Argosy, Vol. 1 (1882) — page 88: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

FRANK WINTER’S CHRISTMAS ASSIGNMENT. overnight. Indeed, they will be im- pressed with your importance.” ‘Bosh! That isn’t going to make it any easier for me to wake up Christ- mas morning in this dismal hole all alone. You'll be away, enjoying your- self at home, and all that will be left for me to do will be to think over the good times I have missed.” “ Not a bit of it. You'll have to hus- tle so, to catch that early train to West- ville, that you won’t have any time to waste in regrets over the past. Cheer up, old fellow! Think how much worse things might have been. You might never have been invited to visit the Peytons at all.” This view of the case was instrumen- tal in sending Frank’s spirits up a few degrees, but it took him a long while to compose the letter to Daisy Peyton, explaining why he would not be able to stick to the letter of his engagement for Christmas. But the next morning when he bade Joe good by after breakfast and wished him a merry Christmas there wasn’t much heartiness in his tones. And in the afternoon, when he passed so many happy faced people on the streets with satchels in their hands, -his own lot seemed harder to bear than ever. He had made a last desperate effort that morning to secure the evening for himself by inquiring if there wasn’t a possibility of finding the professor in before night. But Mr. Kimberley’s response was decidedly snappish. “Don’t I tell you that he won’t ar- rive here till this evening’? Here is his sister's address. You had better call there about eight, and give us half a column.” Frank had never felt so lonesome in his life as he did at his boarding house that night at dinner. Joe Craig had gone; so had almost everybody else. There were no children in the house and on this Christmas Eve the air of the place was particularly depressing. Frank got out of it as soon as he could and started for Harlem to find 79 the Mrs. Smith, whose address had been given to him. He arrived at the apartment house the number called for about eight o’clock and began to ex- ‘amine the cards under the various bell pulls. But it was dark in the entranceway, and as Frank did not smoke, he had no means of making a light. “I s’pose [ll have to pull one of these at random,” he said to himself; “ get into the house that way, and then go from floor to floor till I find my man.” So he rang one of the bells, and when the door swung open walked into the hall. Application at the left hand side on this floor resulted in the direction, “Up stairs.” Frank wanted to inquire how many flights, but the maid had evidently been bothered this way on many previous occasions, for she shut the door almost in his face. “She must be in something of the same frame of mind as myself,” mused Frank. “ She ought to have waited till I could shake hands with her.” At his next stopping place, a sweet faced lady, with hair slightly gray, opened the door for him. ‘“Does Mrs. Smith live here?” Frank inquired. “Tam Mrs. Smith,” replied the lady in a voice that matched her face. “Then it’s your brother I want to see—Pro-——”’ But the lady didn’t wait to hear any more. “Come right in,’ she exclaimed heartily. “ He will be delighted to see you.” “ Guess he wants to set himself right with the public,” thought Frank, “ if he’s so eager to receive the press. Well, that’ll make my task the easier. His sister doesn’t seem much like a French woman, though.” ‘Right this way,” said Mrs. Smith, and she opened the door into a room, flooded with hight and - furmished 3p eco handsome style.