The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1858-10-02
Grlclt Stories.
The Diamond Ear-Hings.
BY ELLEN ASHTON.

con. if had only a pair Of diamond
EARRINGS said Mary Allingham, pretty
girl Of sixteen, the daughter Of man in
moderate circumstances.
=" Is there so much happiness in dia-
mond earrings, my dear ?" quietly rcpli-
cd her mother, the sole other person in
the room with her
Happiness should be perfectly
happy. You don't know, mamma, what
beautiful pair Esther IIawlcy, has.
All the school girls envy her."
" I'm afraid, my child,' said Mrs.
Allinghom, that if you had the ear
rings, you'd soon be wanting some thing
clse-for, ill little while you'd get as
much used to them as YOU are to your
pearl ones. Besides, don't believe in
young girls wearing diamonds SO, even
if your father was richer, | should OPP
pose your getting diamond car-rings''
Mary sighed. No one but herself
knew what serious disappointment this
decision was to her. The possession Of
diamond earrings had long been secretly
her ambition, but aware of her mothers
aversion to costly jcwclry for girls, and
doubtful Of her fathers ability to pur-
chase such extravagant gems, she had
let nearly a year pass before she could
summon courage to speak on the subject
That evening, when Mr.. and Mrs.
dillingham; were alone together, the lat
ter mentioned her daughters wish.
81 saw the tears come into Mary's
q In cu;l g ,,.I,,,, I ,l,,;,.l ~,
quest and it made me almost wish we
could afford to crafty her. i'll had not
thought it would feed the vanity, which
is her one great foblc, | should have
quite wished IT'D
"Mary is good girl,' replied Mr..
Allinglnm, rcHectivclv. "Maybc, too,
if We gave her the earrings, it would
teach her L lesson. She'd soon find that
happiness does not consist in fine jewclry,
but in a contented and cheerful spirit"
So told her ~
"But there's no teaching like cxpc-
ricnce, my dear. Though the world is
many thousand years old, each generation
refuses, as obstinatcly us the very first
did, to accept the lessons OF life at Sec
ond-hand. We all despise the wisdom
OF our fathers, and secretly laugh when
they moralizc-though, in turn, we are
foolish enough to suppose our own chill
dren will give heed to us. It's human
nature, and there's an end Of it,"
" And you think We can afford the
earrings -
They may save us greater cxtrava-
gances after awhile. One can't always
deny an only daughter. Mary is scnsi-
bic, and will learn, / hope, the lesson |
wish to teach her, if VIC crafty her in
this matter. 1t will be cheap way, i'll
that event to make her economical.
" And contcnted!
" Yes! for that's even better than
economy"
So the car rings were bought, to the
wild delight of Mary, for she had given
up all hope of them, and could hardly
believe her eyes when she saw them,
on Christmas morning, on her
dressing table. How proudly she wore
them to the great family dinner at her
grandiathcr's that day! How she fam
cied everybody was looking at her at
church ! How green she thought Esther
Hawley turned with jealousy when they
were worn to school for the first time!
But Mary, as her mother had forctold,
soon began to tire of the earrings She
found they did not make her as hap
Ply as she had expected. AS she
grew Older and went more into society,
she met girls who had diamond bracelets,
and just as much more richly dresscdan
comparison. At first this made her en-
vious. But, as her father had said, she
was both good and sensible; and gradu-
ally she begun to see that, as she could
not have everything she wished, it was
better to put limit to her desires at
once. She observed that such of her COM
panons as were most contented were al
so the happiest. A poor widows daugh-
ter, Susan Bonnet, was the most cheerful
o. them all.
"Mamma is right" she said to her.
self. lit isn't what We wear that makes
US happy: it is the contcnted mind
Within"
One day, she entered the room where
her parents were sitting. 1t was, bitter
winter, and there had been much suffer.
ing among the poor.
Pa," she said, " have brought yor
my diamond earrings for if you have
10 objections, should like to have then
sold, so as to give the money to the poor
There's old granny Winslow, they tel
INC, hardly has anything to cat. | know