Middletown transcript., 1883-03-02
THE GRAYSTONS.

Inc GrayStOnS were one OF the de-
cayed families that abound in New
York, as in all other large cities. Mrs.
Grayston was the daughter Of a we'll
to-do old merchant, who gave her a
comfortable house as wedding present,
and as her husband prospered in bust
ness, the family were almost as fashion
able and prominent as they wanted
to be.
But one day Mrs. Grayston's husband
died, leaving his wife, three girls and
very little money her father had died
some years before, after having suf-
fered some reverses that swept away
his property.
For year 4r- two Mrs. Grayston con
tinued to liisb9s comfortably rs ever,
thanks to wlAd bad come to her from
her husband'ss ,fsiness, but just as she
became not unEilling to doff her black
robes and re-enA Ar the society which she
was still youiTE, pretty and spirited
enough to enjoy, she found her bank
account exhausted. Her husbands
lawyer advised her to sell her house,
hire small one, and live as economi-
cally as possible OIL the proceeds of the
sale, hut this course seemed to her as
bad as going out of the world, so she
delayed doing anything until an accu-
mutation of bills forced sale, and
Mrs. Grayston took her family to a
clearinghouse.
Unable any longer to entertain in the
style she had done, Mrs. Grayston
learned rapidly that acquaintance are
seldom friends, and the discovery caused
her many bitter tears.
She wanted to be true to the memory
of her husband, but in her wild desire
to retain the position she was fast los
ing, she gave many a witching smile to
desirable bachelors and widowers who
seemed to like her. But marriage was
not the result half dozen men would
have cOntended for her had she been
without encumbrances but three girls,
who soon would need to be dressed as
young ladies, united to threaten with
responsibilities by which the rashest
man was appalled,.
Gradually Mrs. Grayston's money de-
parted, and so did her friends. Some
families moved away others changed
their abodes and their social sets, until
Mrs. Grayston was absolutely out of
society society and and Hithont 2 friend With her
last few hundred dollars she made des-
perate efforts to put herself in the way
Of earning livelihood for her little
family. She attempted to teach, to
keep boarders, to write for the maga-
zines, to paint and embroider but none
Of her faculties had ever been trained.
and she failed at everything, SO finally,
she and her girls came down to support
ing themselves by sewing for the shops.
By steady work they earned food, cloth
ing and shelter, but very little more.
Yet in their poverty they eagerly read
every line they could find in the news
papers about the fashionable world, and
their principal relaxation was to look
into shop windows at fashionable gowns
and ornaments, to saunter through
fashionable streets at hours when we'll
dressed ladies were making calls, and
to wander on Sundays among the fash
ionable churches.
Such was the condition of the Gray
ston's when Briggs Bergman, who had
been clerk with Mrs. Grayston's IA
ther, and afterward gone West and be-
came successful merchant himself.
came East to visit his married sister.
Bergman inquired about all his old
acquaintances, and was astonished at
what he heard about his old EMPLOYERS
pretty daughter.
"A poor widow Nobody knows
much about her nowP Why, confound
it, Kate, it's enough to make man a
raging Communist to learn that society
has neglected such woman
What would you have society do,
brother ?" asked the lady take up
subscriptionsto maintain Mrs. Grayston
and her three daughters in style ? So
ciety has all it can do to pay its own
biIls.''
"Society is heartless-it is hog =,
growled the sturdy old fellow, and
straightway he set out to find his en-
ployer's daughter. Hewas both shocked