Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1878-06-29
THAT LITTLE PLACE OF BROWNS

The place was mine, and we lived as
cozjly there, my vie and little daughter
and |, as birds in nest, until the RiSGk7,
some old friends Of ours from the city,
came to live in our ntighborhood.
We were at supper one night when my
wife told me-
"They're going to take the French
rooted house around the corner" said
Sally, with the big extension and the
conservatory, and as | happened TO be
walking out just as the trucks came down
| couldn't help seeing that the parlor
furniture is of crimson satin damask and
ebony-I thinks it's ebony, but | won't
be sure" continued my vile; "but at
any rate it's inIsid.
"Well, that's a comfort, any way"
said !. "1f you're positive it's inlaid,
Sally you can, perhaps, go on with your
upper
"Ges, " she said, 50 preoccupied with
her theme that she hadn't eaten NOR.
sci, "and there's the handsomest bsd.
room set for Jane that most ever laid
my eyes on; it's one of these dressing
bureaus, Joe, with magnificent plate.
glass that reaches down to the h0or" "
That's good, said l. "You can run
around there, when you have your next
gown fitted, and see the hang of it,
81 don't expect to run around there -
said Sally, craning her neck up sufly,
turning up the endof her nose ard draws
ing her lips down.
"Wby, what's the matter?" said I.
" Wasn't Jane friendly? I've done many
good turn for Black in my day and
hope they're not going TO turn the cold
shoulder new"
"Oh, she was friendly enough" said
Sally; but we can't expect, Joe, that
people living in that kind OF style can be
upon terms Of intimacy with people that
live as we do. There are certain restric-
tions in society"
Restrictions be hangedp ! cried.
" I'm as good man as Black any day in
the week."
You're as good as the president, for
that matter" said Sally; but it's all
like pair of scales, Joe, when one gots
up, another goes down, and, from the
way things look, it III take pretty
heavy weight on the Blacks side to
bring them down to our position"
must own this kind OF logic vexed
me little. ! knew pretty well how
Black stood commercially, and I told
Sally there wasn't featker's weight on
his side, so far as the taVors OF fortune
were concerned. eff he has miud to
live above his Means" said l. "he can
do it, and take the consequences"
" He has just as good a 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 a little all
the way down in the train, the more that
! found Black the center of an admiring
bevy at the depot. He had quite an i'm.
posing makeup and glib tongue, which
he used in inveighing against our system
paving. He complained of the condition
OF good many things in our young
township, and seemed TO gain popularity
with every fault that he found. At last
he Spled me, and was exceedingly loud
aud effusive in his saluIation
"HallO, Brown he said, shaking my
band again and again and declaring to
the people about him was an old friend
whom he was glad to unearth. "I've
run you down, you sly fox, That's a
very snug little place around the corner
very snug indeed !"
wouldn't have believed it possible.
| could have been such an ass as to ieel
flattered by this familiarity of Blacks,
but / found myself smirking and nod.
ding with great Complacency. Here
were at least half dozen of the gentry
about me who lived ia big houses ia my
neighborhOod, that had been going up
and down to the city with for years, vet
scarcely knew them we'll enough for an
exchange of civilities, and here was
Black already hand in glove with the
finest OF them, 1t makes nae sick now
when / remember that turned
my back on poor old White, and went
toadving on with this aristocraCy.
White lived in even a smaller house
than mine, and had hard work
enough to pay for that. He had