The Cairo daily bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1870-1872, 1871-11-03
THE BULLETIN.
P"n'ie"'ion Onice, Bulletin Building,
Washington Avenue.
MABEL'S STORY.
From tie Argosy1

maintain his family scantly and cloth,
them decently. ! was sixteen, and house.
Keeper my mother was dead, and | wa.
the eldest Of us four children. The rest
being younger, ] strove to do my best for
them.
My own great trouble then was my
clothes. Other young girls of our sta
ton that associated with dressed better
than ] could, and it grieved me. Vanity
begins earlier than that in the female
heart. i hade made up and rcmade every
article of my mothefs wardrobe for the
children or for me- and worked up every
shred to the best advantage; and now that
was all gone, and did need new dress for
the coming winter ] made my shoes last
as long again as other girls did, for
! knew my father needed every sxpence he
could earn, and / dreaded wanting any
thing. Not that he ever was cross, but
he often sighed, and looked 80 panied and
sOrrowful when asked for money, that
tried to do with a. little as possible.
But here it was the last of October my
summer dresses, poor enough at all times
looked very paltry now.
One Saturday afternoon ] shall never
| forget. 1t il what ] am going to tell of.
Ny work all done, the children at play in
the orchard, combed out my long, brown
hair; put on my best cotton frock, selected
a plain linen collar of my own making
and pincd IL around my neck with an old
brcastpin, the only bit Of jewclry / had
ever owned. With me / think it was an
instinct TO dress we'll. Not fine only neat.
Then, taking out my last winters frock,
sat down by the window to see what ]
could do at renovating it. II was light
blue merino-yery light indeed now-and
] knew it was too short for me IA ] was
still growing, and was very shabby. But
by turning aud putting in II wide band of
trimming which | had, thought it might
be made to anwer 80 | set to work with a
will.
The work was vexing. ] was trying TO
do what scarcely could be done and as /
sat sewing, contriving, felt ut TO cry
over our poverty. just then the dog on
the shop sill set up loud barking, and /
looked to see what it was at. a man was
coming in at the gate with n pack on his
back travelling peddler, ! knew. He
smiled and came in although ] said ] did
not want anything and the children, see
ing him, came running in too.
." cannot afford TO buy indeed ] can
not, a." kept saying. But the man only
kept on smiling, and opened his pack on
the psrlor floor And 1t was too great
treat to me to see the things, to make
great opposition.
The first that came out was just the ycry
thing had most longed fora beautiful
sne French merino, Of dark crimson coll
or. | had once seen dress Of this kind,
but none had ever been offered for sale in
our little place that could equal this
in shade or texture.
The peddler looked ut me with his keen
black eyes MS knelt down to feel the prize
/ had no hope Of winning. THE lady
and crossing my hands behind me. stood
up resolutely, trying hard not to long for
the much-desIrcd piece Of goods.
Not buy he exclaimed, in "a broken
language Of some sort could not tell
whether German or French, and he look
ed so astonshed, even pitiiul, that ! felt
sorry at once, and confessed that / had no
money, and could not purchase.
" But the beautiful Young lady have
some old silver-old jewelry-old silk
dresses-just good as money said he.
laughed at the idea, but he only OPEN
ed another package - display to the boys
some dumb watches with gay chains, and
handing them each one, he took out
doll for my little sister, and told them
TO run away, now, till sister bought her
dress | motoned to the boys 10 stay
near the doorstep, and then taking out
the much-coveted dress-piece, l again e2-
amined il. Satan was tempting me, or
some vexatious spirit that does duty for
him, and never had | been so sorely
beset. How could let it 60, yet how pay
for it?
The black eyes never lett my fact but
the fellow was respectful only bowling
lower as he said, "iou think it good2'
"Oh, yesN l replied, good for me
Not So he said. :" 1t suits you much,
and you shall have it cheap.
~ tell you have no money
"No matter, trust. You give me some
thing to keep for you, and l come again
he said
"But have nothing" | insisted Still
he only seemed more eager said something
Of hard times, of having to staying at the
tavern, and the expenses over Sunday, of
being SO every tired and | with the me-
rno in my hand all the while.
Suddenly he stepped close to me, point
ing to the poor brooch | wore. | could
give him that, he said that is, lend it TO
him in trust until he came again. Did !
think much of it, he asked,
laughed as ] undid it. | did no.
think much Of it, but it was all the jewclry
possessed in the world l showed him
my name on the back, Mabel. But it
was worn nearly ilegible now.
Nearly quite said he turning it
about in his hand, 1t is very poor.
And this was true the poor thin gold, if
it was gold, was all dnted and mashed Hat,
the original pin gone, and needle tied in
by the eye with thread served to fasten
it. One large stone was set in the centre
as large as pea surrounded by nine
smaller ones but one OF these was lost out
long ago, and / had often tried to find
piece of white glass to hit the small cavity,
but had failed. The stones were all glass,
as i believed. Some of the girls in the
village would ask me why wore the old
fashioned thing and then l would show
them the dim "Mable," on the back, and
tell them / had been named after the name
there. Some one had given my mother
the pin for me when was born and she,
mother, said should bear the same name
The peddler kept it in his hand, and no.
ticed his fingers trcmbled
When picked up the linen band to put
1t around my neck did not know how to
fssten it at first without that familiar old
pin ; then recollected how often the girls
had told me that a bow of ribbon would
look SO much prettier So looking nm n