Delaware Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1843-1874, 1873-11-10
Mable's Party ID ress.

Come, Eleanore, cry quits with your SO ing
tonight, for coming home l stepped into the
book store and bought couple of tickets for
the lecture"
"Whose lecture pray?" inquired Mrs. Ellis,
not rtising her eyes from her work.
"liad you forgotten that your favorte Phil
lips was to give us the Lost Artist" It's aston.
ishing what memory you have" and Mr.. Ellis
bent kindly over the weary wife sitting in her
low sewing chair, her fingers deftly adjusting
and arranging ruiles and ribbons on q showy
merino. The sweet, but faded face oil the wifs
turned momentariy from her work AN express
Ion CT sorrow lifting over it as she said:
VI am so sorry TO dissappolnt you.-
| wanted To go; If the lecture was Tomorrow
evening instead of this;but cannot 90 tonight.
| must finish Mabel's dress by tomorrow niYht.
anu each day bringing Its duties dare not oa, o
SO much TO be done Tomorrow"
"llas'n the child anything to weai?r impa
tiently exclaimed Mr.. Ellis.
"Plenty ofdresses, but none so suitable FIR
SO line party, and | could not dsappoint
her; she has set her heart Upon wearing tLr
dress" '''
"Well, | acknowledge l don't understand
these things very well, but l do understand
one thing, wife, and that Is, that you arc max
ing slave OF yourself for your children. You
are growing thin and careworn over this ever
lasting array OF sewing; cannot think il ia n
mothers duty to deprive herself of coveted
treat which she absolutely requires, to stimulate
the vanity OF her child, and what is this bnt
stimulating vaniiya"
Mr.. Ellis laid Lis hand upon the trimmings
by way OF emphasis, but seeing the look of an
gush andpain in his wife 5 face he quickly add
cd: N
81 wish could afford to hire this sewing nil
done, but dress makers bills are appalling, and
shall have to wait until am richer man or
dress-makinS less expensive. thought Won
was to have Miss Leslie to help you to work on
this dress" va
"To tell you the truth, Edward" ant Mrs.
Ellis face flushed as though she had comm itied
an oflense, "I had not the heart TO caIl mon
you ior any more money, AMI tho
twenty-five dollars you gave me, which
thought would cover all the expenses of the
dress, only barely supplied the material for il.
burdened myself with the making to save al
ditional cost; these dresses cost more than one
IS aware of at first thought" continued Mrs.
Ellis apoogeiically.
swell, think for people with A mode ra,e
income ~ IS an expensive dross. don't know
what Will be good enough for the child when
shc Is eighteen II she has twenty-five dollar
party dresses at fourteen. However, Eleanor
we wont worry about it; one party diess WON'T
break us" and the kind-hearted husband lai
his hand gently on the dropping head that bent
lower over the work To hide her emotion, that
would not be restrained.
81 shall have to hear for you as well as nv
self suppose, and report The lecture. Do You
think my style equal to that of the silverionpue,
Phillips? Wish you could go, Aunt Mary" and
Mr.. Ellis turned to an elderly, pleasant faced la
dy reclining in an invalid chair, shook himself
into his overcoat and passed out of the room
Silence relgned in the little sitting. room, un-
broken save by the mouotonous ticking of the
clock, and the cracking sound of the cambric
lining as Mrs. Ellis moved the dress
The pleasant refined face of Aunt Mary
cherished relative, whose soiourn was a source
of delight and whose presence was ike a bene.
dicilon, so gentle and amiabe was her charac-
ter-wore puzzled expression as she sat Silent
ly stroking old Tabby, who had found a wei.
come In her ample lap.
1t was an unusual thing for the family room
to be so dull and silent upon an evening, fol
conversation, music, or reading, and the limo.
cent pratte Of children filled it with sunshine
always, and Aunt Mary was wishing for the pei
OF the household, littlo Dora, when Mrs. Ellis
exclaimed with q troubled sigh.
~ wish you would say something Aunt Mary.
my thoughts are not Pleasant ones; l am con
stantly devising ways and means until I sbal
become a calculating machine unable to do apy.
thing else.
l am so thoroughly encast d in this armor of
scheming anxle'y cannot escape from myself
long enough to fasten my mind upon which
require, and good book is about The same Ia
me as an Indifferent one. am ashamed to con.
Tess it, but even at church cannot escape from
this pre-occupied state of mind, accustomed as
1t Is to running in the same channel and |
find myself plowing and cutting over all gar.
mems and counting the cost before am aware
whittier my thoughts are tending. It's all very
well to read. take no thought for the morrow,
but IL is another thing to practise il.
On! dear, what merciful provision of Proyi.
dence II would have been had we been clothed
like the lilies Of the feldl don wonder, Aunt
Mary, you look at me in astonlsliment. [ am
not often so outspoken in my opinions. 10 be
frank, have become thoroughly dissatisfied
with myself, and am prepared for any amount
! Of reproaches from my friends. l Know ,o
have not reproved me by word, but | repro.
myself constantly for falling ST + short of what
should be as wife and mother
Now, know Edward feels l am making a
poor use of bis hard-earned wages in spending
SO much of them upon furbelows, as he calls
everything little out of the common run of