r
NEW PRESIDENT OF THE PHILADELPHIA CLUB.
R PETERS brung
you some mail. Miss
Para-,” announced
Aunt Sally, coming
into the cozy sitting
room with four damp
letters.
Pamela looked
them over knowing
ly, felt- of their soft
contents and smiled
grimly.
,‘,‘The *; regular
Christmas donations
of handkerchiefs has
begun,” she ob
| served in a dry but humorous voice.
j “This is from Lottie Preston. This,”
lingering a thinner envelope ginger
ly. “is probably a pin cushion cover'
from Geraldine, and this very fat
envelope contains a jinen initial
handkerchief from Molly Drew.
“Last year. Aunt Sally, I received
17 handkerchiefs and three em
broidered cushion tops that bore
unmistakable marks of previous
Christmas travels. I received three
invitations to spend Christmas with
relatives—Salina and Pauline, of
course, and the Prestons—*11 of
whom had gaps to be filled in. and
I filled them as usual. I spent $32
for Christmas gifts that I didn’t en
joy giving because I knew they
were expected, and made three trips
to the city for the express purpose
of suiting everybody as nearly as
possible, and in consequence I grew
so tired that 1 was cross to you
two whole days before I left on my
Christmas tour.
This year I shall not make a
single present outside of my imme
diate family—which means just us
two, Aunt Sally, for I intend to
make myself a handsome Christmas
present instead of wasting my mon
ey on the relatives who dump all
their left-overs on me. I shall not
accept a single invitation, either. I
have lost the Christmas spirit.”
Aunt Sally’s honest black face
took on a look of perplexity, where
upon Miss Pamela went on to ex
piain the situation.
“I am tired of being a Christmas
scapegoat.” she declared with spirit.
“Everything unpleasant is loaded
on my shoulders because I happen
to be unmarried.”
"I do wish to goodness sake you
had-a-married!” exclaimed Aunt
Sally in a tone that gave Pamela
to understand that all hope had
been relinquished.
“You never was cut out for an
old maid,” Aunt Sally maintained
~T
<^Crt^SrOO/1 r. •
sorrowfully, whereupon Pamela shrugged her
well-set shoulders in half humorous despair.
She dearly loved her faithful old servant
and friend, who had descended to her together
with the little country home which was the
Inost undesirable of. “effects” mentioned in the
paternal will to be equally divided among my
three daughters.”
Pamela being unmarried, had no need of
the negotiable property which her sisters' hus
bands eagerly desired for the purpose of en
larging their business operations, so Pamela
had accepted the country house and a third
of a maternal income, which barely sufliced to
cover the taxes and repairs.
“Now we shall see what Salina has to say.”
observed Pamela as she opened her sister’s
hurriedly scrawled letter.
“Dear Pamela.” she read aloud. “Please
don't take offense at what I have done, for I
simply bad to take advantage of your irrespon
sibility at a pinch. The Kensingtons—you re
member them, don't you, Jim’s sister and fam
ily?—have just come back from Texas, of
course expecting to be invited here for Christ:,
mas. That is what we’d have to do If I
^idn't have you to fall back on. I’m sending
them all down to you to spend the holidays,
we simply can't have them‘here, for the
reu mi that we’ve invited the Masons, Jim's
business friends, you know. It is likely that
Tom Mason will be here if he can get away
from a pressing business engagement, and as
he was rather attentive to Geraldine last sum
mer at the mountains something may come of
this Christmas visit. You know how fastidi
ous Tom is and how a crowd of noisy children
■would annoy him. I know men of his kind—
they are as sensitive as girls, and I don’t pro
pose to 8poll my daughter’s prospects for the
sake of the Kensington’s.
“Geraldine is packing a box of things for
the Kensingtons which we will send by ex
press to-day, so you needn’t go to any expense
buying Christmas presents |pr them. I hope
you’ll have a real pleasant Christmas and’
come to see us as soon after the holidays as
possible.”
Pamela threw down the letter with a deter
mined gesture and for a few moments she
thought deeply, painstakingly, with her smooth
forehead puckered in a very unusual frown.
“Aunt Sally,” she said suddenly, “could you
possibly make out to spend Christmas week in
the pasture cabin?”
“For what. Miss Pam?” asked the negress
in a puzzled voice.
“For peace—I’m going to spend Christmas
as I please. The Kensingtons can come if they
like and make merry in my house, but I am
not going to be a Christmas scapegoat any
longer. Can you make the cabin do. Aunt
Sally?”
“Deed an’ I can,” was the confident answer.
