Had the Queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out of the window some day to dry just to depreciate Her Majesty's jewels and gifts. One was Jim's gold watch that had been his father's and his grandfather's. Now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which they both took a mighty pride. Rapidly she pulled down her hair and let it fall to its full length. Her eyes were shining brilliantly, but her face had lost its colour within twenty seconds.

Suddenly she whirled from the window and stood before the glass. Della, being slender, had mastered the art. A very thin and very agile person may, by observing his reflection in a rapid sequence of longitudinal strips, obtain a fairly accurate conception of his looks. Perhaps you have seen a pier-glass in an $8 Bat. There was a pier-glass between the windows of the room. Something fine and rare and sterling - something just a little bit near to being worthy of the honour of being owned by Jim. Many a happy hour she had spent planning for something nice for him. Expenses had been greater than she had calculated. She had been saving every penny she could for months, with this result. To-morrow would be Christmas Day, and she had only $1.87 with which to buy Jim a present. She stood by the window and looked out dully at a grey cat walking a grey fence in a grey backyard. Which is all very good.ĭella finished her cry and attended to her cheeks with the powder rag. James Dillingham Young, already introduced to you as Della.

James Dillingham Young came home and reached his flat above he was called 'Jim' and greatly hugged by Mrs. Now, when the income was shrunk to $20, the letters of 'Dillingham' looked blurred, as though they were thinking seriously of contracting to a modest and unassuming D. The 'Dillingham' had been flung to the breeze during a former period of prosperity when its possessor was being paid $30 per week. Also appertaining thereunto was a card bearing the name 'Mr. In the vestibule below was a letter-box into which no letter would go, and an electric button from which no mortal finger could coax a ring. It did not exactly beggar description, but it certainly had that word on the look-out for the mendicancy squad. While the mistress of the home is gradually subsiding from the first stage to the second, take a look at the home. Which instigates the moral reflection that life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating. There was clearly nothing left to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl. Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one's cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied.

The gift of the magi book