The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1894-05-24

STE you. mere. ScrlDDllnS d line OIL
a crumpled envelope she fshed out c3
her pocket, lis where Sarah Jane said
she lived
"The poor thing" calculated Mrs.
Rycliffe, her kindly spirit touched.
eyes, I'll 60"
When she arrived in New York she
gave a cabman both addresses, her
niece's and Elsie Payne's.
''Drive me to the nearest first" she
ordered. ,a 49,,
And the nearest happened to be a
tall, dreary tenement-house, in mar
row, dingy street. She found Elsie
in bare, clean, little sky-high room.
Pretty, gay, rose-cheeked Elsie Cam
eron! Not gay, nor rose checked now,
but slender, pale and still very dainti-
ly fair to look upon. She wore n
black gown. A beautiful child chung
to her hand.
ooh, Mrs. Rycliffe!'' she cried.
The sight of the dear old face was
precious after her long exile among
strangers. She kissed her guest, drew
her in, took off her bonnet, and made
her a cup of tea, all the time full of
words of welcome, and of inquiry, but
not once mentioning her own poverty,
which every thing in the room pro-
claimed.
''How are you getting on, is what
aightforwardly.
"Oh, manage. I do fplain sewing,
you know. Sometimes I find it hard
| to get all can do, but week ago
lady called and left me an order that
has kept me busy since. She asked
my prices for making plain garments,
and / mentioned them, but the ma
terials were accompanied by directions
for much elaborate work! OF course,
l have no doubt she will pay me what
my labor was worth. You may see it,"
She displayed four nainsook dress
ing-sacques, having insertions of Tor
chon lace, clusters Of tiny tucks, and
henstitched ruffles. Mrs. Rycliffe ex-
pressed her admiration.
"What do you ask for them?"
'When they are quite plain, twenty
{ five cents each, but as these have so
much work, thought fifty would not
be too much to ask
"Well! I should think that pretty
cheap. Hark!''
There was a step in the passage
without
''That is my customer, I suppose
She said she would call to-day. Don't
STIR
But Mrs. Rycliffe vanished behind
| fIo hot
off the oil-stove and few cooking
utensils from the rest of the room.
There was tear in the cretonne,
however, and she saw the person who
entered, a large, forid woman, attired
in a furred cloth skirt, a coat Of many
capes, faring hat on which black
birds bobbed, and yellow kid gloves.
''Ah! the work is done. Yes, salts
factory-quite. Really, I shall rec
There it is
She tossed coin on the table, and
took up the parcel Elsie had tied.
'Mrs Pugh," demonstrated the
seamstress, 81 said l would make
those with only rufaes at neck and
sleeves for the price named. These
are worth at least fifty cents each.
The sewing on them has taken me a
week.
Her patron turned from the door to
freeze her with a stare
''Ah! an impostor, I see-lil1e all of
your class! You make one contract,
and demand pay that was not stipula-
ted I shall not again employ you"
With which appalling threat she
swept away.
Little Mrs. Rycliffe came out from
behind the screen, white and trem-
bling.
'What a wicked woman, Elsie'' she
cried.
Elsie smiled family.
"They are not all so UNJUST" she
said, trying to speak cheerily.
Dusk was closing in when Mrs.
| Rycliffe reached the house of her
niece, a snowy, imposing house. Her
mistress, the servant said, was at the
matinee. Would the visitor wait?
Mrs. Rycliffe sat down in chair in a
fell fast asleep. She was awakened
by a mans angry tone, demanding
with an oath, if he was ever to
have any supper. The next instant
Medora's voice admonished him.
"You must wait. I've just got ir
from the matinee. Don't scold.
didn't buy my ticket out of the
grocer's money. A woman did fou,
dollars worth of sewing for me.
paid her, and had a good time out Of
the amount saved. Why, Aunt-is il
Aunt Mary?"
. Mrs. Rycliffe rose with stiff effort
She was cramped and tired.
II think it u.s." she replied, dryly.
For four days was Mrs. Rycliffe the
guest of Mrs. Pugh. And she saw
more than the interview with Elsie
to convince her she was under no OBJ
} legation to give money or its equiva
; lent to Medora. She saw an extrava
} CANT, ill-regulated household, where
: prevailed all manner of schemes t.
make a show of opulence, and al
kinds of petty subterfuges to evad,