The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1891-11-27

S--ssN cOuld DE worn out little more
without patching, and Tom abhorred
patches
l carried the garments to my mother
to consult her. She, poor dear, having
practiced making over until she had
reduced the work to a science, Jumped
at the idea" to use another of Mrs
Hobbs expressions BY the close of
the next day our united efforts had
produced jacket which. with the adj
dition of some pretty buttons and a
neat binding of braid, was really quite
stylish looking. The next evening
drove tc the station to meet Tom and
his friend, feeling quite dressed up'
and complacent in my new old dress
and jacket But alas for my compla-
cency! 1 was soon to know the bitter
est modification of my life.
The next morning Tom came to me
in the dining-room and said: ''Bab.
what became of that blue flannel suit
that was hanging in my closet?'
''Do you want it?" i asked
''Morey wants it, it's his. We're GO
ing fishing, and as it's little rainy he
wants to wear it. He's a careful fell
low of his Clothes
i think the power to faint is not in
me, or il would have asserted itself at
that moment If the earth had sud-
denly opened at my feet, gladly would
have sunk into the yawning chasm.
"Oh. Tomr' l gasped. Il thought
those things were yours, and l cut them
up and made them into that Jacket
wore to the station yesterday"
Cut them up" exclaimed Tom, in
consternation, which soon gave way to
uncomfortable laughter
While he was laughing, 1 was des-
perately considering. / had always
been considered TRUTHFUL; / had always
been truthful, whether from inherent
goodness or lack of temptation, | can
not say, but / have a humiliating sus-
picion that it may have been the latter,
as, now that temptation presented it.
self, was willing to falsify, or rather,
to have some one else do so for me-
When Tom had subsidized sufficiently to
near me, | said: Tell him a tramp
stole the clothes"
"A likely story" replied Tom, that
tramp should find his way up INTO
my closet and select that particular suit
of old clothes as booty
''Well, tell him we thought the
clothes Were yours and gave them
away" / urged.
II shall tell him the TRUTH said
Tom, in "a tone of moral severity quite
unusual with him
He went up to his room, where Mr..
Morey was waiting. A few moments
later followed him up the steps and
slipped into my own room, which ad-
Joined his, that might see, or, rather,
hear, how he performed the delicate
task in hand Other emotions were too
strong within me to permit me to feel
any scruples iii playing eavesdropper.
When / reached my room l heard Tom
assuring Mr.. Morey, in grave tone,
the frequent tremors of which gave
evidence of suppressed emotion, that
had deliberately appropriated the miss
ing articles to my own use
Tom. you are trying to sell me-"
said Mr.. Morey.
mo, she cut them u-u-p," replied
Tom, the crescendo on the word up
being caused by burst of laughter,
land made"
/ determined to go in and explain the
matter myself. 1t would be easier
than meeting Mr.. Morey after he had
received Toms explanation | don't
know what l said, but made him un-
derstand the situation, and he assured
me the matter was of no consequence.
Il should have had but little further
use for the clothes,'' said he. ''I in
tended to take them home for my
mother to make over for my little
brothers; and / doubt not the boys
would give you a vote of thanks, if
they knew, for they don't like wearing
made-over garments"
My heart went out, at once, to the
little brothers
Mr.. Morey managed somehow, with
delicacy of which am sure no other
man could have been capable, to con-
vey to me n compliment on the feminine
ingenuity which could produce so
pretty a garment from such poor
materials. and even expressed the hope
that / would continue to wear it But
that averred / never could do again,
when Tom put in:
''See here, Dab, if you go on wearing
it. not even mother need ever know
but what the things were mine; but if
you don't, the truth must come out,
and you never VIII hear the last of it
from Ludora and Isabella"
Reflection convinced me of the truth
of the argument, and 1 concluded that
it would be better to wear the jacket
occasionally, though I knew 1 should
always feel queer in 1t
This ludicrous incident made Mr.
Morey and me feel better acquainted
in a few days than we should other
wise have done in weeks; and that the
attack had made on his wardrobe did
not forever disgrace me in his mind was
proved by the fact that at the end of
his visit he asked permission to write
to me, and within a year asked me to
be his wife.
have told this bit of personal ex-
a.
reader may suppose, to make known
how I happened to become Mrs Ran
dolph Morey, but to point the moral to
parents that the garments in which
their children are clad may seriously
affect the events which clothe their
life's history.-Marths Gion Sperbeck,
in DemoreSts Mon thly.