Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1903-04-24
A TALE OF A SALE.


NnR RS. MASON Is what we call in
lM in our village "a character."
and as such I dearly love a
chat with her when she is in the hui
NOR to be drawn out. The other af-
ternoon 1 called to remind her Of the
annual rummage sale. She Is regu-
lar purchaser, but priding herself on
possession of judicial mind, she does
not feel at all called upon to approve
In the abstract of institutions in whose
benefits she is quite ready to partici-
pate.
''Roomage sa1es2 1 don't hold with
'em! l call 1t a-nisultin' of the AL
mighty, the gentry offering Him their
CASTOR clothes and what notv' she
said tartly. "Teck my word for t,
the gentry gets their fun out O. them
sales same as bazars. and times they
gets the best bargains, too"
II don't see how that can be-" said;
''the gentry don't buy at rummage
sales"
Don't they?" she chuckled. ''Much
you know about it. The best bargain
ever I seed was got at rummage
sale. Sit zee down, and donnut fdget
WI yer chair, and I'll tell zee how it
cum about. Twas worth half-a-sov-
ereign to me.
st was a slip Of a girl, in sarvice at
Squoire Hargreaves, at the hall. Well,
they had a guverness there for the
children; tall, handsome lass she was,
as proud as If she was duchess.
"Her father had been what they call
a millionaire, but he lost all his money,
and the daughter, who had been to
college and was great schollard, went
out to help earn a living for the family.
Before that she'd been engaged to be
married, but it was broken off when her
father lost his money.
'Well. one day I was cleaning the
outside windows Of the schoolroom
when Mrs. Hargreaves comes In, and,
Miss AIwyn,' says she, 4 want you to
help the wears daughter, Miss Rogers,
at the roomage SALE SO Miss Alwyn
said she would.
ION the days Of the sale, Mary, the
housemaid, told me she'd asked Miss
Alwyn for any of her old things to send
to the parish hall. Miss Alwyn just
looked up, and said:
Every well. Mary, you can take
what's hanging on the end peg in nv
room; have nothing else I could
spare"
"There was pink frock as fitted
Mary and lavender muslin gown.
"'Mary,' 1 said, there's a mistake
so careful in her drawer, with sprigs
of rosemary between; she don't mean
that
"But Mary wouldn't listen. She'd set
her heart on the lavender gown and
took it down to the parish hall herself
for we two servants had holiday for
the afternoon.
Mary took the dresses to Miss Rog-
ers' stall and got them priced. She
bought the pink one, but the lavender
was too dear. I can't think says Miss
Rogers, how anyone comes to send 1t.
It's quite Partisan creation
"There was Mr.. Bartram as was
staying with the vicar standing by, and
he laughed. Let's see the creation he
said; and then he looked startled.
Where did that come fromT he says.
shortlike; and Miss Rogers said, from
Mrs. Hargreaves.' 'Hargreaves! don't
know such a name! But it is-it must
be the same gownr he muttered. Then
/ knew that he was Miss Alwyn's for
mer young gentleman and what Mary
had done.
"Mr Bartram tried to turn off all the
seriousness Of the joke. Look herer he
says, that's too smart a gown for your
village folk. In the interests of paro-
chial morality, want to buy itp
$50 he paid the price and went off
without seeing the other stalls.
presently Miss Rogers. as was keep
ing the stall, wanted to go away for
something, and asked me to keep an
eye on things. Miss Alwan had sold
her Lot, and came round to see how we
was gettin' on.
'Tn moment she catches sight of
the gown, and-'Ohr she cries. My