Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1889-07-19

Away she ran to meet the little COW
cred cart In which an apple-faced
old man logged to and fro the market
town and the station three times In the
week; received from Master Cripps the
important package that bore the stamp
of a West-End hnen-draper, and hur-
ried with it to the dining-roOm,
whittier her mother and sister followed
her.
Too impatient to unite knots, Mar
garet cut the string, tore open the
brown paper, and then eyed the con-
tents askance.
Were these the fairy gifts she had
expected to receive ?-the pretty, if
not actually expensive, gowns that
were to enable her to make a good APP
pearance beside her more fortunate
cousins?
What she really found was roll of
stout, serviceable calico for under-gar-
ments; a dress-length of coarse,
strong navy serge, and another of
neat chocolate cambria, and these were
all
Margaret looked from these things to
her silent, troubled mother, and back
again, tossed them into a heap, and
ran away to throw herself on her bed
and weep bitter tears of disappOint
ment.
81 don't understand it at all, sighed
Mrs. barton, in confidence to her sym
pathizing elder daughter. unless
your aunt thought it would be wiser to
make her present plain and useful,
than to encourage in Margaret love
of dress, which, in our circumstances,
it is more prudent to repress.
Perhaps Aunt Bessie dresses very
simply herself" Mary suggested.
ga rich widow, who had discarded
her Grape when she landed, and is
evidently not in the habit of denying
herself any luxury! No, no, Mary, my
sister Bessie does not clOthe herself in
coarse serge and common print. But
what is to be done? your father will be
vexed if this invitation is declined; yet
to bid Margaret go, arrayed in a garb
that would mark her as the poor rela-
ton, I cannot"
However, Mr.. barton, rendered irrita-
bic by OverwOrk and the anxiety of
making small income meet the wants
Of large family, angrily pOoh-pOohed
the mothers objections.
decline so kind an offer simply be-
cause your sisters good sense prompted
her to send useful articles instead of
fnery You shall do nothing so foolish
Margaret is to go to Brighton, I insist
on it, and let her remember that by be-
having rudely on ungratefully she may
ruin the prospects of her brothers. If
anything should happen to me, pray
what friend have you in the world be-
sides Mrs. Laurence?"
eff papa insists, of course I must
oh Il
a sob. And for Maurice's sake
will try to be civil and all
that; but shall take care
not to stay longer than can
help, and wear those hOrrid things
Will not. The serge can be cut into
blOuses for the boys"
"But, my dear child, you are SO
poorly provided for such visit, .
sighed Mrs: barton.
do not I know that, and writhe at
the thought Of displaying my poverty
to my rich relatives Yet if they were
not ashamed to insult it, why should
care? Not even to please papa will ]
put on Aunt Bessie's something suita-
ble.'"
And to this resolution Margaret ad
| hered. Her loving mother would have
sold a small quantity of lace she pos
sessed, and made a few additions tC
! her daughters wardrobe with the price
| obtained for it, but her purpose was
! discovered and forbidden. It was
therefore, with very small amount o.
age-the gray cashmere, just made
up for Sunday wear, the dark greer
| worn all last winter, and an Indian
/ muslin embroidered for her by Mary
! at the beginning of the summer-that
| Margaret went away, to be conveyed
| to Brighton by the highly respectable
middle-aged woman in black silk and
furred mantle, who introduced herself
/ to the young lady as Mrs. Laurencef
! personal attendant.
Some of MargareU's resentment
| melted beneath the warmth of her re
! ceptiOn, for Mrs. Laurence, a hand
! some, energetic, middle-aged woman
! came into the hall to meet her niece
and tell her, with a hug and kiss
that she was almost as pretty as he1
| mother used to be at her age.
Then she was hurried upstairs, to be
introduced to Emma and Marion, sal
! low, sickly looking girls of thirteen anC
! fourteen, whose time seemed to be
| spent in ceaseless squabbhng with the
! brisk little French gOverness, who was
! endeavoring to arouse them from theiI
| Incidence.
There was not much companiOnshiE
| to be expected from them, and for the
first three or four days after her arriva
! at Brighton, Margaret scarcely saw hel
aunt, except at lunch
Mrs. Laurence breakfasted In he1
own room. came to the luncheon tray
with her hands full of papers, Ovel
I which she 71oroT or TooIo 7,Cfos W hill.
she ate a few biscuits. The carriage
bore her off directly after, and she mere
| ly returned in time to dress for a din
ner-party, being overwhelmed with in
! vitatiOns from friends and relatives O
/ bor Lotto LreIev1