Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1900-01-29

know, it's that odlous subscription
paper again, for the sufferers from the
Chessington fire. What shall I do?"
''Be frank with her at once" said
Laura Lisle, who was spending the
morning with her friend, land tell
her you can't afford it."
ooh, couldn't do that! Every
body else gives something-the paper
is going around among the ladies of
our church, and should be mortified
to death to have Mrs. Ross Richard
son or Marian Huntington call me
mean and stingy."
81 don't believe in cutting your
coat according to your neighbor' s
cloth, said Laura dryly.
"Nor I, either-but what is a body
to do? Oh, must give something!"
And so Nelly went downstairs into
the neatly furnished little parlor,
where sat Mrs. Dean Pinkney, q
prodigious old lady with mole upon
the side of her nose, visible beard
on her upper lip, and such an amount
of jewelry hung about her that she
looked like captive in black velvet
ana gilded CHAINS.
'You'll excuse my calling ON you
at such q very early hour, Miss
Waters" said Mrs. Dean Pinkney,
surveying ,.er victim through gold
eye-glass.
ooh, not at ALL" said Nelly, feebly.
But" went on the old lady, II
thought you would esteem it privi-
Iege to contribute your mite toward
the needs of suffering humanity"
"Of course" said Nelly, uneasily
twisting the turquoise ring upon her
finger, around and around.
Here is the paper" said Mrs.
Dean Pinkney. "The other ladies of
the church have contributed literally,
as you will see. 1 hope that your
heart and hand will be open also"
And Mrs. Dean Pinkney folded her
braceleted arms and looked heaven
ward.
Nelly Waters glanced nervously
over the paper. Mrs. Sylvestry had
put down twenty-five dollars, MIS-.
Wriothesley twenty, Helen Canoble
ten; the other names became blurred
before her eyes in the excitement and
anxiety of the moment. She had sup
posed that dollar or two would have
been the extent of the contribution
expected from her; but, with all these
antecedents before her eyes, how
could she venture to inscribe her
name for sIch pitiful sum? And so,
with shaking pencil, she wrote down
"Ellen Waters, $5.00," and gave back
the paper, feeling ineffably small in
the eyes of Mrs. Dean Pinkney.
Much obliged, I'm sure," said
that lady with scarcely discernible
ring of contempt in her smooth ac-
cents. "Would it be convenient to
you to pay the subscription now? Be-
cause" with sort of grim chuckle,
81 am quite a business woman, and
1 am making a ready-money trans
action of it"
Nelly Waters blushed scarlet. When
she had written down her subscrip-
tion she had intended to meet it some
future time-this sudden demand took
her entirely unawares. Mortified and
bitterly embarrassed, she was about
to mutter forth some excuse, when she
suddenly remembered that her father
had that morning given her five dol.
lars to pay Bridget, the laundress,
and that the bill still lay in her Pocket.
"Certainly-of course" she as
sented, with little catch in her
breath, as, drawing forth the money,
she saw it absorbed in Mrs. Dean
Pinkney's great, gold-clasped porte
monnaie.
So the great lady waddled out and,
climbing into her clarence, told the
coachman to drive to the house of her
next victim, and Nelly Waters returned
upstairs feeling very like a squeezed
orange.
"How much did you givc?" asked
Laura Lisle.
Five dollars" Nelly answered.
"Exactly five times more than could
afford; but everybody else put down
at least double that, and was ashamed
to appear stingy or poverty stricken. 4"
Charity begins at home" said
Laura, gravely.
And when Bridget Reilly came,
Nelly was forced to put her off with
excuses instead of cash.
I'm so sorry, Bridget-but you
shall certainly have the money next
week"
Bridget's honest face clouded over.
"But, Miss Nelly, the master towld
me I could have it to-day, sure. And
the rent is due and the board for me
sisters ailinG baby in the country,
and -"
The consciousness of having done
wrong did not sweeten Nelly's tenn
per.
"Therc, there, Bridget, don't be in
solent, )" said she, biting her lip. II
have told you once that you could not
have the money until next week. II
you will come then L will try to ac-
commodate you"
So Bridget went away, with slow
steps and heavy heart.
Poor thing" said Laura Lisle
"She looked as if she wanted the
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