The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1886-04-21

caught it in my bracelet the other day,
and tore it a little. You had beauti-
full point-lace parasol here yesterday
Let me see it.
"The one you were looking at yes
terday will not do,' cried Madame,
ut is lined with blue. Nine. Dali
reomp knows that blue can never go
with the green dress. / have got one
parasol-ah, but it is the beauty!-a
point-lace lined with white. | will get
It. 1t does surpass the other.
tdid surpass the other. and in price
also. Selma chose it. 1t was twenty
guineas.
"And now about my court-dress.
am going to the next drawing-room.
1t must be all white, of COURSE"
"Je crois bien que oui, answered
Madame. Gas if a bride, with taste,
would be presented in any thing else!
At this juncture who should come in
but Mrs. Cleveland. "Your court
dress need not cost you very much.
she said to Selma. "and it is nearly tho
end of the season. White is less ex-
pensive than any thing else. For about
fifteen pounds you may have one OF
elegant simplicity. Always best for a
presentation.
Nine. Damereau turned up her
nose, and Selma turned hers down,
both in contempt of the advice. White
silk was fixed upon; not very ex-
pensive in itself; but before its \. ap-
purtenances were completed, its train.
and its trimmings, and its lace Feal
Mechlin), and its ribbons, and its
fripperies, and its head-dress, and its
flowers, and its feathers, it had
amounted to-not pounds, but scores
Nine. Dalrymple went to the break
fast, and she and her attire were lovely
amidst the lovely. She went TO the
drawing-room, presented by the Hon
orable Mrs. Cleveland, and the admi-
ration and envy she excited were great.
Very satisfactory to her. no doubt; very
gratifying to her heart which was just
then topsy-turvy with vanity. And so
it went on to the end of the season,
and her pleasurable course was never
checked; it was a dazzling career OF
, dress, vanity and admiration.
When they were preparing to return
to the Grange, and her maid was
driven wild with perplexity as to the
slowing away of so extensive a ward
robe, and conjecturing that the car
riage down of it would alone come 70
something" it occurred to Selma, as
she sat watching, that the original cost
: would also come TO something.
Some hundreds, she feared, now she
came TO see the whole collection in q
mass.
"Of course | shan't let him see it, v
she soliloquized, alluding to her hus.
band. "1'll get the bill from Madame
before leave; and then there ii be nc
fear of its coming in to him at the
Grange"
Mrs. Dalrymple asked for the bill
and Madame, under protest that there
was no hurry in the world, promised
to send it in.
Selma was sitting in the drawing
room by twilight when twas delivered
to her, inclosed in large thick envel
ope, with an imposing red seal. She
opened it somewhat eagerly. "Wha
makes it such bulkp" she exclaimed
to,herself. "Oh, she has detailed th'
things. did not care about tlfit~ I
was written in a business-like, but eld
giant hand, that of Mrs. Cooper; dates
details, all were there. But Selini
could not see clearly in the evening
gloom, and she struck match ant
lighted the wax taper on her writinl
table, anxious to look at the sum total
"f94," she soliloquized. glancing a
the bottom of the first page. at mus
be a deal more than that; what doe
Madame meanP Pshal" she found sh
was only looking at one item; the Ven
ice point-lace for the decoration Of
dress.
She held the taper to the bottom G
, the second page. "'Moire antique robe
lace, trimmings and sapphire buttons
fl25.' Psha!' again exclaimed Selma
With rapid movement she turne
;, the account over to the end and gaze
. at the sum total gazed at it, stared q
> it, and recoiled from it. Three thou
! sand and odd pounds, odd shillings an
: no pence! What the odd pounds were
=, whether one, or whether nine hundre
: and ninety-nine, she did not catch !
= that moment of terror; the first gran
> sum of three thousand absorbed he
!, eyes and her faculties. And theT
= hoated over her confused conscious
= ness of other bills to come in; one froI
the jewelers., one for shawls, one fC
;, expensively trimmed linen. There wa
q one shawl, real India-but she dare
, not think Of that. "Have been madp
she groaned.
!. 1t would be thought so. For sh
knew that il her husband settled a
d these, he would be for years beggs
l on the face Of the earth.
q At that moment she heard his ste
d coming in from the dining-room, an
|. turned sick. She crushed the bill an
!, the envelope, both Of stiff satin paper
v in her right hand; and thrust them,
4 her terror down the neck of her dres
i Then she blew out the taper, an
@ turned, with burning brow and Il
d vered frame, TO the window again, an
Il stood there looking out but seein
c nothing.
Oscar came up and put his arm roun
n her, asking whether it was not time
y have lights.
! "Yes. presently"
r what in the world have you g
J. herep" cried he. "a ballP"
y She pushed the "ball'' higher VI
: and, shaking, murmured somethin
i about some paper"
"What is the matter with you, Sci
Q nap You are trembling"
i "The night air, perhaps" she ma
aged to answer, in tone that stro'
S for calmness. II feel chilly"