Year: 1878

corals tor these and canoes for those and
caingorms Tor the others and she brought
me Il silk umbrella. | had half hoped for
picture, bit OF bronze (being a house.
holter), majol Ca platter What in the
world do You suppose Marcia brought me
a silk umbrella furp


No shabby one, either, let me tell You.
The silk OF the thickest, the steel of the
stoutest and the handle wonder of sculp-
| tured ivory. To useP l should as soon
have thought of going out in the rain with
my new silk hat as my new silk umbrella.
| SILK umbrella for a man who had never
aspired to an alpaca one, and who had
always held 50-cent cott) one, that
could be left or forgott IN. lost or stolen.
| vita impunity, and nobody grievouslv
wronged thereby, as the king Of all nm-
brellts, and who never carried an um-
bre lla any way, but in rainy weather wore
a mackinlosh.


Still as umbrellas go it was beauty.
1t would give an air of distinction t. ones
appearance, armed cap.a-pie, faultlessly
| dressed even to the umbrella. Being an
amateur farmer in small way, II became
me ID be seen well dressed when | left
home. Then it would look finely on the
rack in the hall. 1t would be nice thing
to lend lidy going from the house in
shower-a nice thing for her to forget to
return, too. That reminded me / shouldn't
like TO lose it, after all must have it
marked that was the only proper respect
to Marcia. A neat little silver plate, the
ieweler said (nickel would hardly suit so
fine an arlicle) engraved with my name
and place--ouly 81. Already the price of
| four umbrellas.


| When the silk umbrella came home, |
hung it in its case, on the rack but one OF
the several irresponsible single ladies who
take more or less interest in my affairs,
assured me that to keep it hung up in its
case would occasion it to split in its folds.
| took it down and spread it wide open on
the floor of the dark cloak closet, when
another OF the irresp ,nsibles-and don't
know how under heaven she knew it was
| there-assured me the umbrella would be-
come one-sided cripple if left it spread
wide open on the floor. began to wish
| had never had an umbrella. l took off
the case, shook loose 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, lent my mackint ,sh, and the
person to whom lent it was drowned in
it; and had previously given away and
recklessly lost all my 5O-cent umbrellas.
When, then, in drizzling weather, wish
ed TO tramp through a field and visit my
lpg-sties, it seemed altogether too incon-
gruous and unbecoming to hang over
the pig-stes under silk umbrella with a
carved ivory handle and an engraved sill
yer plate, and consequently l went in the
rain. caught cold. had the pneumonia
and doctor, and receipted doctors bill
for 500 and no strength to speak OF for
six months. wished Marcia had brought
me no present at all.


l had been looking forward for some
time after my complete recovery to Mar
cia's wedding and my journey to Water
way. Marcia was not only the sole mil
lionaire OF the name, but she was my
tavonte cousin, engaged to marry my
dearest friend. and the ceremony was TO
be performed in great tate by DR.. Wilder
of Beaufort, an old clergyman, the dear
est friend of her dead father and mine.
| Certainly | had some reason to look for
ward to the wedding; and moreover, be-
ing fully persuaded that farming was a
noble occupation, | had been as fully de-
termined to prove that it was paying
one, and had therefore been rather close


y confined at home, so that journey
was quite an event at any rate. OF course
| was to make my best appearance, and.
of course, my old housekeeper insisted
that then should take my umbrella. l
demurred, for it was very much in my
way, with my portmanteau, my rugs and
wraps, and the box holding my wedding
present. But she carried the day, and |
took it; and, of course, did not open it
all the time was gone.


As soon as was in the cars that day, l
comfortably disposed of my personal
property in various barriers around me,
and enjoyed the morning paper, till sud-
denly the junction was called, and up |
started in hurry to make my connection.
Satisfying myself when the change was
made that was In the right car, began
to dispose of my membranes, when
where was my umbrella? | had left it
behind me. | was not going to give that
silk umbrella to the porter of any train
on earth. | had just time to spring off
one train and back upon the other, when
away they both shot in opposite direc-
tions, and | and my umbrella were on
one train, and my valise, and wraps, and
rugs and wedding present were on the
other. Did bless Jonas Hanway and
his great original umbrella ? And the
price of how many kings Of all UNI
brellas was there in the ticket l was
obliged to buy for place to which l did
not want to go, to say nothing of tele-
gram al the first station concerning the
disposal of my traps!


Fastening into the station aud setting
down the umbrella. | had written the
message and was just paying for it, think
ing the while with regret OF the scenery
we were to pass through, since the only
wav to save my umbrella was to keep my
eve fixed on that. when the cry came,
IAN aboard - threw down the change
and ran.


Your umbrella, sir" cried hute-l
voice. ...,..I


Hang the umbrella"


l stepped back for it-one seconds de-
| Hay. In that second there was Just enough


steam on to whrl the train out Of the sta.
tion, past hope of overtakiug. Strongly


inclined to pitch ii into the middle Of the


track, tucked my umbrella unier nv
arm. savagely, and wheeled about. only
to tear off with its ferrule the top of q
Al