The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1868-03-14

81 Il am very sorry" said our mortified heroine,
| "but have not a dollar in the house..
Mrs. Fitzgerald bowed coldly-evidsntly she
did not believe the protestation-andM Mrs. Whar.
ton saw her enter her coupe and drive away,
| with the comfortable consciousness that she
would be invited to no more OF Mrs. Clarence
Fitzgerald's Delightfully."- exclusive parties
"Mrs Wharton" said the cook, "there is boy
| at the door from the fruiterer's-he has an ele-
CANT pineapple Mrs. Pepper sent round"
1T will be the very thing want for desert, /"
| said Mrs Wharton. "How much is it,"
"A dollar, maam."
Once more the everlasting dollar! Mrs. Whar.
ton bit her lip with vcxation.
Tell him to leave it, Bridget, and will call
and settle tomorrow"
He says, maam, Mrs. Dalton wants it, if We
don't happen to have the money handy. Pine
apples doesn't go beggin' this season of the year"
"Let Mrs. Dalton have it, then; I'll never buy
another article of Pepper"
Mrs. Wharton was considerably annoyed.
"TO think dollar should be such useful
thing" she muttered to herself, taking up her
portfolio.
A half finished letter Law there-one to her
| sister, who was the wife Of a clergyman out
west, with flock of little children around her.
The last words she had written were, 81 send
you dollar to buy doll for the baby, my little
namesake."
"How provoking" she exclaimed, II can't
even finish the letter for lack of the everlasting
dollar !"
She leaned back in the velvet cushion of her
chair, and drowsily watching the blaze and lis
| tenng to the patter of the rain againt the win
| dow, fell fast asleep.
| Where was she I! In the spectre boat of Cha
| ron, gliding over the river Styx-dod, as the
bark touched the shores Of the other world, the
| CHASTITY tol-gatherer extended his hand, relent-
lessly: "Your fare, if you please, ma'am."
Mrs. Wharton had her fare ready-she handed
it up, eager to pass through the gates, where she
could see the musical wave of palm trees and the
| sparkle of glitterins tides that flowed beneath
| their shadow.
dollar you cheated the poor seamstress out of.
You cannot enter"
Mrs. Wharton drew a hundred dollar bill out.
The grim Cerberus shook his head:
"lf you had ten thousand, it wouldn't do.
Nothing will serve our purpose but that one
dollar" 80 ED
Charon turned the boat briskly round-Mrs.
Wharton was just opening her lips to utter a
wild cry of anguish pleading-wheu she woke
| up.
| She shuddered somehow the dollar had as.
sumed preternaturally large dimensions
"Charles! Charles! I" how welcome were the
| footsteps of her husband upon the stairs
"Well, what is it 7"
''Have you dollar?"
"Half dozen of EN- if you want"
"But l only want one-a one dollar BILL
| He gave it to her-she rang the bell.
'John, want you to put on your India rub
| Der cloak and take this bill around to Mrs Leg
| gett, and tell her it is what l owe her"
John departed, and Mrs Wharton breathed
more easily.
Perhaps they will lie. me into the gates now, :"
she said dreamily
"My dear, what do you mean?" demanded
her astonished husband.
And Mrs Wharton told him the story of her
day S adventures, and the dream that had closed
them.
"Helen," said her husband, gravely, "let this
be lesson to you, never to neglect the just dues
of the poor A dollar is not much to us-to them
it may be the last frail bulwark between them
and starvation"
But there was no danger of Mrs. Wharton
ever forgetting the lesson she had received.