Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-03-14

| 81 never heard OF such carelessness in my
| life. II"
Jus. see If it amt prettyr'
Bessy trembfngly opened the parcel, then
| she gave q scream. Her mother caught it out
of her hands-it was nothing but roll of white
/ cotton CLOTH
80, motheri don't know what it means -
| sobbed Bessy.
means? Well know what it means. You
have lost all that new brown silk, an I don't
know where you are goin' to get another, an
Jerome is dreadfulIy put out. You've got
yourself into o nice predicament. Well, it's no
more than ought to have expected. You was
always jest so heedless''
Jerome won be mad when he knowsr'
Il dunno whether he will or not. don't
know how You re goin' to get married, any
how; you won't have thing to wear to meetin'.
Here I've been savin' all this time"
| 'TI 60 and look again."
Look again i-h'mw
But she did look again. Even her mother
hobbled down the road and aided in the search.
They came home empty-handed at dinner time
Bessy, in spite of her PRIDE half crying through
the street, and her mother scolding and lament
ing under her breath. Mrs. Lang went directly
into the kitchen. Bessy, who had now quite
broken ont sobbing, entered the sitting room.
In minute she gave loud cry and ran into
the kitchen. Mother, mother, hero it isr'
''What2''
'Here il ia ~
II don't believe it i"
at is, it is! Just seer'
Bessy shook the silk out of the wrapper and
1t rustled down in shining folds.
For the land sake don't let it get onto tho
kitchen loorl Where did it come FROM"
Il don't know. It's the silk
II don't see what made you get such light
color. It'll spot
II thought it was real pretty"
Pretty Pretty want what you wanted
his 80
judgment than
20, mother, where did it come from2 There
1t was lying right on the sitting room table"
Its more'n know; the whole performance
10 beyond mer'
Their wonder and speculation increased until
o'clock that afternoon, when Mrs. Bell, Law
rences mother, came in. She was 1, pretty,
long -visaged woman, with slow way of speak
ing. She had been sitting quito O while before
she remarked, with lOng-drawn placidity:
You had quite time gettin your silk, didn't
WHAT cried Bessy and her mother to-
gether.
Yes; when Lawrence brought it in last night
and undid IL. an there was all that brown silk
instead of the cotton cloth I'd sent him for,
couldn't believe my eyes. s'pose he told yer
about it: he looked as if he thought he was out
of his head. Then he happened to think that
he'd changed it with you'll spose he took your
bundle TO carry, he didn't say 70, but s'pose
that was the way it was-sn' then he gave you
the wrong one."
Bessy face was full Of bewilderment She
kept looking a: her mother.
He charged me not to say anythn' about
1t, went on Mrs. Bell, IAN he said he'd bring
the silk back an get the cloth. / see he did
bring the silk: It's real pretty, amt it?'
Il think IT'S quite pretty" murmured Mrs.
Lang.
Did Lawrence take the cotton cloth?"
"No-I guess he didn't"
"Well, l thought mebbe he wouldn't till he
came home. 1 que guess he thought he'd stop on
think that silk is very handsome. You must
have thought it funny when you opened that
bundle and saw cotton cloth?"
Yes. we did, said Mrs. Lang. She kept
casting suspicious and sharply questioning
glsnces which had almost the force of words at
Bessy. The minute after Mrs. Bell had gone
she began
Now. I'd like to know" said she, WAS YOU
walkin' with Lawrence Bell last night?'
No, wasn't; you haven't any right to look
at me so, mother. haven't done a thingr'
II shouldn't think you had How did you
come by your bundle!'
'I-don't KNOW Bessy laid her head on
the table near the new silk and began to cry.
Her mother snatched the silk away. Don't
know? L declare, she's left that cotton cloth
after ALL You IL have to carry it over after
supper. This is more'n l can see through
"I-dOn't know any more than-you do"
said Bessy, brokenly. HE was behind me
when came home from Wellsboro yesterday.
don t-know another thing"
Its the greatest piece OF work ever heard
off, -''N
After tea Bessy took the cloth and went over
to the Bells. 1t was dusky and she did not at
first see Lawrence leaning over the gate. Then
she started
"Oh, good evening"" said she, TREMENDOUSLY.
Good evening" returned Lawrence, stifiy
and opened the gate.
'ls-your mother in!"
mo; she's just gone over to Mrs. Martin s."
'Ive brought back this CLOTH
Lawrence started-''I suppose YOU know how
mean I've been" he burst out.
Bessy looked at him mutely.
Il was just starting to come over to your
house., Lawrence went on, screwing his toe
into the walk. Il was going to tell you-there
wasn't anybody at home, SO just put the silk
in the window this morning. I'll own L did a
mean thing. Bessy. I'll own 1 saw you drop
that bundle and picked it up and was going
to give it to you. Then--I laid it down again
and suppose l swopped bundles somehow
when L did 1t. l didn't find it out till this
morning. don't know what possessed me-
Mother saw you go by and she said she guessed
you were going TO buy some-wedding things,
and guess felt kind OF ugly. didn't want to
speak to you and didn't care much if YOU did
lose your things. know did a mean thing
Suddenly the boy made step forward and
",
you don't want to marry that Jerome Bowles,
do you, Bessy?'
Lawrence, you mustn't do so! stopr'
TEL me you don't"
Il guess / do"
Il don't believe it."
What do you suppose mother would say?
Don'tw
1T isn't your mother it's you! Bessy, tell
me the truth-wouldn't you rather marry me
than him?'
Lawrence Bell, you let me gor'
What made you say you'd marry him."
''He--asked me to"
asked you to- Is that the reason girls have
for getting married3 Bessy, you know liked
you"
mo, l didn'tr' Bessy murmured family.
She was half crying
1T seems to me you might have known I
never looked at another girl when we went to
school together. l always thought you and 1
would be married some time. l never said
anything. Cor thought maybe it wasn't quite
fair You weren much more than a little girl
and wasn't very old myself aud wasn't earnin
much. But l guess l should if I'd known.
Well, amt going to talk about it. II you've
made up your mind to marry him amt going
TO urge you to break it off. won't do anv thing
mean- shouldn't have said this tonight if I
could have helped it."
Lawrence walked along by Bessy's side with
. defiant air when she started toward home 1t
was only little way. ''rm going in a minute"
said he, when they reached the house. I'm
going to tell your mother about that silk N.Y.
self; amt going to let you"