American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-03-21

| thing-silks that would stand alone,
| gloves and hats from Paris, gowns made
in the city; while we had to fashion our
OVID bOnnets, cut our own cloaks, turn
our dresses, and dye our gloves; hem
stitch our handkerchief, patch our car
| pets, upholster our easy-chairs, and rub
the furniture with hartshorn and oil; we
had to economize in lights and fires too,
and could afford roast only twice a
week, l remember visiting some rich
cousins of fathers in the city once: and
all the time l had consciousness that
they hated to have their friends see me
on the front steps in my shabby clothes
that looked well enough at home; and
when we were invited out one evening
overheard them disputing as to who
shouldn't go with me, Gin that old-fash-
Toned blue silk" which 1, in my igno-
rance, had thought quite stylish! And
coming out of dressmaker's room one
day with one of my cousins,
dear metz said she, "that hair-cloth
furniture just gave me the blues; it's
worse than any nightmare; it's so vulgar
and bar-rOOmyr' Now we had nothing
but hair-cloth in our parlors, and had felt
very lucky to get it; but l never offered
q chair to a caller after that without a
qualm.
Z" You shall see what style is, one of
these days, my friends" Ipromised them,
mentally; "yOu will not be ashamed of
me when I'm Mrs. Lucius Gloverr' for,
upon nv word, l was weak and foolish
enough to make up my mind on the way
home that l would marry Lucius if he
asked me, and let John Jordan take care
of himself! Well, when 1 reached home,
l found that father had taken John to
board with US, and we were having
roast every day, and dessert; but for all
that, the hair-cloth furniture was heavy
on my heart; was such wretched little
in those daysi l wondered il
John thought as meanly of it too; though
of course, reasoned, he hadn't been used
to anything better. Mrs. Scrutiny said it
looked as if we were going to make Mr..
Jordan one of the family; and John
smiled, and twisted his mustache, and
said he wished we would. About this
time Lydia Glover was attacked with a
sudden friendship for me; she really
seemed to prefer our hair-cloth sofa to her
own velvet cushions. Lucius usually
came with her, and while he occupied
himself with me, Lydia naturally fell to
flirting with John and more than once l
caught myself answering Lucius absently,
because was trying to hear what John
was saying to Lydia. Sometimes Lydia
declared she could stay no later, and
Lucius insisted that it was only the edge
of the evening; and then John would get
his hat and walk home with her. l know
1 had queer sensation the first time this
happened, which didn't improve as l
waited for him, lowering over the falling
embers after Lucius had gone, on pretense
of locking up the house. "Seems to me
it takes you some time to walk up to the
Glovers' and back" said /, when he
came at last.
ooh, you needn't have waited for mer'
he vouchsafed; az couldn't get away be-
fore. The Glovers have a fine place."
after pause, in which I couldn't think
Of anything disagreeable enough to say,
& wonder how shall bear it when go
here to see Mrs. Lucius? ?"
That can't be the person you go there |
o see now," assured him.
He laughed, and hummed the old |
fashioned round,
: Go to Jane Glover and tell her love her;
And by the light Of the moon will come to her. |
hats what they call catch, isn't its"
lighting his candle. Don't sit up for |
ne again when l go to Miss Glover's,
Sleepy Eyes, for may stay late!"
Its small thanks you give me for |
Keeping the fire alive for yOu," l COM
planned.
He turned back, with his hand on the
ioOr, all the mischief fading from his
ace.
az give you instead" he answered,
that which naught enriches you but
makes me poor indeedl Why should l
hank you for keeping the fire alive, when
rou mean that it shall die out INTENDED at
ast?"
"Come, you are waxing sentimental
cried, raking up the Goals. you've
your listener. Goodnight"
Seeing that nothing had come of his
lancing attendance at our house, folks
'egan to whisper about John and Lydia,
8 they must have something to worry
ver; used to hear them, coming out of
hurch, between comments on the sermon;
nd it made my cheeks burn, and gave me
sinking sort of sensation, that must have
cen akin to dying, that was bliss and
ain, as the poet says, all at once. But
Tould have died first, indeed, before Civ
ng sign. When they turned to me as
ne who should know, being intimate
nth Lydia and Johns landlady, 1 smiled
and answered,
If girIs will marry, they must take
UGH husbands as are going" The trouble
5as, l coveted Johns love without being
he good things which Lucius had to
fer"
Well, about this time father had his
troke, you knOw-not exactly a stroke of
was away from the bank for
hree months, with every prospect of being
lid up the rest of his days; and can tell
GU, lift hadn't been for John Jordan's
GARD we should have had short COM
IONS indeed. l began to be more con
inced than ever that it was my duty to
larry Lucius when he should ask me,
We weren't able to have any new gowns
nat year because the money all had to go
r n ctr ,fTc T |
Tas SO worn out with watching and wor-
wing, and the unending struggle to make
9th ends meet, that l was losing all my
God looks, and growing wrinkles across
ly forehead.
" I'm sure it's enough TO prevent any
ody in her senses from thinking of mar
wing poor manu- reflected out loud
ne twilight, believing that had the par
,r to myself
Were you thinking of it?" asked John
ordan, out of the depth of fathers
eepy-h0llOw chair, where the shadows
id him
wasn't thinking at ALL" answered.
eady to cry with low-spiritedness for /
lit, In my dusty old alpaca, with the un-
atural luster across the shoulders, as if
fully warranted the contempt of my rich
ousin. Il never think" l assured him.
"Those who can think and won't think
lust be made to think" he parQdied
"Just as you please, Sir Oracle" said.
Well defer it, though, till after tea"
nd he gave me his arm to the dining
Dom.
Father got able to hobble out to the
ank, and things began to get easier
lough Mrs. Scrutiny said he looked to
er rs if he would never be himself again
nd after that lived in hourly dread of
.cond stroke, and the future wasn't al
ring, unless l should marry Lucius-