Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1877-11-02
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SARA'S SHAWL.

Jonas Pray was born stingy. He hid
his sweetmeats from his little brothers
when he was child, and smoked his cigars
alone when young man. By the time he
was forty he was a 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 buxom, good-natured
young woman named Sara Woolwich, and
offered himself to her. He was not an
ill-looking man, and, when he choose could
make himself agreeable. Sara liked him
and accepted him.
Jonas meant to be liberal to her at first
but after brief honeymoon of happiness
the old habits resumed their sway. At
last, the second winter Of their marriage
life coming on, Sara found that all her re-
marks about her shabby summer hat had
no effect whatever, and that she might
wait a long while without having such
thing as 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 needed. 1t was
enough for a wife do that; but to be re-
fused was something she had not calcula-
ted on. She knew that her husband had
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
painfully, "Jonas, shall buy myself some
winter things to-day? 1 need a shawl
dreadfully ~ he answered Il thought you
were too sensible woman to run after the
fashions, Sara. I'm sure you have very
decent things, that you might wear long
time YETI
.''That shows. how much men know Sa-
"a answered, determined to be pleasant and
not to show that she was hurt. ''You
would not like your wife to look shabby,
Jonas 20
"Well, no." said Jonas -''no; but really
Sara, money is 80 scarce just now. Don It
you think you might make what you have
do a little longer ?"
s'How much longer 20 she asked, quiet
'ly. ,f
sob, don't know" said Jonas. II had
an aunt-who left me something when she
died-who wore the same shawl and bon
net sixteen years, and boosted of it too.'
His wife looked at him aud said moth
ing.
Economy is great thing Sara" said
Jonas, uneasily. cit 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 your Jonas
likes you just as well in your well saved
clothes? We won't call them shabby,
Sarah, only well-saved.''
'sCall them what you please, Jonas-they
merit both epithets.''
She sat quietly, with her hands folded on
the table before her, for while. Her tenn
per was rising fast. but she had sense
enough to crush it down.
A miser is the victim of a vice that mas
ters him, just as the drunkard is. Jonas
was ashamed of himself even as he spoke,
and she knew it. AS she looked at him
little while, grief came instead of anger
There was so much that was good about Jo-
mas. 1t was terrible to see this canker
creeping over it ALTO see the pinched
lines about his mouth-the strange, anX-
iousflook in his eyes, Poor Sara remem-
bered stories she had read of misers-how
they starved themselves while they count
ed their gold-how some of them died in
the dark to save candles-and how through
a long illness, one of the wealthiest Of these
men refused to have a pillow brought to
HIM, or even little saucepan in which to
eat his porridge. Would Jonas grow to be
as bad as these? How could she tell :?
Once or twice he had found fault with
the amount used, and moaned over his
butchers bill. But men generally did
something of that sort, she had heard, and
knew nothing about dress. She rose softly,
went out of the room, and brought back
her shawl and bonnet and put them before
him on the table.
sJonas, DEAR" she said, 81 don't want
to be unreasonable. Look at these! See
how they are They were nice when we
were married; but they were cheap, very
! cheap. Cheap things fade so! have
made everything had do for two years.
| do not like to ask for clothes. You know
you gave me two pair Of gloves in our no.
! neymoon. have them STILL"
''What good, careful girl ~ said Jonas
caressing her black hair, as she came and
sat on low stool beside him.
Eyes, I have been careful-it is nv ma
ture to be CAREFUL" said Sara. 'sFew rich
mems wives would have done so much.
Now, look at these things, my dear," :
Jonas looked There came a time
afterward when it seemed to him that
the faded tint Of the shawl, it's dingy
palmieaves Of yellow-brown, and the
wilted flowers and shabby ribbon of the
bonnet had been scared into his brain.
He looked at them long and lingeringly.
He knew that his wife was reasopb;e, and
that the things were, and long had been,
unfit for hers to wear. But his money
tugged at his heart strings.
'sSuppose you wear this just one winter
more," he said-''just one,"
'sThe shawl is very thin,'' she said. ct
SHALL catch cold again, as I did last
winter"
"Poor grill" he said softly, and looked
to the desk where his check-book lay. But
the grip Of the fend that rules a. miser's
soul nipped him sorely as he did so.