Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1877-12-05
Sara's Shawl.

hid his sweetneats from his little
brothers when he was child, and
smoked his cigars alone when a
young man. By the time he was
forty he was very rich man, though
he lived as plainly as ever; and
somehow about that age the first
tender feelings he had ever known,
crept into his heart. He fell in love
with a buxom, good-hatured young
woman named Sara Woolwich, and
offered himself to her. He was not
an Unlocking man, and, when he
chose could make himself agreea-
BILE. Sara liked him and accepted
him.
Jonas meant to be liberal to Ler
at first, but after a brief honeymoon
of happiness the old habits resum-
ed their sway. At last, the second
winter of their marriage life COM
ing on, Sara found that all her re-
marks about her shabby summer
hat had no effect whatever, and
that she might wait long while
without having such a thing as a
comfortable cloak suggested to her.
She had been poor girl, had no
trousseau to speak of, and she found
it necessary to put her pride in her
pocket, and ask for what she need
ed. 1t was enough for wife to do
that; but to be refused was some
thing she had not calculated on
She knew that her husband had a
large bank account-that there was
no reason why she should not dress
as well as any lady in the land but
when she said plainly, "Jonas, shall
buy myself some things to-day !
i need shawl dreadfully !" he an
swered, 81 thought you were too
f aashiShrs, :" sara ARA I'm sure y6fnaSe
very decent things that you might
wear a long time yet"
THAT shows how much men
know" Sara answered, determined
to be pleasant and not to show that
she was hurt. "You would not
like your wife to look shabby, Jo-
mas Z"
"Well, no." said Jonas-"no but
really, Sara, money is so scarce just
now. Don't you think you might
make what you have do you little
longer I"
"How much longer :" she asked,
quietly.
"Oh, / don't know" said Jonas.
81 had an aunt who left me some
thing when she died-who wore the
same shawl and bonnet sixteen
years, and boosted of it, too"
His wife looked at him and said
nothing.
Economy is great thing, Sara"
said Jonas, uneasily. "It would be
dreadful to die in the poorhouse,
you know. And you don't care for
other peoples admiration, do you,
Sara, when you know that your Jo-
mas likes you just as well in your
well-saved clothesl We won't call
them shabby, Sara, only well-sav-
ed"
"Call them what you will, Jonas,
they merit both epithets."
She sat quietly with her hands
folded on the table before her, for
while. Her temper was rising
fast, but she had sense enough to
crush it down.
A miser is the victim of vice
that masters him, just as the drunk
ard is. Jonas was ashamed of him.
self, even as he spoke, and she
knew it. AS she looked at him Q
little while, grief came instead o.
anger. There was so much thai
was good about Jonas. 1t was ter
rible to see this canker creeping
over it ALTO see the pincbed line:
about his mouth-the strange, anx
ious look in his eyes. Poor Sars
remembered stories she had read o.
misers-bow they starved them
selves while they counted Their
gold-how some of them died il
the dark to save candles-and how
through long illness, one of the
wealthiest Of these men refused t.
have q pillow brought to him, OF
even little saucepan, in which tC
eat his porridge. Would Jonas
grow to be as bad as thesei How
could she tell Once or twice ht
had found fault with the amount
used, and groaned over his butch
ers bill. But men generally die
something Of that sort, she hat
heard, and knew nothing about
dress. She rose loftily, went ont o
the room, brought back her shaw
and bonnet, aud put them on the
table before him.
"Jonas, DEAR" she said, 81 dom
want to be unreasonable. Look al
these See how they arel They
were nice when we were married
but they were cheap. Cheap things
fade so | have made everything
/ had do for two years. l do no
like TO ask for clothes. You know
YOU gave me two pair Of gloves II
our honeymoon. have them still.
I'll Il ~