The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1878-02-28

uoooio anu cAduiSlle GaSGe Dy sewing lOf
her relatives. Her mother would have
tainted in horror had any one suggested
to her that her daughter was a dress
maker. But dear Edna, she admitted,
helped her more prosperous relatives
with their sewing, emitting to add that
said relatives put sufficiently small
pecuniary acknowledgment into Edna's
purse.
The girl herself, q superbly- handsome
brunette, rebelled mentally every hour
of her life against ali this prstehse.
Proud to het hearts core, she had no
meah shrinking from facing the truth
that she was poor and obliged to work
for money; but the prejudices of her rich
aunt, the afectations of her helpless, fine
lady mother must be respected, and she
worked for half pay and secrecHh pen
she might have won an honest living as
an acknowledged dressmaker.
When Walter Templeton asked her to
be his wife some of this long -pent-up
irritation of the false life forced upon
her found vent in her refusal of his suit.
She half regretted the sarcasms she had
poured upon his position when she saw
the detected face and the expression of
hurt amazement there.
CATER ALL" she thought, when he
left her, the poor fellow is not much
to blame. He has been under Aunt u
Giles thumb ever since he was a mere
boy, brought up upon small doses of
common sense and vast ot1es of Pilgrim
Fathers, bite blood. and the degradation
of honest labor. But I won't marry
him I get enough of the family fell
ing without going to live with Aunt
Lucille, one more hanger-on. earn all
she gives me, that's one comfort. Any
dressmaker would charge twice as much
as she will pay me to make that black
velvet"
Yet when she came day after day,
working busily at the fall sewing of her
aunt, she missed the courteous atten-
tions of her cousin. Truly Aunt Lucille
had spoken trUa y when she said Walter
TempletUn was a perfect gentleman. His
manner was the perfection of good
breeding, with deferential courtesy for
all womankind, and most fascinating
Difference for the one woman he loved.
Stung by the bitter emphasis of Edna's
refusal, the centemptuous sarcasm of
her reasons, he withdrew from her pres
ence, seldom coming to the room, where
he read to his aunt while she sewed
Truly Edna had defined his position
IN that mental retrospect she had taken
He had been his aunt's plaything in his
boyhood, handsome lad, full OF talent
and promise. When he attained ripper
years he was sent to school, to college.
graduated there, was put into the pc
sition of a nutieul nephew to an aunt
who openly proclaimed him her heir
Courted in society, his aunt's favorite,
with ample means at his ready COM
mand, his own idea of his course of life
was that it was far superior to that of
common men. Thoroughly imbued
with his aunt's pride, he rather scorned
the idea of labor of any kind until he
loved Edna.
By the light of that love ne felt IN
easily that she scorned the money he
took freely, unless he earned it first
More than once he had known of her
proud refusal of any gift for which her
nimble fingers had not given a full
equivalent. He loved her first for her
beauty, then for the noble attributes of
mind and heart she certainly possessed,
though she screened them we'll with her
sarcastic pride.
Gradually, indeed unconsciously,
she had sheathed the weapons she had
kept at command, her pungent wit, her
keen satire, when her cousin Walter was
by. She let herself be interested when
|
cussed literature or art.
Mrs. Montgomery looked well pleased
1t WAS one of her pet schemes to leave
her wealth divided between Walter and
Edna, as man and wife, and she encour-
aged intimacy with all her heart, hiding
! her satisfaction under her usual curt
! manner.
Partly from her hints, partially, it must
be confessed, from his own sense of su-
periority, Walter had settled convic-
tion that he was comforting an honor
when he offered his hand to Edna, a
hand that would lift her to his side in
the afffuence Of his aunt's favor
So the first spur that drove him from
her presence was certainly mortified
vanity. More reasonable motives came
later.
Tho fall sewing was completed, when,
with that unreasonable perversity that
falls often to the lot of the most favored
mortals, Mrs. Montgomery was Obliged
to have it all renewed in mourning for
her only sister, Edna's mother
1t was dreadfully provoking" of
course, the more SO as Edna, really low
ing the peevish invalid who had been her
care for years, could not attend to the
sewing. She was sorrowed sincerely for
many weeks, and then, to Mrs. Mont
| gomery' s infinite disgust, accepted po-
sition as companion to an invalid lady
and went abroad.
:" I suppose, her aunt said, when it
was too late, /" if [ had offered you a
salary with home you would have
come when I asked you.
And Edna frankly admitted that she
would.
So over the ocean she carried her sor-
rows md her pride, the one fairly stiAed
for the time under the weight of the 9TH
ers. For she missed her mother, she
! found her new duties uncongenial and
continuing, and she grieved for Walters
love.
She did not regret her decision, know
ing the uncertainty of riches. She saw
no future of usefulness before him, if,
at the end, his aunt disappointed bis ex-
pectations She knew him for a man
who could turn his brain or hands to no
purpose in life, and for this she despised
him as a mere dandified puppet of her
aunt's.
Yet in the heart hunger of her new life
| she thought often of the glorious capa-
| bilities of her young cousin. She knew
| he had mind clear and strone-fuii of
| power to grasp any intellectual rUrscita.
/ She knew him patient kind OF heart,
strong of purpose when once aroused,
an it fretted all the grander attributes
of her nature to think of the waste of
/ such manhood
For what was he2 4 walking tailors
advertisement, charming partner in
dance, courteous gentleman, a willing
servant to his aunt. No more
Yet when Edna wandered with her new