The Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1861-1862, 1862-02-01
The Prayer of Augusta Ross.
A STORY FOR THE TIMES.
DY VIRGINIA T. TOWNSEND.

II can't make up my mind what to do in
this matter" murmured to herself Mrs. Au-
gusta Ross as she dipped dozen silver spoons
4 into a china bowl Of water, the top Of which
was thickly scattered with flakes Of suds.
b This was domestic service which Mrs.
Ross was not in the habit of performing, and
@ am not quite certain that the lady would
not have been slightly disconnected if any Of
her fashionable uptown friends had called
and found her washing her own silver; but
o the cook was ill that morning, the crrand girl
b had some orders to leave at the grocer's, tho
NJ chambermaidshad been compelled to invade
a tho cooks province, and, as Mra. Warren Ross
Kept only three servants for her family of two,
she had slipped the rings from her fair fin
fiers and condescended to wash and wipe the
breakfast china and silver that morning.
She was a pretty and graceful woman as
she stood there i'll her morning gown Of green
cashmere, but the smooth young forehead
4 wore shadow of anxiety and trouble as she
communcd with herself.
.'t' Il see plainly enough that Warren's in real
trouble with his business, and know that he
feels As though he couldn't afford so expen-
sivo an establishment as this.
"rve got so that dread to hand him bill,
and this morning when asked him for the
money for my new cloak and bonnet the look
in his eyes fairly startled me-
. "And to think, too, that I'd made economy
special point in the matter, and the two
cost me only forty dollars.
"rm 80 worried and troubled that Pm half
resolved to go to him and say, Well just
break up here and go off into the country and
hire pretty little cottage somewhere, and
keep only one girl, and live as economically
As We possibly can till these dreadful times
are over
"But this would be such dreadful coming
down, and then what ,UouM sister Sara say !!
I haven't the courage to do the thing when I
think of her. Shed Just believe at once that
I'd thrown myself away, and was buried up
in the country.
"And then to have all our society talk it
over and wonder and pity" and little shud-
der went over the lady as she wiped the gild-
cd rim of her husbands breakfast cup.
"And yet it distrcsscs me to see warren in
trouble. He's growing pale and poor every
day. and that absent, anxious look-O, feel
when see it as though was willing to sac
ri6ce any thing almost to call back the old,
hearty, happy smile to his face in place of the
care that l always see nowadays brccding
and lurking there! e.,
"Dear Warren know that he'd strain
every nerve to get me every thing want,
and of course we cA't live in house like
this in New York without our expenses run
ming up terribly. 4" .' t
~ know, too, that it's woman's duty to
make every sacrifice for her husbands sake,
and that Sara or my society ought to be sub
ordinate to Warren's peace and happiness
Mrs. Augusta Ross uttered this last senti-
mont from her heart, and yet it was very hard
to live up to the truth which it involved
She was generous and warm-hearted wo-
81 man, faithful and loving wife, but she had
been brought up amid the debilitating moral
influence Of fashionable New York society,
and these had warped her character and weak
aned her Judgment She had not the moral
atauaia. to live up to her clesrest and highest
instincts in the face Of that society amid
Il which shemoyed, and the dread and fear o.
the worlds opinion, which she had been
taught to recognize as her higher law Of ~
ton made hsr shrink and fluctuste when duty
:, pointed to any path which required mora
70 heroism and courageous indifference TO wha
people may tAink or s.y. u
Mrs. Ross's parents had died whSn she Wa
achild. and just aitsr the marriage Of her sis
In, Who wss eight years her senior, and viii