Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1873-07-10


palsy, and she jest makes as though
she wasn't looking my way, and walks
straight on. I tell ye what, Miss Sow
ereign, if ye want ter find out the ma
tur' of folks, what virtuer they're made
of, and what air hung onto 'em like
their clothes, jest lose your worldly
prosperity and good looks, and wear
out your store clothes. But that cash
mere shawl is ter blame fur it all
plague take it!''
"What do you mean?" asked Mrs.
Sovereign.
+ ooh, like as not you never see me
wear it. [ never he'd it on my back
more'n twice. l felt as if was carry
ing off christians burden every time I
put it on! Liza Ann don't know I've
got it-she'd take it away if she did.
| keep it sewed up in towel in my
straw bed-there WANT nowhere else
out of the way of Liza AIMS prying
eyes. I can't bear the sight of that
shawl, it makes my eyes smart ter look
at it, and the tears jest come of their
own accord. Sometimes I've been a
mind ter sell it; but, sakes alive! you
can't never get the vally of thing
like thatp'
"And how much did you give for it:?''
asked her listener.
CA hundred dollars!- s!-silver one!-
It blisters my tongue ter tell it A
hundred dollars, if I'm sinner; and
I've wore it twice, and he'd more wretch
edness out of it than there are threads
wove into itp'
"Oh! ohv' sighed Mrs. Sovereign,
wondering if her companion was in her
right mind.
eyes, I hev. Sometimes I've thought
if could git hundred dollars fur it
agin-though, of course, I couldn't
it would be jest enough ter take me
into the Old Ladies Home-that's one
of my castles in the air-so't I'd be out
Of Liza AIMS reach. I've thought
maybe the grave couldn't be so bad if
Liza Ann wusn't there tool"
"Dear, dear! But You were telling
me about the shawl pr
"Lor, yes! I've got habit of wan
dering onto ME like my old grand
mother. She'd begin a-telling how
the children got the measles, and she'd
let ye into the private history of half
the family by the way, and wind up,
like as not, with fortin somebody was
expecting from England. Wa'al, I
dunno as you remember the widder
Niles son that went a-voyaging ter the
worlds end? They do say how he wus
rich as Croysus, but she never got no
more'n his cheest after he wus lost
overheard. You see, she was expect
ing of him home, and his cheest came
instead.
"Wa'al Miss Niles; she didn't so
much as open it fur six months; and
then she found this 'ere shawl in it,
which s'pose he WIS a-bringing home
ter her. [ sometimes wish she never
he'd opened itV'
Hewsomever, the minute I clapped
my eyes on the shawl | was covetous
of it, and never rested till [ got it.
[ thought it was the most beautifulest
thing I'd ever sot eyes on. It looked
as if it wus all wove of rubies and pre-
cious stones, and it was most all bord-
er, saving bit of scarlet about as big
as bandana handkerchief! Now, you
see, Pd never owned a shawl but this
'ere robroy that I've got on; and though
it Want so nigh used up as it is now,
it he'd lost considerable of its bloom
and so, one day, when Miss Niles drop
ped in, and said she hedn't no heart
fur nothing sence James death, and
she shouldn't never wear nothing but
black clothes the rest of her life, and
how her only desire now Wus ter &c
out ter Indy fur missionary, and il
she could only raise a hundred dollars
on that cashmere shawl, 'twould helI
pay her way, and after that the Board
| would take care of her, it seemed sor
of pious duty to help her out, if sht
felt call. Lestways, it was one O
the biggest temptations that ever bese
! a poor vain mortal. We wus a-buyin&
back the house in joys Court at tina
time-fur, ye see, my husbands name
| he'd bin on Mr.. Crews paper, and wha
) did he do but up and fail, and obleeg
us ter mortgage the house! Wa'al,
: said it then, and l say it now, that i
t amt proper fur man ter put his mann
ter another mans paper, and leave hi
l family out in the cold-not that
| blame John half so much as myself
S fur he did it just to obleege, and