Middletown transcript., 1869-09-11
popular Galra..
From the La@y's Friend for September.
AUNT MABEL'S STORY,
BY AUNT ALICE.

go dear how nice it must be to bt
young, and beautiful, and rich I" sale
Selma Hampton, as she laid aside th,
magazine she had been reading, in whicl
heroine with all these attributes hac
done wonders in her way
Aunt Mabel Mayo looked up from hel
work and said pleasantly to her favoritt
niece" You have nothing to complain
of, my dear"
Why, auntie, | am not rich"
" One may be rich and not know it al
the time" answered Aunt Mabel.
" But | should know it, Aunt Mabel u
said Miss Selma. :" Why, if | was rich
what troop of lovers would come after
me And as to friends, why, they would
come. of course, and l could do so much
good in the world, and have good time
generally"
{" tell you, child, you are rich, and dc
not know it. You have youth and beau
ty, pleasant home, loving friends, and
few troubles"
80, qHntic what do you know about
riches 7"
" Something, my darling. And if you
will listen | can tell you little story, and
YOU will learn that 1, like you, was once
rich, but did not know it,"
So, taking up her long-peglec:ed en-
broidery, Miss Selma seated herself in an
easy position, and listened to the follow
ing tale:
AT SIXTEEN" began Aunt Mabel, II
was my fathers housekeeper, for my moth
er was dead, and was the eldest of four
children. We lived in small town in
Ohio. My father was postmaster, and
kept few green groceries to sell, but it
was all he could do to keep his little fami-
ly together, to feed and clothe them de-
Gently, and tried to be as saving as pos
sible.
Young girls in country towns do not
wait for the magical number Of 'eigAteen"
to "come OUT ip, 50 7 had beeR Pout"
whenever l was invited any time after 1
was thirteen.
You must know l was once young, but
you may not think was beautiful still,
l was considered so, and like all young
girls, | had great desire to dress as well
as those with whom 1 associated. This
was one great trouble. 1 could and did
work, kept the house in good order, pre-
pared the meals regularly as my dear fa-
ther requested; dressed my two little
brothers tidily, end petted my darling lit
tie sisters even more than my father did
bad made over every article of my moth
er's wardrobe, had worked up everything
to the best advantage; and nov that was
all gone, and l did need a new winter
dress for the coming winter. I made my
shoes last as long again as other girls did,
for L knew my father needed every dollar
he could earn, and / dreaded asking for
anything. Not that he ever was cross,
but be often sighed, and looked so panied
and sgrrowful wheq asked for money,
that 1 tried to do with as little as possible.
But here it was the last of October
my summer dresses, poor enough at all
times, looked very mean now
One Saturday afternoon ] shall never
forget. My work all doHe, the children
at play ip the orchard, 1 combea my long,
brown hair, put on my best calioo frock
selected plain linen band of my own
making, and pinned it around my neck
with an old breastpin, the only bit of
jewelry | had ever owned, and taking out
the one dress left from last winter, l sat
down by the window to see what | could