“I can cook the bestes’ kind in a fireplace, jes’
like my old mammy could. Ben can haul us
down all'the bed close an’ things we need.”
Fortunately Salina was at home when Pam
ela’s telephone call reached her, so there was
no delay. She was surprised to receive a mes
sage from her sister and still more surprised
at its purport.
"You have made other Christmas plans!”
she repeated in blank amazement.
“Yes, I’m real sorry you will be put out Sa
lina,” came the brisk, businesslike answer—
“What did you say?—O, no, Salina, I couldn’t
possibly do that, but my house will be here,
open to your guests, to send them right along
just as you planned, only tell them that I have
made arrangements to be away over Christ
mas—What?—They can’t cook? Then I don’t
see but that you’d better send Geraldine down
to entertain them, as she is such an excellent
manager and hostess. ’
Satina's answering voice was exceedingly
sharp. “Geraldine can’t possibly be spared,”^,
she snapped. "I wrote you that the Masons
are going to be with us. and we hope to have
Tom if he can possibly get off, and I really
think something definite may come of his visit,
for I'm almost certain he admires Geraldine.
Just give the Kensingtons a sort of a camp
Christmas and they’ll be perfectly satisfied.”
“Very well,” Pamela answered, cheerfully,
"send them down and let them have a camp
Christmas, as you say. I’ll see that the house
is well stocked with provisions and will leave
the key under the doorstep—don’t forget to
tell them that. Salinu, or they won't be able
to get in, mind.”
Pamela dropped the receiver to choke off
Salina’s parting protest, and hurried away
fearful of being recalled. She went the rounds
of the village stores, ordering what she need
ed to tide herself and the Kensingtons through
the holiday week.
It was a snowy morning and walking was
very disagreeable and tiring, so by the time
Pamela r%ached her own gate she was glad to
climb up beside old Ben on the bob sled that
was taking the last consignment of household
stuff to the cabin in the pasture where Aunt
Sally already held cheerful sway.
The next morning was clear and very cold.
Pamela, in her warm but humble cabin sitting
room, thought of the Kensingtons.
“Ben had better lay the fires up at the
house so that it won't take too long to warm
up after they come,” she said. “You tell him
about it, Auut Sally, when lie brings down the
groceries.”
Pamela settled herself to a pleasant task,
which was nothing less than the ordering of
a long-wished-for winter coat with fur trim
mings. which was to be her Christmas present
to herself. She had a $30 check saved to pay
for it, and was about to inclose it in the care
fully written letter, to which she had pinned
a clipping from the cloak maker’s catalogue,
when Aunt Sally called to her from the front
door..
“Dey’s come!” she announced. “Why, dey’s
most all groved up! I expected for to see a
passel of chilluns.”
“They’re just big. Aunt Sally, not grown,”
Pamela explained, v/atching the stumbling de
scent of tiie six Kensingtons from the station
hack. “Tlie oldest girl can't be over 15, for
she was born while Salina was spending the
summer with us when Geraldine had her third
V
birthday. I remember Sa
lina told us the whole Ken
singtons’ history when she
received her sister-in-law’s
announcement of the
child’s birth—four girls and
a hoy.”
“That last un walks ter
rible puny.” Aunt Sally ob
served with something akin
to pity.
"That must be the moth
er. She has had a lot of
sickness. I understand. The
father died three years ago,
but according to Jim and
Salina he wasn't of much
account anyway—a profes
sor, or something bookish,
I believe.”
Pamela went back to her
writing, but seemed unable
to finish it to her satisfac
tion. She could not put
her mind to it; instead, she
kept thinking of the Ken
singtons, of Salina and Ger
aldine. and lastly of Tom
Mason, whose supposed
fancy for the former sur
prised and rather irritated
Pamela, who had always considered 10m
thoroughly sensible.
"I suppose his money has spoiled him.”
she said to herself as her mind went back to
the days when Tom was her school friend,
before the Masons made their fortune in
Pennsylvania oil lands.
“Certainly Tom Mason of old would not
have thought of marrying an affected, vain
girl like Geraldine. How Salina has spoiled
that girl! Whew, there goes the ink all over
my letter. Now I shall have to write an
other!”
But she didn’t even begin another letter.
Instead she rose and flung on her coat and
hood preparatory to going out.
“I’m going up to the house, Aunt Sally,”
she announced to her surprised servant. “I’ll
pretend I’m a neighbor who wants to see the
lady of the place.”
Pamela rang her own doorbell rather tim
idly, and was admitted by a tall, rather pale
girl in a skimpy plaid dress.
