The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1898-03-05

~ rs QeDuChnCe. Oh tue STU
kSh ,K-% son, and before the
EMR end of it she proved
RKB o. the most fortunate,
|C<y,I ~ for she carried off
Charlie Van Essen, who was conced-
bd the prize Of the year. Marguerite
had done this, too, without having o
Pingle ENHANCEMENT with any Of the
many entangling but undesirable
koung men who haunt the fairy foot
bteps Of oil debutantes.
Mr.. and Mrs. Van Essen were eat
home" to their friends on Mondays, in
: charming house, furnished with OK
huisito taste. Although Mrs. Van
Essen knew little Of housekeeping,
her housekeeper and butler knew an
amazing amount, and SO her house
hold affairs ran much more smoothly
and comfortably than did those Of her
more knowing neighbors, for in house
keeping, as we'll as in many other mat
tiers, it is not what one knows, but
what one does not know which makes
life worth living.
Into this Elysium came one day
Miss Abigail Van Essen, with small
trunk, q judicial Dir, hundred thou
sand dollars, and sixty years to her
credit. Mr.. Van Essen had prepared
bis wife for the coming Of his aunt.
"You will love her, I know, Rose.
bud, he said. "She was always aw-
fully good to me when I spent my va
cations with her. She is rather-ah,
rather-well, rather close about mon
ey matters, and you may think some
Of her financial arrangements little
peculiar; but try not to mind them,
Tor my sake, love, and you will get on,
I'm sure"
Aud he kissed the pretty, wistful
faced turned up to him, and vowed to
himself Aunt Abigail, who was dear
old girl in spite Of her peculiarities,
would love his flower before she
knew it.
And Aunt Abigail did.
One might fancy there could be no
sympathy between q song bird and q
very domestic hen, but after all there
is. A choice morsel is Of equal inter-
est to each, and neither wants to be
caught by hawk. Everyone knows
o common love or q common hatred is
q bond between women, and as these
women both thought Mr.. Van Essen
The one man of the universe and all
other men shadows, they got on very
we'll indeed.
Mrs. Van Essen Ind never looked
very sharply after the money matters
Of her household. Her husband gave
her o monthly allowance, and when her
bills ran over it he paid tho difference
She used to wonder what she would
do if they came within the allowance,
but as such thing had never been
known the question did not interest
her greatly.
In journal devoted to women she
once read q story Of q wife who saved
her every spare dime and dollar for
fifteen years, and then, when her hus.
band failed in business, delighted and
amazed him by producing $4,000.
The tale had made deep impression
upon Marguerite, and she thought a
little Of doing the same, but she could
not help telling the story to Mr.. Van
Essen, and his comment on it had
completely upset her faith forever af-
ter in the woman's journal as guide
in financial affairs. He had cried, dis
gustedly:
"Great Caesar! No wonder the man
failed, with $40, 900 dead capital in the
house! Why, if she had given it to
him to put in his business, or placed
it at interest, they might have been
millionaires!'
Aunt Abigail soon thought she dis.
covered that Marguerite had as much
idea of the purchasing power of dol
lar when expended for groceries as the
flower for which she was named
Moreover, her distrust of the butler
was only equaled by Marguerite's
confidence in him.
"Why, I've never seen him give
her any change YETI thought the old
lady Indignantly. And sho never
had, for the butler kept q book in
which all moneys received and ex-
pended were carefully entered. "I'll
save her what money can while I'm
here, anyway" the old lady thought
After that, "Let zoe 60 to market
I'd so enjoy going out early in the
morning!" became frequent request;
and Marguerite would obediently Or
der the carriage and market baskets
at what seemed to her unholy hours
Of the day.
AS, she did not want Aunt Abigail
to be restricted in her buying, she
usually gave her twice as much
money as she would have given the
huf1ar