Project Gutenberg's Mrs. Budlong's Christmas Presents, by Rupert Hughes

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Title: Mrs. Budlong's Christmas Presents

Author: Rupert Hughes

Release Date: July 11, 2004 [EBook #12881]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MRS. BUDLONG'S CHRISTMAS PRESENTS ***

Produced by Al Haines

MRS. BUDLONG'S CHRISTMAS PRESENTS

BY

RUPERT HUGHES

AUTHOR OF "EXCUSE ME," "THE OLD NEST," ETC.

MCMXII

CONTENTS

CHAPTER

I AT THE SIGN OF THE PIANO LAMP
II CHRONICLES OF A CRAFTSMAN
III MISTRESS OF THE REVELS
IV ONLY A MILLIONAIRE
V THE BITER BIT
VI DESPAIR AND AN IDEA
VII FOILED
VIII FOILED AGAIN
IX WORSE, AND MORE OF IT
X A WELL LAID PLAN
XI GANG AGLEY AGAIN
XII AN AMAZING CHRISTMAS

MRS. BUDLONG'S CHRISTMAS PRESENTS

I

AT THE SIGN OF THE PIANO LAMP

The morning after Christmas Eve is the worst morning-after there is.
The very house suffers the headache that follows a prolonged spree.
Remorse stalks at large; remorse for the things one gave--and did not
give--and got.

Everybody must act a general glee which can be felt only
specifically, if at all. Everybody must exclaim about everything Oh!
and Ah! and How Sweet of You! and Isn't it Perfectly Dear! The very
THING I Wanted! and How DID you EVER Guess it?

Christmas morning in the town of Carthage is a day when most of the
people keep close at home, for Christmas is another passover. It is
Santa Claus that passes over.

People in Carthage are not rich; the shops are not grandiose, and
inter-family presents are apt to be trivial and futile--or worse yet,
utile.

The Carthaginian mother generally finds that Father has credited the
hat she got last fall, to this Christmas; the elder brothers receive
warm under-things and the young ones brass-toed boots, mitts and
mufflers. The girls may find something ornamental in their
stockings, and their stockings may be silk or nearly--but then girls
have to be foolishly diked up anyway, or they will never be married
out. Dressing up daughters comes under the head of window-display or
coupons, and is charged off to publicity