The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1872-08-31
EASY TO BE MISTAKEN.

No, George, | can't.
John Randall uttered his refusal Of hi
wife's 5 request very decidedly, as if he fel
that the request Was unreasonable am
vet there was an undercurrent Of grIeveC
lmpatience in has voice, and a look Of per
plexity and self dissatisfaction in his eyes
He wanted TO see his wife rise from tn
breakfast table, and thereby signify he
acquiescence in his decision, before h
went OF for his morning walk To- the mill
George, however, did not rise. He
looks did not express acqulescence. Sh'
was very pretty Soman-very pretty
tall, slight, very fair, with large, clear
steady eyes, and profuse brown hair. BE
sides her beauty, she had an air Of delicate
graceful composure rather peculiar, and I
voice that suggested alto lhute notes. Fol
all this she was simply the wife Of mas
ter machinist in the great Halliburton
| Print Works of Millville and mistress OF
one Of the small, white factory tenements
whose long orderly rows constituted Mill
vile proper.
But Georgie did not belong to the fac
| tory element, although she had marrlef
into il. She had been brought up by q
relative, upon whom she had been left de
pendent. and whom she called Aunt Ap-
| pleton.
Aunt Appleton lived at the other end Of
| Appleton-the west end-among the Hall
burtons the Dilloways, and the Verses.
Perhaps, under the circumstances, GeOr-
! ne might have looked a little higher than
! J bhn Randall. but then john Was az
good as gold-str"ng, steady, manly,
true.
Aunt Appleton had the sense to rejOice
at the perception Of her pretty protege,
and the generosity to give her = liberal out
ht-her furniture, a complete wardrobe, a
nee wedding.
1t had been very agreeable To George to
have these things She was fastidlous &
the core She enjoyed advantages Of posi-
ton her good clothes, her prestige among
the wives Of the other officials IN the print
works She was fastidious perhaps a
little too fastidious for her place.
John Randall had reached his last but
ton-a somewhat shiny button on a some
what shabby coat He had neither time
nor pretext for lingering. At this last
moment his wife raised her eyes, clearly,
untinchingly, to his face
Why not y she asked, III her own
sweet voice.
u IS never pleasant for man To be call
ed to an account TO an account about
money land Of course IT was money GeOr-
gie wanted) by a woman, and that woman
his wife Johns face flushed = little a
hot retort pricked the very tip of his tongue,
but he did not utter it. He was q very
patient man, naturally; and then he had
that deep, pure love for his pretty wife
which overreaches all slight shocks.
:" have exceeded my salary every month
since we were married, George, he said
The trst Of January will be here III a few
weeks. and shall not lie able to meet al
the bills that are due. | don't feel hat
we ought TO trIhe away penny OF money
don't believe YOU do either.
{" shall say no more about 1t, she re
turned. - ought to wear a new paIr oi
gloves to call ON Paul's bride, but If you
can't give them to me | must do without
them"
John Randalls brain was tine enough T.
understand that this was not the acqules-
cence he wanted He would like to indulge
her, but there was the fact that, if he
begun it, he should be always behindhand
always poor.
This was his fact. George had hers,
also-that she was always to be denied and
disappointed She didn't mind so much
wearing the old gloves, on this occasion
that which troubled her, which was wedg
ing itself painfully into her convictions,
was that she would have to give up all the
little luxuries and elegansies that she %
craved that her future was to be plan
matter-of-fact routine, deprived Of those
qualifications in whose absence she felt q
sort Of moral-starvation.
g 1t don't seem as if you oughtto be dis
appointed, George" said the husband
finally. You know Just what my salary
is, and know Just how far it will go. WI
used to talk about saving something every
year 80 that | might better myself one o.
these days. | don't like to deny you
Never mind, she said rising.
She was one Of those women who say tOC
little rather than too much.
John went off 10 his work Bridget, the
| glrl-of- -all-wOrk, came IN to clear th'
table. George busted the parlor, Anc
made the pudding, fed the canary, snc
then placed the sewing machine IN th'
window, facing the dull, leaden light Of thu
November day, and sat down TO stitch wrist
bands She had been married more thai
a year, and was making her first shirt TO
John. She was very thOughtful.-a dog
ged pain on her face all the while.
Perhaps | shall stay to Aunt Apple
tons to tea, she said to her husband q
the dinner-table. Ii do you will COM
for me, won't you r.
He reflected q moment.
% l told you last night, George, that
should have to be from home an hour 0
two this evening. There 10 to be meet
ing of the officials OF the mil At half pas
seven. / should be too tired 10 dress AM
20 up to your Aunt's afterwards"
Il had forgotten" she said quietly .
quietly that he thought she did no
care.
When he was gone abe went TO her bed
room to arrange her toilet for the call Sh
put on the best she had, Of course. Sh
had genius for dress and, despite tn
the mendsd gloves, she looked as stylis
as she did pretty.
just % she approached her sunts gate
old Mn. Halliburton, in her velvets an
steelest of steel-colOred silks, was bein
handed from her carriage by her son. Tn
HaliburtOns were the owners of the mill
which John Randall was employed. Stepl
en-, the only son, and Just returned frol
| a i've years residence abroad. These tv
\ = A.