The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1877-02-26


TO forget it.
How should he, being man, know
that the dress l wore had been turned
twice; that | trimmed my bonnet my
self; that the diamoud ring l wore had
borrowed from my married. sister, being
the unvalued relic OF some forgotten
lover of hers; that the beauty he said
was in my lace was due to my happl-
ness in hls society For | do think the
old saying "Be good ana YOU will be
happy" ought to be reversed.
How did he know that charming
naivete of mine was learned trying to
induce customers to buy?
Old Sniper always says, when he eX-
poets TO sell large bill of goods to IA
customer:
''LeL Miss 10 manage him: she can
smile the dollars out Of his pocket il any
| one can"
SO smile and smile, and yet am no
villain, Ior they are enforced and impu-
dent smiles for bread and butter.
How round and rosy l grew in those
few weeks OF ecstatic joy! What lovely
| walks aud rides we mad up and down
the wood-paths and rayines! WHAT
charming sails through the dells, through
| the Witch's GulcD, and about the DeYlfs
| Elbow
| hOW DllllluuJ anu anu uON
handsome my Fred. was! Dare l cali
HIM my Fred. before he knows that l
| clerk at Sharp d Sniper's?
! l am no slrong-minded woman! l
| frankly confess that l do not like to
take care OF myself. l am no clinging
4 vine, however, having never had any =
| thing to cling to. | nave grown up stiff
and straight all by myself, like weed
in the middle of bare, ten-lcre lot.
| Perhaps L Will not make such bad
vie alJer all. l am good housekeeper,
and, having been no trouble or expense
TO any one since l can remember, do
not see why l should De SO very much
trouble now, even with my two sisters
thrown in for ballast Still, Fred. mu It
know all about the poverty and encum-
brances, and make up his mind accord
iugly. SO l waste great many sheets
OF paper writing an answer that shall be
frank and truthful, and yet ladylike.
l inform him, i'll my most genteei man
ner, that he must marry three when he
leads me 10 the altar.
| send it off in pink envelope, my
heart beating painful tattoo. as think
\ Of his elegant sister he has described to
me, and of him, u rising young lawyer
and member OF the Legislature.
piece down my sister Sophia's one
summer silk Tor her, that L bought at
such bargain, thinking peradyenlure
there may be wedding soon. do not
scold May when she comes home late
from the picnic with my best sash
drenched ana soaked through, my lace
tichu torn, and her toes through bot her
boots, ana creeps into bed beside me. |
hug her up into my arms instead, with
that hungry, dissatisfied longing L al.
ways nave for kisses and caresses: but
she only says, You strangle me, 10,
you soft, musny thing!' and moves along
out OF my reach.
My name was never 10, but l have al.
ways been called this on account of my
enforced manly accomplishments,
For u week l slug about The house like
a lark; the next week | do not sing SO
much; the next week L do not sing al
ali, but so about heaVy-eyed and slow,
and burst inlo tears Wnen My sits
down TO the old, faint-hearted piano
and begins to storm away at 'Il Bacio,"
Fred.'s taVorite waltz, and mine.
| might have known all tue time he
would never answer that letter; il has
always been my luck. Let me see how
lmauy letters nave | had.
There was no one waiting on me when
my father died OF heart disease and Left
me penniless at seventeen. Lie came to
see me after the funeral, and told me
tuat he had great sympathy aud re.
spect Tor me, ana that he should never
marry uhIess ~ was some poor girl
thrown on her own resources, ana with
no one 10 take care of her, as he thought
that was the true way for true gentle.
man to do; anu with these sentiments
he bowed himself out for the last time,
Most heavenly philosophy! but then
he married tpe same year the daughter
, of wealthy man who had never done
any hing harder IN her life than TO curl
her front hair over slate pencils,
T. Then there was the young man who
wrote poetry, and threatened to die oI
shoot himself when | refused him-this
was years ago. He is now in good
+ health, with II wife and TWO children
but always hated men who wrote po
etry.
Then there was Judge Featherby. he
visited me for year, ana told me he
loved me; but something he djgnihed by
the name OF pride forbade him rom say
ing anything more, and L have beer
heartily glad since thaL he was ashamed
OF me.
But the thought of none of these we'll
disposed-ot and settled gentlemen makes
the nou-arrival of that letter any easIel
for me. l get weary and cross; my
chest is getting weak, and / get faint
Fand dizzy by spells.
Some days when l stand at the lace.
counter waiting on some fashionable
lady who is pric, this and cheapenins
that, think L shall tall over in dead
faint from sheer exhaustion. Womel
are 50 much harder TO suit than men
and, ten W one, go picking over every
thing and 60 out without buying any.
thing, very likely, because SO few O.
them, poor Things, have any money O.
their own to spend.
The iall winds come, and | walk tC
the store over beds OF fallen leaves
then that long, awful winter of 1874
wade through nigh DRIFTS and through
storms that take my breath away, t
reach Sharp & Snipers.
! Sophia, the Oldest OF my young sisters
is ailing this winter, SO l get up anC
build the fire at 5, with numO fingers, ST.
as to get w the store at 7. Before the
spring opens that she SO longs to see
poor, patient, hard-working Sophia dies
Anticipating the life that was before
her l have endeavored to instlll into hel
, the principle that work is her end anC
aim, and tnat she must not expect any
thing beyond in the lie OF woman who
is both poor and unbeautiful.
She had done all the cooking and mos
I OF the housework for us three, while.
x.