The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1892-07-23
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|AW0MAN5 INFLUENCE

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hood" she said. Il am so thoroughly
tired of seeing him around. He may
be the paragon his mother thinks him.
| daresay he is He hasn't brains
enough to be otherwise But | prefer a
little wickedness to want of sense
Don't be sarcastic discussing Ally,
my dear. He is very nice, girlish
young man, and his bank account will
reach from here TO the Gulf of Mexico. .
Perhaps if it were shorter he might
be better" commented Margaret
Money causes all the trouble in the
world.
The want of it. you mean, suggested
Alice, sagely. 1T is IA wonderful power.
no doubt. 1t makes beauty more beau
tiful, virtue more virtuouS, and great
ness more great. The very thought of
it makes me wax eloquent Seriously,
my dear. poverty is the meanest thing
under the sun. Nell agrees with Inc
there. | had letter from her this
morning, and to cheer you | will read
It,.
How is Nell?" asked Margaret,
smiling at a thought her mind cOnjurcd
up. Il don't see that plaque she
painted. Have you become unapprecia-
tive of her genius?"
NO, returned Alice from the depths
of her desk, where she was hunting for
her letter But uncle gave me that
lovely little landscape on the left there,
and when | hung it by Alice's plaque,
the contrast between it and her indigo
lake and impossible trees was startl ng,
even to my inartistic eye. | stood it for a
few days, but at last nature would bs ar
no more, and the plaque now reposes in
my trunk, where the sun can not fade
or the dust iniure. Here's her letter
MY DEAR ALICE: 1t last | am sitting
down to answer your letter, and ac-
, knowledge its welcome inclosure. My
head is buzzing the things | have to say,
! but I'll begin at the beginning. Graft
! tude before everything in my category.
l will therefore thank you for your
! Check. l spell it with capital. YOU
observe. l don't know that it is correct
according to the rules of photography,
but under the laws which make US i'm
portant or insignificant in proportion as
we are rich or poor, it is perfectly in
order. Henceforward l shall adopt it as
showing my deep and abiding respect
! for money.
This particular money came in quite
apropos. We had been getting or sum
! mer wardrobe q use this word adviSedly
as it sounds more imposing than enumer-
ating details), and you will not have to
! strain your Imagination much to bring
to mind the painfully emaeiated condi-
| ton of the family purse. 1t looked eX-
| tremely humble, l assure you, despite
the fact that poverty is always proud.
But the moment your check arrived
what Il change! 1t Immediately swelled
with pride, like the tabled frog whose
! picture | used to admire SO eXtrav-
/ agantly, and though it has been consid-
erably depleted since, it still remains
/ fat.
Now, Alice, a word of advice. Keep
in with the old bear and make him
| leave you some money; for, horrible
thought, the Reynoldses seem to be grow
/ ing poorer. l think it a decided mis-
/ take on the part of mamma and papa to
have had SO many children. But have
noticed that this mistake is common
among poor people. | suppose they
! want numbers somewhere, so they make
up in babies what they lack in dollars.
| Ii matters don't mend with us, shall 20
! to writing stories; | always did think |
! had talent -.
| In your last letter you mildly in
CURED if we liked our new Hat. My dear
J
Flats weren't made to be liked; rot the
cheap flats, at least, and those are the
only kind we indulge III. Our present
one is a narrow tunnel, probably n trifle
broader thar the road which * popu-
larly supposed to lead TO eternal bliss.
| We have daylight at each end and vary
ing degrees of twilight in the middle,
and our bedrooms are 50 small that
BcsS, being girl of resources, kneels
upon the bed to say her prayers and
prevent me from tumbing over her feet.
which, to say the least, are not in pro-
portion to our apartment.
Speaking of Eess. / IN dying to know
if she ever mentions Mr.. Spencer in her
letters to you. That man is my ahom-
ination, and shivcr at the possibility
of such brothcr-inl law. He likes her,
l know, for he comes here nearly every
! night, sits in our b st chair which ne
! has nearly worn out, and talks through
! the bigg st nose it has been my fort
une to see. Altogether he is odious,
and if Bess marries him, she is no sis
! ter of mine.
"Allusions to marriage and such giddy
subjects remind me Of what | consider
most important piece of news. | have
devoted follower, painfully YER
! dant, callow, youth, with brains so few
as to be scarcely worth noticing, and a
! bank account So long that we'll,
| that. like charity, it covcrcth Il multi
! tude of sins. He is so enrapturcd with
me, that my red hair is golden in his
eyes, from which fact you may estimate
/ the extent of his Imagination.
| "'If he only hal little more sense.
/ l find myself saying morning, noon and
pight, but with all the possibilities that
cluster around that if, the unwelcomc
! fact still obtrudes itself. His mind is IA
vacuum, and /, like nature, abhor Il
| vacuum.
Sometimes I wonder if his pocket
| book can ill the place where his brain
ought to be. As the question * mo-
mcntous one, pray give me the benefit
of your advice. Meantime, l continue
to be the sun of his existence, the star
of his night, and few other lumnaries.
And as, also, you must be thoroughly
| tired of me by this time, l will say
goodby, for the present. Everybody
| joins me in love to you. More in my
next. NELL.
| p. S. Being a woman, my letter
wouldn't be complete without post
script So here it is: Give my love TO
Miss Margaret when you see her.
/ y
ever, for | know her good fortune hasn't
| spoiled her.
| Margaret flushed and smiled at this
! alluSion to herself.
Just as bad as ever, she commented /.
Nell will never be staid nor dignitied. "
! That is what mamma says. We are
all IA lively set. l dare say they think
my nest is fea hered, hut -
| Alice shook her head doubtfully
| Uncle is so overbearing at times. and
! was never noted for mildnass OF tenn
per. Sometimes I get perfectly raring,
! and then there's grand scene. Indeed,
/ you wouldn't laugh if you We're in my
( place.
There is his bell now. He is awake
/ and / suppose lie wants me. Evidently
| he's in a bad humor. Come with me.
/ II II l