to please.
Mother couldn't think, worrledly
searching back, of any time that she
had made hit with present for
| father. Even In the lean years 1t had
been the same. She couldn't seem to
strike the thing upon which his heart
was set, try she ever so hard.
There was the time she had had,
the bathroom done over, for instance,
and the shower put in. She had done
it for a surprise. Every one was de-
lighted except father. He hadn't cared
a half-penny about 1t. though IT nan
cost enough. More than they could
afford at the time. .
The whole family had escorted
father In to see his present. And he
had just grunted. 1t spoiled the whole
thing. She couldn't understand his
failure to be pleased. Every one else
was To be sure. father hated cold
water like a cat. And wasn't keen on
bathing like the rest of them. Father
had been born in the Saturday-night-
bath time. And never got over 1t.
Then, when things had bettered
with them, the gifts for father had
bettered, too. Cost like the dickens.
She had. felt cheap enough when the
bill for the Haviland dinner set had
come in. AS Burton said, 1t was
some" bill. Father had paid it with.
out comment. But it gave her kind
of funny feeling when he looked up
over his glasses and said:
"You really shouldn't spend so
much money on me-!
There had been a twinkle in fathers
eve, at which she had Redeemed with
out understanding it. But he had
patted her shoulder and said 1t was
mighty nice to have plenty OF
Dishes"
The next year she thought and
thought till her head ached. But out
Of it all came veritable, inspiration.
She thought that she had him sure.
She could hardly wait for Christmas.
Hell love it, she gloated to the
children
There was every reason to suppose
that father would be delighted. What
so beautiful as Chesterfield set! The
finest that could be bought. A pres
ent for a prince. perfect dream
when it was put in the eucalyptus
finished living room.
Yet father hadn't taken on" at ALL
When the bill came in he had paid
it without remark. as he paid all bills.
But he hadn't seemed as pleased with
the lovely set as might have been ex-
pected. AS Burton said, he hadn't
"stood up on his hind legs and
hollered.'' Far from ii.
Well that was over and done with.
That was last year. Now 1t was this
year. There must be something that
he wanted.
There were books. of course. Too
cheap a thing to give, in the first
place And father liked such funny
kinds. Not at all likes the ones that
the buflt-in bookcases showed. No,
nothing like that for father.
He liked a ood-and-thunder book,
a clever detective beating his. way
through innumerable obstacles. pounc-
ing upon the criminals in the last
mage of the book. Lurid books. I'm
wholesome books.
No. she didn't even think about
them. Father bought them sometimes
himself. He always came home
little shamefacedly with his purchase.
And sat UP all night reading 1t, chuck
ling to himself.
II do like good yarn where there's
something doing" he would murmur
alphabetically.
Flowers, too. Father loved flowers.
But he raised only one variety In the
pocket handkerchief back yard-gladi-
oluses. He had quite a number of
bulbs. He loved them and tended
them as if they were babies. There
weren't many varieties. Father al
ways was threatening to buy new
ones and never doing so. You'd think
he'd been left a fortune when some
one gave him a new one.
He had catalogues and catalogues.
He devoured them as he did his SEN
sational books. They were marked,
many of the gladiolus, with neat lit
tie cross. They were the ones father
meant to get when his ship came In.
Often he read descriptions of some
special beauties aloud. And looked
around wistfully. But there was no
answering light on the faces turned
politely toward him,
When my ship comes In I'll get
some of these" father would say,
smiling around.
You could unload a ship right quick
ly, too, with the insignificant looking
bulbs. Some Of them as high as 5000,
if YOU please! You could put 81 900
worth in fathers hand and they'd look
like 10 cents. Mother never even con-
sidered them for a moment. Father.
of course. didn't aspire to the very
highest priced ones, except on paper.
But he had limited lately about some
very pretty ones at five and ten.
For that matter. he had mentioned
several things as the holidays drew
near. Just the mildest kind of hints.
Little remarks about golf sticks and
fishing tackle. The very idea. Trifies
like that. Mother shifted at the
thought. Why, any one could give
him golf sticks. A friend might pur-
chase a gift like that. But his own
family had to do something different.
Something that would show him.
Something that would measure up to
what thew Thought of father