The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1875-08-18
The Other Side.

e The Other Side.
'tWell, Lawrence, I'm so glad youv
come! thought you never would. AnC
. I've had such lesson read me !"
''Lessons Who's been reading my wifi
j a lesson, should like to know ?"
'Who do you think Nobody bu
that little absurd woman there-that Mrs
Jim. But l never had such lesson
Drive, slow, please, and let me tell yol
all about it-this horse does throw grave
E in your face so I'm expecting every mo
! ment to see the spokes fly out of the
wheels. There, now, that's reasonable
This horse is a perfect grifin-has legs
and wings too"
: 'tNow, Lawrence However, you
know l came up to look at the house, fol-
I've been having my misgiving about that
big room. And when | went in, it did
, look so big and bare! | was dismayed.
paced it off this way and paced it of
that way, and thought about what could
put in the corners; and how that window
with the sea view would be as good as a
picture; and how the whole mantel-p eice
from dado to cornice, with its white mar
bic carvings and gildings and mirror,
was perfect illumination and how |
must confrC 1t it in that great square alcove
with mass of shadow; and we haven't
a single thing to go there; and how mag
nificent an ebony and gold cabinet like
that Mrs. Watrous and / saw at the
Exhibitlon-the one | went into ecstasies
over, you know, that goes from floor to
ceiling-would fill the place. And the
more | thought of it, the more indispen-
sable such great ebony and gilt cabinet
seemed to be- And l knew it was per-
fectly impossible"
GLOW did you know it, may l in
quire?"
ooh, they cost-oh, hundreds of dol.
lars. And, of course, the house itself
takes all you can spare. But 1 felt that
it would be utterly out of my power to
make that room look anything like what
l wanted without it, And l kept seeing
how beautiful it would be with those
gold-colored satin curtains of your aunt
Sophy's falling back from the windows ON
each side Of it. And / sat down and
stared at the spot, and felt as if didn't
want the house at all if couldn't have
that cabinet. And thought you might
go without your cigars and your claret
and your horses couple of years, and we
could easily have it. ;"
"Kind of you, and cheerful for me.
ooh, | didn't think anything about
that part of it. Just fancy! | thought
you were the most selfish man in the
world, and l was the most unhappy wo-
man; and all men were selfish, and
that ebony and gold cabinet was
all women were slaves; and-and
Obscuring my whole outlook on lite.
felt 80 angry with you, and with fate,
and with everything, that hot, scalding
hot tears would have shaken down if you
had happened to come just then. I'm SO
glad you didn't, Lawrence dear; couldn't
have spoken to save my life, and should
have run directly out of the room for fear
if did speak, | should say something
horrid.
SHOULD you, indeed And do you
imagine / shouldn't have followed ?"
ooh, should have been running"
"And whose legs are longest, puss?"
"Well, that's nothing to do with it.
Just then the whirlwind came up, and
the window-places being open, all the
dust of the building, all the shavings
and splinters and lime and sand about,
seemed to make sudden lurch into the
room, and couldn't see across it. And
there | was in my new hat And |
made for the door as fast as my feet could
fly"
"Silliest thing you could do"
81 suppose so; for when L was out
doors the boards of the scaffolding were
pitching through the air at such a rate
that l could neither stay there or go back;
and | saw that little shanty just round the
corner, and ran in.
THAT was sensible"
"Thanks. And there she was, pots
and pals about the door, and hen just
blowing in before me, and parcel of
dirty-faced, barefooted children tumbling
round. And such place! 1t fairly
made me low spirited to look att. was
in mortal fear of getting grease spot on
my dress. But was in before | knew it,
and there was no help for it, and the wind
was blowing so had to stay?"
"And the lady of that house read you
a lesson ?"
"Such a lesson! You'd have thong
to begin with, that it was palace. She
did the honors like little duchess. 1t
didn't seem to her, apparently, that things
were squalid. And that made it so much
easier than if she apologized, and you were
forced to tell polite fbs and make believe
it was all right, you know. She was
trihe vexed because the face of one of the
children wasn't clean, and afterward she
repentingly gave him the molasses jug to
keep him quiet; but another of the chill
dren was such a little darling Well,
presently her tongue was loose"
''Humph !"
"Humph? Didn't you want to hear
about it Oh, know the whole story
of my tongue, but find you like to listen
to it"
ssSoI do, my dear, so | do. And
then ?"
"Well, as I was saving, presidently
her tongue was loose, and | had the ben
eft of her experience. And l know she
has a good for naught of husband, whom
she loves great deal better than [ love
you-oh yes, she does, for she seems never
to have thought one hard thing concern
ing him, and / was thinking so many of
YOU, you know And there she is, and
has been, with her cooking stove and ta-
bic, her two chairs, q bed, and a crib,
with contented spirit and patient soul,
and her highest ambition andhe widest
day dream just to have
IAN ebony and gold cabinet?"
'sOh no, no. Do drive faster, Law
renee. How this horse does crawl! l
want to get it up to her tonight. A
bureau. To think of it, only bureau
You needn't laugh at me. I've an awful
cold in my head. And mean she shall
have it, if it takes every cent you gave
me for my new jacket. I'll wear the old
one. 1 think 1 can get what she'll con-
81. . hoanfu fhonnh for fUaIves dol