The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1889-09-13
BY FLORENCE b. HALLOWELL,

BY FLORENCE b. HALLOwELL.
When Mrs. Arden, after an absence
of ten years, found herself again in the
town in which her girlhood had been
passed, she experienced a delight so
keen as to be almost pain. Family
cares bad kept her in her own home,
many miles distant, and year after year
had rolled by, and she had not been
able to pay that VISIT to her sister Esther
for which Esther wa always ~entreating
in her letters.
But she was in the old home at last,
and, though the place had changed
greatly since she had left it as a bride,
Tom and Esther, her brother and sister,
were unchanged-in manner, at least,
though both had married, Toms we'd
ding having taken place only two years
previous.
"You are to stay with M for your
whole visit, Northumberland that"
Esther said, as Tom having gone, she
showed her sister to the well-ordered
gu~est-chamber of her trim, cosy house.
"You won't want to stay with Grace, for
you don't know her, and would find it
dull enough with Tom away nearly all
the time. You know he can afford to
keep only one clerk, and SO he almost
lives at the store"
II hope I will like Grace" said Mrs.
Arden. "You have never said much
about her in your letters"
"N-no," answered Mrs. Fame, hest
tstingly. IT don't say that I approve of
her altogether. Still, we get on we'll
enough"
"But in what way do you disapprove
of her?"
"Well, I think she ought to help
Tom more than she does. But we can't
talk it over now. Wait till tomorrow
and I'll tell you all about it, and
know you'll feel just rs I do"
So the subject was dropped for the
present, and not referred to until the
following morning. when, having made
q tour of inspection owe the house, the
sisters were comfortably seated in the
cosy sitting-room, each with a piece of
work. Mrs. Arden, having been fur
nished by Esther with yarn, was cro-
cheting an edge for a flannel skirt, and
Mrs. Fame was ripping up an old coat.
What a pretty girl Toms wife isl"
said Mrs. Arden, breaking a long
silence. "And Tom seems so proud of
her? Did you notice last night how at
tentively he listened whenever she
spoke"
Eyes: he is very fond of her" an
swered Mrs. Fame, in q reluctant tone.
l wish, for his sake, she were not so ex-
travagant."
"You said yesterday you would tell
me in what you disapproved of her,
Esther. Does she run Tom into debt? ?"
"No, no. I don't mean that she is
extravaganza in the ways she spends his
money; but she doesn't know how to
save. She gives away so much that
might be put to good use in her own
home, and she calls it charity"
"And charity should begin at home,
certainly" said Mrs. Arden.
eyes; but she refuses to be convinced
that she is wrong. Now, in telling you
about her, I can't explain myself better
than by taking up my own case, ego
tistical as it may appear. You know
when I married Mr.. Fame he was in
very narrow circumstances, and I made
up my mind to make the most of every
thing. learned how to turn I'LL sorts
of old things to account, and 1 have
not left off doing it now that our cir
cumstances have improved. Every rug
in this house, except the large n in
the parlor, is made of old clothes past
respectable wearing. I have cut,
braided, and sewed them myself, and it
was often very hard work. That
worsted stool your feet are resting on
was a hood 1 wore three winters ago.
It was perfectly good, not q moth-hole
in it, but old-fashioned, so, as Grace
gave me a new one for a Christmas
present, I used this to cover q little
salt box. 1t is pretty, isn't it? Do you
see the cushions on that rocker in the
corner? They were made OF an old al
paca dress which was in fair condition,
but hardly worth making over. There
was enough to make cushions for both
the back and seat of the rocker, and I
lined them with a piece of cardinal
canton flannel that did duty for several
years as q curtain. That comfortable
slumber robe on the sofa is made of q
~wine-colored cashmere dress which had
faded and was so cut up with rufaes
that it couldn't be remodeled. I made it
thick and warm by using my old fur
circular to line il. The fur was so worn
in several places that I had to give up
wearing it, and Henry gave me a plush
Jacket, which is ever so much more con-
venient that the cloak ever was. But
the old thing was just what I needed
for my slumber rug. There are dozens
of other things I could tell you about,
but it isn't worth while. There isn't a
room in my house that hasn't some
thing Of my contriving. I never waste
anything. Even my old straw hat was
turned into a wall pocket to hold
grasses, and hangs in the hall. And I
save all my old flannel skirts for mop
cloths. Flannel wrings out nicely;
there's nothing like it. I even sew my
odd pieces Of silosia and cambria to-
gsther for busters. When washed they
are very soft. Henry thinks my econ
omy and thrift really wonderful and