The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1878-10-26
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That Little Place of Browns
A STORY FOR THE TIMES.

The place was mine, and we lived as
costly there, my wife and little daughter
and l, as birds in a nest, until the Blacks,
some old friends of ours from the city,
came to live in our neighborhood.
We were at supper one night when my
wife told me.
They're going to take the French roof
ed house around the corner" said Sally,
with the big extension and conservatory.
and as happened to be walking out Just
as the trucks came down, could not help
seeing that the parlor furniture is of Grim
son satin damask and ebony-I think its
ebony, but L won't be sure" continued
my wife; "but at any rate its inlaid."
"Well, that's comfort, any way" said
|. "If your positive it's inlaid, Sally, you
can, perhaps, go on with your supper"
"Yes," she said, SO preoccupied with
her theme that she hadn't eaten morsel,
'and there's the handsomest bedroom set
Jane, that 1 most ever laid my eyes on;
its one of these dressing bureaus, Joe, with
magnificent plate of glass that reaches
down to the floor"
"That's good, said 1. "You can run
around there when you have your next
gown fitted, and see the fit of it"
81 don't expect to run around there"
said Sally, craning her neck up stifly,
turning up the end of her nose, and draw
ing her lips down.
"Why, what's the matter?" said l.
"Wasn't Jane friendly =? I've done many
good turn for Black in my day, and
l hope they are not going to turn the cold
shoulder now"
"0h, she was friendly enough" said
Sally; "but we can't expect, Joe, that peo-
pie living in that kind of style can be
upon terms of intimacy with people that
lives as we do. There are certain restric-
tions in society"
"Restrictions behanged," l cried. ''Im
as good man as Black is any day of the
week.
"You're as good as the President, for
that matter" said Sally, 'but it's all like
a pair of scales, Joe, when one goes up the
other goes down, and, from the way things
look, it will take pretty heavy weight
on Blacks side to bring them down to
our position. +"
[ must own this kind of logic vexed
me little knew pretty we'll how Black
stood commercially, and l told Sally there
wasn't feathers weight on his side so
far as the favors of fortune were concern
ed. eff he has a mind to live above his
means, said |, ''he can do it, and take the
consequences"
ale has just as good right to live above
his means, said Sally, "as you have to live
beneath yours"
This was her Parthian arrow as | went
out the door, and it ranked little all the
way down in the train, the more sharply
that found Black the centre of an adj
miring bevy at the depot He had quite
an imposing makeup of glib tongue, which
he used in inveighing against our system
of paving. He complained of the condi-
ton of good many things in our young
township, and seemed to gain popularity
with every fault he found At last he
spied me, and was exceedingly loud and
elusive in his salutation.
"Hallo, Brown he said shaking nv
hand again and again, and declaring to
the people about him was an old friend
whom he was glad to unearth. give
run You down, You sly fox. That's a snug
little place around the corner-very snug
indeed y
| wouldn't have believed it possible
could have been such an ass as to feel
fattered by this familiarity of Blacks,
but ! found myself Sinking and nodding
with great complacency Here were at
least half dozen of the gentry about me
who lived in big houses in my neighbor-
hood. that had been going up and down
to the city with for years, scarcely
knew them well enough for an exchange of
civilities, and here was Black already hand
in glove with the finest of them. 1t makes
me sick now when i remember that turn
ed my back on poor old White, and went
toadying on with this aristoeraey. White
lived in even a smaller house than mine.
and had hard enough work to pay for
that. Had failed in business some years
before, and don't know what they would
have done without their boy Bob. He
was with me in the city, and l knew that
good portion of the lads earnings were
given over to the support of the house.
1t was rather hard for Bob, but he bore
his lot with great resignation. He came
over pretty often to have a game of crib
bage and talk over business matters with
me, and | found him sharp enough at
both. Then he had pleasant way with
the women. Our little Rosalie was little
more than a child, but Sally used to
brighten when Bob came in, till she got
into that kinck about the Blacks.
"You'll stay here with Rosalie, won I
you Bob, till We come back ?" l said to
young White and as l spoke l felt Sally
give savage pinch to my arm. No soon
er were we outside the door than she be-
gan about poor Bob
If you have no regard for your daugh-
ter's future, and choose to throw her away
on a poor miserable beggar like Bot
White"-began Sally.
] "Why, my dear, l broke in, "ROsalie':