Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1864-11-11

in such a hurry about the rent if l had
known just how the case stood"
Well, give it to me. Ny! how full
your pocket.book is" she exclaimed in
affected wonder, as he unrolled the pom.
derous portfolio, stuffed and crammed
with notes and silver. Thank you. Blu,
so long as you have your money out, you
may as well give me little more at once
it will save me the trouble of asking you
again. There don't scowl so. It's only
a trihe | want. Not SO much as those
furs will cost that you are going to buy
me for Christmas present"
"Furs! Whew! l hadn't Leard oi
them before"
:" Oh. l know you haven't yet" she re-
piled, coaxingly, "but you will between
now and Christmas-unless you give ne
what money want now. Let me see
the furs you are going to buy me will
cost seventy-fve dollars, I'll let you of
till next winter if you will give me-oh,
don't stare so-thirty dollars now. y
Thirty.fve dollars! What in"
Never mtNd the exclamation now,
said she, with roguish smile, laying her
hand (and pretty one 1t was, too) over
his mouth Count out the money first,
and I'll give you leave to express your
astonishment afterwards"
Tell me first what you want it for, y
said Mr.. Early, as soon as his speech was
restored him. taking advantage of hus-
bands prerogative. right established by
precedent, at least, Of questioning in such
matters.
Tell you what | want it for Oh
of course | will. | am going to invest it
for you. 1t will bring you in a hundred
per cent. and more too, just as long as
Mrs. Webb is tenant Of yours
How-what do you mean p
Why, don't you see-there's two tens
there IN that roll, and plenty of 6veso-
holdlns out the same pretty hand that had
so uneeremonously damned up the river
Of speech flowing from her husbands
mouth but moment betore-"only thir.
ty.fiye dollars, you know, which. with the
fifteen I've got,will make fiity in all and
am going to provide Mrs. Webb and
Catharine the means OF paying their rent
easily every quarter as soon as it is due.
10 be serious-r have told you that they
depended on sewing for living, and now
that sewing machines have thrown seam
stresses almost entirely out of business, it
is very hard for two poor women, with
delicate health, to serape together sixty
dollars every year to pay their rent with,
and provide them elves with the necessa-
rics OF life besides. So | am going to
j buy them such All article as that" sail
she, pointing to splendid sewing ma
chine that made a conspicuous article Of
furniture in the room, (which some kind
friend-not you. Of eourse-was it really
YOU, though never suspected any
thing half so sensible Of you-sent me
i last New Years; aad more acceptable
present | never received; and somebody
never did, and pevcr will make a better
investment Of his money than that-un-
less he thinks tit to g i've me the thirty.hve
dollars | want now. Don't you see, how
with that in the house. | have already
saved you more than it has cost by doing
nv own sewing, and have still found
plenty cf time to fold my hands besides
And with such a machine Mrs. Webb and
Kate could make themselves comparative.
ly independent.
"Well. well, Mary, when man is de-
ieated by his own wife, he doesn't exactly
ike, for his digni,y's sake, to acknowledge
it. Its equivalent to letting her wear
the you know what"
"Oh never mind your dignity. |
was never particularly impressed by it ;
and as for wearing the articles of which
you speak, any smart wife manages to do
that anyhow, just as do now when you
give me that-tea and ten are twenty,
aud five are twenty-five, and ten are
thirty-fve and fifteen l have already
makes fifty. That's right, and you are a
dear good husband.
The pretty delicate hand closed over
the coyerted treasure, and the :ull rosy
lips performed their appropriate otkce,
and it was hard to tell which seemed to
be the best satisfied, husband or wife.
Before many days went by, there was
joyful surprise at the unpretendlns
dwelling of widow Webb and her daugh.
ter. Catharine, delicate girl of eighteen
or thereabouts, seemed pale aad esaaclat-
ed from recent ilness; but at the sight
OF the splendid Wheeler 4 Wilson sew
ing.machiae-that at the first she could
not believe but it had been lei. there by
mistake. until she had read and re-read
more than once the accompanying card
with her own name ia fall, and the mum
her of her residence upon it-the blood
danced joytully from her heart up to her
cheeks, and ,ngled in her very fnger's
ends, at the certain prospect OF better
osys in store for them.
At first they could obtain no clue to
their kiGd benetactors : but the truth
finally leaked out. And if ever graft
rude swelled the hearts of human beings,
a did theirs toward their landlord, whom
they had hitherto considered so harsh aud
uurelenting, and to his pretty, klnd-heart'
ed vile.
When the next rent-day came, Nh
Early had not to call upon Mrs. Webb
for his money. 1t was promptly brought
to him, aud paid so carefully, that he
iocosely remarked to his wife that he had
ir ;,d to trv the eynerimeut OF a