Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 310, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 December 1914 — The Unwelcome Pair of Mittens [ARTICLE]

The Unwelcome Pair of Mittens

The day after Christmas Josephs was busily gathering together cards, boxes, ribbons and tissue paper-4the day-after-Christmas accumulation—when she found a heavy pasteboard box, and exclaimed with vexation as she opened ft: “Here is that pair of mittens! How am I to rfd myself of this Christmas gift? Nannette, can you make any suggestion?" “ Her friend shook her head, but after a moment’s thought said: “You might give the mittens to Elmira.” “O, Nannette! She would be insulted. Elmira Ramsey is a very stylish young colored lady. Why, she might leave without giving notice. I am surprised at your lack of tact!” Josephs stood knitting her brows in perplexity, holding the pair of gray and garnet mittens np tor the inspection of Tom, who had just entered the room. “Send the box to the Salvation Army, sis, along with that freakish hat you wore yesterday,” he commenced. But James Bteree, coming in, cried in alarm: “Don’t, Josie, don’t The mittens would be fine for golf.” “So glad you spoke, James. Here, wear them, and —remember me.” *1 mean for yourself—l couldn’t deprive you of them.” “But, they’re miles too big! Take them, that's a dear.” “O, no, I beg to be excused,” backing towards the door, but Tom held him, and the two girls forced the mittens into his f pocket “The punishment fits the crime,” said Tom, “Say, who gave you the beauties, sis?” “Aunt Manassa.”

“I’m not surprised,” laughed Tom, “Whatever has become of that pair of slippers she embroidered for me?” “I do not know,” answered his sister. Then, for James benefit, she gave a description of their grandaunt Manassa, who was living In the mountains, a dear old soul, who either knew not, or cared not, for Fashion’s changes. “Once she sent us a patchwork quilt,” said Josephs, “6ut the worst of ft is, we are at our wits' ends to know what to send her every Christmas.” ’

Josephs swept the paper, ribbons,' etc., into a ht?ge paper bag, and thrust it behind the coal vase. “Elmira will be thankful for this when she starts the fire tn the morning,”, she remarked. Then they gathered around he piano, all except Nanette, who busied herself with some needlework. It was a special piece that she was anxious to finish that afternoon, and she was too engrossed that she did pot notice James when he pulled the mittens from his pocket and dropped them on the carpet beside her. As usual, the trio at the piano became so interested that an hour slipped by, and another, when Josephexclaimed, with a shiver: “I'm a hospitable hostess, Indeed! The fire’s gone out—almost —and it ta cold as the grave in here.” So she called upon the maid to bring in wood, "and plenty of it, for a blazing log, and an armful of twigs are worth a ton of coal or five thotrsand cubic feet of gas." In a few minutes the flames were rivaling the magic fire scene in the Valkyrie, as Tom expressed it a cheerful warmth was stealing through the room, and the musical snapping and crackling of the twigs shut out the distant rattle and roar of the trolleys. Josepha leaned her elbow on the polished mantel while she read some lines from a letter that she had received that morning from a friend in Italy. Josepha was growing prettier every day, thought James; that soft wool down of deep blue was exceedingly becoming, and that style of coiffure made a lovely frame for her oval face. James was rather - jealous of the chap who wrote such interesting letters to her. Nannette let her work slip into her lap and her '*eyea wandered to the blazing fire, then suddenly she sprang to her feet, shrieking: „ ."Your dress, Josepha—lt is on fire!” James fell on hie knees and crushed ttie flames with his hands, becoming badly burned, when Nanette spied the mittens and pulled them on so quickly and seconded James in his efforts that In short time the fire was extinguished and Josepha was laughing at her funny appearance. For the next ten minutes James was the recipient of tender attentions and praises for his heroism. But when the hapds were bandaged he waved one in protest, saying:

"I believe that Grand-Aunt Manassa’s mittens did the biggest part of the work, eh, NannetteT** And Nannette nodded. "If you had not thrown them just within reach your hands would have fared worse, James.** “Three cheers for the mltteas!** cried Ton. Providing a cork jacket,' which keeps its wearer upright in the water, with a propeller driven by two cranks, a New Yorker has invented a device which la a variation from moat styles of swimming machines. Canada has received 1,446388 new citlsens in ten years. Of this number 050,000 came from the British Mbs, 407,000 from the United Mos and the rewind nr from various oountrlaa