The daily morning journal and courier., 1894-12-01

bled about the price. but he said it would never do to carry anything mex pensive to the Hollls-Merrivales china wedding-they're such conny--some- things. You know what mean, girls. T suppose you mean connolsseurs." remarked Rosamund, quietly. "oh, you don't keep that new Inter- national" fin your room for nothing, do you, Rosy?" laughed Ruth. Well, mamma said the presents were simply superb. The room where they were dis played looked like a china shop. Two tea sets-beautiful! And a magnificent dinner set! And fish sets, and game sets and Ice cream sets and any number of odd pieces. And such an array of cups of all sizes and shapes. and vases and trays. and ornamental bits of all imaginable klnds-hundreds of dollars worth of beautiful things"
 And the Hollis-Merrivales are very rich," said Rosamund. "They can buy all such things for themselves"
 "Of course they can, and they had closets-full of china before. Mamma says she's glad she hasn't got to take care of 1t all. What are you thinking about, Rachel? You look very sober, for you"
 T was thinking-for once in my life," said Rachel. "Why is 1t that some peo- pie have so much, and others so little? There are those Hollis-Merrivales, for instance"
 "They even have two surnames," in- terrupted Rosamund.
 Rachel stopped to laugh, then went on seriously. "There is nothing they need, or think they need, that they can not buy, and yet they invite their friends to china wedding! And ev- erybody goes, and they just shower whole barrels of china down upon their heads because they feel obliged to- and"
 And grumble about paying for it," laughed Ruth.
 The three R.s were very quiet for while. The question Rachel had pro- pounded has been the despair of sages for centuries, and the girls, who did not know how ancient and how weighty it is, were yet oppressed by 1t. At last Ruth, with an air of changing the sub ject, asked,
 Do you remember the day we went over to those woods for wild honey suckles?"
 And were caught in the shower, and ran, all dripping, into that little old Prettyman house." said Rachel.
 And how good Miss Dorcas and Miss Pamela were" said Ruth. "They wrapped us in such funny old shawls and made a fire to dry our dresses"
 And made us keep our bare feet on those braided mats while they baked our shoes and stockings" said Rosa
 And urged us to stay to tea with them, and seemed so pleased to have us therer' 70 ..,'
 Rye bread, and water. and caraway cookies"
 And they had only two cups and two tumblers, and Miss Dorcas had to drink from little. ,bowl!' .~. S.,
 And not plates enough to go 'roundp'
 "The fat one was SO cordial, and the thin one so sweet and gentle!'
 And the dear things asked us to come again, and we said we would"
 And we haven't seen them since except once or twice at church on pleas ant Sundays, when they have felt well enough to take the long walk"
 My father" said Rachel, "said that was true hospitality. They did all they could for us. They gave us the best of what they had"
 And they have so little," said Ruth "so little. They are. very poor. Oh, I remember it all! The bare floor. with only a few braided rugs-the table with its worn, faded cover-the cracks in the cooking stove-the one little lamp and the candlestick with 8 tallow candle the stiff old rockers with such thin cushions-the neatness, the baroness, the poverty of it all-and those two gentle, kindly old souls-oh, girls, 1t doesn't seem right''
 "Oh, R's" cried Rachel, as she sprang from her chair and danced about in wild excitement, Let's do something for the old dears! Let's give them china we'd ding" ....
 The others shrieked with laughter "A wedding!--a china wedding for two old ma!-ladies" said Rosamund, when she found her voice. But I have an idea, Rs. I heard of some people once who had variety wedding. Their friends carried them whatever they thought would be useful-china, and glass, and table linen. frying pans and dish towels, hammers and hams, lamp chimneys and f1at-irons--
 Like the donation parties father tells of," said Rachel. '
 we could do that!' said Ruth, her eyes shining. "We'll tell your fathers and mothers and they'll help us."
 "And our grandfathers and grand mothers l
 "And the uncles and atlnts and big brothers!' ,.,..~.
 wen send the things Thanksgiving day. That gives us two weeks to work in" S.,s
 Some pretty cups and saucers!"
 And dear little blue teapot"
 ''Gay cushions for their chairsw
 "And some new gingham aprons!'
 "A teakettle!"
 'Warm dresses and shawlsr' $
 To, ,.A n Y,l oov v1o of N1JpS