Year: 1878

We have had fair in our town, and such time
as we had on the last evening of our fair That is
what / am going to tell you about.


Our President waE Mrs. Lesley, and she is the
grandest woman / ever know, Our Secretary was
Mrs. Gray-she is Mrs. Lesley's husbands sister
and they made me, Mrs. Busybody, Treasurer,
We three really did the work. The rest of the
executive committee said yes no just as we told
them, and helped to carry out our plans.


And if do say it, neither of the others worked
as hard as did. For John-thats my husband
isn't as rich as their husbands are, and 1 only
hire one girl and do almost all my own sewing.
OF course / don't have q carriage to drive round
in as they do, snd streets are dreadfully mud
dy in bad weather Such tramps Us took on
that fair business John says shall not get over
it all winter.


Well, when we met to talk over the matter at
first the executive committee went to Mrs. Lesley S
house. / saw that our president and secretary
not likely to agree about the management of
things. Although they are so closely connected by
marriage they are just unlike it is possible
for two women to be who both have seal skin
sacques and camers hair shawls. Mrs. Gray is a
beauty, and can be charming. She is very haugh-
ty, though prides herself on her family and posi-
ton. She is very benevolent; always gives the
most to our Missionary society. But don't be-
leve she would have a woman for n friend who



work for her to treat me as | want her to. But
she likes to come over to my house and get me to
show her about fancy work and l often trim up
her parlOr when she has company; she says
do it better than florist, and Mrs Gray has ex
auisite taste Besides, have a cousin who lives
in Paris, and have just the choicest patterns of
any woman in Banktown, if am not rich, l al=
ways like to lend, and help plan dresses and all
that; so on the whole Mrs. Gray calls me her "Yery
doc fri MrS uoh a aIuah Ia
son." l see through her well enough, but | like
her in spite of her selfshness she is capable
and shrewd, and can put anything through she
undertakes just elegantly.


Mrs. Lesley is called peculiar. She does not go
very much into society, although she entertains
guests for weeks at her house, and any quantity
of them. She picks her friends just where she
chooses. Her most intimate acquaintance in Blank
town is the kindergarten teacher who lives next
door to me, and she invites shop girls to tea.


Well, when we began to talk about the fair, the
difference in these two women showed itself plainly
enough. | cant stop to tell you just now. You'll
see when get to that last evening. |, you must
know, stood rather between them, and things went
as turned the scales, sometimes according to the
presidents wish, and sOmetimes according to the
secretary's The truth is, can get up the kind
of enthusiasm for moral principles, that Mrs. Les
ley talks so much about, as quickly as any one
can and always when she is making her splendid
little speeches believe every word she says. But
when find, as we did in this fair business, that
being so particular, takes off all the profits, and
sometimes seems to block up the way entirely, l
confess veer round little. 1 am quite apt in
such cases to side with Mrs. Gray, who does al
ways have common sense to rest on, and who said
very forcibly, 1 thought, at our stormest commit
tee meeting that "when people were devoting
themselves to great patriotic or benevolent work
they must waive some of their personal serHPles,
If they wish suOcsss.h


You see the question was Should We have RAT
fes, and guess-prizes, and all that sort of thing?
Mrs. Lesley said no, in her most emphatic manner.
She claimed that such things were gambling, and
we never should be able to urge young men to be
honorable in their dealings if we encourage the
gambling spirits in the community.


Mrs Gray thought "her dear sister"-she always
called her law that when she feels hateful
towards her-"very much exaggerated the moral
Importance of the question. This was practical
matter of methods, and the legitimate inquiry was,
how could raise the largest sum in aid of so and
so in the quickest and easiest manner? !? If we had
a fair at all, and wished it to be successful we
must manage as other great fairs hal managed.
As for herself, she bad already begged Q handsome
sleigh and set of furniture, and other costly gifts
which could not be disposed of except by rattle
Of course, If our president II always did think
Mrs. Gray Thought she ought to have been made
president, and l was sure of it now by the empha-
sis that she puts president) vetoed rafting she
would be under the painful necessity of returning
to the doners these valuable gifts,


Mrs, Lesley looked over to me and asked what
thought about 1t. felt miserably undecided
when she appea ed to me. l really believed just
as she did, that ought to set good example in
this business if we were going into it. But on the
other hand, had set my heart on making money
at this fair, and knew it would cripple dread
q 20 IL III
she did seem right about the practical part if not
the moral. So did what always makes me feel
like fool just stood on the fence mumbled some-
thing about honoring the presidents scruples, and
sharing them, to some extent, but still feeling that
our cause demanded money and we must sacrifice
everything for it.


Mrs Lesley looked over at me in most piero-
ing way and said $50 understand Mrs, busy
HbTiy 10 neaN thai Qpr qapsa demands of US the
sacrifice Of principles"


Of course said no, but still rather threw my
influence on Mrs. Grpy's side.


Well we decided to have rafies. And We did
have them on a scale beyond anything ever heard
of!


Our fair lasted whole week. Poor John didn't
have one of his favorte little puddings for month
But John is the best man in the world. He never
said one complaining word till the very last day,
us 1 slipped my coffee at the breakfast tah'
was too tired to eat porsel-n..e SAYS: "Kitty. is
this the last day of the fair ?"


ayes" said I, "thank heaven believe anoth-
er day would kill me-"


"Wen," he returned, 'I am notquite elear about
Johnnys mother having right 10 kill herself over
fair And I shah pot be sorry to have wife
NNep @orS IF az evening myself"


was so tired and nervous + burst right out cry
ing at that And John tried to comfort me, bless
his heart He said he didn't mean to blame me-
and was just as good as he always is when have
been doing and doing until Tn AZ WORN out,


was not the only tired woman in Blanktown,
| cap tell yoq You never saw such jaded- look