The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1889-04-20


fashion and Laura Everdale earning living
Very little of the ''noble compassion anC
kind intuitions of the struggles of toilers'
fluttered through the hearts of friends in he
old set Society simply drew its intangibl,
line, and Laura soon discerned in its waning
devotion that the best of its service had beer
the interest of self love. To join the grea
army of practical workers now gave her free
dom and relief. She realized that a Tranquil
'. and satisfactory life may be followed almos
anywhere where there are no fictitious wants
and no exaggerated ideas of happiness anC
, unaappiness. Plans for the children became
plain sad possible, for she had proved, ex
perimentally, that, so far as utility is con
cerned, poetry gives way to bread.
A position at Barthoomew's was gained
without difficulty. 1t was an English house,
filed with personal articles of the most luxu-
rious and costly kinds, aud being conducted
with great hberality, the Bartholomew stamp
had become the seal of fashion. Hence it
was bit of good fortune at the outset, Laura
thought, to be awarded the umbrella depart
ment.
The equinoctial had been severe in the fall
whereof this chronicle is made, and umbrella
sales had been particularly active. On the
morning already mentioned the young attache
to The Daily Argosy had come hurrying into
Bartholomew from sudden outburst of the
clouds, and while properly courteous, ap
peared a little over critical in his choice of
au umbrella. Laura opened one after another
of the handsome shields, when, at last, be-
coming nervous, she hastily closed patent
fastening, and impaled one of her fingers upon
q wire. With all her self-control and resolu-
ton, the pain overcame her and she tainted.
Confusion followed; everyone in the estab-
lishmen, focked around her, while the
proprietor and the would be purchaser
ex,rieaied the wire from the lacerated thumb.
When the sufferer recovered sufficiently
carriage was called, and the gray haired
porter Of the establishment escorted Laura
home.
Several days passed by before she retarred
to her duties, aud meantime Morgan Starr
called daily a; Bartholomew to inquire after
the invalid. As if the attention required
excuse, he never failed, at the peyadventure
Of criticism, 20 remark 70 Mr.. Bartholomew
tia, ''sach a wound in such a sensitive place
might be a serious matter At which at
last the merchan; smiled and said within
himself that it appeared TO be a serious matter
TO Mr.. Starr, just as it was.
Ia due time Laura returned TO duty and
the philaHshropje qualification evinced by
Morgan Starr xheh he found her there one
CHEEKY morning was credit to hia kind
Within a dAy or two be called again TO otter
particularly Fine lotion. eilicaeioas to q
degree in other cases OF thumbs impaled on
wires. end after q drcAFy hiAsus Of a week,
during which be- drew heavily ON his Topics
for Poems, be sAantsred in With plaster
advised by a famous Prassisn surgeon, and
Just here there came an end to his visits, for
Laura told the young journalist that he could
nos be allowed 10 make her conspicuous, and
n the chance Of seeming ungrAieiai for his
kindness, she masi request him not to sAA
again.
'.Isisn-cessafy, = said ,he gentleman, ''ibas
ne nos 20 back, and become utter strangers,
bscanse Of conveutionali,y. for which, pre-
same. you carr as little as ! dog''
iii Is not eonvcn,ionality that is in ques
ton, answered Laura; III is prOpFie,y aud
the eorrvc, demands Of self for self, and not
society At all With the latter have nothing
10 do. My days are passed here, my nights
Si,h my family read aud study. 60 oeca-
sionally 10 see = good play or hear 6ae music.
and over and above al | am intensely inter
esisd IN An interruption here occurred,
and then an3iher. and finally no opportunity
came up for a renewal Of the conversation
The door soOa closed on the yoang journalist,
whose heart fairly beat the measure OF war
dance as he walked up towa, wondering
..whe,hsr any o.her i-llo~ had a. many dis
appointments as be, and whether there were
ever any girls who turned oas JUS, as a fellow
expected And this was such an annoying
matter There were so many ways by which
Laura Eyerdale and all ber kiih and kin could
have proved hiEs honorable and no, unworthy
their acquaintance
For days something ike melancholy op
pressed him. Again he drew heavily on
,.Tnpiss for Poems, and occasionally on
Topics for Stories bu, all his work devei-
oped morhidly.
Christmas days no, loug afterward arrived,
and the shops we're beautiful to hook in upon.
Daily as ho passed to and fro along Broadway,
looking into the gayIy decorated windows, he
thought OF the beautiful girl who had so
strangely insisted on has banishment.
''To forget a thing find means almost
always remembering it, said Morgan Starr
one morning, land Just this once I'll saunter
iato bartholomew and see It Miss Everdale
is lhere" Up and down the place he walked,
but no glimpse of Laura rewarded him.
Then he paused and looked at umbrellas.
''She might come in. he said to himself.
And then he thought possibly he might write
something about historical umbrellas; Pau |
Pry's, Sairey Camps, the one Dick SwiFeller
wanted, hut which the Marchioness had, so to
speak, pnt up, not over hor head in the usual
way, but around the corner at the pawn
brokers'. Then he leaned upon the counter
( aud thought of Menelaus spreading his green.
/. ish guard aloft as he tore himself, ina drench
Of tears, away from beautiful Helen.
''What an idiot am, said he, as his elbow
crashed through a square of glass in the show
, case upon which he had leaned, while every
. thing in heayen above and earth beneath faded
. our in his reverie concerning Laura,
$ The crash returned him TO the vulgar
] present, and brought Mr.. Bartholomew to the
, spot. A bit Of broken glass had grazed
r Morgan's wrist, and while the proprietor
e bound it with a handkerchief he put On an
It air of Indifference that was all the more con-
spicuous because it was so artificial He
If could not resist saying to Mr.. Bartholomew
n that this little incident reminded him of an
It other that occurred in that very store, and
p which, but for this mishap, he probably would
e not have remembered. Did Mr.. bartholomew
sr reeollect the accident by which a young girls
n thumb was impaled upon an umbrella wire ?
'e s'Well, yes; do remember il" said Mr.
'e Bartholomew. "Now that you speak of it,
s do recallit. forgot the young woman S namt
" but well remember her. She has gone ou
d of trade, as we say-left here some time ago
h greatly to my regret,