The girl led her to the dining room, where
the other four were seated before an open
lire. In a deep-seated rocker, with a well
worn shawl about her thin shoulders, sat a
gaunt-looking woman of middle age, who in
troduced herself as Mrs. Kensington, a rela
tive-in-law of Miss Pamela.
“You are not very well, are you?” Pamela
asked, as she accepted a chair beside the fire.
“I’m a great deal better than I was last
year,” was the cheerful answer.
Miss Pamela left such a kind note of wel
come for us. She must be a very nice per
son.
“O, yes,” said Pamela, with a flush of
shame as she remembered the indifferent
wording of that reluctant note. “Well, I must
go. Thank you for letting me warm up. I
hope you’ll have a real nice Christmas here.”
She rushed out into the keen, wintry day
in a rage against herself and Salina and Jim.
who had combined in that shabby treatment of
the needy Kensingtons.
Outside of her gate she narrowly escaped
being run over by a trig little cutter with two
occupants, one of whom she recognized with
a start of amazement as her old friend, Tom
Mason.
He looked exceedingly well-to-do in his fur
great coat and his smooth, blond face had a
fresh, boyish charm that made him look
much younger than he really was, for Pamela
knew that he was exactly her own age—31.
“May I stop?” he asked, as he threw back
the lap robes. “The south-bound train ran off
the track just below the station here and I
took that opportunity to give myself the
pleasure of calling on you.” /..
“I’m not living there just at present,” said
Pamela, with a backward nod of her head,
“but I'll be glad to have you go down to my
cabin with me. And O, I do need sensible
advice just this moment, and I’m awfully glad
to see you, Tom.”
Seated before Aunt Sally’s nicely laid table
in the lean-to kitchen, Pamela poured out the
story of the Kensingtons.
“Do tell me what I can do to ease my con
science and give those people a real good
time.” she begged.
“Why. give them a rousing good Christmas
tree. I’ll help.” Tom offered cheerfully.
“Geraldine is sending a Christmas box for
the Kensingtons, but I don’t believe there’ll be
enough in it to make the tree look real fes
tive,” said Pamela, “so we’d better do what
we can at the village."
The tree trimming began that evening with
great gusto. Tom opened Geraldine’s Christ
mas box expectantly and out tumbled a lot
of antiquated toys, half a dozen summer hats,
stained and crushed beyond repair, some
worn and none too clean waists and two drag
gled, silk-lined skirts. In the bottom of the
box were two baskets of cheap candy and a
cake and a few shopworn Christmas cards.
Tom’s wholesome face had taken on a
look of deep disgust. He caught up the arm
ful of rumpled finery and flung it violently on
the glowing coals of the big fireplace.
“So much for Geraldine’s generosity!” he
exclaimed in a voice that would have made
Geraldine’s ears burn furiously, had she
heard it.
At 10 o'clock Tom took his cheerftil leave,
promising to return by 10 o’clock on Christ
mas morning.
Tom reappeared promptly at the appointed
hour, with additional packages, which he
stotwred in a corner, for they did not seem de
signed for the tree.
At 11:30 the jangle of sleigh bells an
nounced the arrival of the guests, who trooped
in rather timidly, bewildered by the littleness
and humbleness of the cabin, evidently, but
Tom soon put them at ease.
By the time dinner was over the guests
were as happy as birds, even to the pale, weak
looking mother, who glowed with the reflected
happiness of her children.
And the Christmas tree surprise! It was
almost too much to be quietly borne by chil
dren who had known so very little of Christ
mas lavishness. Laden with gifts, they de
parted all a-quiver with gratitude.
“It has been a great success!” Tom de
clared when the jangle of sleigh bells had died
away on the icy night air. “One phase of it
is regrettable, though, and that is the dissat
isfaction it has left in my mind.”
“What do you mean?” Pamela asked, frank
ly surprised.
“It has made me feel dissatisfied w’ith my
bachelor existence. It is lonely at best and a
pretty selfish way of living.”
“So unmarried men are selfish and irre
sponsible as well as unmarried women, are
they?” mused Pamela. “I'm rather glad to
hear that because I have so often been cen
sured for selfishness and obstinacy and—”
“Do you ever think seriously of getting
married. Pam?” Tom broke in.
“I haven’t for years,” was the frank an
swer.
“I have thought of it a good deal lately—
very lately,” he declared, significantly. “If you
could make up your mind to marry me, Pam
ela, we could have many a Christmas like this,
for we certainly—"
“Marry you!” Pamela echoed, turning her
crimsoning face toward the speaker. “Why, 1
never once thought of—not for years, that is,”
she interrupted herself to say truthfully.
