St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1900-07-21
"A LITTLE HOARD
OF M AXI M S. .

.
HEY were wise in their day and
generation. were Aunt Lucy Favor
sham and her married sister, Miranda
Burr. They had all the feminine max
inns by heart, and repeated them often,
being incurably loquacious.
make up your mind to this, Lillian, !"
Mrs. Burr would say to her daughter.
SIT is as easy for a girl to love rich
man as a poor one, and great deal
know what it means. You dwindle up
like an acorn in wet season. tell your
aunt, often, that you can't even be
high-minded without little money to
manage it on. Really, / believe half the
folks who go to hell get there because
they are so poor they couldn't be good.
Envy hatred, and all uncharitableness-
those are the things that come from
poverty. Romance doesn't last as long
as cabbage moth without some money
to keep it going. But with money it's
possible to get along quite agreeably in
the house with almost anybody.
Miranda Burr drew her SMILES from
the farm life which she endeavored to
forget; her maxims, on the contrary,
were a tribute to the comfort of city
establishment, in which she en-
deavored, with but Indifferent success.
to act the grand lady.
Aunt Lucy Favorsham was a trife
more adroit in dealing with her niece
than the girls own motherwas.
Books and pictures and music and
the society of cultivated people-those
things go with money" she said. "And.
liberty. That goes with money, too. 1t
always seemed to me that woman was
no better than chattel when she had
to ask a grudging husband for every
cent she got. It's the humiEatio1s and
petty sacrifices which go with poverty
which offend me. But no one can know
the measure of those who have not had
experience"
The girl at whom these remarks were
directed looked, somewhat wearily out
of the window and saw young man
coming down the street. She flushed
scarlet, then arose impulsively and
went to meet him, catching up her hat
and sunshade from the hall table as she
passed.
Dick" she said, as she ran down the
steps to meet him. "let's walk to JEFF
ferson square. I've been in all day.
Don't You think the vacation is tire
snJ,
wishing to-day that l was back at
school"
The young man looked at her ten
derly.
~ If you were back at school" he said.
'tI should not have the pleasure of this
walk"
But the girl did not look pleased at
this obviously sincere compliment.
'sThey think about different things
at school," she said. 1T is better to
think about history and geometry and
and that, than about"
She hesitated, confused, in the midst
of her puerile speech.
81 don't understand" said Dick.
No. I suppose not! Teouldn't ex-
pect you to. Dick, !" with swift change
of expression, how do you like this
gown?''
''It's pretty little gown, dear. mo
ticed it the minute / saw you. You
never had it ON before, did you?''
no. I made it. Do you know why?
I wanted to see how I would look if I
were poor mans wife and made my
own things. You say it is pretty, Dick,
but that's because you didn't know. It
IS hideous. There isn't seam in it
that's right. Everything is the matter
with it, and I am never going to wear
it again.
Dick Underwood looked perplexed.
Il dare say well be able to manage
dressmakers," he said, somewhat
doubtfully. 'sBut how strange you are
to-day, dear-angry and not like your
SELF
ssI'm not going to marry you, Dick.
I've made, up my mind. I know you
thought my answer was going to be
different, but I have. decided that it is
to be no. We would wear on each other
horribly, know we would, if we were
to be worried about-abont bills and
all that. / can see just how miserable
it would be. It's everything which
isn't beautiful. It's hateful and com
mon and degrading. I've been thinking
il all over"
The young mans eyes were blazing.
NO, you haven't" J" he denied, you've
been listening! It's your mother and
your aunt that have been instructing
you. And they have succeeded even in
making yon think that love is not beau
tiful. have they? .It,seems impossible,
but they've done it. and-and if you
don't mind, Lillian, I'll leave you here.
You won't mind walking home alone"
He lifted his hat and turned away from
her. terse and angry.
Dick! Dick" The cry was involun-
tary and freighted with keen alarm
and pain. The young man went on
down the street, not looking back. Lii