Year: 1861

Sitting at her low window in the dull, un-
seemly room, worn, tired, discouraged with
| the labors and forebodngs of life, Jennie's
thoughts could do no less than bring tears
She was thinking of the happiness which
tloated about he in the crowded streets of
the laughing eyes of the naughty tread !;
of faces brimming with careless merryment


and conscious beauty. She had seen hun


dreds in that one street-hundreds Of maidenS


TO whom she was consciously superior. And


this was not egotism it the weeping girl. Does


the doe imagine itself q snail, or the eagle fan


cy itself blue jay Was it wrong that all


this beauty, all this innate refinement. al this


spirite, aud tast, and mentality, should pine and


and starve for want of that appreciation for


which we all pine and strive And if Jenny


wept that her scant and faded calico had drawn
forth sneers, as though it were herself and not
the accident of covering and if she wept that
simple minded and narrow thoughted girls
carried themselves proudly, and won attention,
while she slipped meanly into by-ways, aud
shrunk from the observation which was only
cold and contemptuous, can we blame her ?
She was a woman with a woman's beauty AID
woman's power. But alass Jennie was Gagged
by circumstances, her jewels covered by the
dust of labor, her oung life hdded, and dull,
and sad.


Besides, an incident at the store had wound
ed her severely, and re awakened her conciOus-
ness of weakness and sem-degredation. 1t
was this She had taken bundle of work TO
the inspecting clCrk and thence had been di


rected to the cashier with a ticket for her
pay On former occasions she had suffered


from curious and wicked glauces while passing


tho clerks Of several departments, as well as


from the peculiar tone in which the cashier ad-


dressed her. To-day she was either more


painfully sensitive or the glances of admiration


were more disgustingly prominent and the
cashier, after fumbng as long as possible
handed her the silver she had earned, with a
careless but insulting remark. Jennie flushed
with Indignation, threw the money upon the
counter, and curling her lip with scorn, left
the desk. A hand touched her arm, and
kind voice said Wait moment, Miss
Dell, in so assured and commanding a way
that she involuntarily paused. The gentleman
stepped up to the cashier, struck him a smart
blow on the side of his face with the pam of
his hand, tipping him over, took the vacated
stool at his desk, and by the time the fellow
had picked himself up had balanced bis account
and was ready for him with the residue of his
wages Then leading the fellow to the door
by the arm kicked him into the street. All
this was done so cody, with so much ease /
ami gentemanly decision, that Jennie could
take no exception to even the last act Of the
drama


:" Ny store will be safe to you in future, I
Miss Dell, but will not put you TO the in /
couvenierc Of bringing your work | will send
a boy for it, and directing lad to take the
lady's bundle, Mr.. Brewer bowed Jennie out
Of the store before she had time to cry or do
anything more than to thank him with glance I
which, breaking from her late Indignation, was {
a curious intermingling of pride aud gratitude


The incident had recalled for tie hundredth
time a terrible consciousness of her unpretect- .
ed situation, and she felt more keeuly than ev-
er the utter helplesSness of poverty. Sometimes /
the blood of a proud ancestry dashed to her /.
cheeks and thObbed to her temples but the !
next moment womanS tearSe chased each other +.
dowa her cheeks


am SO glad you have come, father.
have been so very lonely aud then | was fear
ful something had happened"


The old man bent little to kiss the eyes
of his ghter-kissing the eyes was the
emphasis of his affection-and his lips were
moistened by a tear which jennie unwittingIy
had left there in the haste of brushing them
away to meet his coming step.


What is this daughter? Crying, nv
child? You are not sick, dearl Why, |
thought my brave girl never cried, however
dark the day might be :" and, with hand on
each shoulder, the white haired man held the |
bright-faced daughter at arms length before
him, gazing loving inquiries into her eyes.


Npt pf IN ba hnor
face of the daughter now so, after meeting /
his gaze augbingly a moment Jennie slipped
to bis side, leaned close to his shoulder, clasp
ing his arm in her hand, and said


"Oh, nothing of any moment, father. We
women have little foolish thots and troubles
of onr own when we are left alone all day
But when father comes back again Jennie is
happy enough, isn't she 2" and the girl looked
into his face with so much of beauty, and smile,
and joy, that the old man forgot the dewdrop
which had dried 90 bis lips and went to wonder
ing what made his daughter SO happy, alone
and hard at work in that sombre room all day.


The father forgot the sadness the sooner for
a jeVel of good things which he was holding
tight in bis heart, longing to give it to his
daughter, but wondering which was the most
perfect way to show iC.


Whether to raise the lid, and permit the
Koh-i-noor the flash with its diamond Iightn-
ng full in her face at once, or to lift the lid
gentle so that the loved ones eye might catch
the brlIiance, ray by ray and beam by beam.
While the daughter was making the tea kettle
cover dance, and then pouring sputtering hot
water into the little black tea pot, in the bot
tom of which very few but very nice little
leaves lay curcd in fragrant exclusiyenesS and
the glad father thought the
matter over.


While the tnrnid little leaves warmed into