Litchfield enquirer., 1878-05-30
From Harpsr's Magazine. THAT LITTLE PLACE OF BROWNS

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-roofed 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, I couldn't help seeing that the par Tor furniture is of crimson satin damask and ebony-l think it's ebony, but won't be sure, continued my wife; ''but at any rate it's in laid"
 "Well, that's comfort, anyway" said I. If you're 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 a morsel, land there's the handsomest bedroom set fer Jane that most ever laid my eyes on; it's enc of those dressing bureaus, Joe, with magnih- cent plate glass that reaches down to the floor"
 That's good, ' said l. "Ycu can run around there, when you have your next gown fitted, and see the hang of it."
 q don't expect to run around theEe," said Sally, craning her neck up stif1y, turning mp the end of her nose, and drawing her lips down.
 ''Why, what's the matter?" said I. 'Was not Jane friendly? I've done many a good turn for Black in my day, and l hope they're not going to turn the cold shoulder now"
 ''Oh, she was friendly enough" said Sally i; ''but we can't expect, Joe, that people living in that kind of style can be upon terms of in- timacy with people that live as we do. There are certain restrictions in society,""
 Restrictions be hanged!" l cried. ."I'm as good a 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 goes up, another goes pretty heavy weight on the Blacks side to bring them down to our position"
 1 must own this kind of logic vexed me a little. knew pretty we'll how Black stood commercially. and told Sally there wasn't a feathers weight on his side, so far as the fla vors of fortune were concerned. elf he has a mind to live above his means" said l, ''he can do it, and take the consequences"
 ''He 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 admiring bevy
  up and glib tongue, which he used in in: weighing against our system of 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 spied me, and was exceedingly loud and effusive in his salutation.
 "Hallo Brown!" he said, shaking my hand again and again, and declaring to the people about him was an old friend whom he was glad to unearth. Eve run you down, you sly fox. That's very snug little place around the corner-very snug indeed!"
 wouldn't have believed it possible could have been such an ass as to feel t1attered by this familiarity of Blacks, but found myself smirking and nodding with great complacency Here were at least half dozen of the gentry about me who lived in big houses in my neigh borhood, that had been going up and dewr to the city with for years yet scarcely knew them well enough for an exchange of Civill ties, and here was Black already hand in glove with the finest of them. It makes me sick now when I remember that turned my back or poor old White, and went toadying on with this arlstocracy. White lived in even small CT house than mine, and had hard enough work to pay for that. He had failed in business some years before, and 1 don't know what they would have done without their boy Bob. He was WILL Llc III anu huVW CAAU goodly portion of the lads earnings were giv en over to the support of the house. It was rather hard for Bob, but he bore his lot witk great resignation. He came over pretty ofter to have game of cribbage and talk over busi ness matters with me, and found him sharE enough at both. Then he had pleasant way | with the women. Our little Rosalie was little more than child, but Sally used to brighter | up when Bob came in, till she got into that kink about the Blacks.
 'You'll stay here with Rosalie, won't you Bob, till we come back?" l said to young White and as spoke felt Sally give say age pinch to my arm. No sooner were we out side the door than she began about poor, pool Bob.
 ''If you have no regard for your daughter l future, and chose tO throw her away on a poo miserable beggar like Bob White" begaI Sally.
 "Why, my dear," broke in, "Rosalies { mere child. Don't begin to plan about her flu ture, beg of you. She's scarcely left off hel pinafores, and if ever there was maiden medi tatien, fancy free any where, it lies in tht brown eyes of our Rosalie"
 By this time we had reached the imposing portal of Blacks house, and were soon usherec | into the presence of the satin damask and ebo | ny. Blacks children were none of then grown, but were precocious enough to take th' lead in conversation; and we sat for whole mortal hour and listened te the eldest girl ham mer out upon the piano what Mrs. Black call ed ''reverie." I was glad when Black tool me into his library, where there were som good cigars and some pretty fair wine, and w left the women to themselves But goodly quantity of poison was infused into Sally's system and mine before we left tn big luxurious house, and we went home to gether as changed as if touched by the rod O an enchanter.
 ''Dear !" said Sally, 'what little cub by-hole this is declare it's quite like baby house! !"
 s'Td like to have library like Blacks" saic ]. taking up the refrain. HIt's nice to have g room,' I continued, to Bob White, 'where g man can take his friends. It would be far pleasanter, for instance, if you and could have our game of cribbage without the contin- ual gabble of women in our ears."
 ''Oh, don't think so, said BOb-'1 don't think so at all.
 The lad looked over at Rosalie and blushed ingenuously. The color deepened in Rosale'i cheeks till it went far ahead of the crimson in | Blacks satin damask upholstery, and shy gleam shot from her brown eyes that sent 2 | flood of light into my obtuse cranium. began to think that Sally was right. Bel w ulGS was d1l very W61 HI HIS way put uO BOT of a.match for my daughter Rosalia. She wal my one eve lamb-the benniest, best, anC dearest little girl the sun ever shone upon And besides all this, there was the secret con sciousness that she could if she wanted to- dress Gin silk attire, and still hae to spare" hadn't lived in plain way all these years for nothing. People about me began to realize that although Brown lived in small house, he was a man of no inconsiderable means. Black had managed to convey this intelligence te them, and found no fault with this friendli ness on his part. Old White never thought o such a thing as taking the seat beside me nov on our way down in the train; it was generally filled by more popular parties, and began t' take quite an interest in the social and politica points of discussion.
 All this cost me considerable in the way Q time and money. My games of cribbage wer few and far between, and put my name t all the subscriptions they choose to get up but didn't mind the money, and I had lon
 since determined that the less Rosalia saw c young White the better. The color grew
 little less vivid in her rounded cheeks, and tn
 light less mischievous and joyous in her eyes
 but Sarah said-I thought this was really
 more suitable name for my Wife's years an