The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-11-07
ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS.
How Mrs. vranklin Secured Her
New Clothes.


Mrs Vranklin were alone by themselves
in the clean kitchen, sitting beside the
stove, Mrs. Vranklin rose. went into hel
bedroom and brought out bundle Of
clothes.
Il want you to look at these things,
Jeremiah" she said, mildly.
What are they?" said he,
She spread them cut On the floor.
THAT is my best Dress she said.
''Those are ny best shoes. That is the
only bonnet I've got in the world but
my calico sun-bonnet, and that is my
Sunday shawl"
She uttered the words quietly, and
waited.
"Well?" said Mr.. vranklin, still smok-
ing.
''Well?" she answered.
He said nothing. She gatherede ,
garments with look of disdain, and
piled them ON chair.
You're rich man." she said.
erich, for farmer You are sixty and
/ fifty years old. Our boys are married.
l haven't had any money to spend for
five years. I'm sight to behold. II l
were a servant should get wages and
not have to beg No, l don't beg,
Jeremiah. Since you don't offer it
yourself. I'm going to tell you that I
want money. ! want hundred dol
lars to buy me some new clothes to
feel decent and comfortable in. Pm
really destitute. Why. I'm out of fam
mel! My calico gowns are patched at
the elbow. My shoe heels are twisted.
1 can't go to church any more. for I've
turned my black silk twice. and the
back breadths upside down. I've
washed my bonnet ribbons. I've done
all could rather than ask for what
you didn't offer; and there's no need
You're well-to-do. I want to be de-
cent and take little comfort while I
can. | must. There, nowl It's my
rightr'
She had spoken her mind. and Mr..
VraEklin felt that a climax had ar
rived. He had laid by large sum.
He was growing old and had no need
to pinch, but the awful demand for q
hundred dollars all in a lump was too
much for him. He had become used to
Eva Maria's quiet way of mending her
Did clothes and asking for no money,
ind it had never occurred to him that
,he would some time come down upon
lim like this.
He stared silently, and. puffed across
he stove the smoke of the cheap to-
oacco he burnt in common corn-cob
oipe. The old rag carpet was clean
The old chairs were mended with car
yet bottoms 1t was all tidy, but moth
ng was new. Nothing pretty but the
carlet gefaniums in their big pots ON
he window-sill. He had given his
wife very little in their thirty years of
married life; for all the furniture was
lis mothers. She had helped him make
lis fortune. selling butter and eggs and
'ot-cheese and flower roots, feeding the
lands cheaply and well. wedding vege-
ables and even riding the moving ma
hine, now and then-though not very
ately. Conscience told him that he
ught to pull from his vest pocket the
risp hundred dollar note he had re-
eived that morning for some hay at
he landing and say: ''Here. Eva Maria,
Why didn't you speak .before?' But
When greed takes possession of the
leart of man, it holds on like leech.
III he said, after the silence had re-
nained unbroken for some minutes.
vas:
well, Eva Maria, I'll think it over"
To some women there is no agony
Ike asking husband for money.
They want a love-gift, not aims
they have to ask at last.
Eva Maria had nerved herself at last
4 the misery of her sha bbiness to make
he speech above recorded, but it
eeIned fearful thing to do She lit
le guessed that she had frightened
eremiah almost out of his senses.
"a hundred dollars!'' he said to him
elf "She must know what I've got
bout me. She must mean to have it. |
ifty, now, I'd give. But hundred |
ii get the money changed, and give
er fifty"
He opened the door of the passage,
rossed it and went into the parior. 1t
'as cold, neat place. kept sacred for
reat occasions. 1t had a crate in it,
ut it was doub btful if fire would be |
GIFTED there that winter. 1t had been |
lconvenient to take it down that sum
Ter. SO fringed pink paper had been ar
anged between the polished bars and
le rug drawn across the hearth.
photographs of several mem bers of the
lmiiy hung BY red cords from the wall,
otted muslin curtains with neatly
uted rutfies covered the green paper
linds. "A dish of wax fruit. covered
Y glass shade, ornamented the GEN.
,r-table, and the horsehair furniture
ad been SO little used in two genera
ons that it looked almost new. The
,ses on the mantle were old-fashioned
lue ware, for which chlna-worsi.ip-
would have paid great price.
Eva Maria should have fifty dollars.
1T she had said she had a right to a
andred. If he gave her the bill in his
'cket she would spend it. 1t was Sat
day evening; he could not get it
ranged that night-no, not until Mon
". If he locked it up. she would
iow. and take it out, perhaps, and do
she pleased with it She had de-
AIRED her right" to 1t. Iva Maria.
imblest of the humble, rneekest of
e meek, had spoken SO. Co-ld it be?
This cones Of these here strong
inded neetin's," said Mr., Vranklin.
This was not logical, for Mrs. Vrank-
, had not attended one of them.
Women used to be b,ddsbie. They
g kicking over the traces low No
dy-" soliloQuizcd SIR. TrankIin. I
owing more and more uugrammat-