Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1874-02-12
The D0ve-Colored Silk.
Bv kind of thoughtful arrangement

By a kind of thoughtful arrangement
on the part of their employers every
domestic ia the house of Sir John Day
ton, baronet and banker, received his
or her salary one week before Christ
mas day.
Very bright and tempting looked the
: tiny pile of sOvereigns that LOttie
Warde, Miss nayton's own maid, car
ried away to her chamber, and sal
meditating over, with cloud on hel
pretty face such as it seldom wore
Last Christmas the spending of hel
money had cost her no trouble, except
a stified regret ti.lt she could not dc
more with it for those dear ones whose
kisses and joyful thanks had been such
pleasant requital of ner generosity. Al
though she was as dutiful and. loving
a daughter and kind q sister as of yore,
there had been an event in LOttie'S life
since the year began that was closely
connected with the impatient sigh she
gave, as she sat gazing at her gold, and
ab>tractedly turning it over i'm her
palm. She had met, at the house Of a
friend of her late father. a young man,
SO well connected that many wonder.
ed he should think of wedding a girl
who WAS in service Mr.. Charles
Morrison they argued, with his good
rrtlspccts and excellent situation in the
Office o. Smithsou Brothers, ought to
| look higher fer a wife than LOttie
] Warde, whose father had died bank
, rupf. and whose mothers sole depen-
denee was the annuity some of Mr..
Warde's compassionate creditors had
purchased for her. But if Charlie Nor
ison heard these things hinted, he
laughed and forgot them. He loved
Lottie for herself-her sweet temper,
her good prineip1ts, and her pretty face
and figure, that were always set off by
the perfect neatness and propriety with
which she dressed.
Lottie, however, had taken TO heart
many of the remarks made in her
presence or told by ill-natured friends,
ard had rather hastily decided in her
own mind that the relatives of her af-
famed husband looked down upon her
because of her position. This fancy
for it was no mOre-had made her shy
of meeting them, and unwilling to ac-
cept the invitations so kindly sent to
her. But Charlie had made point OF
her acceding to his parents wish that
she should join the family party they
always gathered around them at their
handsome house at Clapham on the
eve of the great festival; and as Miss
Dayton had cheerfully consented to
spare her, she had not been able to ex-
ense herself. --....5 s5If
Naturally timid and shrinking from
strangers, LOttie looked forward to this
visit AZ ap ordeal, rather than a pleas
ure. She was to be INTRODUCED to Char
lies married sister from Manchester,
and to the wealthy uncle from whom
he had expectations; and her anxiety
that they should think well Of her cul-
minated in the inquiry, What shall
wear?
1t Was no use discussing this question
with her betrothed. She he knew wO'd
say that nothing could be in better
taste than the well-fitting dark merino
that had been her best dress since the
commencement of autumn. But Lot
tie had her share ofgirlish vanity, and
AS she raised her eyes to her looking
glass vision rose before her of q GER
tain doye-eoJOred silk in a MERGERS
window neaf St. Paul's, that would
become her admirably. 1t is true that
such an expensive purchase would alb
sorb every farthing in her possession,
but she chose to igaorS this. So strong
grew the temptation that when Lottie
went that evening to visit her mother
she fingered long at the mereer's " in
dow, and decided that on the morrow |
the dove-eol0red silk should be her |
own.
The children threw down their books
and toys when Lottie entered, for they
loved her dearly, and Mrs. Warde.
,no9gn sne me- hau pee Deen o..sg wearing "a very
anAlous laGe, as sIe st..cheu Dusiiy at
,olne ,l;' eiitiu.sp n @ gaLn.ehs, costriVed TO
Sllilie at n''r eiuese uaugn!er, VINO,
io@eve,, ,e was not easily uecelSeq.
Souletllng mas gone wrong, M9Iner;
a.i suIe VI ~ ny Your fobhs. nat
$ it IT,, - :. :, - S, =
Notning you can salter, neas; moth
! ns, n iael, slhHt eae NJ ht5!!0saWehupcn: =!
neardt oy enance, thaf the man thro'
l9suery youE,statler HHeo mas
eturned TO Ensland ,and is insprosper-
,uS clrcutnstaneesa ana it worried me
or a iiltie wniie,ta sh1nE that my ex-
elieht uprlghI husnaau Went To his
rave !, IN sorrcw and Spevefty while
ms alsneaest Hassil l1s,ids tliszh his head
no grows tlsEi pll " was nnlyfor
minute. ehlld ana sN1rss " yasde smiled
low Witnsess enort. KNOW 10 whom
nave coinInitleu my cause, ana Will ,
lot mqrmur az ahy1hing he wills.
Lottie Kissed the placid speaker af-
put she was not as sym !
'athetlc as usual. her little sisters t
luhg aoont her, wondering whether
Rey shoald nave CHRISTMAS pudding,
nd one OF them blurted out a fact c
litnerto concealedi that mother did not
% 70 church on Sundays till evening q
ervice because her shawl was so shab-
y. Lottie siid her hand into the pock- !
I where lay her little purse, but drew t
back again. telling herself that she +
ould not possibly go to visit Charities !
riends meanly dressed; and when the