Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1881-02-01
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0 anything else on"
f "I'm sure shouldn't care for the
: opinion of the neighbors," answered
t her husband, loftily. ~ always thought
9 you looked extremely well with that
t dress on: It's warm and comfortable,
4 isn't it?"
!. "Yes, and 80 is blanket" answered
] Mrs. Torrey.
Q IT don't approve of the practice 80
prevalent among some of the farmers
l wives, nowadays. of buying a new
, dress every time they take notion into
, their heads that they'd like one." said
Mr. Torrey, very impressively, We've
I got to econOmize if we ever expect to get
out of the present financial difficulties.
If we all bought needless things, the
coIntry'd soon be bankrupt. / don't
suppose you understand it Sarah but
, it's extravagance that has made the
hard times" And Mr.. T0rrey tried to
: look as wise as professor of political
economy.
''Not extravaganza on my part" re-
spOnded his wife, who was not much
impressed with his arguments. 81
want new drees because need one
, and there is no extravaganza about 1t.
have earned one, think; but if you
don't think so, you had better keep the
. money"
Mrs. Torrey's temper was up. When
ever her husband was in one of his ex-
ira economical moods, be never failed to
rouse her spirit. She knew that she
was careful, prudent woman, and she
felt that new dress-and half dozen
new dresses, for that matter-bad been
fully paid for by her economy in little
things during the year.
Rut if he hpUru0Uad hpr tho TnOnau
why, she'd go without, if she had to
stay at home all winter. She wouldn't
coax him for what rightfully belonged
to her. If his sense of justice wasn't
strong enough to prompt him to do the
fair thing. she'd fall back on the old
brown dress, and make that do for
another season."
II don't see much force in your argu-
ment," said Mr.. Torrey. "If I had six
suits of clothes, or even three, I'd be
more than satisfied"
He folded up the money as if that
decided the matter, and put it back in
the pocketbook.
"You poor old brown thing!n Mrs.
Torrey said, next day when she was
airing the ciosit where she kept her
clothes. 'you've got to be Sunday best,
for another winter, and she held up
the dress to the light and inspected it
closely.
The folds were faded good deal, the
trimming was out of date, and it had a
kind of genteel-poverty look about it
generally.
"I know what I'll do" she said, with
a twinkle in her eyes. I'll wear it
everywhere, and I'll go out every time
l can, and I'll make him as sick of it as
| am. Last winter / wore that old
gray delaine part of the time, but since
that departed this life I'll have to make
this do double duty"
Next Sunday she came down arrayed
| for church in the brown dress.
"I'm sure that looks well enough for
any body" her husband said. "If you
always have as good clothes you won't
have any cause for complaint"
Mrs. Torrey frowned, and then she
smiled
| Half the farmers wives at church had
on neat new dresses, and her brown
one looked more dingy than ever beside
them. Somehow, the contrast between
her appearance and that of her neigh
bors struck Mr.. Torrey quite forcibly,
but he was sure it wasn't on account Of
her dress. That was good enough for
anybody"
Mrs. Perkins had quilting Wednes-
day afternoon, and the men were lnvit-
ed to tea. Clad in her brown dress,
Mrs. Torrey made herself very conspi-
cuous among the other ladies during
the evening. The contrast between
their pretty garments and her own was
considerably to her disadvantage, and
her husband did not fail to notice it;
| but
"I'll warrant their dresses cost five
or ten dollars apiece, and can't afford
that" he thought, and tried to forget
| that there were such things as dresses
in the world.
The next Sunday the brown dress
went to church again, and twice during
the week it was on duty.
Mr.. Torrey began to get tired of
brown, but he wouldn't say SO.
He stood it for month. During that
no less than ten times. 1t was at Mrs.
Baxter's sociable that Mr.. Torrey capit-
ulated, and that was the last time the
brown dress made its appearance in
public. He was sitting in a corner, be-
hind .tw o ladies, when one of them made
this remark to the other:
r Mrs: Tore Torrey is nice-looking wo-
"Yes," was the reply: "and she'd
look ever so much better if she could
dress as other folks do. To my certain
knowledge. this is the third season
she's worn that brown dress"
Mr.. Torrey felt very uncomfortable.
| "What makes her stick to it as she
does ?'' asked the other lady. "You
know I've only been in the neighbor-
hood six weeks, but I've never seen her
in any other dress, and I've met her q
good many times, too"
Mr.. Torrey began to perspire freely.
"It's the only dress she has that's fit
to wear away from home in the winter"
was the reply"
us her husband poor?" asked the
other
ION, no; only economical" was the
answer. with a little laugh that made
Mr.. Torrey tingle to the tips of his toes.
II suppose he's worth as much as most
OF the farmers in the neighborhood.
"And she hasn't anything better to
wear than that?" exclaimed the other
lady, Indignantly. ''If Mr.. Torrey
were my husband, and obliged me to
wear one dress three years, I'd"
Mr.. Torrey didn't stop to hear the
sentence finished. He never knew
was that made such an undignified dash
for the side-door or not, but he has
never met them since without getting
uncomfortably warm.
"See here, Sarah, I want to make q
bargain with you," he said, next MORN
ing, looking very foolish and red in the
face. "I'l give you fifteen dollars if
you'll promise never to wear that brown
dress away from home again."
"Why! exclaimed Mrs. Torrey,
with twinkle of triumph in her eye.
II hope your haven't got tired of it?
Pm sure It's good enough for any body"
us it bargain ?" asked her hus-
band, holding up the money.
Yes" answered she; and then her
lord and master beat hasty retreat to
the barn, where he happened to re-
member some work needed doing very
much.
The next Sunday when Mrs. Torrey
walked up the isle at church, her hus-
band was really proud of her. Her new
} black dress fitted beautifully, and the
sacque she wore was as neat as any in
the house. And the pretty bonnet, with