Christmas

n the Army and the Navy of the United States, and the reward offered for an escaped con

TI

s, Sunday schools, etc., etc., etc., to forego the usual Christmas tree observances, the merchants of this town have one and all united with most of the folks to petition the rest to om

Comm

Town. Already two thirds of their signatures were scraw

stared at the notice. Her mother had written to her o

il and reads its neighbour's postmarks and gets to know the different Writings and to inquire after them, like persons. ("He ain't got so much of a curl to his M to-day," one will say of a superscription. "Better write right

o see both parlour windows open. The white muslin curtains were blowing idly as if June were in the air. Turning as a matte

way," said Mary; "th

Chavah! What you got your house

ailing of the porch and beckoned Jenny into the house, and into the pa

k grand and empty? Look at it first, and t

mp, and the long shelves of her grandfather's books-these were all that the room held. A white arch divided the two chambers, like a benign brow whose face h

ou done that for

lost its firmness, her dressmaking had stooped her, her strong frame moved as if it habitually shouldered its way. In her broad forehead and deep eyes and somewhat in her silent mouth, you r

new shell," she said. "C

Winter, Mary had moved her cooking stove into the dining room, had improvised a calico-

ts to," she had said, "but in the room I live

in Old Trail Town had a window of green,

ant," she said once; "I like 'em to

e were n

nd the first four chapters of "Ben Hur." What's the use of pretending, when books is such a n

es were filled with her patterns-in her d

et done-more fool the women for ornamenting themselves up like lamp shades, I always think. But I just do love to fuss with the paper

d's pressure. There was always about her gestures a curious nakedness-indeed, about her face and hands. They were na?ve, perfectly likely to revea

s morning it looked so clean and white and smooth outdoors that I felt so cluttered up I couldn't sew. I begun on this room-and then I kept on with the parlour. I've took out the lambrequins and 'leven pictures and the what-not and four moth-catching rugs and four sofa pillows, and I've packe

you ever do it? I can't bear to throw things away. I

lately-I do. The Winter's so clean, you kin

it. "I didn't look to see who it's from.

's boy, out West," she said, and laid the letter

ews about me?" she said. "Who sa

ly; "but you've been gon

ny said,

no one thought of calling her that. It always takes Old Trail Town several years to adopt its marriages. They would grad

nny added. "Mother don't ever w

Chavah told her; "we ain't had n

, and there's that notice in the post office. Mother wrote nobody was going to do anything

ll got together and concluded best not

enezer Rule was B

ow I'm going to tell Bruce when he comes. To think it's in

'leven years since I've given a Christmas present to anybody. The first Christmas after mother died,

nse?" Jenn

e nothing from them. And if you do like 'em you don't want to have to w

her, pressed her, "It seems perfectly awful to me not to have a Christmas,"

and pretending it's a live time? Besides, if you ain't got the money, you ain't got the mo

and I've only spent Two Dollars and Eighty cents on 'em all," she said, "for material. But I've

out the window, some

" she added, "it ain't

d there. The streets was Bedlam. The stores was worse. 'What'll I get him?...' 'I've just got to get something for her....' 'It don't seem as if this is nice enough after what she give me last year....' I can hear

e Mary went on with more of the sort. "It seems kind of like going back on the ways things are," J

as if I could bear it not to

'll be glad to be rid of the fuss. Men always are. Come on out the front d

parlour door, she looked

pictures?" she

stag and a fruit piece and an eagle with a child in its claws. I've loathed 'em for years,

ll bring it over after supper and see if you don't want it up here-frame or no frame." She looked at Mary and laughed. "If I bring it to you

picture?"

represents," said J

the snow shaking the rug she had left outs

as waiting for some

dy had come sparkling above the trees-Capella of the brightness of one

stood for a moment immersed in the q

ing, too," she thought. "But it ought to k

a moment to the stable to make it safe there for the night; so, with the gray shawl st