The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-02-09
and declared that it was the very form
to set off the scented folds of an India

/
rare -paintings-a lifelong invest
ment. She had wondered in her soft
voiced, pretty way, why every lady did
not buy a Valley cashmere
And Flora, listening, had become in
fected with the yearning desire to
possess one of these almost unattain-
able luXuries.
No. - Margin street was dirty
little house, in dirty little row, close
to the docks. Flora had never been
so far West before, and the aspect of
things did not strike her agreeably.
Rough-looking men, in tarry jackets
and coarse boots, slouched past; knots
of half-grown young ruffians stared at
her as she went by, and untidy women,
with children in their arms, disap-
peared into dark doorways, like rats in
to their holes.
"Is this the place where they sell
India shawls?" she hesitatingly asked
a young girl, with unkempt hair and
sullen face, who leaned out of one of
the side windows of No. - Margin
street.
Don't know anything about it"
said the girl, indfferently.
"Can't we spake the lady dacent,
Meg" snarlingly interruted fat old
woman, looking out over the girls
shoulder. "It's through the alley, miss,
dear-up two pair O stairs-the little
room under the skylight. Ask for Mr.
Conforto, miss-the say-capt'in. Shure
the shawls is great bargains, betoken
there amt been no duty paid on 'em,
missw with grin which displayed
few gnarly stumps of teeth in sunken
old jaw.
Through the alley!-"up two pair
O stairs!-a little room under sky
lightw Instinctively Flora recoiled,
and the old woman perceived it at
once
'Shure, miss, I'll 60 wild yez an show
yez the way" said she.
And not knowing how to refuse this
offer, Flora unwillingly followed her
waddling footsteps through dark and
dismal alley, across a paved court and
up two marrow flights of stairs, to a.
gloomy, half-lighted room. where a
short, vulgar man sat, smolinga black
pipe, in the midst of boxes, bales and
bundles.
Bargains, miss" said the short,
vulgar man, jumping up. "Sheddah,
Bhurlpore, Lacca, Valley Bokharah-
which will l show you miss?"
Flora hesitated and colored, under
his brazen stare.
81 had not made up my mind to buy"
she said, "and-"
"Oh, but you must buy!" chartered
Captain Conforto. "You shall buy!
You can't help buying in place like
this. when l show you what we've got"
And jumping around like an over
grown kangaroo, he unfolded some
coarse, high-colored, striped shawls,
one or two with a rivulet of white
seeming to meander over dull-red
grounds, and some that seemed to have
been out in storm at sea and got
thoroughly stained with salt water.
Flora, however uneducated in tech
5 nicalities, was an artist at soul, and re-
| coiled from these gaudy denominations
"I--I don't quite like these" she
l hesitated. II do not think l will pur.
chase to-day
"Not like them" echoed the sea-cap
d tain-if sea-captain he was. "Not-
= like them! Nobody ever said thai
before to Leotard Conforto! 1 ain't
;, used to be talked to in that there way
But if the lady don't like 'em, she needn'
to buy 'em. amt obliged to put m.
:, bargains down peoples Threats, that
amt"
And he hustled around, muttering t
- himself and tossing the things about
;, brushing past Miss Fountain very dis
u agreeably once or twice as he did so.
ID Flora turned to go, but her fat guild
IF had unaccountably disappeared, an
she was obliged to retrace her steps q
N best she could.
"At all events" she said to hersel
er 'Im glad am we'll out of that place
IN Making the best of her way up
! p Third avenue, she entered car to rit
al home; but when she put her hand
D. her pocket to pay her fare, the littl
purse into which she had so careful
at packed her money was gone.
T.