The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-04-24
A SILVER SPOON.
The Story Which MARRIED the Happiness
of Two Little Girls.

That was Bessie's regular Saturday
work; it was an understood thing that
every week ON that day she was to pol
.ish up the spoons nicely.
To-day her mother had gone to
visit her aunt, and her friend, Edith
Amos, had come over to help her
keep house. The two little girls had
been rather dilatory about their house
hold duties; they had had good many
important things to attend to. Then
the dinner for Bessle's father, and the
clearing away, had been large under
taking. 1t was late in the afternoon
now. and they had just begun on the
spoons.
Bessie rubbed the silver soap on the
spoons and Edith polished them up
with the chamois skin. Bessie was
very polite about giving Edith the pref
tier part of the work. Suddenly Bessie
took up large, solid tablespoon and
eyed it, and then Edith, impressively.
There's Il story about this spoon,
and you couldn't guess what it is,n said
she, mysteriously,
Honest fond little Edith stared up
at her. mo. What is itP" said she.
'Well, my great-grandfather was
married in this silver spoon"
''Why, Bessie Elliott
''He was
81 don't know what you mean"
81 should think you might. l said
1T plain enough. M y great grandfather
was married in this silver spoon"
''Now you're joking, Bessie. It's
too bad of you to try to make me be-
licve such things
mo, I'm not joking; he was,
truly"
Married in that spoon?"
Eyes"
'Why, he couldn't be married in a
spoon; how could hep A man couldn' t
stand in spoon. l don't believe a
word of it"
Il don't care if you don't; he was :"
Bessie kept her face very sober. She
loved Edith dearly, but occasionally
she did like to tease her little. Edith
was such an honest, matter-of-fact
little body, and took teasing so seri-
ously.
She took this more seriously than
Bessie knew. She.said no more about
the matter and went on gravely polish
ing her spoons. When Bessie's mother
returned she took leave soberly and
went home, troubled, indignant look
on her candid little face which be-
trayed every thing.
'.What allied Edith?" asked Mrs.
Elliot, Il thought she seemed odd
''Oh, nothing" laughed Bessie,
~'only she's mystified over my great
grandfather getting married in that
silver spoon. I'm going to let her
puzzle over it awhile, then I'll tell
her"
''You ought to be careful how you
talk to Edith" said her mother, ''she
takes every thing so in earnest"
'Oh, she II get over it, mamma"
The next day Edith did not stop for
Bessie, as usual, on her way to school;
she kept aloof from her at recess, too,
and never looked her way once in study
hours.
Bessie waxed indignant. "If she's a
mind to show out like this about such
a little thing, she can," thought she.
other girls, and returned Edith's neg
lect severely.
She grew inwardly uneasy as the
days went on, and Edith's strange
manner toward her did not change,
but she said nothing. There was a
good capacity for stubborn wrath in
her childish heart.
There isn't any sense in Edith S
making fuss over such little thing, "
she kept saying to herself, and the
words acted like kindlings to keep her
wrath alive.
Both little girls were quite miserable;
they glanced furtively at each other.
and were very friendly and lively with
the other girls, so neither should think
the other cared. But no new friend
ship could make up for the lost sweet
ness of the old one. Both spent many
a lonesome Saturday. Probably Edith
was the unhappier of the two over the
estrangement. She was more sensitive,
and her real or imaginary cause of
grievance was greater. She worried
over it great deal, and it seemed
somehow to her that the eliminating
point of her trouble was reached, one
afternoon, when Bessie went above her
in the spelling-class. Poor Edith fan
'cied that she looked glad, though that
was probably nothing but fancy, and
she broke down completely She laid
her head on her desk and cried, after
the spelling-class was over.
Bessie was more troubled and indig-
nant than ever at that.
''Now she don't like it cause / went
above her." thought she, watching her
''and don't see how I'm to blame fol-
that"
The next morning Edith was not al
school, nor the next Then Bessie
heard that she had the measles. If il
had not been for this trouble between
them she could have gone to see her,
as she had had them herself.
This occurred to Edith's mother on
the Saturday after the little girl was
taken sick.
"Why, Edith, Bessie might come
over and see you to-day" said she.
ssShais had tha n1aa eloa ~