Year: 1877

MI OlIA OMDhEIl1As U


When Marcia came from Europe
she brought her pretty triies for ev-
cry body-corals for these and cam.
eos for those, and cairngorms for the
others, and she brought me a silk
umbrella. l had half hoped for a
picture, a bit of bronze, (being a
house holder,) a majOlica platter.
What in the world do You suppose
Marcia brought me silk umbrella
for?


No shabby one, either, let me tell
you. The silk of the thickest, the
steels of the stoutest, and the han
die wonder of sculptured ivory.
To use? l Should as soon have
thought of going out in the rain with
my silk hat as with my new umbrel-
la. A silk umbrella for man who
had never sspired to an alpaca one,
and who had always held a nifty
cent cotton one, that could be left
and forgotten, lost and stolen, with
impunity, and nobody previously
wronged therby, as the king of all
umbrellas, and who never carried an
umbrella anyway, but in rainy wealth
er wore macintosh.


Still as umbrellas go, it was a
beauty. 1t would give an air of dis
tiuctiOn to ones appearance, armed
cap pie, faultlessly dressed even to
the umbrella. Being an amateur
farmer in a small way, it became me
to be well dressed when l left home.
Then it looked finely on the rack in
the hall. 1t would be nice thing
to lend a lady going from the house
in shower-a nice thing for her to
forget to return, too. That remind
ed me that shouldn't like TO loose
it, after all. must have it marked,
that was only proper respect to Mar
cia. A neat little silver plate, the
jeweler said nickel would hardly
suit so fine an article, engraved with
my name and place-'Ily two dol
lars. Already the price OF four UNI
brellas.


When the silk umbrella came
home, hung it, in its case, on the
rack; but one of several irresponsi-
BILE single ladies, who take more or
less interest in nv affairs, assurd me
that to keep it hung up in its case
would occasion il to split in the
folds. took it down and spread it
wide open on the floor of the dark
cloak closet, when another of the IT.
responsibles-and | don't know how
under heaven she knew it was there
assured me that my umbrella
would become one sided cripple if
| lett it spread wide open on the
floor. l began to wish l had never
had an umbrella. | took off the case,
shook out the folds, and hung it up
unmoleSted by the others.


The next result of my possession of
a silk umbrella was that, conscious
of my resources, l lent my mackin-
tosh, and the person TO whom 1 lent
it was drowned in it, and l had pre-
viously given away or recklessly
lost all my fifty cent umbrellas.
When, then, in drizzling weather l
wished to tramp through a field and
visit the outlying dependencies of
my pig-sties, it seemed altogether too
incongruOus and unbecoming to
hang over the pig-sties under a silk
umbrella with carved ivory han
die and engraved silver plate, and
consequently l went IN the rain,
caught a cold, had the pneumonia
and doctor, and a receipted doc
tors bill for fifty dollars, and no
strength to speak of foL six months.
| wished Marcia had brought me no
present at all.


had been looking forward, for
some time after my complete recov-
cry to Marcia's wedding and my
journey to Waterway. Marcia was
not only the sole millionaire of the
name, but she was my favorite cous-
In, engaged to marry my dearest
friend, and the ceremony was to be
performed in great state by DIR.
Wilder, of Brentford, an old clergy
man, the dearest friend of her dead
father and of mine. Certainly 1 had
reason to look forward to her wed
ding; and, moreover, being fully
persuaded that farming was a no.
BILE occupation, l had been as fully
determined to prove that it was a
paying one, and had, therefore, been
rather closely confined at home, SO
that a journey was quite an event,
at any rate. Of course l was to
make my best appearance, and, of
course, my old bOusekeeper insisted
that l should take my umbrella.
demurred; for 1t was very much in
my way, with my por lanteau, my
rugs and my wraps, and the box
holding my wedding present. But
she carried the day, and | took it,
and, of course, l did not open it all
the time | was gone.


Fastening into the station and
setting down the umbrella, had writ,
ten the message and was just paying
for it,thinking the while with regret
OF the scenery we were to pass
through, since the only way to save
my umbrella was to keep my eyt
fixed upon that. When the cry
came, All aboard! | dropped the
change and ran.


Your umbrella, ,sir, cried flu1e lik,
voioa