Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1881-08-11

ing that our house seemed to be beref
of all gladness and sunshine. And one
evening after Ethel, our Youngest
daughter, had burst into tears because
aunt had declared it would be impossible
to have ice cream, meringues. jellies
and similar dainties every day for des
sert, for the two sufficient reasons that
we couldn't afford them and our present
cook couldn't make them, ventured to
suggest to the weeping damsel that il
she found life positively unbearable
without the above named luxuries (all
the Egberts, by-the-bye, were extrava
gantly fond of good things to eat). she
might knit and crochet some Of the
worsted articles she was in the habit of
making SO artistically for herself and
sell them to" Mr.. Lee, uncle's en-
ployer, I was about to say, when was
interrupted by shrill shrek.
"Work for store r. she cried. "Td
starve first"
"You wretched girl |" added my aunt.
"How dare you even think of such a
thing? Ethel. my darling, calm your.
self"
"It is not enough that strangers
should presume upon our poverty, I"
joined In Cleanthe, 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" to her
brother Roland, who lay on the only
lounge in the room, complacently re-
garding himself in the mirror on the
opposite wall" that impertinent Mrs.
Bradshaw coming here this morning
with the air of doing a kindness, too,
to offer me position in her academy !"
"Great heavens |" exclaimed Roland,
springing to his feet-and the cause
must be mighty one that brings Ro-
land to his feet. eOne of my sisters q
teacher Great heavens p 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 moth
ing" sobbed Ethel.
sOf course not" replied Roland,
grandly; "the women Of our family
never work"
l thought to myself, /" Nor the men
neither, except poor old uncle, who is
tagging at desk from morning until
night"
"But our income must be increased" I"
said Alethea, looking up from her novel
and joining in the conversation for the
first time. Alethea was our eldest, and
still wore her hair in the fashion of her
youth, a loose curl dangling over each
cheek-bone, being fully persuaded that
no other fashion was half so graceful or
becoming
Discharge the chambermaid," pro-
posed Ethel, sand let Dorothea" Il am
Dorothea) "do her work. It is about
all she is fit for. She never had bit
of fine feeling or style about her,"
"No, she never had; she always
would bite her bread" sighed my aunt,
"and she has seemed sadly out of place
among my children. She comes of q
working race, and her ideas and tastes
all smack OF trade. made ee-tgade." I
discovered in after years that my aunt s
q fortune out of tobacco.
"But discharging the chambermaid
won't help very much." said Alethea.
cit will not," agreed Roland.
What is saved thereby will no more
than find me in the little extras no
society man can do without"
"DearI dear" aunt took up the
burden again, "could have forseen
that your father would have come down
in this way 1 never would have married
him. I really don't know what is to be
done, unless we emigrate to some coun-
try place where we are unknown and
where it don't matter how we live"
"The country?" screamed the chill
dren in chorus. Better death at
once"
I can't imagine where got the cour-
age to do SO after my late sharp rebufs,
but at this moment blurted out some
thing that had been in my mind fol-
several weeks: "Why could not Ale
thea and Ethel room together, and Ale
thea's room, which is the pleasantest in
the house, be let to lodger? ?-one who
would"
But here I 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 taunt has rather a
bass voice) to "leave the room-in-
stantly."
But in short time, during which
things had been getting worse and
worse, and we had been reduced to rice
puddings for dessert on week days and
apple tarts on Sundays, was allowed
to prepare an advertisement for the
mornings paper, in which was offered
to can elderly gentleman, who must
have excellent references, fine room
in the house Of lady Of refinement,
who had never before taken q lodger,
for the privilege of occupying which he
would be expected to pay liberal
equivalent"
disapproved highly Of the wording
of this call for help, but my aunt and
cousins insisted upon lis being couched
in these very terms, and so I was COM
PEELED to yield, inwardly convinced that
it would bring no reply.
But it did. The very afternoon OF
the morning it appeared, carriage
with a trunk strapped on behind drove
up to our door. An old gentleman goi
out, hobbled up our steps and rang ou
door-bell.
"You must see him, Dorothea," said
my aunt, leaving the parlor, followed
by train of her children. sit is youl
affair altogether. I will have nothing
to do with it."
eve none OF us will have anything to
do with il" chimed in my cousins. "We
were not born with the souls of lodging.
house keepers = and away they sailed az
opened the door to the second-a little
louder than the first-ring OF the caller
He was a short, slightly ole
gentleman, with big, bright black eyes
bushy white eyebrows, and long white
mustache and beard.
"You have room to let?' he asked
"I have" I answered, ushering hin
into the parlor, where ne glanced keenl,