The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-05-11
WAYS AND MEANS,

WAYS AND MEANS.
We have had fair in our town. You
needn't ask me for particulars of time,
place or circumstance. | am not going
to tell where our town is on the map;
or whether we held our fair for the ben
eft of the A. B. G. f. M. or the p. o.
G. I. A, or any other national, alpha
betical, charitable machine. Neither
shall tell what, if any, local interest
induced our leading women to turn
shop-keepers in their best clothes. 1t
might have been to carpet the church
parlors; or to fresco the church itself;
or to get up an Old Woman's Home, or
an Orphans Refuge; or it might have
been to save an old historic landmark
from the vandalism of church greed and
trade monopoly. Whatever it was, our
cause was good one and we made
plenty of money.
But-such time as we had on the
last evening of our fair! That is what
l am going to tell you about.
In order that you may understand it
l must tell you first about our leading
women, for, of course, it was the wom-
en- who made the fair. Men never do
such things. l have noticed, however,
that they take funds raised in that way
very readily from the Ladies Auxil-
iaries.''
Well, our President was Mrs. Lesley,
and she is the grandest woman l ever
knew. Still you can't feel really COM
Portable and happy with her always.
Every once in while she will make
you feel just as mean and small as if
you had committed some crime, when
you have only just been living like 9TH
er folks.
Our Secretary was Mrs. Gray-she is
Mrs. Lesley's husbands sister-and
they made me, Mrs. Busybody, Treas
urer. We three really did the work
The rest of the Executive Committee
said yes or no just as we told them, and
helped carry out our plans.
And if do say it, neither of the 9TH
ers worked so hard as did. For John
that my husband-isn't rich as their
husbands are, and | only hire one girl
and do almost all my own sewing. Of
course don't have carriage to drive
round in, as they do, and our streets
are dreadfully muddy in bad weather.
Such tramps as took on that fair bust
ness! John says shall not get over it
all winter.
Well, when we met to talk over the
matter at first, the Executive Commit
tee went to Mrs. Lesley's house. | saw
that our President and Secretary were
not likely to agree about the manage
ment of things. Although they are so
closely connected by marriage they are
just as unlike as it is possible for two
women to be who both have seal-skin
sacques and camel s-hair shawls. Mrs.
Gray is beauty, and can be charming.
She is very naughty, though; prides
herself on her family and position. She
is very benevolent; always gives the
most of anybody to our Missionary So
ciety. But l don't believe she would
have woman for friend who worked
for her living on any account. 1t is
hard work for her to treat me as well as
l want her to. But she likes to come
over to my house and get me to show
her about fancy work; and | often trim
up her parlorS with flowers when she
has company; she says do it better
than any florist, and Mrs. Gray has ex-
quisite taste. Besides, | have cousin
who lives in Paris, and have just the
choicest patterns of any woman in
Blanktown, if | am not rich. always
like to lend, and help plan dresses and
all that; so on the whole Mrs. Gray calls
me her every dear friend Mrs. Busy
body-such a valuable person" see
through her well enough, but like her
in spite of her selfishness; she is SO ca
pable and shrewd, and can put any
thing through she undertakes just ele-
gantly.
Mrs. Lesley is called peculiar. She
does not 90 very much into society, al
though she entertains guests for weeks
at her house, and any quantity of them.
She picks her friends just where she
chooses. Her most intimate acquaint-
ance in Blanktown is the kindergarten
teacher who lives next door to me, and
she even invites shop-girls to tea!
Well, when we began to talk about
the fair, the difference in these two
women showed itself plainly enough.
| can't stop to tell you Just how You'll
see when get to that last evening. |,
you must know, stood rather between
them; and things went as | turned the
scale, sometimes according to the Pres
idents wish, and sometimes according
to the Secretary's. The truth is, can
get up the kind of enthusiasm for
moral principles that Mrs. Lesley talks
so much about as quickly as anyone
can; and always when she is making her
splendid little speeches believe every