Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-05-13
Cafes aud Skttthts.
WANTED A HOME.


grounded assumption, and my bruised
spirits recovered themselves sufficiently for
me to tell my husband that I forgave the
overthrow Of my lares and penates, in con-
sideration of the sensible relief from the
addition to my household course of what
she paid me. He laughed and shook his
head, and bade me "wait and see, before
went over unreservedly to the enemy"
How can people bring themselves to
speak lightly of What they call "minor
miseries ?" Thosethat was called upon
to endure would come into that category,
l suppose; but what excruciating wretch
edness they caused me grew nervous
and irritable, unfit for my work as a
mother, wife and artist. But endured on
hopefully, and coEtrived to make my hus-
band believe that found compensation
for the ills endured in Miss Cleveland's s
society.
About a week after the copies of the an
| tiques had been condemned to beat re-
treat, went down to the drawing-room
. one morning, and found Miss Cleveland
shifting the air with deeply aggrieved
| expression in her fine brown eyes.
"Is anything amissp" l asked, tremb-
lingly, and without hesitation she told me
that there was something very much
amiss. She had serious doubts about the
plants.
1.-The plants !" l exclaimed, looking
round anxiously at my healthy green
friends. "They are doing beautifully my
plants always flourish"
"Ah, but they flourish at the expense of
the human beings who live with them, I'm
sure" she said, with some vehemence, II
have read in some medical work that they
actually rob us of the oxygen we ought to
take in when they thrive; and, when they
don't thrive, your own common-sense will
tell you how bad it must be to live in
room with decomposed vegetable matter.
| Besides, they harbor dust and insects"
After brief argument, l gave up the
contest. consented to sacrifice the love-
liest ornaments my room could boast of,
and, when had done it, Miss Cleveland
triumphantly substituted some abomina-
tions made in wax.
81 think you're goose to put up with it,
Flo,' Edgar said to me.
And for answer reminded him that we
had three small childen, and that Miss
Cleveland paid us at the rate of four hum
dred year Or at least she was to pay
us at this rate according to our agreement,
and had no fear of her falling short of it.
She had fine, lavish way Of spending her
money on anything that struck her taste,
that confirmed me in my belief that she
was very rich woman. although no coin
of the realm had passed between us as yet.
A thrill of suspicion would pass through
my mind at night sometimes as / was ly-
ing broad awake. But, in the garish light
of day. she looked SO frank, and fresh,
and fair. and above-board generally, that
could not doubt her.
1--WE shall get the money all down. in a
big lump at the end of the quarter prob
ably"
II hope we SHALL" he said, obviously.
meanwhile, dear, we must pay for the
doubt, as you are always saying she has.
but l wish it wasn't quite such an extrava-
giant one."
Time went on, and Isabella Cleveland
had become very much one of us. Under
her auspices my house had assumed an APP
pearance of luxury and splendor which it
had certainly been lacking in before. But
the art-aroma had fled from it. 1t was
strictly conventional now in its arrange
enthusiastically proper, and comfortable,
and conventional But it had lost its
look of individuality, and the process by
which it had lost this had plunged us
very deeply in debt.
At length l gathered up my courage.
and spoke to her on the dreaded subject of
payment. well remember the morning
on which burst the bonds Of silence. 1t
was summer morning, and at breakfast
she had suggested u number of expensive
alterations In the garden and cOnservato-
ry, which. if carried out under the existing
circumstances, would, felt, half ruin us.
Under the influence of this terrible convic-
ton Ispoke.
Belle" said 1--WE had grown so init
mate and fond of one another that we had
fallen into the wOmanly weakness of Chris
tian naming one another)-''Belle, really
can't have any more beds cut in that lawn. :"
Yet you pretend to be so fond of flow
ers?" she said, in some surprise and felt
some embarrassment in explaining to her
that was "fond of many things that |
felt could not afford"
"Do you really mean that?' she said,
looking at me obviously, in some distress.
Indeed do" said dejectedly. lied
and have had a hard time of it, | assure
you; our expenses are heavy, and our
ready money is short"
She looked wistfully away out of the
window for while, and then she turned to
ne and asked, in an altered tone, if a ''lit-
tie ready money would be of any service
to me now?"
"If you could let me have just the quar-
ter,' said with spasm, lit would be
very nice, very convenient, very hopeful
to me indeed!' blurted out at last, and
almost stiffened with horror when she an
swered:
"Mrs. Forester, can't can't"
mot just yet, is that it?" asked. in the
weak hope that she was only sorry to be
obliged to defer payment for day or two.
Not at all, she said miserably. II
have been trying to make up my mind to
tell you this, and have put it off, thinking
you were rich people, and it didn't mat
ter"
think she saw the shiver that passed
over me as reflected ON all the conse-
quences her imposture would bring upon
us. A hideous array of unpaid bills stared
me in the face, of unpaid bills that were
to have been paid with that money which
| 81 L.. q ~.