Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1879-12-24

'"'P'y H''e''"'"" 'PN-N W W
p oidentally at her cousins, aud wal
!, overheard by Mary Morlarty who
was taking some dishes through the
, slide IN the china closet, Mary i'm
, midately communicated tho titblt Ia
her erony, who was making call, and
, whose husband did the chores for O
rival dress'maker who had always
coveted Becky's arstocratlc customers
II was not long before the story got
to be widely circulated, aud Becky's
work began to drop off accordingly
Such additions had been ingralted
upon tho original stock that IL Is pos
sblc Mrs. Random herself would have
been puzzled to find the fact with
which it started in the perfected re-
port. People did not care to believe
evil Of such a pleasant glrl as Becky,
but they cared to have something to
talk and speculate about, TO vary the
monotony Of their lives. Thus when
Mn, Pry said, "if the girl took that
bill you may rest assured 1t wasn't
the first offence her remark was ad-
ded by way Of interest to the original
amount; and when Mrs. Minns, was
heard to declare that for her part,
"she didn't care a sou-markeo how
many dead gentlemcnioik q person
had TO back them, she didn't think it
made wickedness genteel, OF course
Becky's case was lost.
If some insinuations Of the reason
for this loss Of patronage reached
Becky, they were too indefinite aud
contradictory to enable her to trace
the scandal to its source and even
if she could have done so it was too
latc--the injury was complete. She
had only her word with which to
substan.iate her innocence, and if Mrs.
Grundy had not placed dependence
upon her character, what value would
she be likely to attach to that? So
Becky lost caste only the poorer
portion of the community brought
their dry goods for her to fashion,
and presently even they, came to be
afraid Of losing their pieces, complain.
ed of the quantity of stuff 1t took for
a gown, without taking into consider
alton the extra flounces which the
styles demanded.
One morning Becky found herself
in debt to her landlady, and throwing
her patterns and fashion-pates into
tho fire, she went to the overseer Of
the Warp and Wool Mills and beg
ged employment. Of course she got
it. Honesty wasn't necessary quail
fication for weaving cotton. Mr. Der.
ris thought he knew more than one
of the hands who helped herself off the
company's web few yards at the
time. But then he believed if you
wish to make people good, you must
keep them busy and out of want. He
used to say taking girls employment
because she's Il sinner is the same
thing as sending her to perdtion by
express. He had heard the
report about Becky-as who had not
but the moment he saw, her he said
to himself:
"There's is pack of lies; nobody
could look and speak like that and
break the commandments, too.
And so he did not give himself the
trouble to watch her; he paid her the
of believing in her at once.
The fashion underwent a transfor-
matiop the next autumn. This might
seem to bear no reflection to the for ,
:unes of such an insignificant being as
Bec!;y, if we were not often admon. 9
shed that help comes to US from un- |
expected sources. A few people ip ,
Paris undertook to dictate panniers =
.nd basques, and total change of -,
lesiging in the general toilette, with +,
,ut a suspicion that they were effectiug -.
revolution in the affairs of little =
nil girl in America. n
Mrs. Random took down the gold y
olored silk and looked at it with
'rofound sigh 1t was utterly out of
ashton, and it had cost so much But u
n virtue of being very long and full G.
heir was pleasing possibility that it a
light be worked over into an over d.
kirt and basque, with open sleeves. II
he had always detested those close o'
leeves they were so angular and made III
er feel all arms and elbows and then dl
be began to wish that Rebecca Ger 81
h was at hand to effect the change IN
,rMiss Stiethely was forty miles away IN
p four flites stairs, with the valioloid "
ext door. Therefore Mrs. Random ht
800 e.: :.. 1 or