{"id":340,"date":"2014-12-15T15:55:59","date_gmt":"2014-12-15T15:55:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.byrdspilmandewey.com\/?page_id=340"},"modified":"2019-07-02T15:50:50","modified_gmt":"2019-07-02T15:50:50","slug":"a-suitable-christmas-present","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.byrdspilmandewey.com\/?page_id=340","title":{"rendered":"A Suitable Christmas Present"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor’s note: This short story was published in Good Housekeeping under Byrd Spilman Dewey’s pen name “Judith Sunshine.” It is a humorous tale of an eventful Christmas.<\/em><\/p>\n

A Suitable Christmas Present
\nWhat Happened From Not Having a Carving Knife.<\/em><\/h2>\n

DICK AND Maggie had been married only three months. As is often the case, some of their wedding presents were duplicates, while some other things, just as necessary, were forgotten altogether. The worst of it was, that, as they lived in a village, and the presents were all from dear friends or relatives, they could not exchange them, as we are told they sometimes do in the cities. However, Maggie being a sensible little woman, with the knack of making things do, they had got along very well.<\/p>\n

It was the first of December, and Maggie, as she arranged the tea-table, was reviewing, mentally, her list of presents for Christmas. It had been a busy year\u2014first, the endless preparations for the wedding, and since then, the setting to rights and making pretty of her little home\u2014that she had not found the time for much \u201cfancy-work,\u201d so she would have to buy the most of them.<\/p>\n

She knew just what Mother and the girls would like\u2014Father, too\u2014in fact, her list was all complete and satisfactory, with the exception of something for Dick. \u201cLast, but not least, oh, no!\u201d she thought to herself with a happy smile. If he only smoked! To be sure, she was glad he did not; she thought it an untidy, expensive habit, but there were always so many pretty things one could give a smoker.<\/p>\n

Here the click of the gate latch interrupted her thoughts, and she flew to open the door.<\/p>\n

During the progress of their evening meal, Maggie was so unusually quiet, that Dick finally noticed it, and asked,<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s up, little woman? Anything gone wrong today?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. Why?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou seem so quiet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I\u2019ve been thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s nothing new. What about?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout Christmas. I can\u2019t think of anything to give you; you have everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s so. Don\u2019t give me anything. You have given me yourself; that will do for one while.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat rubbish!\u201d she said, with a pleased blush. \u201cAnyway, I want to give you something; it would not seem like Christmas if I didn\u2019t!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, get something we will both enjoy\u2014something we need about the house. That will do first-rate.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next day, as soon as Maggie had finished washing the dinner-dishes, and had tidied the kitchen, she donned her stylish walking suit, and set out for one of the two hardware stores of the village. Not finding anything that suited her rather fastidious taste, she left an order with the proprietor, to be sent to the city and filled. Then, visiting some other stores to complete her list of presents, she turned her face homeward, with a feeling of satisfaction that the problem was solved.<\/p>\n

The following week, Maggie invited her Mother, Mrs. Ripple, and the girls, Annie and Katie, to spend a long day with her. Pa Ripple was to come home with Dick at noon. It was an occasion when Dick and Maggie felt very anxious that their little establishment should have its \u201cbest foot foremost;\u201d for, although the family had \u201cdropped in\u201d singly, time and again, at meal-time, this was their first attempt to have them all at a formal dinner.<\/p>\n

The table looked very pretty in all the bravery of bridal linen, china and silver. As Maggie proudly surveyed it, she heard her father and Dick come in. The latter came hurrying out, his arms full of bundles. \u201cSee here, Pet.\u201d He began, in a pleased tone, \u201cI saw them unpacking these grapes and oranges as we came along, and I thought they would give just the right look to the table. And look at this,\u201d opening a long package, \u201cI remembered how I have had to carve with the butcher-knife all along, and thought it would never do with all our finery, today, and I saw this nice carving set at Hardy\u2019s, and I couldn\u2019t resist. Perhaps it was extravagant,\u201d he continued, answering an inexplicable look on her face, \u201cbut we will call it part of our Christmas in advance. Is it all right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, of course, you dear fellow!\u201d she answered, swallowing a great many unspoken thoughts. \u201cIt is just what I was wishing for. Now go in, and make yourself charming, while I take up dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are sure you are pleased? I thought it would just suit!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, yes!\u201d she said hurriedly, \u201cgo, or things will scorch!\u201d<\/p>\n

When all were seated around the glittering table, and Dick, with a flourish, took up the new carving knife and fork, Annie and Katie exchanged glances, and then looked at Mrs. Ripple.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething new?\u201d asked the latter.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d said Dick, \u201cI got them today; I was tired of carving with the butcher-knife.\u201d<\/p>\n

Katie looked at Annie again, and both giggled.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the joke?\u201d said Dick.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing,\u201d said Katie. Pa and Ma Ripple were both smiling now, and Dick looked stupidly from one to the other.<\/p>\n

\u201cI declare, I don\u2019t see anything funny!\u201d he said at last.<\/p>\n

\u201cTell him!\u201d \u201cTell him!\u201d cried the two girls, now laughing outright.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes do,\u201d said Dick.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere, there, girls, don\u2019t be silly! They are laughing, Dick, because when we went to the city shopping, two weeks ago, we all settled on a handsome carving set as a Christmas present for you and Maggie; for we remembered you had none, and thought it would please you both.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you! cried Maggie, \u201cand only last week, I left an order for one at Steele\u2019s for Dick\u2019s Christmas gift, because he told me to get something we both wanted, and I thought we needed that most of all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere! I knew you were not pleased somehow, when I came with this! No wonder!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHa! ha! ha!\u201d \u201cHe! he! he!\u201d \u201cHo! ho! ho!\u201d<\/p>\n

Long and loud, they all laughed, some one of them beginning again, and so starting the others, every time there was a pause. It was a merry meal.<\/p>\n

As they arose from the table there were sounds of an arrival in front of the house\u2014wheels, then the gate latch clicking, and voices. Going out, they found Dick\u2019s father and mother, just in from their home in the country. As soon as the confusion had subsided, they were told the \u201ccarving-set joke.\u201d They were not so much amused as had been expected, but looked at each other, and said:<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, did you ever!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow what\u2019s the matter!\u201d exclaimed Dick.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy, Pa and I,\u201d said his mother, \u201chad sent for one, too. We noticed, when we were here last, that you didn\u2019t have one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here the old lady\u2019s voice was drowned in shouts of laughter. How they laughed, and laughed!<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope and trust,\u201d said Dick finally, wiping his eyes, \u201cthat nobody else has noticed that we haven\u2019t a carving-set!\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more of Byrd Spilman Dewey’s short stories in “The Collected Works of Byrd Spilman\u00a0 Dewey.” – click here<\/a> to order.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Editor’s note: This short story was published in Good Housekeeping under Byrd Spilman Dewey’s pen name “Judith Sunshine.” It is a humorous tale of an eventful Christmas. A Suitable Christmas Present What Happened From Not Having a Carving Knife. DICK AND Maggie had been married only three months. As is \u2026 Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":79,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-340","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.byrdspilmandewey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/340","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.byrdspilmandewey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.byrdspilmandewey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.byrdspilmandewey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.byrdspilmandewey.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=340"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.byrdspilmandewey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/340\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":386,"href":"https:\/\/www.byrdspilmandewey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/340\/revisions\/386"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.byrdspilmandewey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/79"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.byrdspilmandewey.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}