The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1884-06-05

spectacle at school. But you know,
too, that I have never let her go a single
day without hearing all her lessons my
self, to see that she was perfect in
ut must have been useful to her, es-
pecially in trigonometry and chemistry,
and Latin and"
81 learned a little of almost all of
them in hearing her-enough to follow
her, at any rate"
.tWell, 1 don't know what that has to
do with it; and Idon'tsee why she needs
q white gown in order to take diploma.
She'll get the diploma all the same,
I suppose, and be able to teachp Well,
then, when s~he'sgone to work teaching,
and had her pay, she can buy herself a
white gown II she has any use for it.
I shanft buy her one"
80, Mr.. Upton! I don't see
how"
'.It doesn't make n difference
care as much for my daughter as you
do. But 1 think 1 do her a much better
turn by saving money for her to use'
when she needs it; and SO will she,
them"
DNO sue uCcuS III hO ulSCO eA0
persistent mother. .sThere'n never be
a time when she viii feel the want of
anything any more"
won't there? Well, we're all born,
but we're none of us buried; and you
needn't say any more about it, Sophia.
You might as we'll talk to the Man of
Null, and I should think you'd have
found it out by this time"
She had; she had found it out. For
herself she would not have asked him
for a cent of money, to save her life.
She had rubbed the old gown, and
turned it wrong side out and upside
down. and pieced it with new aud
pieced it with old, and darned it and
linked it, till nothing else could be done
with it. The only thing about it was
that she could stay away from the
graduation exercises, IS she already
staid away from church. But Anna
could not stay away, and Anna must
have that graduation dress; and
she fell back on her rag-bag.
She was doubtful if she could accom-
plish it. But there was a good deal of
time yet. The worst thing in the mat
ter was, Mr.. Upton would have to know
~ IL thC Cn0f bll0 hS W0oAo apo
her always to make as much from her
sales, and cut down her already meagre
receipts, or he would take it into his
of the only comfort she had. No; she
was wrong to say that. Anna was a
comfort great, an unspeakable COM
fort. How lovely was the pale face up
which the color streamed If you looked
at her, the appealing blue eyes, andthe
| cloud of soft brown curis above!-lovely
to her, at least, and dear as whom she
could remember it her baby's face.
She had little else to remember in her
life, where the changes hardly made a
way up-when the little pearls first
the teeth were gone, and q curious
vacuous innocence replaced them, till
the second teeth came, like kernels OF
seed-corn, pulling down the nose and
maturing all the features at once.
What a pride and joy the child had
been to her in her behavior, at her
books, everywhere! And now, to pay
her for all her endeavor and obedience
by shaming her in public just when the
shame would be so keen! Mrs.
Upton felt that If she had to
steal it to do it, as her mind expressed
itself, yet Anna must have that gown.
Not that she had the least intention oil
going 20 far. only, on the same paral.
lei with which, as some critic has said,
every woman has seen In herself the
beginnings of Becky Sharp, Mrs. Upton
felt herself capable of il. There was
nobody to steal from, in fact; Mr.. Tip.
ton carried no money about him. ]
don't know whether she felt that was
an outrage on Mr.. Tipton's part or not,
in giving her no chance to pick his
pockets had she been so disposed,s for ]
doubt If she had ever thought of it.
Her intellect may not have been suffi,
GENTLY advanced. Mr.. Upton Otter
assured her she was a fool; but she had
consoled herself by thinking that if she
was, she was not such a fool as Mr.
Tipton's mother, who, when her hus
band told her they must in future burn
only one candle. in the evening wher
visitors called, obeyed him by cutting
one candle in two, SO as to burn buI
one candle, If two lights. Mr.Tiptor
came rightly byshisGhis peculiarities
she thought; but then certain peculiari
ties, such as meanness, for instance.
may sometimes be carried to the diyid
ing line that makes the boundary o
dishonesty, and it was q sort Fof dis
honesty to cheat Anna of address tina
she might be said to have earned; ant
when she was told that she might sta,
at school and graduate. of course tn,
presumption WA that it meant gradu
ate as other girls graduate in a whit
gown. The white gown might be al
very silly-she thought it was herself
but while the other girls had it, it wa
q sin and a shame that it should be re
fused to her. this sweetest and best an
brightest girl of all; the most conspicu
Gus of all, too, standing as she did a
the head of her class. And SO her poo
thoughts ran on and on in a viciou
circle, and came to nothing every tim
but the ag.bag. Z
She sat still a little while after he
husband went out, building a littl
castle in the air. What if somebod
should send Anna a white dress as
. giftp
1t would have to be one of her rels
tions-which one? None of the Til
tons. certainly; they wouldn't if the
, could; she didn't know as she wante
them to if they would. Thank gooc
t ness, Anna didn't favor the Upton
F; any! And as for her own sister, sh
was much too unable, and she had he
own girls to dress. No; if you wante
anything, you must 60 to work and @
t ityourself; there was nothing but til
rag-bag. Did MI. Upton leave til
: paper? Let her see what rags wer
/; worth, if she could find them in th
price-current, and then hustle the papt
out of sight till it was forgotten. Rag
t were not quoted that week. Well, sh
: knew from long habit what they woul
probably be by the time she was read
to sell. There were columns abo,
cotton-ah, what would she not civ
for one good bale of cotton to add I
her rag-bag! She laughed with plea
E ure at the absurd thought.
a hf,S Vtirfnp hafo.on 10 hoyf;r barSo