The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1907-07-26
The Mended Coat.

1t was manifestly my destiny to marry
poor mana destiny which has been
assigned to me from childhood and which
fulfilled at twenty-one That l was
| certain to do this had been part of my
education. My grandmother of revered
memory had foretold it when | was a
wee fodder, and Beth ought to marry
a poor man." was always on the lips of
my school and college chums
MARRYING goes by destiny, laughing
ly quoted Jean Barston, my bosom
friend, when she introduced me to her
wealthy cousin just home from Manila,
therefore cousin Philip you are quite
safe, for Beth is cut out to be a poor
mans wife"
To tell why this fate had been portion
ed out to me seems like putting a pre-
MUM on extravaganza. From babyhood
had always displayed thriftiness and
certain housewifely traits which my adj
miring parents found vastly amusing.
My dolls, l am told, were always neat
ly robed for bed at night and dressed as
neatly the next morning. They never
played tea without pinafores tied under
their waxen chins, while those belonging
to my sister Madge never had their
gowns changed until their old ones were
so soiled that auntie, for very decency's
sake, renewed them, the wearers passing
their wretched nights under the lilac
bush, or on the kitchen dresser, or under
the range, CT wherever their careless
mamma happened to leave them.
| must have been a sad little snob, for
| never asked Madge to bring her family
to take tea with mine. / did not want my
dainty dressed babies to sit at the same
table with such dirty little outcasts
| Madge married a rich man (she always
declared she would, but her children in no
way resembled her dolls. They were
always as beautifully dressed as money
| and a French bonnet could keep them
| Still felt whenever looked at Madge's
face that money had not brought her
| happiness.
Being aportionless girl, there was a fit
ness in my marrying poor man, and when
Harold Rodgers, briefess young law
yer, asked me to marry him. said Eyes, :"
very solemnly and thankfully, for kne W
him to be rich in goodness and gentle
ness, and took no thought of his lack of
ducats. | had not wished or expected to
| become rich; still | was not wholly pre-
pared for the struggle of the next few
years. We went to the northwest to
grow up with the country, which was
some what slow in growing. The in
habitants were usually amiable and law
cases few. Indeed, had always suspect
ed that Harold had fashion of inducing
his clients to settle their cases without
going into court; but l had married my
husband for his goodness and not fo- his
gold, and so l held my peace.
The hard part of our poverty was for
each to see and know the privations of
the other. Clothes began to wear out.
A woman can, however, always make a
respectable appearance, no matter how
shabby her gown, by furnishing it up
with ribbon or a bit of lace, and my
habit of caring for triil,s stood me in
good stead now. But when Harold S
overcoat grew too shabby to wear, in
spite of my skillful tailoring, l must con-
r
Wisconsin are not exactly "balmy," and
each day, as Harold tuttoned his coat
tightly over his brave heart and declared
that he never felt the cold," knew that
felt it for him.
One day, as l was rummaging in ar
old trunk containing various relics of my
husbands bachelor days, in the forlorr
hope of finding something that might BIZ
turned to account, discovered at the very
bottom a neat paper parcel. On beini
opened, this disclosed an interlining O
tar paper, and then ooh, joyD a man!
overcoat 1t was about Harold's size
and never doubted but that it was
| ulSCdIuGu ONCISptl uCRiSCl
ed to give away in his last balmier days
determined to repair it as surprise
1t was soft brown melton, and mus
once have been a very handsome coat
fortunately the fashion of mems over
coats docs not greatly change even in
decade. The sleeves around the hand
were worn and frayed and the lining i
positive tatters. | ripped out the latte
and pressed one for pattern by whic
to cut the new ones. On measuring
with his discarded coat, l found that
could afford to turn up seam aroun
the hand, which did, damping the clot