Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1879-11-20
AHdnGrgy's Mistake.

as a poor mans wife! i have
never been used to work, you
know; and all poor mems wives
have to work, don't theyp"
"Not always, dear. l did not
mean that such poverty as that,
exactly. But l suppose they
have to be a little self-denying,
and do without a great many
pretty things that you might
think Indispensable to your com
fort"
eyes, / know; and they can't
go to the opera, or buy a new
dress when they want one; but
when they pass a shopwindow
shut up their purses ever so tight,
and hurry on. That's what An
ME Harris does for she told me
so herself; and Annie does her
own cooking, and minds her own
children and sews for Mr.. Harris,
and them, and herself; and she
couldn't even afford to subscribe
this year to the circulating libra
ry, and she hasn't bought a new
bonnet for a year."
Meta Harding opened her pret-
ty blue eyes very wide as she
reached the eliminating point of
her distressing statement, and
raised them to Allan Grey's face
to meet the answering expression
of Mortified pity she expected to
find there.
But Allan only smiled down
at her a little gravely, III return.
"And yet Mrs. Harris appears
to me to be one of the most cheer
full, contented persons l know"
he rejoined.
"Why, of course she is. It's
wonderful to see how she bears
up. But, then, she's a real love
there are few people like her."
"You talk as if she had a great
misfortumes to bear up under,
Meta. 1t seems to me that my
friend Harris has a very cozy,
well-aPpointed little home. i
never see any evidences of dis
comfort or neglect when l go
there" j"
"Oh, Allan, every thing is
0e'y plain. Why, they haven't
even got a Brussels carpet in
the parlorl"
"Haven't they? I am sure l
did not know it. / saw pretty,
bright colors on the floor, and
thought it looked very nice"
"Only three-ply, l assure you.
And everything is plain and
cheap all over the house. / do
like nice furniture, don't you?"
"Most people do, dear; but /
don't think handsome furniture,
and Brussels carpets, and silk
ldresses, theatre-going, and new
bonnets, are absolutely indispon-
sable to ones happinesS-do
youP
81 suppose you are laughing
at me, you bad man! But if
l do like pretty things, l am
not bit extrayagant, and you
know it."
"Not Il bit-you never in
dulge is such costly trifles as
this, for instance!" and he held
up the dainty wrist encircIcd by
"a glittering bracelet, which cost
a hundred dollars, and which
Meta, seeing in a jewelers. win
dow the day before, had taken
a fancy to and bought, because
cit was such a love-" though her
/ iewel-box was stored with more
fOf such ornaments than she.
knew what to do with. But,
then, those were "old," and she
was tired of them; and this was
something unique, and quite in
anew style, as the jcweler had
assured her; and her friend Cora
Lyle, who was shopping With
her, had exclaimed: "Oh, Meta,
buy it! 1t is charmingly pretty
/; and recherche;; y and SO without
much ado the bauble was purch-
ased, and the bill sent INTO papa.
"Papa," was wealthy mer-
chant, who thought his daugh-
i, ter the dearest little girl in the
/ world, and forgaye her all her
|: extravagancies, because he low
! ed her so much that he could
/ not deny her anything she wan-
ted, or fancied she wanted, which
came to pretty much the same
: thing.
Ever since her mothers death,
5 which had occurred when she
was a baby, he had devoted
himself to petting and pleasing
S her, in consequence of which
Meta thought, very naturally,
$ that self-indulgence was the
most harmless thing in the
world, and that it would be very
dreadful indeed not to have at
least six new dresses every sea-
son, and as much pinmoney as
would supply the wants of some
careful housewives for a year.
Allan Grey, too. o.thought Meta
"the dearest little girl in the
> world" which accounts for hav-
ing asked her, about a month
previous to the time of which
am writing, to become his wife