{"product_id":"2940013650114","title":"Trifles For The Christmas Holidays","description":"CONTENTS.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTHE OVERTURE                             9\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA CHRISTMAS MELODY                      15\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSTORY OF A BEAST                        29\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLEAVES IN THE LIFE OF AN IDLER          45\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMR. BUTTERBY RECORDS HIS CASE           71\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDIAMONDS AND HEARTS                     98\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTRIFLES\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFOR\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTHE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTHE OVERTURE.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChristmas! What worldly care could ever lessen the joy of that eventful\u003cbr\u003eday? At your first waking in the morning, when you lie gazing in drowsy\u003cbr\u003elistlessness at the brass ornament on your bed-tester, when the ring of\u003cbr\u003ethe milkman is like a dream, and the cries of the bread-man and\u003cbr\u003enewspaper-boy sound far off in the distance, it peals at you in the\u003cbr\u003elaughter and gay greetings of the servants in the yard. Your senses are\u003cbr\u003earoused by a promiscuous discharging of pistols, and you are filled with\u003cbr\u003ea vague thought that the whole city has been formed into a line of\u003cbr\u003eskirmishers. You are startled by a noise on the front pavement, which\u003cbr\u003esounds like an energetic drummer beating the long roll on a barrel-head;\u003cbr\u003eand you have an indistinct idea that some improvident urchin (up since\u003cbr\u003ethe dawn) has just expended his last fire-cracker.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt length there is a stir in the room near you. You hear the patter of\u003cbr\u003elittle feet on the stairs, and the sound of childish voices in the\u003cbr\u003edrawing-room. What transports of admiration, what peals of joyous\u003cbr\u003eclamor, fall on your sleepy ears! The patter on the stairs sounds louder\u003cbr\u003eand louder, the ringing voices come nearer and nearer; you hear the\u003cbr\u003elittle hands on your door-knob, and you hurry on your dressing-gown; for\u003cbr\u003eit is Christmas morning.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhat a wonderful time you have at breakfast! There are a half-dozen\u003cbr\u003esilver forks for ma, a new napkin-ring for you, and what astonishing\u003cbr\u003ehay-wagons and crying dolls for the children! Jane, the house-maid, is\u003cbr\u003ebeaming with happiness in a new collar and black silk apron; and Bridget\u003cbr\u003ewill persist in wearing her silver thimble and carrying her new\u003cbr\u003ework-basket, though they threaten utter destruction to the\u003cbr\u003ebeefsteak-plate.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou sit an unusually long time over your coffee that morning, and say an\u003cbr\u003eunusual number of facetious things to everybody. You cover Jane with\u003cbr\u003econfusion, and throw Bridget into an explosion of mirth, by slyly\u003cbr\u003ealluding to a blue-eyed young dray-man you one evening noticed seated on\u003cbr\u003ethe kitchen steps. Perhaps you venture a prediction on the miserable\u003cbr\u003eexistence he is some day destined to experience,--when a look from the\u003cbr\u003elittle lady in the merino morning-wrapper checks you, and you confess to\u003cbr\u003eyourself that you are feeling uncommonly happy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt last the breakfast ends, and the children go out for a romp. Perhaps\u003cbr\u003eyou are a little taken aback when you are informed your easy-chair has\u003cbr\u003ebeen removed to the library; but you see Bridget, still in secure\u003cbr\u003epossession of her thimble and work-basket, with a huge china bowl in one\u003cbr\u003ehand and an egg-beater in the other, looking very warm and very much\u003cbr\u003econfused, and you take your departure to your own domain, to con over\u003cbr\u003ethe morning papers.","brand":"SAP","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47070129455344,"sku":"2940013650114","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940013650114_p0.jpg?v=1763583471","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940013650114","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}