A Real New England Girl by Anna I. Parsons 1. The Shower 2. Oxford County 3. The Stranger and the Girl 4. The Youth and the Girl 5. Pansy and Richard Go Trading 6. The Marvelous Storyteller 7. The Dinner 8. The The Minister Comes for Tea 9. Pansy's Father 10. Pansy and Her Mother 11. Poland Springs 12. The Birthday Cake 13. Ned Patterson Comes for a Visit 14. The Blue Berrying Party 15. The Beginning of Wisdom 16. The Tempted and the Penitent 17. The Concert 18. Stanley's Ride 19. The Bench by the Wayside 20. The Banker and the Widow 21. The Bag of Nuts 22. How They Kept Thanksgiving at Little Farm 23. Hardly a Merry Christimas 24. A Call Down and a Caller 25. The Pride of Mrs. Bradford 26. A Happy New Year 27. Amusement and Winter Sport 28. Kim 29. Richard, the Lion Hearted 30. A Tour of the White Mountains 31. Talking Over the Trip with Henry Bright 32. Thoughts That Lie Too Deep for Words 33. Economics 34. His Toast 35. The Busy Haunts of Man 36. Christmas in New York 37. The Last Night of Their Visit 38. The Language Understood by All 39. Sugaring Off 40. Correspondence 41. Commencement 42. Conclusion Afterward

CHAPTER XXXVI. Christmas in New York "For herein Fortune shows herself more kind Than is her custom." -- Shakespeare The ride through the streets of New York which Stanley took with Pansy and Richard the morning after their arrival was one never to be forgotten by him. Not that it was impressed upon his mind by any unusual occurrence, but that the usual occurrences were brought home to him as they never had been before. For their entertainment, he pointed out the homes of people widely prominent, sometimes adding sketches of individuals, or bits of local history, and in return, derived much enjoyment from their naïve remarks and frank criticisms. They were not only companionable young people, but their loyalty was expressed in such simple, unexpected ways as to more and more strengthen his love and friendship for them. "Are there any banks in this part of the city?" asked Pansy, when they had been riding for a short time. "Yes, we shall soon come to one," answered Stanley, wondering why she thought of banks when the shop windows displayed so many things to interest a girl. When it was finally reached, he carefully explained its style of architecture, calling attention to the large, fluted columns designed after those first used in Corinth in the fifth century B.C., and to other features with which they might not be familiar. He then ordered the chauffeur to wait while he took them inside and pointed out the different compartments where busy clerks received or paid out money, or accounts were kept and noisy adding machines did the work of brains. Lastly, he took them in to the department for ladies where the high walls and ceiling, richly decorated, and beautiful furnishings gave the room an appearance of regal splendor. They listened without comment to what he had to say and when he had finished, consulted in low tones, and then Pansy turned to him with a question which disclosed that their interest was purely personal to one nearest and dearest to him. "Supposing this was your father's bank, where would your father sit?" she asked. "He has his own private office, not like anything I could show you here. I will take you in to call on him when we go down town." "If I live to travel around the world, I suppose it will not give me quite the satisfaction that seeing Wall Street will," said Pansy, her eyes shining in expectation of the visit. "Were it provided with executive and council, it might well offer you and Richard the freedom of the place, for singular to say, it is indebted to our New England ancestors for the name it so proudly bears." "Why, how is that?" "When England and Holland engaged in war in 1653, the Dutchmen in New York said the New Englanders were 'a lithe, slippery and aggressive race,' and proceeded forthwith to build a wooden wall from river to river, along the line of the present street, to protect Manhattan Island from an invasion by them, which, however, never took place. When the wall was removed half a century later, the name clung to the street, and now has become a synonym for big things in the financial world." "Does it look like the streets we have passed with the nice brown houses all in a row?" "Not at all. Its topography is as peculiar as some of its transactions. It begins with a church and ends with a river; it is short, narrow, crooked and inclined; it is partially flanked on the north by a bronze tablet of Father Washington praying at Valley Forge, and opposite, on the south, by the banking house of one Morgan -- appropriate symbols of what we were and what we are as a nation, and if you want to keep on towards the river, you might find a seer who would point the way to what we shall be." "I thought it dealt in numismatics, not problematics." "High finance usually deals in both -- but why discuss what we can so easily go and see?" and he led the way to the waiting car. Sight-seeing at best is wearisome business, and after a day of it, Pansy slept so soundly that a dozen Santa Clauses might easily have unloaded their packs in her room without disturbing her slumber. When she awoke refreshed on Christmas morning, she arose and stood for a moment with the cold air blowing upon her from the open window, then she closed it, and pressed the electric button, for it was yet an hour to breakfast time and the early morning was dull and cheerless. Instead of the flood of light she had expected, she was surprised to see a small Christmas tree blaze out with many colored electric bulbs and fairly dazzle her with its brilliancy. She clasped her hands in delight, and when she had grasped what it really was, approached with cautious foot-steps. On the table beside it lay a collar and muff of soft brown fur and books and boxes of sweetmeats and other dainties for the season's cheer. For a while she stood and looked at it, them, without disturbing anything, bathed and made a hasty toilet. Going out into the hall, she noiselessly climbed the stairway to her brother's room. "Richard! Richard!" she called, close to his door, "hurry and dress and come down stairs." Later when Mr. and Mrs. Winthrop and Stanley were ready for breakfast, they stopped at the door to find their guests seated side by side eagerly scanning the pages of the same book. Julia's little white dog had come into the room and lay across Richard's lap in contented silence. At breakfast, Pansy and Richard were further made happy by the receipt of letters from their mother and Ruth, telling them all was well at Little Farm. During the