The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1888-07-04
should not feel too lonely while their

Mabel said, in leaving the stores. And
the complaisant shop-keepers assented,
and filled her orders with no less alac-
rity, understanding that payment was
to come when the head of the house re-
turned. Credit is one of the few things
in the universe that strengthens by
want of use, and Mr.. Brinley's was so
untried as to be perfect.
But the money that he had given his
daughter? Surely he had not meant
that she should tax his credit. Mabel
did not mean it either. 1t was her pur-
pose to pay for everything that she
bought, as her father had told her to do.
But she had plan.
Just before leaving home she had
taken out the hundred dollars and stood
with it in her hand celebrating. 1t
so happened that she had never seen
one hundred dollars before, and its
amount impressed her responsibility on
her. She knew, from her experience
with fives or tens, that the fragments of
broken bills have immense facility in
scattering, although the fragments of
this one would be either so much larger
or 80 much more numerous than in
ordinary cases that the evil day of
nothingness would be postponed; still
she recognized the fact that the ten
dency was the same. She had said to
herself, therefore, that since money
was much more easily kept in hun
dreddollar bill than in fves and twos
and ones, this was the way in which
she would keep hers. What she was
going to get for dinner was mere
trifle out of so much, yet it would spoil
the whole. No, she would manage
better; she would leave the bill un-
touched now and at the end pay for
everything together. As she put back
the money into its hiding-place her
eyes had sparkled with delight in the
thought that she had discovered the
secret of economy. But for the pres
ent this was to remain her secret.
Time would prove its wonders-the
short time of two weeks would prove
her possessed of financial judgment
which would do credit to gray hair.
Full of the happiness of this conviction,
she had run downstairs and taken her
place beside her sister in the two
seated wagon which had returned from
carrying Mr.. and Mrs. Brinley to the
train.
That afternoon Mabel gave her
friends long drive. Ruth, who had
but one session of school, went with
them. 1t looked like rain when they
started, and when they had gone be-
tween two or three miles it sprinkled.
But they did not mind that in carry
all. 1t rained fast; they put up the
boot and went on. Then there came
CLEAN of sunshine and they gloated
over their perseverance and drove to
the next little town, where they paid
visits to their friends in common. There
were frequent and it Numbered and
lightened, though not sharply. But
four merrier faces never peeped from
under cover to meet the splashings of
the rain, and four happier girls never
met under Mr.. Brinley's hospitable
roof. When the guests had gone home
Ruth threw her arms around her sisters
neck and declared that Nab was per-
fectly splendid. And Nab, before she
went to sleep, had one more look at her
triumph, as she began to name her I'M
broken bill.
The days that followed were more or
less like this one. At the end of the
week the girls two cousins, Constance
and Kenneth Brinley, arrived unex-
pectedly. They had arranged to come
month later, but change in their
plans brought them now. They were
twins, nearly eighteen-city people, and
lived in more style than Mabel, but not
at all more comfortably. They were
very welcome, but the young girls felt
al l.; that Lo1 g.,
themselves. Nab even condescended
to consult Ruth, whose bright wits were
full of resources, as to amusements
One day it was picnic for her cousins,
a small party that Mabel had invited
and for whom she chartered the pref
tiest picnic-wagon in town. Had she
not hundred dollars untouched?
The following week Mabel resolved
to give small party for her cousins
that is to say, recollecting that they
were used to city assemblies, she called
it small; but as she issued fifty invita-
tions, and nearly all were accepted, it
seemed to her quite an affair. She had
long condolences with Mary, who was
an excellent cook and would do any
thing for Mabel. The result was a
supper that Constance pronounced
" recherche"
In Mabel's new method she had
bought at stores without asking prices
she had but to assure herself that she
had 800 and all doubts dissolved.
Before the party, however, she in
dulged in one expense that she realized
was somewhat costly for temporary
housekeeper The ice-cream plates
would fall short. She rejected Ruth's
suggestion that mamma would make up
with saucers and that the cream would
be SO nice that nobody would notice.
Her mother had intended to buy some
of these plates. Here were necessity
and opportunity. She ordered three
dozen, so pretty that Constance went
into raptures over them, which con.
iirmed Mabel in her judgment, and one
dozen spoons-her mother had often
said that they needed them for an ex.
traordinary occasion, and had not
Mabel the money? One hundred dol,
lars untouched would do great DEAL
Nothing could be more successful thar
the party was. Mabe's own enjoy
ment set her guests at ease. But there