The Portland daily press., 1874-06-20
The Three Postcards.

ed y
CHAPTER l.
Mrs Brewster and her two daughters hVed
in small detached villa, situated IN lhe OUT
skirts of a town which we shall call Dumble-
witch Mrs. Brewster was the widow OF
barrster one of her brothers was an admiral
of the Red, and another had a pretty estate
in an adjoining county; but still notwith- H
standing these claims to gentility, she often
found it puZzling matter to make the two
ends meet. As for the two girls, Bella and
Rosie, they had quite enough to to look
after their clothes. They must appear like
other people, and boots and shoes did wear
out so alarmingy fast, and they certainly
could not make them. 1t was comparatively
easy to turn out Rosie respectfully, for she
was small and slight, and cheap remnant
went long way toward smartening her up;
but Bella a!--ah yes indeed l. there was the
tug of war. Bella was not only tall, but she
had good broad shoulders, and an ample,
well-developed figure; it was of no use to try
and cover her up with skimpy jackets and
badly made bodies; all the defects and def
cencies of the garments would stare out with
startling and painful dstnctness. Bella's
very perlections, her height, her upright car
riage, her tendency to embonpoint, all OF
which would set off good dress only made
shabby clothes look still more remarkably and
strikingly shabby; SO, one day there was
nothing for Mrs. Brewster to do but to throw
herself back in her chair and eXclaim: aafI
lfi''No, Bella, my dear, l really cannot let
you go into the streets, such figure as that"
81 am sure mamma" answered Bella, rue
fully-.I am sure / can't help my things
wearing out"
81 know you can't, my dear. but still 1
wish you were as easily dressed as Rosie; she
got her last spring alpaca dress dyed the 9TH
er day, and it really looks wonderfully well
now, on you, all the streaks would show ter
ribiy, you are'sO very remarkable looking" /
Eyes, that's just it; Rosie is SO small, she
easily passes in crowd and no enc observes
her much !; but it is different thing with me,
because lam tall, and perhaps a little stout.
Well, it's notkmy FAULT. suppose must on
ly go down to Smiths and see what he has
got; he has jdst bought bankrupt stock of
goods, all the papers are full of his advertise
ments, and shouldn't wonder if l might
pick up a new costume for next to nothing"
Mrs. Brewster sighed. "Those ready
made -up-things WON'T answer for you, am
afraid" said she. There is never enough
material" But at the same time she took
out her purse, and extracted from it two SOW
ereigns, which she gave to her eldest-born,
admonishing her to be very careful about
bringing back the right change.
na In about an hour Bella and Rosie returned,
radiant with glee Bella had bought lovely
ecrue costume, all trimmed with buff lace,
lOF Iut fpIlSluSlyi low Suul Ol one pOu0u,
eleven Shillings and ninepence halfpenny.
Never had such a bargain been seen; it was
really handsome, and would just suit Bella,
who absolutely required handsome things.
But Mrs. Brewster sighed again as she put
the eight shillings and twopence halfpenny,
which was all that remained of the two SOW
ereigns, into her well-worn purse. ...Bella,
my DEAR" said she, ''there is no use talking
any more about it; you really must bring Mr..
Simpson to the pOintn
Now word must be said as to who Mr..
Simpson was. Mr.. Jacob Simpson was in
the National Bank-head Of his department,
and supposed to be in the receipt ofsix or sew
en- hundred year, He was nervous, fdgety,
fussy and cautious, rather small in stature,
with thin spindle legs and arms, narrow
chest, and general air of skimpiness about
him, as if he mad not too much blood, or mus
Gle, or, indeed, too much of anything. His
skin was of a saffron hue, he had pale, wa
terry eyes, bald, bumpless forehead and
scanty hair of a feeble dun color. He always
wore frock-coat in the mornings, and liked
to be thought business man. About four
years before our story commences, he had
met Miss Bella Brewster at quiet tea-party,
and ever since he had devoted himself to her
with constant and never-wearying assiduity.
