The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1869-12-31
The Merchants Hln0per.

| AiA'S I'LL DccH " we:
The N1ercn:snt's lanaper.
You have often wondered why
did not marry Ashley Graham, whc1
| told you that he asked me- Rose
Mantell said to me, on evening, al
we sat by the open window booking
out on the moonlight quiver,ng ovel
the lake, and silvering the old noun.
tains like fine hoar frost spread over
them: land now you want to know
why | am going to America, where |
have no friends-at least none YOU
know of. Well, have always put
you off when you have questioned INC
but tonight l will make o clean
breast Of it, as people say, and tell
you the whole story.
You remember when We lived in
Percy street. my brother James and
|? aud you remember how poor we
were, and what miserable thing we
made of it together, he with his paint
ing and with my musir? We did
hide things from you as we did from
others, but let you into the mysteries
of our numerous makcshifts and con.
trivances, and how We managed to
exist on what others would have
starved on. And you remember how
proud and sensitive james was, and
how. with his wrctched income-so
hardly earned, too, poor fellow he
was determined to keep up appear
anccs, and never let the world know
how poor he was? 1t was hard work
| can assure you; and the heavy end
Of the stick fell to me. The Heavy
end. Of this kind of a stick always
does fall to the woman; for, as the
housckecper, had to make the best
Of things and to feel The worst, to
pull the two gaping ends together as
well as could, and to put myself in
the gap when | could not.
Of course you remember Ashley
Graham, my brothers great friend =?
They had been students together at
the academy; and oncc or twice III
old days James had been down
to the Lakes where Ashley lived,
and in his humble modest way, dear
fellow, looked up to his friend as to
a superior being infinitely beyond
him in everything. Certaiuly Ash
!ey's family was better than ours;
and, though they wereall ruined now.
his early bringing up had been more
luxurious and refined than ours had
been; so that he in 4 manner conde-
scended when he came into our home
sphere, and he made me understand
that he ccndcscended. You know
how men can make women under
stand this. With James, Of course
Ashley was all that was genial and
hrotherly, though there was that GER
tain flavor Of the superior being in all
he said or did; but he treated me very
much as if ! were an upper servant,
or an automatan. He never spoke
to me; never even shook hands with
me when he came in.or went away.
If he had anything to ask, anything
he wanted done for him, he looked at
james and asked him. though had
to do it; and if by chance lie came
when James was out, and waited for
him, he used to take book and busy
himself in that, without paying more
attention to me than he did to the
cat. And not quite SO much. So
this was how knew that Ashley Gra-
ham held himself superior to US. He
was too honorable to treat me as his
equal when lie knew that l was his
inferior, | used to think; and | liked
him all the better for his haughtiness.
Ashley knew very little about our
real circumstances, and We hid the
seamy side from him, perhaps foolish
". For instance, he did not know
that we had only two rooms; that be-
hind the large old Indian screen, Of
our sitting-room was James bed:
and. that tho other little room at the
top Of the house was mine. He was
as poor as we were, but be was in So
ciety and we were not; and that gave
him an appearance OF superior con-
dition, which Of course he wanted to
keep up for the sake Of his family.
Still, hc knew that James did not sell
may pictures. and, as l tel; YOU, we
were all half starved together. But
Ashley thought we were better Of
than We were, and only l know how
poor hc was.
He was often in our rooms. and
lately he got into the way Of sleepin.
there. The first he asked for q bed
it was wild wet cold winters night,
when no one with heart could have
turned out even dog. In those
days he lived over at Holloway, or
some uncarthly place like that. It
was past twelve. and tho last omni-
bus had gone; cab would have ruin
cd him outright cab from Percy
Street to Holloway for poor painter
who did not sell his pictures, the
thing was impossible |! So when be
asked, in that off-band. cavalier way
of his, if We could take him in. and
James looked at me, answered brisk.
ly-"Yes. certainly" and, with .
/