“But once you did think of me,” Tom cried,
triumphantly. “I wanted you years ago, Pam,
but now I want you a great deal more. At 31
a man knows his mind perfectly, especially if
it concerns a woman that he has known and
cared for all his life.”
Then for the first time the remembrance
of Geraldine’s expectations surged through
Pamela’s mind. She spoke of it in a confused,
embarrassed way, whereupon Tom laughed
and said he guessed the Clydes would survive
the disappointment, especially as he had never
given them any grounds for such expectations.
“Come, Pam, give me my answer,” he
urged, “and don't forget that the season
called for—a joyous one to me.”
Aunt Sally, listening eagerly behind the
half-shut kitchen door, saw rather than heard
what followed. She smiled a big, intensely
gratified smile as she turned back to her fra
grant old pipe.
“Thank the good Lord, she's settled at
last!” she exclaimed, gratefully.
Then, after a long, delicious pull at her
faithful pipe, she added, triumphantly, “An’
she's done better’n any of ’em, too, if she is
a Christmas scapegoat.”
:i
Hou) to Make Sand Tarts
The newest revival in the eating
way for entertaining friends is “sand
tarts." Nobody knows why ‘ sand"
and why “tarts,” for the delicacy as
made has nothing to do with either.
Hut it is the real thing and the new
thing to have of an evening, and can
be served with coffee, or a cooling
drink. The one trouble Is that a
hostess who establishes them as a
Specialty never can make enough of
them.
The “sand tart" is half a cake and
half a wafer. It is about the size of
a graham cracker, is very crisp and
breaks easily. It has an indescribable
taste, and fairly melts in the mouth.
Hostesses who never have Iteard of
them can accept this rule, which
comes from a clever New Yor^ wom
an who has scored a great sucoess
and now has to keep them constantly
on hand. • - .
“Take a cup of lard,” she says, “two
cups of flour, one of milk, a quarter
of a teaspoonful of baking soda and
half a teaspoonful of almond extract.
Mix these, roll out very thin, cut in
squares, and put half an almond in
the center of each ‘tart.’ If you want
to know what ‘good’ is, then start in
to •at.”
The Valued Word of Praise.
What more Inspiring than a word
of praise from those we love? It
never breeds vanity; it just makes us
want to be more worthy.
Toast as Medicine.
“Did you ever wonder why toast is
recommended for invalids?” said a
doctor. "The reason is that toast is
predigested bread.
“What makes fresh bread trying
for invalids is the starch in it.
“Starch is: very hard to digest. It
needs a good stotmach to take hold
of the soggy starch in bread and
change it to strengthening, stimulat
ing dextrine.
“But when you cut bread thin and
toast it brown, the fire itself changes
the starch to dextrine. That, in fact,
is what the brown color in toast in
dicates—that the starch is gone and
dextrine has taken its place. The stuff
is predigested.
“So we feed our invalids on toast,
a dish as thoroughly predigested as
any of the most famous breakfast
foods.
Largest Pin Factory.
Birmingham, Eng., has the largest
pin factory In the world, manufactur
ing an average of 37,000,000 a day.
Horace S. Fogel, a former newspaper man and sporting writer, took a
sudden leap into the baseball limelight when he became the head of the
Quaker team. He declares the club has been purchased by business men,
who will run it in the interests of clean sport and denies that a syndicate
of magnates is behind him in the deal.
BASEBALL WORLD
ALL STIRRED UP
SALE OF PHILADELPHIA TEAM
BIGGEST DIAMOND SENSA
TION IN YEARS.
TALK OF SYNDICATE BALL
Murphy of the Chicago Cuts Denies
That He Is Interested in the Deal,
But , Nevertheless, the Report Will
Not Down.
This winter promises to be the
most important in the history of base
ball and before the umpire gives the
familiar order to “play ball” next
spring the various fights between mag
nates and the quarrels of the players
for more salary and other concessions
some startling changes are expected.
The recent sale of the Philadelphia
National league team to a syndicate
headed by Horace Fogel, who has
been elected president, gave the ball
of trouble which bad already started
to rolling a hard push, and is the big
sensation to date.
Because of the presence of Charles
W. Murphy, president of the Chicago
Cubs, in Philadelphia when the deal
was made, it was immediately predict
ed that he was behind Fogel. Mur
phy denies it, but in such a way that
there is serious question whether he
was not leaving something unex
plained. Charles P. Taft, brother of
the president, is Murphy's backer, and
it may yet develop that it was the
Taft purse that furnished the coin to
pay for the club. It was announced
that $250,000 was the price paid.