He had walked with her. he had talked to
her, he had sat by her side, he had lent her
books, and now Mrs. Brewster declared for
aust and should come of all this, and that
ior the future Mr. Jacob Simpson should be
the one to provide the splendid Bella with
ecrue costumes, and polonaseS ad infinitum.
"Brng MrSimpson to the point, ,mammaP
exclaimed Bella; 81 can tell you 1 don't
think that will be such very easy matter"
'And why not? responded Mrs. Brew
ster; "why not? II am sure he has been
coming to the house long enough; and
must say, Bella, that do think there must
have been some sad mismanagement on your
part, some terrible want of tact, not to have
shown him, long ago, that you will have no
more of this dawdling, and dangling, and
dlly-dalyng. The man is well enough off
to marry Tomorrow"
''But he is such little horrorp' cried Bel
la, with shrug Of her shoulders, ''and he
has such small ferre:'s eyes-or-no! be-
lieve ferrets eyes are bright, and his have
not even that advantage, they are just as dull
and stupid as he is himself-''
'.Dull or not dul,' answered Mrs, Brew
ster, stupid or not stupid, Mr.. Simpson is
an amiable Christian man, and am sure
would make most excellent husband
81 don't know that he is so very amiable,p
said Bella, ''and am convinced that he is
fearfully stingy." "a Ea-FpH
- eyes, I do believe he is rather stingy,Y
added Rosie; "though he has known us SO
long, he has never even brought bunch OF
flowers"
.sBunch of flowersr' repeated Mrs. Brew
s.er, contemptuously; ebunch of fiddlesticks!
can tell you what. it is only foolish boys
that bring punches of flowers, and little nom
senses of that kind; foolish boys who are
not able to marry, and not thinking of such
thing. Now Mr.. Simpson is able to marry,
there can he no doubt Of that. He is none ol
your scamps; he is safe sort of a person
that one can depend upon-there is no giddi-
Dasc f1io htinnSS ahOut him :,
''lndeed, there's not" cried Bella. ''There
is nothing so lively; and 1 am convinced the
man is forty he is day.
''It is all very fine, mamma, for you and
Rosie to want me TO marry Mr.. Simpson; no
doubt it would be very pleasant for you both
to come and stay with me, and enjoy your
selves-it would be famous fun for you, OF
course; but it is l that would have to live
with the man-t is l that would have to be
worried with him day after day, and to put
up with his tiresome ways"
"Rosie and are only thinking of your
comfort and happiness, my dear,' said Mrs.
Brewster, 1--WE all know you would like to
have nice establishment of your own-yOu
always seem as if you ought TO be married,
yon have such commanding, ordering sort
of way about you. Ever since you were fit
teen, people have remarked that you had
much more the air of a married woman than
of girl, and OF course it would be a great
matter TO nave you we'll settled; but II you
are inclined to offend Mr.. Simpson, l am
sure that very little will do it, and he will be
of altogether, and there are plenty of o-her
girls who will be delighted TO take him."
Yes, indeed there are," remarked Rosie.
'Oh! IfN Mr.. Simpson asks me, fully in
tend to accept him. cried Bella; ''but I do
WISH ne was not qlite so duh and tame and
prosy; ne does bore me SO with his stupid
talk about geology and zoology, and don't
know Wna5 besides; don't believe he really
nnderslands much about them himself.
And then he has no manliness not bit. |
remember once when we were in the Orms-
by's garden, some a!e one said that if you caught
everyone tried except Mr.. Simpson. and he
skunk away down by-path, as if he hadn't
pluck even to try that; he did look SO con.
temptible." 9i'naJ @tt -.' A.f,
swell, my dear, if you know of any one
who is comfortably off, and has plenty OF man
illness, and is ready to catch hold of stinging-
nettle, and willing to take you, / am sure
Rosie and will be delighted TO hear of him.
Il don't know of any such person." rep-