The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1880-09-30
FASHIONABLE GIFT-GIVING.


bill reposing in solitary state in the inner COM
partment of her pOcket-book, and pondered. In
the first place, there were the muffs to be bought
for the girls; it would take the whole of the five
for them alone, say nothing of the other things.
Clearly, they must be given up, and she had been
promising for so long time to get them, too. 1t
was too bad
Then, there was the scarf for Clara, and the fur
gauntets for herself, and Mrs Weeks bill, and
the balance on Kitty's birthday gift, and dozen
other things, all to be paid for out of that patry
five dollars. No wonder Mrs. Waters er)aned as
she contemplated these impossibilities
"Why could use fifty dollars this very day,
and then not get half need" said she, despair
ingly, tapping her foot nervousy on the fender.
"But can't get any more from John, for he said,
when he gave me this bin this morning. that /
must make ii hold out as far possible he posi-
tively couldn't spare any more for "A month to
come; his bills We're falling due, and he would
be dunned to death, for he could not collect any
thing that was coming to him. Oh, dear it's a
dreadful thing to be 50 stinted,' and the little
rocking-chair on which she sat rocked back and
forth eXctedy.
Mrs Waters was by no means an eXtravagant
woman, and her complaints and wishes on the
morning in question should not be construed.
In fact, her husband proudly declared her To- be
the best wife in town. She was economical and
industrious, as the neatly mended garments of her
children often testified, while her wOrnOut dresses
were transformed into stylish frOcks for the little
ones by her own deft fingers a wasteful woman,
or one less skilled in household management,
never would have been able to 'keep up 50
specially in every particular did Mrs. Waters.
Perhaps pride and ambition had something To do
with ii, but If 50, Ii was certainly a pardOnable
pride, and an ambition not wholly unworthy,
which made this mother careless of her own
ease, and so cheerfully endure many sacrifices,
that the family might always, as she expressed
il, 'put the best foot foremost
But she could not sit longer thinking over the
best disposition of her finances. Time meant
something in that busy household and here it
was almost ten o'clock and the busting 10 be done
yet and, at any rate thinking the matter over
forever did not make the problem more clear, she
argued.
aTll pay Mrs. Weeks what I owe, and the bal
ance due Mr.. Todd, and with what Is left I'll try
TO get the scarf, and the gloves too, if they are
not too dear. I'll have Kitty 90 at once and pay
those two little bills, and then they'll be of my
mind
"Here, dear" she said to her little daughter,
''put your cloak and tippet and 20 down to
Mr.. TOdd's bookstore and give him 81 80 owe
him. He will give you the change out of this
BILL and from there you 90 around to Mrs.
Weeks and pay her 81 % out Of it, and bring
back to me 81 % or, stay-it Is such long walk
for you to both places in the rain, you may pay
Mr.. Todd and then come directly home. / will
send Clara to pay Mrs. Weeks, will perhaps 90
myself this afternoon. Now, be careful and don't
get in the mud the walking is bad on this
side of the street, perhaps you had better 90 past
DR.. Gross it's nice and dry down that way. All,
oh, goodness that reminds me that | promised to
seDQ dollar Tor the missionary society 10 MIS-.
Gross early this week. It due last month,
but / couldn't possibly pay it, and it won't do to
let il run on any longer. So Kitty, you'll have
to stop there and give her dollar | don't see
that there's any other way,V and with sigh at
the remembrance of this unexpected debt, Mrs.
Waters took her dusting cloth and went TO work,
sOlilOquiZing: "That ends the chance of buying
Clara the scarf; but it would never have done to
let that missionary money 20 unpaid. Mrs. Gross
is Preside 4 now, and they say she has made a
rule that if any in arrears she will read out
their names before the whole society don't be-
heve in anybOdy's being fierce, for my part ~
She went on vigorously with her work and had
just completed her dustng when Kitty returned
with the change, and "A somewhat ambiguous mes
sage OF thanks from Mrs. Gross that 'she was
much obliged for the dollar it better late
than never" which only elicitedfrom Mrs. Waters
dry ''ahem -
"Well, Kitty she said, after pause, "you
may run and play now. This afternoon you can
60 with Clara to pay Mrs. Weeks. / feel really
ashamed to think how long l have kept that poor
woman waiting for that trifling amount She
told me she needed it to pay on her Winters coal,
and her rent would soon be due too and she
scarcely knew how she to get along. If we
could afford to hire sewing done, | would al
ways employ her, for she seems conscientious
and anxious TO please. I've been trying to inter
est some Of the ladies in set in her behalf and
secure work for her"
And just here it must be revealed 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 a sort of panacea for the Inconvenience O
having a limited purse-a soothing balm for al
life's annoyances. This coterie consisted of the
wives of nearly all the wel-to-dO men OF the vii
lage as well as a few others of more slender
means, whose geniality and general respectability
like that Of our friend Mrs. Waters, gave them
footing.
Counting over the money that Kitty had placed
in her hand, she in the act of dropping il
into her purse, when a peal from the dOor-bell an
nounced an arrival.