It was also announced tliat Brush
of the New York Giants and Dreyfuss
of the Pittsburg Pirates were in the
deal with Murphy. This at once
raised the cry of syndicate baseball,
and brought forth the prediction (hat
the National league will be disrupted
if it is found that certain of the big
magnates are uniting to control all
the clubs. One report said theclique
intended to buy the St. Louis Cardi
nals and the Boston Doves. Robison
quickly said his team was rot for sale
and Dovey made the same kind of
talk. However the report will not
down that a syndicate has been
formed to gain control, and important
developments are expected any day.
Pittsburg fans were so wrought up
by the tactics of Murphy and others
that they urged Barney Dreyfuss to
withdraw the Pirates from the Na
tional league and join the American
league. Such a scheme if curried out
necessarily would mean a ten-club
league or would crowd out one of the
other teams. Naturally thought turnel
to Washington when it was said that
one of the American league teams
would be dropped'to let Pittsburg in.
Washington always has a tail end
team, but still the owners there make
good money.
Along with the report of the sale of
the Philadelphia team came the word
that Johnny Kling, the hold-out Cub
catcher, would be engaged to manage
the new club. It was said that Fogel
had sent a check for $15,000 to Mur- !
phy for the purchase of Kling. Out
In Kansas City Kling immediately
said he knew nothing of the deal and
had no intention of playing baseball
again tor any team except his own in
that city. Murphy has said that Kling
would not be allowed to play baseball
with any team except the Cubs. Kling
often declared he never would return
to Chicago. Now if it develops that
Kling goes to Philadelphia it will be
further' evidence that Murphy is in
the deal that resulted in the purchase
of the Quaker City team. Murray, the
manager of the Phillies, still has an
other year to serve under his con
tract, bat according to good informa
tion he will get tha salary and be
allowed to drop out when another
man is agreed upon for the place.
Mordecai Brown, the most reliable
of Cub pitchers, may join the hold
outs unless President Murphy comes
through with the figure named by the
thiee-fingered wonder. Brownie’s con
tract expired at the close of the last
season.
It is said he received $4,500 straight
salary for the season’s work, with a
promise of $1,000 more if he “made
good.” He certainly did that and the
bonus undoubtedly will be forthcom
ing, although Brown has not received
it yet. Brown will ask for $6,000 next
season and the chances are he will
get it. He never has been one of the
pushing kind, nor has he done any
unnecessary talking about himself or
the pay he should command.
Are the Detroit Tigers due to slump
during the season of 1910?
No team in recent years in either of
the big leagues has been able to win
the pennant more than three times in
succession.
In the National the Pittsburg team
thrice copped the bunting and then
dropped out of the running for sev
eral years. Last summer the Pirates
! came back into their own and copped
the grand old rag. Are they due to
win it a couple of more times?
Chicago for three years won the
j honors of the National, also twice
gathered in the world's championship.
I It was the desire of Owner Murphy
and Manager Chance to set a new rec
ord by taking four straight, but their
hopes were blasted by the superior
playing of the Pittsburg team.
In the American league Detroit has
captured the pennant three times in
succession, landing the honor in 1907.
1908 ard 1909. Can Jennings and his
team repeat and thereby smash tradi
tion? ft is a much-mooted question
Jennings is a resourceful chap and
he may be able to turn the trick, but
there are many who believe that the
Tigers are doomed to disappointment
in the next campaign. The clever
move of the Detroit manager in get
ting Delehanty from Washington and
Jones from St. Louis late in the year
undoubtedly saved the Tigers. Koss
man and Schaefer were going and tin
addition of the new men prevented
imminent danger.
HEADS THREE I LEAGUE.
A. R. Tearney, who was elected pres
ident of the Three f organization re
cently. has gone to work to strength
en the league. He says he recog
nizes no factions and will conduct the
league’s affairs for its best interests.
The American Girl.
Many others besides Mr. Henry
lames have remarked upon the absurd
josition held in American society by
roung women. The ruinous indulg
snce of children ought at least to be
lonfined to the home circle, and not be
:arried Into a world where age, Intel
lgence and experience should have
>recedence and should form the stand
irds. The reversal of values, so as to
nake the debutante the point of in
erest in a social season instead of the
ccompllshed matron, is as though
society should have foresworn its func
tions. This would be true even were
the manners of the debutante all that
they should be in deference, suavity
and tact. The experience of Washing
ton, where society is fairly representa
tive, goes to show that much is still
to be desired in these respects in the
general education of American girls._
From an Editorial in the Century "Are
We Ashamed of Good Manners?4'
The woman who is always on time
is never liked by other wom^n.
I