The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-03-06

i
be due, too, and she scarcely knew how
she was going to get along. If we
could afford to hire our sewing done, l
would always employ her, for she seems
so conscientious and anxious to please.
I've been trying to interest some of the
ladies in our set in her behalf and Sc
cure work for her."
! And Just here I must reveal to the
reader that this fact of being regarded
as member of this same "set" to
which she had just referred, was a
source of infinite satisfaction to Mrs.
| Waters. It was sort of panacea for
the inconvenience of having limited
purse-a soothing balm for all life's an
noyances. This coterie consisted of the
wives of nearly all the well-to-do men
of the village, as well as few others of
more slender means, whose geniality
and general responsibility, like that of
our friend Mrs. Waters, gave them q
footing.
Counting over the money that Kitty
had placed in. her hand, she was in the
act of dropping it into her purse, when
peal from the door-bell announced an
arrival.
"Who can it be this drizzly dayP"
she calculated. ~ wonder what brings
people out so early in the morning! l
do hope it is no one to call on me, for
I'd almost as soon see sewing machine
man or book agent coming, as lady
caller this time of day."
The visitor proved to be Mrs. Judge
Jones, the acknowledged leader of the
ton of Millville, who, after the usual
exchange of compliments, apologized
for her unreasonable call. "Of course
you have heard that we are going to
lose Mrs. Wilcox" she began, :" and
told some of our ladies that it wouldn't
do to let her 60 away without making
her present. We have been talking
of nice water-set. What do you think
of itp'
Mrs. Waters was aghast. She was
expected to contribute toward a silver
water pitcher, goblets and salver! How
could she confess to her fashionable
friend that she had not cent to give
that the little, pitiful sum in her purse
belonged to another, because she OoOed
it to anotherP Fortunately for her,
Mrs. Jones did not wait for reply, but
ratified glibly on. 81 have headed the
list with five dollars; Mrs. Gross and
Mrs. Richards each gave me three dol
lars, and Mrs. Martin two dollars; but
what do you thinkP Mrs. Elgin would
only contribute q dollar! l declare l
wouldn't act as small and as mean as
that for anything. 1 didn't dream she
was so stingy, although did hear once
that she wouldn't allow her hired help
to eat butter. Well" glancing over
the list which she held in her hand,
Give done pretty well for a stormy
morning. l have fourteen dollars al
ready, and if you have five dollars to
give it will help matters along nicely"
and she beamed a gracious smile on
Mrs. Waters.
Poor Mrs. Waters! To have turned
away an importunate book agent or
troublesome peddler, with the confess
sion that she had no money or g couldn't
afford it, was an easy task, but to &C
knowledge to Mrs. Judge Jones, above
all persons, that she was too poor to
aid in making this present, required an
amount of moral courage of which she
was not capable. Confused thoughts of
Clara's shabby tippet, contrasted with
visions of the bright new scarf she had
been promised; the new gloves she her.
self needed; the child's magazine to
which, for weeks past, Kitty had been
begging her to subscribe; the recollec-
ton of the twenty-five cents she had re-
luctantly furnished last week for little
Ralph to give to the fund gotten up
to make his Sabbath-school teacher
Christmas gift; the dime given to
Clara the week before for the same pur-
pose; the remembrance of her own re-
mark at the time, that it was nothing
but "give, give all you had," and the
consciousness that here sat Mrs. Jones,
who never had known in all her life
what it was to want for money, asking
as sweetly for five dollars as though it
were the merest trife-all these
thoughts, and host more, fitted rap
idly through her brain in jumbled-up
mass as she sat gazing at her visitor.
"We are all to meet at Colonel Will
cox's to present the gift the night be-
fore they leave for Florida" pursued
the lady, adjusting her damp ruffies as
she spoke, "and as we will have to get
the water set from the city, we must
order it as soon as am sure of all the
money, and believe you haven't yet
told me what you will give; only, please,
dear Mrs. Waters, don't follow Mrs.
Elgin's example," and she laughed
heartily.
Mrs. Waters hand nervously went
into her dress pocket. She will go
away and say uglier things about me
than she has about Mrs. Elgin if re-
fuse" was her mental comment. at
would look mean, too, dare say, when
I've always professed such friendship
for Mrs. Wilcox-though, the dear
knows! Mrs. Wilcox could make me a
present of fifty dollar gift better than
l can afford to give fifty cents toward
getting her one." Then mastering up
smile, she said aloud: Pm some
what short of money to-day. Where
there are children there are so many
calls on ones purse, you know" and
she smiled again as if to make her WIS.,
itor fully understand that her contribu-
ton was matter of course. "But
here are two dollars-all that | happen
to have just now-if you choose to ac-
cept so small an amountr'
accept itP Certainly, with thanks"
responded Mrs Jones pailV taking the