The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1871-11-02
JLd6eps Story.

An III away yam n mi mudder-l viii.
Hd6eps Story.
We lived far away in the country !
in a rustic district. My father was |
Postmaster of the little place, ald |
kept a few groceries for sale. But he |
had enough to do to maintain his |
family scantily and clOthe them de- |
Gently. I was sixteen, and house
keeper; my mother was dead, and l |
was the eldest of US four children.
MY one great trouble then was my /
clothes. Other young girls of our sta |
ton that I associated with dressed /
better than I could, and it grieved
me. Vanity begins earlier than that |
in the female heat. 1 had made up |
and re-made every article Of my moth |
er's wardrobe for the children or for !
me, had worked up every shred to the
best advantage; and now that was all |
gone, and did need new dress for
the coming winter. l made my shoes
last as long again as other girls did, |
for knew my father needed every |
sixpence he could earn, and dreaded |
wanting anything. Not that he ever
was cross, but he often sighed, and
looked so panied and sOrrowfd when
1 asked for money, that 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 thin and paltry
now.
One Saturday afternoon shall new
er forget. 1t is what [ am going. to
tell of. My work all done, the chill
dren at play in the orchard, 1 eombed
out my long brown hair, put on my
best cotton frCck, selected a plain lin
en- collar Of my own making and PIN
ned it around my neck with an old
breastpin, the only bit Of jewelry l
had ever owned. With me, think
it was an instinct to dress well. Not
/ fine; only neat. Then, taking out
my last winters best frOck, sat down
/ by the window to see what could do
| at renovating il. 1t was a light blue
merino-very light indeed nOw-and
I knew it was too short for me, as l
was still growing, and was very shah
by. But by turning and putting in
| wide band Of trimming which | had
] thought it might be made to answer;
/ so I set to work with a will.
/ The work was vexing. | was try
/ ing to do what scarcely could be done;
and, as I sat sewing and cOntriving,
felt fit to cry over our poverty. Just
then the dog on the shop sill set up
loud barkin, and looked out to see
what il was at. A man was coming
in at the gate with pack or his back
a travelling peddler, knew. He smll-
ed and came in, although l said | did
not want anything; and the children,
seeing him, came running in too.
| "I cannot afford to buy; indeed l
cannot" kept saying. But the man
|. only kept on smiling, and opened MS
pack on the parlOr floor. And 1t was
too great q treat TO me to see the
things to make great opposition
The first thing that came out was
just the very thing that l had most
lOnged fora beautiful fine French
J merino, of a dark crimson color. |
had once seen a dress Of this kind, but
none had ever been offered for sale in
! our little place that could equal this
: in shade or texture.
II The peddler looked at me with his
= keen black eyes as knelt down to
feel of the prize I had no hope Of win
r ming. "The lady will buy" he saidi
: but l shook my head, and crossing
nv hands behind me, stood up reso.
= lutely, trying hard not to long for the
f much-desired piece Of goods.
! mot buy ~ he exclaimed in bro
( ken language of some sort, l could not
| tell whether German or French; and
! he looked so astOnished, even pitiful,
that felt sorry at once, and confessed
, that had no money, and could not
+ purchase.
''But the beautiful young lady have
a some old silyer-Old jewelry-old silk
: dresses-just good as money ?':. said
: he.
: laughed at the idea, but he only
= opened another package to display tC
: the boys some dumb watches with
= very gay chains, and handing then
q each one, he took out a small doll fOl
s my little sister, and told them TO ruI
/ away now, "till sister bought he
r dress" / mOtiOned to the boys Il
, stay near the doorstep, and then
i taking up the much-cOveted dress
T piece, again examined it. Satai
n was tempting me, or some vexatiOu
spirit that does duty for him, and nev
5 er had been so sOrely beset. How
i could let it go, yet how to pay for 1t
= The black eyes never LEFT my face
g but the fellow was respectful, onl.
y bowling lower as he said, "You thinl
f it good ,"
e "Oh, yes" replied, "toO good 70
= me-"
n "Not So" he said. It suits yO1
much, and you shah have 10 cheap
''I tell you have no money"
mo matter, trust. You give m
T. somethlngto to keep for you, and com
again" said he.
"But 1 have nothing" / insisted
'e Still he only seemed more eager; sal
le something Of hard times, Of having :
p stay at the tavern and expenses Owe
n Sunday, OF being 80 Every tired"-an
with the meriuO in my hand all tn
while.
ii Suddenly he stepped close to me
le pointing to the poor brooch I wore.
D. could give him that, he said; that /:
n lend it to him in trust until he cam
G. again. Did I think much Of It, h
. asked.
lie laughed as I undid it. 1 did NJ
re think much Of 1t, but It was all tn
ld iewelry / possessed in the world.
IN showed him my name on the bael
~ mabel" But it was worn nearly !
es legible now.
9 Nearly quite" said he, turning
n about in his hands. "It very poor.
And this was true: the poor thi
~ gold II il was gold, was all dinte
II and mashed fiat, the original pi
eu gone, and needle tied on by the ey
lls with a thread served 10 fasten 1t. Or
- large stone was set in the center
In large as a pea, surrounded by mir
smaller ones, but ore was lost OF
ne long ago, and had Oten tried 70 find
:, piece Of white glass TO fit the cavit.
re but had failed The stones we're a
NJ glass, a. / believed. Some CT the giT
OI IN the village would ask me why
OF wore the oldfashiOned thing and the
~ | would show them the dim "Mabe
u, on the back, and tell them had be-
= named after the name there. Son
u one had given my mother the p
~ for me when l was born; and sh
20 mother, said should bear the sar
"a, name. The peddler kept it in /
Is hand, and I noticed that his finge
Iiitt trembled.
I'll 'TII bring it you back in thr
ne months time" said he, "twOn't
~ o. no good 70 me, but I'll take il
On trust. Or, if you can pay sooner
NJ shall be about the neighbOrhOOd, al
~ shall sleep each night at the inn.'
ne ny BE you very sure did not hesita
81 long; the temptation was too grea
~ so, thrusting the old pin carelessly
.l- iu- to his breast pocket, he tied up
.H bundles, and with low bows LEFT
house.
ac- could scarcely b5lieve in my 60
he luck. I spread out my new frOck
on the bed, and held il before me to try
sii effect. And then l began % repent
ave Ny father, I knew wOnld not give 1
he one cross look; but still did hate
a. tell him Of the twelve shillings on
the peddler. / would be 50 saving
me- the next three months, that he wO
lose nothing by my bargain, for
ue scrape il together myself.
When picked up the linen banC
al an put il round my neck, did not kn
DIS how to fasten it at first without q
familiar old pin; then I recOllec
how often the girls had told me thl