The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-06-07

raised the roof with his cutlery over the
things which he would have seen at
such time as any emergency required
the raising of some vast sum-say
dollar and half. Only an emergency,
however; for under ordinary pressure
Mrs. Upton kept strictly within the
line of cuttings and clippings, news
papers and letter envelopes. She had
been able with this sometimes, taking
the whole course of the year, to have
her old hat made over and get herself
a couple of pairs of stockings with no
darns to make her tender feet burn like
live Goals. She resorted to extreme
measures only when extreme want
goaded her, as now now when Anna
was going to graduate, and it was i'm
possible to induce her father to yield
sum sufficient for q new white dress for
the occasion, to say nothing of new
gown for herself that might not shame
the child among her mates.
"Yuu are setting the child dreadful
example of frivolity," said Mr.. Upton.
Zone would think, to hear you talk,
that there was nothing in the world but
dress"
81 think this very unfair, Mr. Upton -
said his wife. "You know how Ihave"
she wanted to say pinched, and
pared, and saved, but she knew there
would be an optburst from her hus-
band, who, onithe principle that two
and two make five, always considered
himself a good provider; so she said
''done as you wished, to keep Anna re-
oh 10
too, that | have never let her 90 single
day without hearing all her lessons my
self, to see that she was perfect in
them"
ut must have been useful to her, es-
pecially in trigonometry and chemistry,
and Latin and
81 learned y little of almost all of
them in hearing hcr-enOugh to follow
her, at any rate. -
'Well, don know what that has to
do with it; and Idon't see why she needs
white gown in order to take diploma.
She'll get the diploma all the same,
l suppose, and be able to teach? Well,
then, when she gone to work teaching,
and had her pay, she can buy herself a
white gown if she has any use for it.
| shan buy her One.n
80, Mr.. Upton! 1 don't see
how
ut doesn't make any difference
whether you see how or not. | guess |
care as much for my daughter as you
do. But think | do her much better
turn by saving money for her to use
when she needs it; and 50 will she,
Men."
''But she needs it now" urged the
persistent mother. "There'll never be
a time when she will feel the want of
anything any more"
"Won there? Well, we're all born,
but we re none of US buried; and you
needn say any more about it, Sophia
You might as well talk. to the Man of
Null, and | 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 and
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, as she already
staid away Sfrom 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
it in the end. and then he would expect
her always to make as much from her
sales, and cut down her already meagre
receipts. or he would take it into his
own hands, and there would be an end
of the only comfort she had. No; she
was wrong to say that. Anna was a
comfort-a 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, and the
cloud of soft brown curls above!-lovely
to her, at least, and dear as when she
could remember it her baby's face
She had little else to remember in her
life, where the changes hardly made a
tide-mark; she remembered it all the
way 5up-when the little pearls first
came in the sweet, sweet mouth, when
the teeth were gone, and 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 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 of
going so 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 it. 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, for |
doubt if she had ever thought of it.
Her intellect may not have been suffi-
GENTLY advanced Mr.. Upton often
assured her she was q fool; but she had
consoled herself by thinking that if she
was, she was not such fool as Mr..