Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1886-06-21

now presented her with the receipted
bill. His face wore a pleased ex-
preston.
"How much have to pay yon?"
asked Mrs. Whitman, taking out her
pocket-book.
Nothing" he replied. "The
watch is uninjured."
"You have done kind act, sir,'
said Mrs. Whitman, with tremulous
voice. 81 hope you will not think
unfavorably of my husband. It's
no fault of his that the bill has not
been paid. Good, morning, sir"
Mrs. Whitman drew her veil over
her face, and went with light steps
and light heart from the shop. The
pleasure she had experienced on re-
ceiving her watch was not to be COM
pared with that she now felt in part
ing with it. From the jewelers. she
went to the bootmaker's and paid his
bill /; from thence to her milliner's
and settled for her last bonnet.
II know you are dying to see my
last new DRESS said Mrs. Whitman,
gayly, as she drew her arm within
that of her husband on his appear
ance that evening. "Come up stairs
and let me show it. Come along
Don't hang back, George, as if you
were AFRAID
George Whitman went with his
wife passively, looking more like a
man on his way to receive dreadful
sentence than in expectation of a
pleasant sight. His thoughts were
bitter.
"Shall my wife become lost to me"
he said in his heart-''lost to me in
a world of folly and extravagance?"
"Sit down, George, she said, lead
ing him to a chair.
Her manner had undergone a
change. The brightness of her coun-
tenance had departed. She took
something in a hurried way from the
drawer, and catching up footstool,
placed it on the floor near him, and
sitting down. leaned upon him, and
looked tenderly and lovingly into his
face Then she handed him the jew
eler's bill
''It is receipted to you,' she said
and her voice fiuttered little.
Mary! how is this?' he asked.
"What does it mean?"
Il returned the watch" she re-
piled land Mr.. Rose receipted the
bill. | would have paid for any dam
age; but he said it was uninjured,
and would not take anything.'
"Oh, Mary" said her husband.
'And this is receipted also, and
this" she said, handing the other
bills which she had paid. ''And,
now, DEAR" she added quickly, chow
do you like my dress?' ''Isn't it
beautiful"
We leave to the readers imagina-
ton the explanations and the scene
that followed. If, however, any fair
lady, who, like Mrs. Whitman, has
been drawing too heavily on her hus-
bands slender income for jewels and
silks, is at loss TO realize the scene,
let her try Mary's experiment; and,
our word for it, she will find a new
and glad experience in life. Costly
silks and jewels may be very pleas
ant things, but they are too dearly
bought when they come as the price
or husband embarrassment, men
tai disquietude, or alienation. Toe
often the gay young wife wears them
as the sign of these unhappy condi,
tions. Tranquil hearts and sunny
homes are precious things; too pre-
cious to be burdened and clouded by
weak vanity and love of show. Keer
this in mind, oh, ye fair ones who
have husbands in moderate circum-
stances. Do not let your pride and
pleasure oppress them. Rich cloth
ing, costly laces, and gems, are pool
substitutes for smiling peace and
hearts unshadowed by care. Take
the lesson and live by it, rather than
offer another illustration, in your
own experience, of the folly we have
been endeavoring to expose and re-
buke.