Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1881-05-06

ECi ii sIe Npull plehse W uuIdNti III
mystery that hung about the life of tina
old woman.
She belonged to good family, al
of whom are gone bat herself" said tn
lady. "She was smiable, attractive
and handsome; but she struck rock -
as the sailors say-and was wrecked
almost as soon as she set sail in life"
docs she drink {? asked one of tb,
girls, remembering the flashes Of ligh
in her dull eye.
"Oh no, never"
g Is she stage-struck 2"
"No, my dear"
els she what is vulgarly .callet
love cracked 2"
"No."
"Then she is crazy" said another.
No; she shows no sign of insanity
and yet she is really a monomaniac,
said Mrs. Faulkner.
On what subject? asked one Of the
girls.
"On the subject of dress; and poor
and miserable rs she now Is, she fancies
herself model of fashion, envied by
every lady on the street. When We
were young we were neighbors and
schoolmates. My father was in sfiluent
circumstances, for that day, and hers
was struggling to bring up large fam
lily on very small business.
" Young girls did not wear silks, vel
vets and jewelry then. My sister and
had warm plaid cloaks, belted down,
and comfortable capes and beaver hats
the winter we we're fifteen. But Matilda
Lyon had large chipchilla cape and
muff, and ruby colored silk dress,
and velvet hat and feather to match.
We had string of coral beads as
| our only ornament; but she had cameo
earrings, pearl ring and gold locket
and bracelets, and she carried hand
kerchief bordered with real lace.
"She must have harp as we'll as a
piano. and take lessons on it, and go to
dancing-school, theaters and balls, and
must ride out in hired carriage very
often to show her finery. Her mother
once told ours what it cost to support
Der, and it was more than was spent for
four of u.s."
"Why didn't her parents control
her ?" asked one of the little party.
"They were weak, and couldn't do
it; and, besides that, they were as vain
of her as she was of her clothes.
"She married bank clerk, with o
moderate salary; but she said she
could be happy with him in garnet on
one meal day.
But she induced him to pay half his
salary for rent, and to furnish home
on credit; she then gave large party,
and in his vacation coaxed him off on
an expensive journey.
Son her fathers death, after his
failure in business, she robed herself in
costly mourning, and six weeks after
wards, deciding that black was not be-
coming to her, bought handsome outfit
of second mourning.
1.-Two little boys came to her home,
adding greatly to the expense of the
family; and bills began to pour in,
which distressed her young husband.
but she was so heartless as not to
see or to care for this, and leased and
worried him for new dresses, and
cloaks, and diamonds; declaring that it
was disgrace, at this day, for lady
not to have diamonds!
He gave her the iswelry you saw on
her to-day-the dresses and cloaks-and
then he was missing, as was also five
thousand dollars, taken little by little
from the bank! He had been driven to
ruin by her.
"She now, being penniless, took in,
and soon starved out, half-a-dozen
boarders. When starving herself, she
offered to sell her ddamonds-they
proved to be only crystals set in gold.
Her husband had deceived her for peace
sake, and in the struggle to be-as he
thought-less dishonest toward his en-
ployers.
"She borrowed and she begged of
old friends, and wasted her money on
herself. Her little boys went with their
toes out of their shoes and without
over-garments in winter. Her room
she soon came down to one room-was
half the time without fire; and her cup
board, as it was tonight, was often
bare.
cat last, when they wero four and
six years old, her little boys died OF an
illness produced by neglect.
"Then all the love she had ever had
for parents, husband or children, GEN.
tered on her clothes. She had no money
to buy new, so she atoned for it by
piling faded finery on the old ones, and
by begging of her friends. She will
accept any ones csst-off garments, and
even their rag. bags, in hope of getting
ends of lace and ribbon from them to
add to her bonnets and bows.
"Her room is mere den, without
order or cleanliness; and she gets her
food and clothes as you saw her get her
lunch to-day. She often comes to me
saying she has just discovered that she
has ne stockings to change with, or no
bread, or no coal, or oil.
"But she always refuses warm. com
Portable garments, and begs for Mary's
cast off evening dresses, white kid
gloves, and painted fans. In this way
she has gathered heaps Of faded stuff
which she cannot use. and which is
piled up on the chairs, tables, and even
the floor of her poor room, making it
look like secondhand Jew. shop.
1.-THE only time 1 ever heard her
speak of the husband her folly had ex-
lied, she said:
"'I II Henry is alive. think he might
send me some handsome clothes from a
foreign land!'