Year: 1874

at once by the truth and force of the axiom,
I had yielded to the inevitable in despair. l
knew my mothers strict and honest horror OF
Indebtedness, and saw in the 81 O u" system
no royal avenue Of escape


O, for fairy god-mother, who with one
touch of her magic wand would transform
my clodhoppers into loves of slippers.


I had no desire they should be of glass,
however flexible and finely spun, firmly be.
lieving they would prove dangerous in case OF
accident. Nor did I desire them to possess
the disagreeable virtue of reminding one OF
early hours by returning to their normal con-
dition on the slight provocation of ones over
staying the midnight hour.


From my earliest years these disagreeable
qualities of Cinderella's far.famed slippers
had seemed to me especially provocative of
wrath.


Ofcourse my good mother must be possessed
of more modern ideas.


Thought of my young friends all being
present at this party.


Hugh Meredith was sure to be there, and
in the crowd of merry, pretty girls who would
claim his attentions, would he not forget
me?


The bare thought Of this "most unkindest
cut of all" proved too much for my philoso'
ply and quickly reduced me to tears.


Once when 1 was living in luxury, the ex-
pectant heiress of one of the largest proper
ties in the country, Hugh had treated me
with apparent Indifference; but since poverty
and trouble came, he had been so kind and
tender was ct times almost sure he loved
me.


Hugh had fought an uphill battle with
poverty. The only son of poor widow, he
had paid his own way through college, studied
for the bar, and now supported his aged
mother and young sister in excellent style,
while the best of our village society was open
to the aspiring young lawyer.


Four years BEFORE mother and | had lived
with an aunt of hers, an aged and eccentric
woman. She had adopted me as her future
heiress in order that her only son, Zebediah
Hall, drunkard and profigate who had
embittered her life, should not inherit her
property. Her will had been duly drawn up
and signed, and Judge Stanley declaredlt had
never been destroyed either to his knowledge
or that of its two witnesses Yet, when my
great-aunt came to die it was no where to be
found, and Zebediah Hall took possession of
the elegant mansion, while mother and re-
tired to tiny cottage to live on mere pit
tance which I eked out by school teaching.
Here mother and I practiced severe system
of economy with nothing elegant in our sur
roundings but few relics of by-gone splen-
dor:


The dear old house was closed and deserted,
while Zebediah Hall was living riotously in
a neighboring city.


So much for the past! Let US return to
our mutton, as the French say.


I had dress of heavy pink silk, worn and
faded, to be sure, but freshened by an over
dress of delicate muslin trimmed with old and
costly lace. When this etheral drapery should
be duly festooned and caught up with clusters
of moss-ross buds, pale pink and musk
no dress would be likely to eclipse it.


A fan and gloves were among my treasures.
Dancing shoes were the only rub.


Sullenly l sat writing my regrets, my moth
er watching me with face full of sympathy
and love, when suddenly I was struck by a
new thought. In the garret stood an old &C.
dar chest once belonging to my grandmother,
in which was slowed away old brocades, letters
and papers; curious ball dress imported
from France, ornamented with innumerable
heads of General Lafayette and worn by my
great-grand-m at ball given by Presi-
dent Washington, and other antique relics.


In more childish days, l had inspected this
chest and pored over its treasures in absorbed
interest.


Now I distinctly remember having seen
among its contents small kid slipper, dis
colored by age. Perhaps its mate was there
also, and might find them wearable AT
any rate it would do no harm to search.


I threw down my pen, rushed to the garret
and opened the chest.


1t was several years since it had been dis
turbed, and combined odor of camphor,
lavender and mustiness, greeted my offended
olfactories.


Ipulled out the court-dress, an ancient mil
itary cloak, and then discovered the slipper
It was golden yellow with age, its gilded
buckle black with tarnish, and it sported a
heel of the most extraordinary height. Still
with ingenuity it might be made to do.


searched for its mate and found it at last,
at the very bottom of the chest. In triumph
brought them down stairs and locked myself
into my room to have good time examining
them.


Out of the one I had last discovered drop
ped roll of papers, hastily thrust them
into bureau drawer for future inspection,
and proceeded to try on the slippers. They
proved tight fit, for my feet were tolerably
we'll developed, and for moment thought
of the expedients of the court ladies when
trying on the fairy slippers. and seriously med
itated chopping off my toes or pairing down
my heels


They were on at last however, and quite
comfortable too, as stood in them. The high
heels seemed likely to disturb my equilibrium,
but when | had traversed the room several
times I found them quite safe.


I went earnestly to work, and before day
light was gone had cleaned them with
naptha sweetened them with perfumes
whitened them with meen fun, and bound
them with a deep fold of white satin. 1 made
jaunty rosettes Of the same dainty material,
in the centre Of which cleaned large old
fashioned silver buckles


NV mother exclaimed with admiration and
delight when she saw them.


The evening of the party came at last, and
with joyous excitement arrayed myself be-
fore the glass.


My rosy robe was fit for an Aurora my
slippers were perfect beauties. With fingers
that trembled with eagerness I fastened clus'
ters of rosebuds in my hair and on my bosom,
and clasped my pretty pearl necklace. Still
Hugh Meredith, who was to be my escort, had
not arrived.


Throwing my white cape over my shoulders,
I opened my drawer for fan and gloves.


There lay that roll of papers


HAVING nothing better to do. I opened it