Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1881-10-07


now head of the firm, and had pretty.
lady-like wife and two pretty children),
and we dismissed one of our servants and
moved into much smaller house.
But in spite of all our efforts at econo-
my our income proved vastly inadequate
so much bewailing and bemoaning that
our house seemed to be bereft of all glad
ness and sunshine. And one evening af-
ter Ethel, our youngest daughter. had
burst into tears because aunt had declared
it would be impossible to have ice cream,
meringues, jellles and similar dainties ev-
cry day for dessert, for the two sufficient
reasons that we couldn't afford them and
our present cook couldn't make them, I
ventured to suggest to the weeping dam
sci that if she found life positively unbear
able without. the ,aboye-named luxYries
(all the Egbefts, by-the-by, were extrava-
gantly fond of good things to eat), she
might knit and crotchet some of the
worsted articles she was in the habit of
making so artistically for herself and sell
them to-" Mr.. Lee. uncle's employer"
was about to say, when was interrupted
by shrlll shrek.
"Work for store!' she cried. "I'd
starve frst.'
"You wretched grill" added my aunt
"How dare you even think of such thing?
Ethel, my darling, calm yourself.''
sit is not enough that strangers should
presume upon our poverty" Joined in Gle
anthe, also frowning upon me, ''but one
bound to us by ties of blood, though it
must be confessed more alien than many
stranger would be, must advance ideas
that shock and wound US. Imagine''-
turning to her brother Roland. who lay on
the only lounge in the room, complacently
regarding himself in the mirror On the op-
posite wall-"that impairment Mrs. Brad
shaw coming here this morning with the
air of doing a kindness, too, to offer me a
position in her academy!''
''Great heavens!" exclaimed Roland,
springing to his feet-and the cause must
be mighty one that brings Roland to his
feet. lone of my sisters teacherI-
Great heavens" and he went stamping
about the room in the new suit of clothes
aunt had just paid for by parting with her
handsome pearl ring,
"Whatever is done, we can do nothing"
sobbed Ethel.
'sOf course not, /" replied Roland, grand
lily; ''the women of our family never
work.
1 thought to myself'' N or the men Meth
er, except poor old uncle, who is tagging
at the desk from morning until night
ssBut our income must be increased -
said Aletha, looking up from her novel and
Joining in the conversation for the first
time. Aletha was our eldest, and still
wore her hair in the fashion of her youth,
loose curl dangling over each cheek-bone,
being fully persuaded that no other fash
ion was half so graceful or becoming.
discharge the chambermaid, proposed
Ethel, land let Dorothea" am Dorothea)
do her work. 1t is about all she is fit
for. She never had bit of fine feeling Or
style about her,
mo, she never had; she always would
bite her bread.' sighed my aunt, land she
has seemed sadly out Of place among my
children. She comes of a working race.
and her ideas and tastes all smack of trade
-trade-trade" / discovered IN after
years that my aunt's ancestors on the ma
ternal side made a fortune out of tobacco.
ssBut discharglng the chambermald
won't help very much" said Alethea.
sit will not,' agreed Roland. "What
is saved thereby will no more than find me
! in the little extras no society man can do
| without"
"Dear! dear!'' aunt took up the burden
again, "could l have forseen that your
father would have come down in this way
I never would have married him. really
don't know what is to be done, unless we
emigrate to some country place where we
are unknown and where it don't matter
how we live"
'sThe country?" screamed the children
in chorus. "Better death at once"
I can't imagine where 1 got the courage
to do so after my late sharp rebutfs, but at
this moment blurted out something that
had been in nay mind for several weeks
"Why could not Alethea and Ethel room
together, and Alethea's room, which is
the pleasantest in the house, be let to a
lodger?-one who would"
But here 1 paused abruptly. Alethea
had tainted in the arms Of my aunt, who,
glancing at me over the top of her eldest
daughters head, commanded me in her
deepest tone (aunt has rather bass voice.
to ''leave the room-instantly.
But in short time, during which things
had been getting worse and worse, and we
had been reduced to rice buildings for des
sert on week days and apple tarts on Sun
days, was allowed to prepare an adver-
tisement for the mornings paper, in which
was offered to ian elderly gentleman, who
must have excellent references. fine
room in the house of lady of refinement,
who had never before taken ledger, for
the privil4 ge of occupying which he would
be expected to pay liberal equivalent. y
1 dlsapproved highly of the wording Of
this call for help, but my aunt and cousins
insisted upon it's being couched in these
very terms, and so I was compelled to
yield, inwardly convinced that it would
bring no reply.
But it did. The very afternoon of the
morning it appeared, a carriage with a
trunk strapped on behind drove up to our
door, An old gentleman got out, hobbled
up our steps and rang our door bell.
"Y GU must see him, Dorothea, - said my
aunt, leaving the parlor, followed by
train of her children. ''It is your affair
I will have nothing to do