The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1862-02-01

As JOhn SterllngS preltV Wue was
speaking, she LETT down the soft, heavy
falling brocatelle curtains of the handsome
room, half parlor. half library, where she
sat with her husband; turned on little
more gas, so that the Italian peasant girl
and the dark, bright Spanish woman, OH
the alabastcr shade of the drop light
might display their beauties more glow
ingly; and then seated herself in a cOzy
little easy chair, beside the lounge, where
her husband lay stretched out in the en-
ioyment of the masculine comforts Of eve
ming ease and household sovereignty. Ia
king up a dainty bit of bright colored
knitting, she went on:
1T was very nice, to be sure, boarding
at mothers, but it was sort Of vacant
lie sII.g, aJl This is so much better; |
/ have something to 90 now
John Sterling smiled.
And something to gorern. After all !
believe it is the love OF power that makes
you women so delight in homes Of your
own. don't doubt, gentle as you seem,
that your servants find you as austere as
the Great Mogul.' ,
i declare, John, you are too bad.
never scoId, and I'm sure everything has
/ gone on so very nicely since we have been
| here
a whole week, Nellie, and the broomS
/ all new; but don't look sober. l have
every confidence in your ability TO keep
the wheels moving
| She sat silent while, until her husband
/ hogan to want to hear her voice again, and
rallied her tor her abstraction.
What is it, little one: You seem in a
brown study about something. Rcmem'
Der I'm your prime minister, and must
know ali the state secrets and cares ol gov
! urnmcnt.
| 4 was only wondering, John, whether
YOU would see cyI tain matter as | do.
DO You realize how many parties We went
u while we were at mothers! There
were the IlurbutS asked us three times,
and the Gray>on> twice, and you know We
went tvclyn here.
John Sterling knew that very we'll
/ SumeWh hat reserved ot nature save" those
/ Of his own household, and not fond ot gen
eral society, going to continual round "i
/ parties had been one Of the sacrifices he
! mad made, dulns the first winter of his
I mariiagr, to Please his gay littl,. "ile.-
! The idea crossed his mind, a> she spoke,
/ that she too had wearird Of Sn much eX-
! circmett, aud was going to propose, Tor
/ Tie iutul,, ii qllrtCr lIle.
Yes, lac alsm cred, | know we went
ont great deal, but | thought you liked
/ it,
| Yes, liked it, she said, with little
,mbaTras SIN, ut, tor her woman lhtutl"n
! OWNED the course his thoughts had ta-
ken. Il WAS only thinking, John, that,
having accepted 50 many invitations, rv-
cry one would say We we've very mean II
! We did not give one large party III return.
| 1t would bc Just the best time now, don t
you see? Every thing we have is 80
/ fresh and new-our drawing-rOonS are
really elegant. should so like to gather
OR friendS round US and give sort of
houSc-warming.
That's primitive, confortable'sound
ing term, Nellie. How much would this
| friendly little affair cost us:'
'Oh, I've thought that all over. We
should have to ask every one we KIN w.
1t wouldn't do to slight any. Besides,
the more the mrrrier, you know. We
could have Smith get up the supper and
furnish the decorations. His bill would
be about three hundred and ffty-say
fifty for music; and new dress for me.
| Five hundr, d dollars, eh, NellieE 2
Yes, am sure | could make five hun
dred do it handsomely. could send out
the invitations for week after next
We'll, dear, you must let me dream over
it. really didn't know receptions were
such expensive. affairs. Five hundred
dollars for an evenings entertainment !;
and the prospect OF hard. winter, and So
much suffering among the poor! Well,
III tell you in the morning. IL can
make up my mind that it is right, you
shall have the party.
The rest of the evening was little con-
strained. The young wife, seeing that
her husband did not care to talk about
the reception any more just then, strug-
gled bravely to avoid the subject, and in
asmuch as it held possession of all her
thoughts, was rather an absent-minded
companion.
That night, after his wife was quietly
asleep beside him, John Sterling spent an
hour OF not untroubled thought. Unlike
Nellie, he had been brought up in quiet
country home, where five hundred dol
lars would have been thought by NO
means inadequate provision for the sup
port OF the whole family during an entire
year. Vas it right, could it be right, to
spend it all upon an evenings entertain
ment ?-for the sake, too, of people who
would be in no wise benefited thereby
whose choicest pleasures were so common
that they had already paled upon their
senses? But, then, as his wife had Sug-
gested, they had been out so much
would not this drawing back fom re-
turn of civiiities look very mean?-and
John Sterling Shrank, 18th all the pride
of a sensitive man, from the least impu-
tation of meanness. They were not rich.
True, his capital was his own, and his
business was good, but he had not felt
that he could afford to spend more than
three thousand dollars year on home
expenses, ami here was five hundred ex
ira, upon which he had not counted,
coming at once. Surely he could not
dare, for such cause, to stint his con
tributions for the relief of the suffering
Could he afford it without? Nellie, the
INDUCED child of wealthy parents, knew
nothing of such anxious thoughts she
only heard the result in the morning.
Before lie gave her his gOod-by kiss, he
said, in a tone a little more sober than he
meant it should be:
'Well, dear, you shall have your par
ty. You can begin making your arrange
ments at once. Here is hundred dol
lars for the feminine adornments; will
pay Smith and the music afterward.'
That was all. John Sterling had sun
nv, unSeltSh temper, and when he had