Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1884-08-22
Mr.. BINGLE'S OLD COAT.

"Splendidr' r' said Mrs. Bingle, pulling
the collar up and skirt down, and set
tling the pocket flaps, as farmer Bingle
tried on the new overcoat. "Real silk
velvet collarm
eyes, and such a piece of cloth! Forty
five dollars for the whole thing"
"Forty-tive dollars!n echoed Sam and
Jim admiringly
eyes. Seventeen for the tailorin' and
trimmin's, and twenty-eight for the CLOTH
It'll do me till Pm gray"
"What you going to do with the old
one, pa9" asked Jim.
'It's a good coat yet," said Mrs.
Bingle Sam'll be grown into it by two
years more"
"First-rate coat. Butt was think
ing some of givin' it to Parson Graves.
You see it'll go on my account for year,
and won't have so much to pay on his
salary"
Mrs. Bingle measured with her eye how
much Sam would have to grow before fit
ting well into the roomy coat, and de-
cided it might be at least three years, in
the course of which time, added to the
seven during which it had been doing
service on Sunday and great occasions, it
might begin to look old-fashioned, and
Sam might object to wearing it, that
young gentleman having already devel-
oped taste for clothing which came
reasonably near fitting him. So it was
agreed that Parson Graves shauld have
the old overcoat.
Accordingly, or the next Saturday,
when the farmer and his wife were about
to drive into the country town, he asked
at the last moment:
"Now, where's that coat?"
'Bless me, " cried Mrs. Bingle, 'Tve
been so busy over that butter and eggs,
if l didn't clean forget about it, Sally,
Sally" she ran into the house, calling tc
the hired girl who helped in the kitchen,
''run up to the spare chamber and take
that overcoat that hangs there, and
some of them papers that lay on the
shelf, and wrap it up well and bring it tc
me"
Sally brought it, and the huge bundle
lay in Mrs. Bingle's lap as she rode.
"It's good coat, she observed, hall
regretfully, smoothing with her hand a
corner of the cloth which peeped through
a hole in the paper, and again revolving
in her mind the possibility of Sans
growing in two years. Sam won't be
likely to get any ready bought coat hall
as good as this.n
"Like as not he WON'T agreed the
farmer, "but never mind. It's more
blessed to give than to receive, yor
know"
The Bingle household awoke the next
morning with the impression that some
thing of an event was impending with
the family, which impression became
with full wakefulness, defined into the
remembrance that the new overcoat wa.
to be worn for the first time on that day
There was, however, no undignifec
haste or trifing in the matter. Tht
morning chores were done, morning
prayers conducted with the time-honorec
lengthiness, and then the farmer leisure
| ly shaved himself as usual, at one of tht
windows of the great kitchen, befor,
saying in as Indifferent voice as h,
could command:
! JlnlJ lun upoVdlI5 dlu SOI my OVeI
coat"
jim went, but delayed until hi
mother had put the finishing touches t,
the bow in her bonnet strings, process
which was invariably interrupted by he
husband with theremark that they would
be late for church, before he was heart
shouting:
"I can't find it."
"Where are you looking9"
"In the closet in your ROOM"
"It's in the closet in the small cham
ber," called the father. Another lonI
delay, and then jim came downstair
without it.
II tell you it's on one of them peg
in our closet, said Mrs. Bingle. CT
go myself It's dark, and he can't see
but it's there, for put it there myself
"No," said Mr.. Bingle, calling afte
her, its in the spare chamber closet
put it there"