The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1873-06-28

they rides in their carriage ter-day, and |
goes about cracking in their silks, as If
failing and bringing honest folkes inter
poverty wa MT a crying sin l-and thought
ter myself how this one would be crazy with
envy when she saw me sail out in my new
Cashmere, and the other one and her Bay
State would be cast inter the shade.
Z" So, without onst thinking that hednt
nothing, like gowns and fxings, ter cor
respond, / jest paid Miss Niles the money,
and carried my shawl up stairs. Wa'al,
she want no sooner out of the house than
I'd give farm not ter hey bought it but
! wus too proud ter call her back, and I've
allus he'd her heavy on my mind, as well
as the shawl; for, you know, she wus lost
a-going ter Indy, and / somehow felt sort
of responsible-seeing, too, as she wus the
last Of her family. Wa'al, John he didn't
know he'd the hundred dollars--I'd KEEP
it fur surprise--and now couldn' make
up my mind ter tell him about the shawl
SO when it came Sunday put it on with
my old delaine, and my rough-and ready
straw bonnet, and sneaked down the back
stairs ter meeting without saying word
ter him-he hedn't got able ter be out him
self-and | felt so horrid mean about it
that when Miss jenkins said, "what a
splendid new shawl you're a-wearing off,
II didn't give me the leastest quiyer Of
pleasure as ever wus; nor when Miss
Grimalkin said, at really don't seem worth
while ter hev such a dressy shawl ter
wear about here, where there's nobody ter
see-now, does it" nor when Miss Little
declared, "there wasn't nothing like shawl
ter cover up your old gowns, and make ye
look respectablel" though l knew it wus
all spite and jealousy that made their words
singing.
"Iye come ter think I'd rither hev my
neighbors good natured than envious as l
git along in years. want half so COM
Portable in my Cashmere as I'd bin in the
old robroy; and after | wore it twice |
took such disliking ter it that jest hid
it away, and went back ter the robroy.
But | allus felt as if the Cashmere had
crippled us. Ye see, we allus has ter pay
fur our luxuries, even after we've got tired
of EN-. Money WIS harder ter git after
that, or perhaps I'd misused my oppor-
tunity and didn't desarve another. How
somever, mir. Doubleday, who held the
mortgage, died, and his son foreclosed, and
turned us out o house and home After
that there wusn't much ter hinder us from
going down hill pretty lively. John he
lost courage, and wus getting weakly; the
children died one after another, except
Tom, and Liza Ann she worried the life
out of him in time; and so here am, an
old woman, with naught in the world but
a set Of teeth and that there Cashmere
shawl. You see, if he'd paid the money
onto the mortgage, 1t would have give John
a lift, and put some spirit inter him-fur
work never seems so light as when you're
Citing ahead-andthen maybe | shouldn'
hev he'd retribution a-follering of me round
all my days in the shape of Liza Ann
a-twittering me of burden and milstont
around the neck of she and the children
though, goodness knows, | slave well fui
all | git-what with being up FIVE o'morn
ings, making pies, and frying o'griddle
cakes, and standing at the wash-tub, til
my feet were that numb they wouldn't beal
me
''But it amt no use. You may do
ninety-nine things fur some folks, and Il
you don't do the hundredth, ye might a.
well let it all alone and Liza AIMS on,
on EN- though / don't want ter be com
planning, only pot must bile over onst il
while, onless the fire goes out and you re
an old friend, so't I've made free ter tel
ye about the shawl. A body must speal
now and agin about what's worrying 'em
and there's no sympathy in Liza AM
moren tommyhawk T
"And did you never speak to YOU
husband about the shawl ?" asked Mrs
Sovereign.
"Bless you, yes and he said as how i
wouldn't hev made no difference noway
Doubleday'd hev foreclosed, and the hous,
and money'd hev gone together He wa
allus that consoling, John wus. But Nv,
thought if any body could feel as how tn,
shawl was worth hundred dollars or less
it might, as said, pay my way inter tn
Old Ladies' Home, out of Liza Ann
reach, for I'm sot agin being burden O
milestone ter any body"
~ should like to see the shawl" sal,
her friend "if you will bring it to m,
mothers house tomorrow, will see wha
: can be DONE"
an come, rain or shine. I've botherc,
| you with an awful long yarn, but if
wa MT for Liza Ann-gracious there sh