The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-09-27
EASY TO BE MISTAKEN.
/" Will you let me have it, John ?'l

Will you let me have it, John ?"
No, Georgia, can't"
John Randall uttered his refusal of
his wife's request very decidedly, as if
he felt that the request was unreasOn-
able; and yet there was an undercur-
rent of grieved impatience in his voice,
and look Of perplexity and self dis
satisfaction in his eyes. He wanted to
see his wife rise feom the breakfast
table, and thereby signify her ac.
quiesceDce in his decision, before he
went off for his morning walk to the
mill.
Georgia, however, did not rise. Her
looks did not eXpresc acquiescence.
She was a very pretty woman-very
pretty tall, slight, very fair, with
large clear, steady eyes, and profuse
brown hair. Besides her beauty, she
had an air of delicate composure
rather peculiar, and voice that sug-
gested alto flute notes. For all this
machinist i'm the great Halliburton Print
small, white factory tenements, whose
long, orderly rows constituted Mill
willie proper.
But George did not belong to the
factory element, although che had
married into it. She had been brought
up by relative, upon whom she had
been left dependent, and whom she
called Aunt Appleton.
Aunt Appleton lived at the other end
of Appleton-the west end-among the
Haliburtons, the Dilloways and the
Verses
Perhaps, under the circumstances,
Georgia might have looked a little
higher than John Randall. But then
John was as good as strong,
steady, manly, true.
Aunt Appleton had the sense to re-
joice at the perception of her pretty
| protege, and the generosity to give her
| a liberal outfit-her furniture, a COM
plete wardrobe, a nice wedding.
1t had been very agreeable to Georgia
to have these things. She was fas-
tidious to the core. She enjoyed ad-
vantages of position-her good clothes,
her prestige among the wives of the
other officials in the print works. She
was fastidious- perhaps little too fas-
tidious for her place
John Randall had reached his last
button-a somewhat sqiny button on
a somewhat shabby coat. He haG
neither time nor pretext for lingering
AT this last moment his wife raised heI
eyes, clearly, unfiinchingly, to his face
"Why not?" she asked, in her OWL
sweet voice.
1t is never pleasant for a man to be
called to an account-to an account
abount money land of course it was
money Georgia wanted) by a woman
and that woman his wife. Johns face
flushed a little; hot retort pricked
the very tip of his tongue, but he die
tnot utter it. He was very patien,
man, naturally; and then he had thai
deep, pure love for his pretty wife
which overreacles all slight shocks.
81 have exceeded my salary every
month since We were married
Georgia." he said. "The first of Jan.
uary will be here i'm few weeks, and
shall not be able to meet all the bills
that are due. 1 don't feel that We
ought to triffie away apenny of money
L don't believe you do, either"
"I shall say no more about it," she
returned. l ought to wear a new pail
of gloves to see Paul's bride, but i
you can't give them to me l must d.
without them"
John Randall's brain was fine
enough to understand that this was
not the acquiescence he wanted. HI
would like TO indulge her, but there wa.
the fact that, if he begun it, he should
be always behind hand, always poor
This was his fact. And Georgia haC
hers, aiso-that she was always II
be denied and disappointed. She
didn't mind so much wearing the ole
gloves, on this occasion; that which
troubled her. which was wedging itsel
painfully into her convictions, wa.
that she would have to give by all tn.
little luXuries and elegancies that sh,
so craved that her future was to be ,
plain matter-of-fact routine, deprivet
of those qualifications i'm whose alb
sence she felt sort of moral starva
ton.
"It don't seem as if you ought to b
disappoited, Georgie," said the hus
band, finally. "You know just wha
my salary is, and know just how far
will 60. We used to talk about saving
something every year, so that 1 nigh
better myself one of these days.
don't like to deny you"
"Never mind" she said rising.
She was one of those women VIII
say too little rather than too much.
Jonh went off to his work. Bridget
| the girl-of-all-work, came in to clea
the table. George busted the parlol
and made the pudding, fed the canary
: and then placed the sewing machin
in the window, facing the dull, leade
light of the November day, and So
down to stitch wristbands. She wa
very thoughtful,-a dogged pain o
her face all the while.
perhaps I shall stay to Aunt Al
pleton's to tea" she said to her hu.
band at the dinner-table. If i d
you will come after me won't you ~
Ia roAanfaI o ,,anp,onf