River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1878-07-11
That Little Place of Browns.

the city, came to live in our neighbor.
hood.
We were at supper one night when my
wife told me.
They're going 10 take the Frech
rooted house around the corner" said
Sally, with the big extension and con-
seryatory, anu as | happened to be walk
ing out Just as the trucks came down, |
couldn't help seeing that the parlor
furniture is Of crimson satin damask and
ebony think it's ebony, but at any
rate it's inlaid'
We'll, that's comfort, any way
said I. IF you're positive it's inlaid,
Sally, you can perhaps go on with your
supper,
Yes" she said, so preoccul led with
her theme that she hadn't eaten a morsel,
s'and there's the handsomest bedroom set
for Jane that | most ever laid my eyes
on; it's one of these dressing bureaus,
Joe, 9TH magnificent plateglass that
reaches down 10 the floor"
That's good" said |. You can run
around there when you have your next
gown fitted, and see the hang of it"
II don't expect to run around there,
said Sally, craning her neck up stitily,
turning up the and of her nose, and
drawing her lips down.
"Why, what's the matter?" said |
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 now"
'Oh. she was friendly enough" said
Sally; "but we can't expect, Joe, that peo-
pie living in that kind of style can be up
on terms of intimacy with people that
live as we do. There are certain restric-
tons in society"
Restrictions be hanged" cried.
oI'm as good man as Black any day in
the week"
You're rs good as the President, for
that matter, said Sally; "but it's all like
a pair of scales, Joe, when one goes up
another goes down, and, from the way
things look, it'll take pretty heavy
weight on the Backs 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 | told
Sally there wasn't feathers weight on
his side, so far as the fAvors of fortune
were concerned aft he has a mind to
live above his means" said /, "he can do
il and take the consequences"
lie mas Just as good right to live
above his MEANS said Sally, "as you
have to live beneath yours
This was her Parthan arrow as / went
out door, and it ranked little all the
wav down in the train, the more sharply
that found Black the center of an adj
miring bevy at the depo.. He had quite
an imposing makeup and glib tongue,
which ne used in inveighing against our
system OF paving. He complained OF the
condition of a good many things in our
young township, and seemed to gain
popularity with every fault that he found.
A. last he spied me, and was exceedingly
loud and elusive in his salutation.
Halo, Brown" he said, shak-
ing nv hand again and again, and de-
clairing to the people about him | was
an old friend whom he was glad TO un-
earth. 1--WE run you down, you sly fox.
That's a snug little place around the
corner-very snug indeed! =
| wouldn't have believed it possible l
could have been such an ass as to feel
tlattered by this familiarity of Blacks,
but found myself smirking and nod
ding with great cOmpacency. Here
were at least half a dozen of the gentry
about me who lived in big houses In
nv neiqhborhOod thSt | had been going
up and down to the city with Tor years,
vet scarcely knew them well enough for
an exchange of civilities, and here was
Black already hand in glove with the
finest of the them. 1t makes me sick
now when remember that l turned my
back on poor old White, and went toady-
ing on with this aristocracy.
White lived in even a smaller house
than mine, and bad hard enough work
to paw for that He had failed in bust
ness some years before, and don't know
what they would have done without their
bow Bob. He was with me IN the city,
and | knew that goodlY portion of the
lads earnings were gwen 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 cribbage and talk over
business matters with me, and found
him sharp enough at both Then he had
pleasant way with the women. Our
little Resale was little more than achild,
but Sally used to brighten up when Bob
came in, till she got into that kink about
the Blacks.
You'll stay here with Resale, won't
YOU, Bob. till we come backf" | said to
Young White, and as I spoke | felt Sally
give a 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
daughters future, and choose to throw
her away on poor miserable beggaI
I,l NN,tfo - hpnaD SALLY
Why, my dear" I broke in, "Rosal-
ie'sa mere child. Don't begin TO plan
about her future, I beg of you. She's
scarcely left off her pinafores, and if ever
there was maiden meditation, fancy
free, any where it lies in the brown eyes
oi our Rosealie."
By this time we had reached the i'm
posinq portal of Blacks house. and were
soon ushered into tie presence OF tho
satin damask and ebony. Blacks chill
dren were none of them grown, but were
precocious enough to take the lead II
conversations and we sat for a whole
mortal hour and listened TO the eldest sir
hammer out upon the piano what Mrs
Black called ''reverie." I was glaC
when Black took me into his library.
But a goodly quantity of poision wa:
infused into Sally's system and mine be
fore we LETT the big luxurious house, ant
We went home together as changed as i
touched by the rod of an enchanter
z Dear me" said Sally, .'what a little
cubby hole this is! l declare it's quit,
like baby house"
sd Like to have library like Blacks,
said I, taking up the refrain. ats ME
10 have room, Il continued TO Bob White
"where man can take his friends. |
would be far pleasanter, for instance,
You and could have our game of crib
baoe without the continual gable Q
women in cur ears.
"Ob, don't think 50, said Boh--''