These three pieces of vocabulary occur in the first two
paragraphs of the story. First we are told that Della is only able to save the money she has to
buy Jim a present through the "silent imputation of parsimony" that haggling so carefully
indicates. This means the suggestion of stinginess that is obvious by the way that Della is
forced to be so careful with her pennies.
Secondly, Della reflects
that life is made up of "sobs, sniffles and smiles, with sniffles predominating," which means
that out of the three, sniffles occur the most. This is a sad reflection on the state of life
that Della and Jim are forced to live - because of their poverty, every day is a struggle to make
ends meet and luxuries such as Christmas presents, which of course is a key aspect of this
excellent short story, are way above what they are able to afford.
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