The Columbian fountain., 1845-11-13

Il - hey WOntt 90, uhels hiss. Pouiiis
in the way of fine collars and capes will
sell, unless they are French"
Mary felt chilled at heart as Mrs. -
said this, and commenced slowly rolling up
her capes, faint with disappointment As
: she was about turning from the counter,
Mrs. -- said, in rather an indifferent tone,
"Suppose YOU let me look at thcm." ..
81 am sure you will think them very
beautiful Mary replied. quickly unrolling
her little bundle. "They have been wrought
with great care"
"Sure enough, they are quite well done,"
Mrs. --- said, coldy, as she glanced her
eyes over the capes. "Almost equal in ap-
pearance to the French. But they are only
domestic; and domestic embroidered work
won't bring scarcely anything. What do
you ask for thesc?''
"We have set no price upon them but
think that they are richly worth five or six
dollars apiece"
give or six dollarsr' calculated Mrs.
-, in well feigned surprise, handing back,
suddenly, the capes. 90! no, Miss =
American goods don't bring any such
prices"
"Then what will you give for them,
Madam 7"
eff you feel like taking two dollars apiece
for them, you can leave them. But ] am
not particular" Mrs. - said, in care
less tone.
"Two dollars y repeated Mary in sur
prise. Surely, Mrs, they are worth
more than two dollars piece!"
:" Pm not at all anxious to give you even
that for them,' said MRS. Not at all !;
for am by no means sure that | shall ever
get my money back again.
you will have to take them, then, sup
pose," Mary replied, in disappointed and
desponding tone.
Very well, Miss, will give you what |
said" And Mrs. took the capes, and
handed Mary Graham four dollars in pay
ment.
|" If we should conclude to work any
more, may we calculate on getting the same
mony for them ~
6 | can't say positively, Miss; but think
that you may calculate on that price for as
many as you will bring"
Mary took the money, and turned away.
1t was only half an hour after, that Mrs. -
sold one of them, as g French" for twelve
dollars
Sadly, indeed, were the sisters disappoin-
ted at this result But nothing better offer
ing that they could do, they devoted them
selves, late and early, to their needles, the
proceeds of which rarely'went over five dol
lars per week for two years they continu-
ed to labour thus.
AT the end of that period, Anna sunk un-
der her self-imposed task, and lay ill for
many weeks. Especially forbidden by the
physician, on her recovery, to enter again
upon sedentary employments, Anna cast
earnestly about her for some other means
whereby to earn something for the COM
mon stock. Necessity, during the past two
years, had driven her frequently into busi-
ness parts of the city for the purchase of
materials such as they used. Her changed
lot gave her new eyes, and her observations
were necessarily made upon new class of
facts. She had seen shop-girls often enough
before, but she had never felt any sympathy
with them, nor thought of gaining any mfor-
| UdtlOu ABOUT tllelil. HCy iliiSii iCcCI'o oHC
dollar week, or twenty, or work for moth
ing-it was all the same to her. Even if
any one had given her correct information
on the subject, she would have forgotten it in
ten minutes. But now, it was matter of
interest to know how much they could make
and she had obtained a knowledge OF the
fact, that they earned from three to six and
seven dollars week, according to their ca
pacities or the responsibility of their sta
tions.
When, therefore, her shattered health
precluded her from longer plying her needle,
much as she shrank from the publicity and
exposure of the position, she resolutely set
about endeavoring to obtain situation as
saleswoman in some retail dry-goods store.
One of the girls in Mrs. -'s store, who
knew all about her family, and deeply COM
miserated her condition, interested herself
for her, and succeeded in getting her sltua-
ton, at four dollars week, in Second-street.
TO enter upon the employment that now a
waited her, was indeed severe trial; but
she went resolutely forward, in the way
that duty called.
The sudden change from a sedentary life
TO one of activity, where she had to be on
her feet all day, tried her feeble strength Sc
verely 1t was with difficulty that she could
sometimes keep up at all, and she went