The Monmouth inquirer., 1865-09-14

4
and see that the artistic effect is pre-
served
By this time Miss Granger was pinning
on the lining over the slight girish form
of the elder daughter. She could fit
well, and they must have perceived it. /
gave few hints and directions, and the
work was accomplished. sIg1
will you leave the trimming entirely
to me ~ / asked, as the mamma shook
/ Thea lustrous, pearl colored silk out of its
f0sSk. +" or have you choice r.
I" leave it to her." heard the young
est daughter whisper; ! know by her
own looks she has good taste"
So it was settled that ] should make
the dresses as chose No sooner had
they left than [ began my task, / had
only two seamstresses engaged besides
Miss Granger; but we all worked. A
few other customers came in, and ! put
them off until these two dresses should be
finished. When done, they were to be
sent to Mrs. John Sturgis, Beacon street,
and / felt that if they gave satisfaction |
should have made as good beginning as
/ desired. | trimmed them so differently
that, though the silk was the same, the
dresses were totally unlike, and yet equal
in elegance. I sent them home the after
noon before the reception, and Miss
Granger was kind enough to go with
them and try them on, though not at all
in her province She came back and re-
ported elegant fits and perfect satisfac-
ton a
The next morning Mrs Sturgis came
| for my bill 1t was a matter on which l
had bestowed some thought had ques-
toned whether it would be best policy TO
conciiate custom by the moderation of
my charges, or to convey sense Of my
own Importance by their extravaganza.
One of my girls had formerly worked for
Madam Lubee, who had stood at the
head hitherto Of Boston fashion After
consultation with her / made out my
bill, charging perhaps two or three dol
lars on dress more than Lubee would
have done
Mrs. Sturgis ran over the items
You are little higher in your rates
than is customary here" she said; "but
| 1 suppose - must bs willing ~ pay
something for your taste. My daughters
dresses were the loyeliest in the room.
Can You make them some more next
week ? They want some walking dresses,
and dinner Dress" m
"Not next week, am sorry to say. I
am more busy than when you came first.
| think I might promise for the week af-
ter next" "a.
I had decidedly made hit After that,
customers came fast enough, and a good
many of them spoFe of the dresses Aggie
Sturgs and her sister had worn at the
wedding | was able in two months from
that beginning, to bring on my mother,
and to take for her third room-a small
one which happened about that time to
fall vacant-so that she could be as retir-
ed as she wished. / completed this ar.
rangement in the winter of 1861. and for
the two years between that time and the
first appearance of little g Brains" in my
establishment, had been prospering be-
yond my hopes.
But was not happy. Success brought.
indeed, "a certain kind Of satisfaction; but
| missed sorely the care-free life Of the
old days, the liberty to follow my own
tastes and ways, and l did miss Horace
Weir | had heard of him incidentally
He had come home from France, and was
now practicing his profession in New
York / would have given much to know
whether he had thought of me, inquired
after me, tried to trace me out. Vain
enough it must have been if he had. I
had given no clue to former residence
to single old friend Every one of
them, to the best of my belief, had lost
sight Of me. / was welded to life very
different from any Of my former dreams.
kheen successful, it is true, beyond
my Npeetations Iwas saving money
l could makemother comfortable. had
little to do with the laborious details of
my business. My task was to invent
graceful patterns7--t0 suit colors to fair
faces-to make charming toilets for girls
living just such lives as / used to live
once. God forgive me if sometimes l al
most hated them--if now and .hen mad,
rebellious impulse seized me, and cursed
fate in my heart, forgetting that fate was
but another name for Providence
I had been in one of these murmuring
moods when little Susan Mory interrupts
ed my meditations with her 6ne small
voice After she went away l relapsed
into it only partially, and roused myself
with determination at last, and went to
my mother to amuse her with an account
of my droll little visitor After ALL mother
had much more to bear thanI She had
not even the diversion Of business She
must sit through the long, slow days, re-
membering the past and all its gifts and
false promises stung by its contrast with
the empty handed present. How much
more she bad lost, tool What was the
sentimental regret Of young girl over
d love that had never been declared, to a
wife's sorrow and longing for the houses
hold tenderness which had been hers for
a quarter Of a century? AS | opened her
door reproached myself for all my re-
e