Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1874-11-19

|
ible. 30, Sis why not give 1t up Hire
room ut once iu some tenement house, and stand
| in the door with the others-thOse women whom
You sse arms akmbo and hair twisted Up in =
hard knot llesign ourselves, and tell our
friends that concerts, and courtsLips and other
decencies Of civilized life arc not for--our in
come p rt
'.There is tile old black silk basque,' contin-
ned Harriet, ~ u she hAd heard n0thing. "The
silk was never good, but it will not show 10
much in tho evening You can take out the
sleeves and wear 1t ~ sleoveloss basque. And
that three dollars that we saved"
| 1--WE !--you saved for your shoes + interpola-
| ted Jennie. u..-.4I l.
Harriet put that aside with wave OF tho
hand. .u..l ... fs HH--
"I saw ladies' boots On Eighth avsnue--4Ion't
| scream, Jennio-velveteen bo0ts-for two dol
| lars. Dreadful, know, but not NO dreadful ~
TO show ones stockings You must put your
best foot foremost or rather keep It ont Of sight,
| and pray that there he no wind. And you can
get lavender gloves to match tho ribbon on your
hat with the remaining dollar. !"
~ will keep thai" said jennie, d0ggedly, to
buy the ears and .snout, and make myself the
pig complete, that should be II listened to
you-you, who have had no shoes in six months,
and who limp on all the down-hill sides OF the
street because Of those dreadful heels !; you, who
go nowhere you, who staid at home from the
parsonage. reception You give me that three
dollars that you have pinohed on from your
bresd-snd-butter Never! Ill stay at home
with you Throwing her arms about her sisters
neck.
"Cannot you understand" retorted Harriet
that this 10 . speculation, and the purest self
ishness 2" Then she pushed her away, not un-
gently though. "Now, listen. Since must
speak out, that three dollars mean to invest in
You arc not . woman of business. am 1 see
30 clearly that want words to express It,
that the income on which two starve will support
one in luxury when am left alone
Jennie grew scarlet. ..
'As for that, it is all nonsense. wonder you
talk 30. But if-say any thing did happen-O
Harriet you know very well where l go, you
would go, too"
"And there would be . clause in the marriage
ceremony" said Harriet. smiling slightly. ~
take this woman and her sister to BIO my wife.
My poor little Jennie, my poor child, take your
money aud buy your boots. Indeed you must
II you don't go, / will, and have them fitted on
my own foot, a little tight, and then shall lose
my mornings sewing"
30 adjured Jennie won't. But Remorse kept
fast by her and Disgust half choked her.
ut is like numbering your neighbor for two
and-sixpence," she told Harriet. ''To be guilty
Of such = mesnness for velveteen boots and dol
lar gloves 7" Nothing pleased her, She looked
at her Victoria lawn and its scant plaitings with
. sneer. ~ should wear placard, 'S2.50-
cheap. on my back" she observed. "That il
what such suits are selling for" The old silk
waist wAs intolerablo. She vowed shc would
one. The wind was rising-indeed, it WAS
sullen, cloudy afternoon.
~ shall look like hen on wet day, :" she told
her sister, drawing Oh her right hand glove.
the glove split entirely across the back. She
glanced at herself In the glass Cher eyes were
red and the sunshine ont Of her face), and turn
cd to her sister with an indescribable look.
