Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1864-10-19
THE LACE-WORkER.
A Story of Wealth and WANT

n
Il tell YOU that really must ha it,
said Lady Clare; Il have no other that
will do. Ii is very old and aluable."
Il see it is, my lady" the quiet,
| helnless answer of one who felt that cir
cumstances were going against her, that
thev always did 90 against her, that she
had almost given up hoping for time
when it would not be so The lady be
fore whom she stood turned and looked
at her, when she spoke with some little
curiosity.
.sYes-" she continued, Il suppose you
know GOOD lace from bad, or you wouldn t
he able to mend properly. And Messrs.
Foley Il Hudson recommended YOU rerv
strongly to me az cheap and goud work
or. You see this piece was torn by a'ci
dent, and | have no other that matches
il"
"If you could possibly giye me till FRI
day, my lady"
/ Lady Clare made gesture Of impa
tience. as she replied: How is that pos
Sible. when | tell you that shall wear
! the dress to morrow night? / have posi-
/ tivev nothing else to wear.
The lace mcuder sent slight glance
round the room 1t might ha occurred
a room should ha e only one dress t"
wear; but the assertion excited no sur
nri>e: she was accustomed to hear 1t
! Her 9 ance was however. only moment" =
rv. II came back to the figure of Il lady
: ,ated in a low easy chair. with her feet
on fOotstool and a look Of ANNOYANCE on
! her face; and then it rested on the rug o
velvet pile on which SIZE stood, rs though
The flowers there had fascinated it,
Il ha Q a little hov i'll, my la.lv-wast-
in, away in n decline" she continu d: 50
il that hone you'll excuse me, hut I've
had no rest for three nights. and
But Lady Clare interrupted hastily
She had been thinking herself little IN
iured bv tie womans hesitation to under
take work which her ladvship had con
rei ed it would he ch1ritv to glve her
and the hint about the sick child passed
unnoticed,
"Nessrs Fo'ev & Hudson recommended
vou. repeated her ladvship. "nnd gave me
Ia understand that Won would he clad o.
the work If Won cannot get i done IN the
time. | wust fiud some one who can.
The lace members eyes kept stea lilv on
he flowers. though she scarcely saw them
She knew that she must sit M all night
Stitching. that the lad to whose wanine
]
~ to her in vain: and she also knew tha'
r She did not undertake the work some
one else would She conld not afford e
let sin a single such chance in her battle
for life
Thank YOU, nv lady" she at lcngtl
said $50 am rlad Of Il: Won can't kno"
how glad and III get it done in time "
Il quick worker.
{ She went away. and lady Clare leaned
hack in her easv chair and took M hook
She had hccr interrupted at an int"rcst1n.
oarf nd was astoni~hed To find that he
interest WIS gone SomHl ow, Sh" dtd n"
feel So satisfied as she had ex0ected to ie"
about the lace She shou ha II. o
course. and he able to wear the dress hXf'
unon: SO far the thing WAS ARRANGED SatlS
fac-oriIv But when she hegan trvlng Il
find out what wa wronr. the woman tac'
came before her. and the woman hersei
. seemed 10 he still standing. Shad"wY
presence. on the rug before her It wa'
such an old face Lady Clare thou"ht. Whe'
} she recalled her own look M into 1t
has sucG an expression of painful patience
worn out resistance, passive, deSpa'rih-
I re irnntion. as If for its owner there wa
y no way ont of the battle. no light to stru@
,le bv. hardly anv hope of an end to th
D strurrle And then Lady G are began Z
: snecuIate about the lives Of such women
fI Ir was subject on which she knew moth
f inc Her life had been spent IN the coun
: f~v. and this question. which had sudden !,
+. occurred To her respecting the homes
J the London poor. WIS new ground, yer,
vague and indefinite
% ~How tired she looked thought he
Ia,ivship. Il wish had offered her some
= tbinr | never thought OF ( And WIS.,
hadn't bargained with her about tn
price. 49,,
Of its ut-nrance, about the child VINO wa
/ III. fr~hea across her mind. Lady Gar
/ mt down her hook, and looked INTO IN
I tr, She had been warned COED :, ae'
e against imnosrures Was tins one eF
j. hans She thought Of her own llttie ooS
p ana grew tender hearted ut the picture
:, a childs 81 fering. perhaps the ihoucn
= suggested itself, faiatlv as -et and searcei,
:, aeknow lodged that she need not haV
!, been so unrelentinc about the lace; tha'
!, after all. il was just possible for her - G
:, without IL and wear some other dress
: Tn thought grow clearer. and she re
:, nroached herself She began To recollec
! certain eases of oppression which seemed
: now she came to think of II, not so yer
f dissinilar 10 this, and which had rouse
r. bar harshest ecnsure and Indignation =
i LADY Clare walked from the tlre 10 IN
' window wishing. with all her heart tha
the lace mender still stood there IN reali''
:, looking down with that strange, worn iac
J upon the pattern which she scarcely saw
And could have helped her, rehec'e