forenoon, Mr. Winthrop joined them and Stanley in a walk on the avenue and to the florists, where the splendid display of winter blossoms made it hard for Pansy to choose a bouquet, so Stanley selected a bunch of Sunrise Roses for her coat and ordered orchids and other flowers sent for her to the house. In the afternoon, with the Winthrop family, they attended Grand Opera for the first time and listened to the music of "Hänsel and Gretel." It held and charmed them as it has held and charmed young people ever since Humperdinck wrote his beautiful score, but there was something else -- something which showed the presence of the Master's hand in bringing them so far from home and kindreds and leading them to the very spot where their presence brought, not only happiness to others, but to themselves the flood tide which carried them to the haven of their ambition. Pansy has given the details of this evidence of a Father's love and care in a letter which she wrote two days after Christmas: New York City, Dec. 27, 191- Dearest Mother, Ruth, and Uncle Will: Such a wonderful thing has happened, but I will write you about it later on in this letter, lest Ruth say I am out of order. We received your letters on Christmas morning, and Richard and I both felt better after reading them. I shall tell you about our Christmas tree and presents when we get home, as there is so much else to write about now. Stanley liked the skating stockings, the fir pillow and the pie we brought him very much. He and his father ate hot mince pie for breakfast Christmas morning, and Julia made fun of them and said she had just as soon eat dog biscuit, but Mr. Winthrop told her, pie was what he always ate for breakfast until he married her mother, and then she didn't have anything more to say. There is no snow here, but the air is cold and snappy. On Christmas afternoon, we went to the opera and sat in a box. I wore my white wool dress and some pink carnations, as Freida said opera was a very dressy affair. We each had a pair of opera glasses with which to look at the singers. Mine were brown pearl and old and were made in France. At first, Julia, Mrs. Winthrop and I sat in the front row of the box, and Mr. Winthrop, Richard and Stanley in the back row, but I asked Stanley if he would mind changing seats with me, as sometimes there were things I wanted to say to Richard. He said his mother wouldn't mind changing seats with Richard, as she had heard this opera before, so Richard came and sat in the front row between Julia and me. There were two intermissions, and during the last one, Stanley and Richard and I went out to walk around the house. Stanley took us to where we could look up at the rows and rows of people dressed in white, pink, blue and yellow and the men were in black, and it made me think of mother's silk quilt, there were so many colors all mixed in together. When we came back to the box, a gentleman stood there talking with Mr. Winthrop, and Mr. Winthrop said to us, "Pansy and Richard, do you know who this is?" and we said we did not. Then Mr. Winthrop said, "Let me present your relative, Mr. Alden from Kansas City." Then Richard and I knew it must be Uncle Herbert, because he looks some like Uncle Will only his hair and mustache are more sandy. He shook hands with us both and said, "Is it possible these are Sister Ruth's children!" I said, "Uncle Herbert, you must excuse us for not recognizing you, because we only know you by the check." Pretty soon he had to leave the box, but before he went, Mrs. Winthrop invited him to come for dinner with us that night, which he did. The music of the opera and the scenery were very lovely, but I was indignant at the old witch when she captured Hänsel and shut him up in a cage. If it had been Richard, I know I should have been much more excited than Gretel was. I was glad when they threw the witch into her own oven to be baked into gingerbread, and all the little children she had captured and kept in her sugar house were released. Then Hänsel and Gretel's father and mother came and found them, and took them home where Hänsel could bind the brooms and Gretel could knit the stockings once more. Uncle Herbert said at dinner, he had never been away from home at Christmas time before, but that he was detained here on important business. He said when he saw us at the opera it made him homesick for his boy and girl, so he asked the usher the name of the gentleman in the box with all the young people, and the usher told him Mr. Stanton Winthrop, and then he looked at Mr. Winthrop closely and knew he must be the one he used to attend school with in Paris, so he came and spoke to him. He thought we were all Mr. Winthrop's children, and it was a great surprise to him when he found that two of us were his own nephew and niece. Mrs. Winthrop asked him to come for lunch with us yesterday, and after it was over, we sat in the parlor, and he talked to us for a long time about you all and about what Richard and I intended to do when we were older. As he was going away, he put a five dollar gold piece in each of our hands, but we gave them back to him, as we did not know as you would want us to accept them. Then he kissed us good bye, and there were tears in his eyes, so that he had to go out of the door quickly, but he went and saw Mrs. Winthrop after that, and he told him that seeing us was the best Christmas present he ever had in his life. Now he has gone back to his boy and girl in Kansas City, but Mr. Winthrop says he shall keep in touch with him in future, as he knows he can be of help to him in business matters. Stanley is just as happy as we are that we met Uncle Herbert. He and Richard and I have gone out for a walk with Kim. We both keep very busy. In the morning after breakfast, I wait in the dining room with Mrs. Winthrop while she gives the orders to the cook for the day, and Richard and Stanley go out with Kim for his airing. Then Stanley and Richard and I go sight-seeing, or skating, or do whatever Stanley wants to. Late in the afternoon, if we are home, Stanley and Richard take Kim out again, and I sit with Mrs. Winthrop while her maid is getting her dressed for dinner. She doesn't mind having her face massaged, but she don't like being iced. I read to her or talk to her, and she says she shall miss me very much when I go away, as Julia thinks it tiresome to have to entertain her when she is taking beauty treatment. Tell Henry Bright I have seen Wall Street and the place where Father Washington was inaugurated the first president of the United States. Your affectionate daughter, sister, and niece, Pansy. Click Here for Chapter 37