The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1891-01-31
PUT TO THE TEST.
bow MARY SWEET PROVED THAT LOVE
WAS ABOVE RICHES

NOi lnueeu, cOuldnb why
James, what ON earth should l do q.
a poor mans wife ? l have neve
been used to work, you know; and al
poor mems wives have TO work, DOM
they ?"
" Not always, dear. 1 did no
mean such poverty as that, exactly
selt-denying and do without a great
many things that you might think in.
dlspensable to your comfort"
Yes, l know; and they can't go tC
the opera, or buy a new dress when
they want one but when they pass
a shop window shut up their purses
ever so tight and hurry on. That's
what Jennie Jones does, for she told
me so herself and Clara does her own
cooking, and minds her own chi ldren
and she hasn't bought a new bonnet
for a year."
Mary Sweet opened her pretty blue
eyes very wide as she reached IL g cul-
minating point of her distressing state
ment, and raised them to james Nor
ley's face to meet the answeriI ex-
preston of Mortified pity she expected
to find there.
But James only smiled down at her
q little gravely in return.
And yet Mrs. Jones appenrs to
me to be one of the most cheerful,
contented persons l know" lie re-
Joined.
"Why, of course she is. It's won
derful to see how she bears up. But,
then, she's a real love-there are few
people like her."
" You talk as if she had great mis-
fortunes to bear up under, Mary. It
seems to me that my friend Jon IS has
a very cosy, well-appointed little
home. l never see any evidences of
discomfort or neglect when 1 go
there"
"Oh, James, everything is very
plain and cheap all over the house.
do like nice frniture-don't you ?''
Most people do dear; but ] don't
| think handsome furniture, and Brus-
sells carpets, and silk dresses and
theatre going, and new bonne IS are
absolutely indispensable to one hap
piness-do you ?"
suppose you are laughing lb me,
you bad man But if l do like pretty
things ! am not a bit eXtrav agant,
and you know it,"
:" Not bit-you never indulge in
such costly trifles as this, for in
stance ~ and he held up the dainty
wrist encircled by a glittering brace
let which cost ten guineas, and which
Mary, seeing in jewelers. indow
the day before, had taken fla lcy to
and bought because Z" it was UGH a
love" though her iewel-bo, was
stored with more of such orn ments
than she knew what to DO with Rut
then these were cold" AMI she
was tired of them; and this wal some
thing unique, and quite in new
style. as the jeweler had assure | her
and her friend, Janet Leech, W 10 was
shopping with her, had excl aimed,
oh, Mary, buy it It is char ningly
pretty " And so, without muC b ado,
the bauble was purchased, a. d the
bill sent in to papa.
Papa7 was a wealthy me chant,
who thought his daughter the earest
little girl in the world, and )rgave
all her extravagances because h. loved
her so much that he could no deny
her anything she wanted, which came
to pretty much the same thing
Ever Since her mothers death, which
had occurred when she was baby,
he had devoted himself to Detting
and pleasing her, in cOnseque ace of
which Mary thought, very mai urally,
that self-indulgence was the most
harmless thing in the world, al d that
it would be very dreadful ind6 ID not
to have at least six new dresses every
season, and as much pin-mo ey as
would supply the wants Of som care
full housewives for a year.
James Morley, too, thought Mary
the dearest little girl in the world"
which accounts for his having asked
her, about a month previous TO The
time of which | am writing, to be-
come his wife at some future day.
And Mary had accepted hid not
altogether because he was rich and
handsome, and admired by al the
girls she knew, but also because some
where down in the recesses of her
foolish little heart there luked a fund
of warm, earnest affection and a true
appreciation of her lovers in ntrinsic
worth.
1t is only Justice to her to say that
she could have married a much
wealthier man than James. Mr.. Will
liams had been over head and ears in
love with her for the last eighteen
months, and had repeatedly laid his
heart and fortune at her feet-said
fortune consisting of clear Ave thou
sand q year, besides expectations of
nobody could tell how much more
when Harry Clifton, senior-who was
in the decline of life should bid adieu
TO this mundane sphere.
But Mary was proof against the
fortune and the great expectations
and all Sanfords VOWS and sighs, and
people thought it very much to her
credit that she accepted Morley in
stead. II has been clearly demon
strated, however, that had he been
poor man she could not have made
up her mind to do so, nor is 1t likely
that he would have given her an Op-
portunity, for he was far too proud
to run the risk Of being considered a
fortune hunter.
James, dearly as he loved his little
fancee, was not quite blind to her
own vanities and weaknesses, and Oc-
oasioally took her somewhat to task
for them, as on the present occasion,
when the display Of her elegant but
unnecessary purchase had led to a
slight disquisition on his part on the
folly and uselessness of such unprofit-
able extravaganza. Mary, half smil-
ing and half pOuting, listened to his
lecture with very good grace, partly
because II was so novel to her, and
partly because, as she said. it was
so funny to hear him scold."
But, my darling, I am not dream
ing of scolding," he replied. al
have hardly a right to do that yet, and
certainly not In the present case. But
/ only want You to acknowledge that
this petty toy, which you will soon
get tired of, was rather useless thing
to throw away ten guineas on, when
you could have snent the money so
much more wisely in some other
wayn
On poor people, do you mean 20
she asked. 'Papa does all that, you