The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1876-04-28
'.WOMAN'S RIGHTS

We were not very rich; indeed, Fam
ny saws We were very poor; genteel
poverty: the worst kind, 1 think. When
people are utterly poverty-stricken, You
know, they can 20 10 the poor-house,
or die OF starvation, and have done with
it. But when we feel that we have no
right 20 the poor-housaor TO starvation,
either, there are a clain amount of
appearances we must Keep up. What
weary struggle it is; it makes the hair
and the heart grow gray so soon; this
thinking and wondering about how far
we can make "A certain sum go-this
trying 70 make II serve the purpose of
twice the amount. There are so many
wretched pretenses about this kind of
living. and / do so hate shams-I have
suffered 20 much from them. For ex-
ample, there was "A sofa in our parlor
covered with very pretty chintz, that
cost q lot IF money, but the thing itself
was homemade; it looked well enough,
and no one would ever know whether
il came from Hoyt's furniture store or
not, but | knew and trembled every
time a stranger sat on it for fear some
part might give way and reveal TO the
public eve what a wretched imposition
IL was.
Then that bed of Charles, To the
uniformed it appeared to be a book
case but turned il down every night
for Charlie to sleep in, and knew, too,
that the springs were somewhat worn.
| have often quite worked myself into a
nervous tremOr thinking how dreadful
il would be should it suddenly open out
of itself when a stranger was present.
All this was foolish and ridiculous, of
course, and 4 girl with "A well regulated
mind would not have felt so. but would
be very thankful that poor Charlie ; 4
a bed at All. But 1 was 80 fond of Lise
surroundings, and had such an idea Cs
the fitness Of things; so had Nelly, but
she was much more patient and hopeful
han Twas.
There being only four of us-mam-
ma. Nelly. Charlie and I've had not
been poor before papa died: and we
had been very happy. That was nearly
three years ago now. Poor papa had
been sick a long time, and when he
died We had TO give up on nice house
and sell al our things, except Nelly's
piano. take Charlie from school, which
was rather hard on him as he had al
WAYS wanted 70 study medicine but ne
was very good about IL, and never COM
planned.
Poor mamm was very delicate, and
was subject TO nervous attacks, so. of
course, she could not do any thing. Nell
", who was a good musician, got some
pupils, and | undertook the household
arrangements, and between times did
lace-work and fine embroidery. AT
first mamma used 70 cry and say | was
running my eyes, and that | would soon
be blind. and that she knew Nelly
would 90 into "A consumption, going out
in all kinds of weather 10 give those
dreadful lessons; so we used to pet and
coax her, and promise her that we
wouldn't. 80 she got used TO 1t after
awhile, and was quite satisfied with her
knitting and an occasional new book.
Nelly and | used TO have great discus
sions in our little room at night after
mamma was in bed and Charlie safe in
his turnover" a. he called il. When
all was quiet and the store down stairs
was closed 1--WE lived over a tobacco
nist's) what p~erplexing discussions they
were, as TO the ways and means. Our
room was a masterpiece, | always said
the floor was bare, with a strip Of car
pet beside the bed, another before the
toilet table, highly suggestive of Per-
sian ngs and polished floor, / told
Nelly, but she did not half believe in it;
il left too much to the imagination.
Our dressing-table is a packin-gcase
turned upside down, covered with pink
paper and an old muslin skirt of Nelly's
draped over it. The effect was not bad
at a distance. There was a looking
glass on the table that had an uncom-