"You have invested your three dollars badly,
my dear"
Mr.. Messeps WAS waiting for her in the little
dark, horse-har furnished parlor; gloves and
trousers cream color, coat and necktie perfect,
collar and studs. II anything was wanted to
complete the poor girls depression, 1t was the
air of fashion and prosperity that seemed actu-
ally to radiate from his handsome and satisfied
self. All In moment she felt herself half starv-
cd, as she truly was. pinched, woe-worn, awk-
ward, inappropriate; and advanced toward him
Of the high spirited and coquettish girl she really
was Mr.. Messeps glanced at her clouded face,
then at her dress, and started-at least to the
girls fxncy-ant q subtitle. chilling re-
BUfve st once Broni4i LO form Isheif Lstween
them He was dAunted by her manner. She was
~ happy and comfortable as girl could feel in
high wnd with short skirts and dreadful vel
| veteen boots, and one bare hand that will get
red and swollen. resting conspicuously on gen.
tlemans arm, and miserable consciousness that
she ia every way at her worst. As they neared
the corner, they met Matilda Mason. She smiled
knowingly At Mr.. Messeps took in Jennie, in
one long, woman's look, till her eyes reached the
ground, and started theatrically. Mr.. Messeps
instantly looked down. At that moment the
sullsn wind, tearing up the avenue in cloud of
dust, caught them, seized on Jennies light
skirts, wrapped them tightly about her ankles,
| and neld them there.
1t il hardly reasonable to suppose that, from
| that moment ~ Jennie told her sister, Mr.. Mes
seps turned the conversation to yelyeteen boots,
| and declared that Curtius jumped into the gulf
for no other reason than that he WAS caught In
pair Of them or that HorAtius refused to come
on the bridge, and preferred 10 fight the whole
OF Lars Porsena's army, for the lame reason.
Nor IL it credible that Thomas band played an
| overture on the same subject, ~ she further
more insisted but that the unlucky incident
disturbed the whole evening, aud altogether
| startled Mr.. Messeps out of the declaration on
which Mr.. Messeps had determined, is only too
true. He certainly liked Miss Millfugus better
| had been used to speak OF her us q young lady
| of independent income. Now did young ladies'
Of independent incomes wear velyetoen boots
| And, il there WAS no such income, on what did
she live? Mr.. Messeps felt much like . man
suddenly arrested on the brink Of . yswning
| chRsm.
And now one might have thought that fate
had accomplished her worst but II that were 80,
now occurred to that young lady to propose,
with much artlessness Of manner, = surprise
cAll-surprisers, Mr. Messeps, Miss Moblet. Miss
| Mason, aud Miss SellinquipS: surprises, the
Misses Millfugus. II you are an evil-minded
person, very possibly you divine her motive.
For me, am innocence itself, and can not SEQ
| why this most unfortunate idea should have led
them, not into the little horse-hsir parlor, but
straight up the stairs. Motionng for silence at
. little back room door she knocked. A voice
cried, "Come in |" Miss Mason at that flung
wide the door, pushing Messeps ahead, who
made . q step forward aud recoiled, The uncsr-
peted floor, the poor little bed, the few chairs,
were heaped with piles Of what is called shop
work. Miss Harriet (it was her night-that is
| the night Oh which she was always seen, attired
in the gray dress) stood amazed in the center OF
the floor. Before tho sewing machine i'll calico
sack and skirt, with sleeves rolled to the elbow,
rat Jennie, in the middle Of . long seam. At the
silence that followed the opening Of the door,
she looked up, saw Alr. Messeps recOiling, her
sisters "struck" face, Matilds's malicious eye
the embarrassment OF the other girls, compre-
hended it on the instant, and came forward.
"Yea," she said, 1T is true. We live in this
room. We are only allowed the use OF the par
lor by our lsndlsliy, WHO desires it should be
supposed there is but one family in her house
aud We earn our living by this sewing. But
we are very glad to see you. Harriet, dear, give
them chairs. You will excuse me this is my
sisters company night, for we do everything on
system. You see, We have but one dress be-
tween us, and cannot afford both Of us to lose
All evening. What, you are gong? Oh, no OK
cuses, beg Come again. Good night |"
Then . courtesy down to the ground that
would have been worthy Of an EMPRESS.
What happened next2 Did she faint 2 Did
she cry No one ever knew. In another week
/ their apartments were vacant. No ono knew
where they went. In month from that date,
engaged She had won the race-by pair Of
vefveteen bOots.