The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1874-08-01
HOW SHE WON HIM.
"Minniel Minniel is my chocolate
nearly ready?"

Al ohO htnuOO,f Sid dhuinumihds
1t was scrupulously- and dainty
in all its appointments, the little parlor
where Mrs. Brighton sat, although the
carpet was a tissue of darns, the fur
niture faded, and the hearth.rug skill
fully eeked out by slender -throated
vase, stood on the antique, claw-legged
table, the fender-irons glittered like
gold, and the thin muslin curtains, ar
tistically mended here and there, were
white as snow; and Mrs. Brighton her
self looked like Cinderella s god mother,
In her dress OF ancient brocade, best
yellow thread lace, and the rings glitter
ing on her small, shriveled hands.
Eighty years old, and a lady to the
lastl That was something to be proud
of. What though paralysis had robbed
her of all use of those dainty-slippered
feet-what though the grand house she
had entered as bride was now narrow
ed down to this one room in q second
rate building, where two other families
also set up their household altars-she
was lady still, and she could boast
that she never had degraded herself to
commonplace toll.
sour means are limited" said old
Mrs. Brighton, with the lofty air of a
duchess; "but the pension of my son,
the colonel-who, as you probably may
remember, was killed on the Florida
frontier-is sufficient to maintain my
self and my two grand-daughters-and
we are ladies'" .-
Minnie Brighton presently came in,
with her little chocolatiere on a KNAPP
kin covered tray land two slices of toast,
exquisitely Drowned and cut as thin as
a wafer.
Il hope you haven't been kept wait
ing, grandmamma?" she said. ,.
my dear"-with an air of mild res
ignation-''I am accustomed to watt"
ooh, l am so sorry! But our fire is
out, and l had to run in and borrow the
use of Mrs. fuckers stove to boil the
chocolate. and"
Mrs. Brighton contracted her sill
very brows.
"The Breightons are not a borrow
ing race, Minnie"
"Shall l get you an egg, grandmam-
map" .
'Not if the fire is out, my dear"
And grandmamma Brighton went
on with her breakfast, wearing an in
jured air, while Minnie went back to
the other room, where sat her twin sis
ter, cogitating. ....... .......
Anna Brighton was as pretty as
Minnie, but in quite a different style.
She was dark, with melting, almond
shaped eyes, an olive skin, and lips like
pomegranate flower, SO per fectly
shaped, so richly red; Minnie was tall
and slender, and fair as a daisy.
Anna laid down slip of greasy paper
as Minnie entered. ...,
"lt's the grOcer's bill again, sister.
What shall we do?"
Minnie sank into a chair.
"And the gas yesterday, and the
landlord not paid, and the purse as
empty as--Mother Hubbard's s cupboard.
What shall we do?"
"That's the question:" said Minnie,
rehectively arching her jetty brows. "If
we can only keep it from grandmam-
NAL" t".
"We must" retorted Minnie, with a
decisive nod. "It would kill her If
we were men now, Nanny, we could
go out and get job of wood-sawing,
or house-painting, or"
Sand why can't we now?"
"Why, Because Pat O'Neill has got
all Mrs. Bakers wood to saw, and be-
cause we can't climb ladders, with paint
pots over our shoulders.
"But we can do something else i
suppose. Listen, Minnie-money we
must havel"
"lf we go out into the highways and
ask it at the point of the bayonetl" in.
terjected Minnie, gravely. --
"There's no poverty like genteel pow
erty," her sister sighed. "But you
haven't heard my plan. Mrs. Baker,
the laundress in our top story, is sick. -
"What then? We have neither wine
nor jelly, nor yet crisp bank-notes to
bestow upon her."
"And she can't keep up to her en-
gagements. There are two Swiss mus
lin ball dresses, fiuted and puffed beau
tfully, lying in her basket, waiting to
be done up, at this present moment.
Five dollars apiece she has for them"
"Well?" ..
81 shall do them up"
! "Nannyl You?"