The literary echo. (Westerly, R.I.) 1851-1851, 1851-04-17
The Oppressed feGMstrSss.

Some people seem 70 nave an idea that
they pay too much for everything, end it
is a positive duty TO employ those who will
work the cheapest.
Mrs, Ellsworth lived very sumptuously,
and her daughters dressed in the most elc-
CANT style. We wont call them extrara-
giant, because people who h.ye plenty Of
money are not obliged TO give IN account
to their noighbors Of their expenditure
They we're, howevcr, discussing the very
subject Themselves upon their damssk loun-
ges, when the servant entered and prcscn-
ted the seamslrcss'c bill Such a nicely
folded paper ai=ays attracts the famiiy's
attention, aud, having looked at the bottom
and Che amount, o2e exclaimed:
''Desr ne, hos. high !"
They then proceeded to examine the con-
tents Of the bundle that accompanied tn
bill
"The aorl: is beautifully DONE" said
Miss Henrietta chow suparby this lace
is set on--ho, splendidly this IS hcn,,ch-
ed. / declare, mother, never intend to
do any more Eork myself again, it is so
much better than can make it look;
'But youforgot,' - sid the mother, "that
it cost. a great deal to hire all our sewing
fox large ismiIy. if It b, done ever 50
cheap - yet She felt h.lsolf that it va,
pleasant to have garm 'ntS mad.
81 ,.onler, - said Sophia tail grace
ful gill OF sixteen, to the little yoametrc.,
in the entry, 'what will you char.e to
make papa ten shirts. have engaged to
have them dosc by the first of May, and t
is SO long a job and so vexatious, W Oh
could transfer them to you to finish"
The child was sent homo to enquire Of
her mother, what she would ask to make
ten shirts vi:h full bosoms, hcmstich.i
each side, and rufGad, Of tn, nc st fabric,
and workmanship to correspond
The little girl returned, and artle,-Iy
replied;
"Mothor says how she Shall Charge a
dollar; but if the young folks said they
wouldn't give it, rather than lose the job
she would say seventy-fre cents apiece -
Amused with the simplicity which ought
to have excited sympathy rather than mer-
riment, Sophia pretended that seventy five
cents was all she expected to give; she
had hoped to get them done for fifty cents;
Mr.. Fuller gave only that But she did
not add that Mr. +. s shirts were unbeach-
ed, and very common work was put upon
them. After some hesitation, she brought
them down, and doing up large bundle
dispatched 1t to the seamstrcss, adding
"Now my poor head and eyes are relieved"
But let us see to whom the bundle was
transferred. The same seamstrcss once
had husband who was prosperous mcr-
chant, but speculated unwisely, died sud-
denly, and left a widow with two small
children to grapple with the hard fate Of
poverty and remembrance of better days. |
Ihey occupied but one room, and as her
only emplloymentwas sewing, it was difficult
to make both ends meet with the - ost un-
firing industry.
Don't you think, mother" said little
Ellen who brought home the work, "thc
young lady thought she ought to get them
made for fifty cents apiece But mother,
she surely could not have known what
slow process it is, to gather, hemstich, and
ruffle, and do all the sewing just for half
weeks rent, or she would never have said
So"
The mother brushed away tear. "No,
ssud, she never sewed for a living"