American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-06-06
DID SHE LOVE HIM!

|
az cannot help if he is rich or not;
want it."
| "Yes. but we want lots of things"
"And we cannot get everything, OF
course, but can and will have party"
what! even if papa cannot afford it ~
| "Of course. He cannot afford to give
us new bonnets, but then he has to, and
he cannot afford to do lots of things: and
yet he makes out to do them"
"He tries to do everything for us and
everybody"
"Well, he can give me party, then"
"He would have to buy heaps of
things.'
Il know People always do"
"Candies and cakes and
"Of course"
@Papa said he could not pay the bread
bill this morning"
"Oh! he meant not to-day"
al do not know, but he seemed very
sad"
"The little ships of things won't cost
much. l don't want a great party, you
know, only the girls at school and every
body nice around here, and Sophie and
Rosy Moss, from Middleton, and let me
see-Matilda and Josie; and for boys
o my! l cannot tell about them, but
mamma will know"
Don't you think it will make a lot
mo, of course not | believe l know
about big parties as well as you. Won't
it be nice? I know papa will not say no. -
He's awfully good, don't you think
"Yes"
az love him more'n tongue can tell"
$50 do l, JANET
81 don't think | could ask him any
thing to give him trouble"
10 n nj a Dnnd
yourself, Janet"
mo. | was only thinking about what
Louise Oracle said-that if you loved
people truly, like we love papa, we ought
to snow our love"
"Well-O dear, I cannot wait to phi
losophize as Aunt Roney would call it; L
am going to write every.body's name on a
piece of paper"
"Maybe it won't be any use"
"Yes, but it will be use; for if papa
says no I'll cry and cry and cry till he
says maybe, and that is just the same as
saying yes"
Janet tied dolly's sash and looked down
in her pretty face, saying nothing, but
wishing to herself that Ida could Glove
papa truly" enough not to ask just then
to have party, and wondering to herself
if it would make him sigh as sadly as he
had done at breakfast-time, when the
baker had demanded the amount OF his
bill
"What did l tell you'll" cried Ida, rush
ing upstairs and into the room, holding
her heart and painting for breath, what
did tell you! pinched his cheeks and
pulled on his slippers and told him my
heart would break if 1 did not have a
party, and he told me to have it."
didn't he mind it?''
"Of course not"
7 Hpd ar
"She won't care if papa does not; she
will never say no after he has said yes"
ave will have great fun, l expect"
said Janet, fixing feather in dOlly's hat
and holding it off to look at, thinking,
however of papa, and wondering why he
was so sad about the baker if he did not
mind having party
Mamma shook her head gravely when
sha heard that papa had consented to
Ida's wish, and coaxed papa to take BACK
his words, and told Ida afterward that for
reasons she knew nothing about she was
sorry for the promise; but after all the
list of names of all the " nice people" and
the girls at school the Rosys and NATL
das, was made out, and the invitations
sent; the flowers and the good things or
dered, and at the appointed season Ida
smiled at her own image in the glass, so
pretty with its rose-cOlored silk, while
janet lieu uollN HdAtu CuIlS W itH
ribbon for the twentieth time, and got it
right at last. A prettier little party
could not be found than that playing
"blind mans buff" and all sorts of
things for fun, and everybody's face was
bright in the flash of the many lights
Nobody knew that feet halted outside on
the pavement, and inquiring eyes peeped
through the lattice, on past the damask
curtains and nobody knew that lips were
saving low but firmly, :" am too poor to
give feasts, and vet see this extravaganza
| In a man not rich enough to pay what he
owes; | did intend to give him his time,
but he has deceived me; this piece OF ex-
travagance has opened my eyes; to-mor-
row | shall proceed against him."
Nobody knew it. and so nobody was
sad except papa, as he walked in room
| alone, his hands clasped behind him, feel
ing the weight on his mind of affairs that
hung with him as in n balance, ready at
auy moment to bring HIM to ruin.
The lips that whispered at the easement
were true to their promise. On the NOR
row the first blow was given that brought
anguish of mind and finally poverty to
the father and his household.
| Then did the little girl, being told how
it had happened, wish she had loved
truly" and not brought such trouble to
the father always ready to give pleasure to
those around him, and especially to his
children; and she realized how sad a
thing it is to bring to those we love, not
pleasure and rest, but work and SORROW
". I. Observer
nnf