Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1867-02-08
THE PRAYER OF AUGUSTA ROSS
A Story cf the Times.
BY vIrGINIA +. TOWNSEND.

II cant make up my mind what TO do in this
matter, murmurcd to hcrsef Mrs Augusta
Ross rs she dipped dozen silver spoons into
china bowl of water, The top OF which was
thichly scattered wish fakes Of suds.
This was domestic service which Mrs Ross
was not in the habit of performing. and am
mot quite. certain that The lady wouid not have
been slightly disconscrtcl if any of her fash
ionable uptown friends had called and found
her washing her own silver: but The cook was
Ill that morning the errand girl had some or
ders TO leave at the grocer :. the cha mbcrmaid
had been eompellet, 10 invade the c,oh's pro-
vince, and, as Mrs. Warren Ross KEEP. only
three servants for her family of two she had
slipped the rings from her fair fingers and
coadesccnded to wash aud wipe the brcakfas.
china and silver tina. morning.
She was pretty and graceful woman as she
stood there in her morning gown Of green
cashmere, but the smooth young forehead wore
shadow of anxiety and trouble as she COM
muncd with herself
ssS piiii CH0t7u III TN1i
truble with his business, and know tia: he
feels as though he couldn't afford SO expensive
an.esta blishment as this
"Ive 60! so that dread 10 hand him BILL
and this morning when asked him for the
money for my new cloak and bonnet the look
in his eyes fair'y startled me-
"Ana to think, too, that Id made economy
special point in the matter, and the two cost
me only forty dollars!
"Im so troubled and worried that Ii m half
resolved to so to him and say, Well just break
up here and go off into the country and hire a
pretty little cottage somewhere and keep only
one girl, and live as economically as we pos.
sihlycantil these dreadful times arc over.
"But this would be such dreadful coming
down, and then what scouid sister Sara say,
| haven't tho courage to do the thing when
think Of her. She'd just believe at once tia.
Id thrown myself away, and was buried up
in the country.
And then to have all our society talk it
over and wonder and pity and a little shul-
der went over the lady as she wiped the gilded
rim Of her husbands breakfast cup.
@And yet it distrcsscs me to sec Warren in
trouble. He's growing pale and poor every
day, and that absent, anxious look o, l feel
when see it as though was willing to sacri-
flee anything almost to call back the old,
hearty, happy smile to his face in place of the
caro- that always see nowadays brooding
and lurking there!
Dear Warrenl l know that he'd strain
every nerve 10 get me everything want, and
OF course We can't live in a house like this in
New York without our expenses running up
terribly.
81 know, too, that it's womuns duty to
make every sac rifce for her husbands sake,
and that Sara or my society ought to be subs
ordinate to Warrcn's peace and happiness /
Mrs. Augusta Ross uttered this last senti-
mcnt from her heart and yet it was very hard |
to live up to the truth which it involved She
was generous and warm hearted woman, n
faithful and loving wife, but she had been
brought up amid the debilitating moral
influence of fashionable New York society,
and these had warped her character and weak
pned her judgment. She had not the moral
stamina to live up to her clcarest and highest
instincts in the face Of that society amid
which she moved, and the dread and fear Of
he worlds opinion, which she had been taught
10 recognize as her highest law Of action made
ner shrink and fluctuate when duty pointed
o any path which required moral heroism
md courageous indifference to what people
night think or say.
Mrs. Ross's parents had died when she was
! child, and just. after the marriage Of her
'istcr. who was eight years her senior, and
with whom the young girl had resided till her
marriage, for her parents left no fortune to
heir daughters. Mrs. Sara Yelton was
worldly, ambitious woman, the whole aim Of
vhosc life was to make all the display she
onld, and to rise in the class OF society v hich