Maryland free press., 1866-05-31
VOLUME 7.


"Oh, certainly; that was your direction.
But I call it extravagant. Now, how
much extra do you suppose l had to pay
for gilt edge and pink lining?"
I'm sure 1 don't know" was my care
lessly spoken answer.
"Nor don't care, either, why didn't you
say?" He smiled with just shade of
gravity in his eyes, adding-.'B will
inform you nevertheless. The pink and
gilt in that little package, cost just fifty
cents"
Nothing so very ruinous in that" l
threw back the words, laughingly.
"Not at ALL" only it just crossed my
mind that many poor man works hard
all day for just double the amount here
spent in gold leaf and tinting useless,
ALL" ... 'a.-
dropped my eyes away from the earn
est look with which my husband seemed
regarding me. He had not meant to utter
a rebuke, but his words vent home. My
thought passed instantly to poor Mary,
our washcrwoman, and her long, hard
days work. I thought of her two little
children at home, from whom she had
been absent all day, and the mcagre pro-
vision she could make for them and her
self on the small sum of her earnings
seventy-fve cents day, with the certain
ty of never more than three or four full
days work in week. thought, like
wise, of my refusal to increase the sum of
one days earnings by the addition of even
a single shilling, which my cook, with
more Kindness and sympathy than 1 had
given her credit for, urged me, in her i'm
pulsive way, to advance. A shame spot
burned on my cheek.
Rising suddenly, went down stairs to
the kitchen.
where's Mary?" I asked.
"Gone," answered cook, coldly.
"Did she get her supper?"
"No, ma'am. She couldn't stay. The
wash was heavy, and we didn't get thro'
till late"
"Why didn't you get her some support"
81 wanted to, but she said no, she
wasn't hungry.
81 am sorry" was my remark, and
stood thoughtful, for some moments
Conscience was troubling me.
sis she coming next week, as usual?"
"Don't know ma'am. She didn't say.
Guess as how she'll try to make a day some
where else, if she can" ...
I turned, and went up stairs. feeling
altogether uncomfortable. What q trihe
was the sum to me which l had refused
to advance-to her, If how much impor-
tance. In parting with it,I should never
have felt the slightest diminution of COM
fort, while the gain to her would have been
great. Very exact was in dealing with
this poor woman, bargaining for her work
at the lowest rate for which it could be OBJ
tanned, yet liberal in cxpcnding from a
mere generous impulse-giving away
things of taste and ornament, to persons
better able to purchase than | was to be-
stow.
The matter troubled me. I looked so
sober, as [ sat at the head of the tca-table,
that my husband enquired, with a shade
of concern on his face, if were not we'll
"Oh, yes" 1 replied, rallying myself,
''quitc well;' and then l tried to make
conversation, in order to push aside, if
possible, the unpleasant thoughts that in
truded themselves. But l remained i'll at
ease. Conscience kept accusing me-
Had I been just, humane, considerate? l
could not answer, yea. Fifty cents for
gilt and tint was thing of no considera-
tion;, but twenty-five cents to my poor
washerwoman, who toiled wcarily from
sun to sun, was so weighty matter, that
self-interest would not permit me to de-
eide in her favor. Two or three times
during the evening had resolved to send
my c ,ok to Mary, who lived not far dis
tant, with the twenty-five cents had SO
positively refused to advance on her wages.
But this would have been to acknowledge
myself wrong, and human nature is weak.
I was not quite ready for this.
"You needn't get me those photographs
saidsI to Mr.. Wilkins, on the next morn
ing, as he was leaving the house, after
breakfast
"Why not?' he enquired looking at ME
curiously. H"
I really felt as if he were reading my
thoughts, and my eyes fell away from his
| involuntarily. @-.'
'sI can make better use of the money
was my answer.
"Gilt edge and pink liningw Mr.
Wilkins looked at me from the corners o.