Year: 1873

| had been wont to bestow so much care,


not only on account of their elegance
! but from knowing my husbands limited
income would not allow me to replace


them in case they were spoiled, tears of
vexation sprang to my eyes, and it was


with a look of silent annoyance, instead


of my usual noisy joyousness, that ] met


my husband when he came home from
| the store.


Whats the matter, dearie?' said he;
| 'you are not as sparkling as usual.


ooh, Ed I'm so provoked. My beauti-


ful howered silk is one mass of creases.
Hive just got it home from Mrs. Dorseys,


and you ought to see how rumpled it is.


1t will never come smooth till l take all


the stiffness out with a hot iron"


"Oh, well, never mind, petl Don't be
| lll-humored. Come, see what splendid


pair of black Spanish fowls I've brought
! you" and with the eyes: loved best


smiling into mine, the arm l trusted


around me, | soon forgot my silk dress,


and was as merry as usual.


The week succeeding, / had visit


from my neighbor and her daughter


Mrs. Dorsey assumed the air of an old
! friend, and talked during the whole of
| her stay in low, tireless, confidential


tone, a-vein of fiattery running through
everything she said. She assured me my
! husband was one of the handsomest men
| she had ever encountered, and perfect
gentleman. While mother stepped in


the next room to slice some cake and


prepare some lemonade for Lucy to hand,


my neighbor expressed surprise at her
| youthful appearance, and remarked on


her urbanity and intelligence, She even
| praised the manners of my servant, and


dwelt on the excellence of my furniture.
| Evidently hattery was her forte As she


rose to leave she informed me that she


intended to give party very soon, as
! she was anxious for Medora to become
acquainted with the young people of the


village, and fancied that the most expe-
| ditious way to bring about such a result.


81 will depend on you, my dear neigh
| bor, said she, with an insinuating smile,
| ''to make Dora feel at home with her


new friends You have such an easy way
| with you, one cannot help being sociable
| where you are"


Mrs Dorsey departed, leaving on my


mind such an agreeable impression as
banished every unpleasant reminiscence.
The night of the party was balmily
beautiful, the sky wearing full set of
| star Jewels. / had lent so much assist
| ance to my neighbor in her preparations


that l felt almost as much interested in
| the success of her party as she did. She
had borrowed sugar, flour, eggs, butter in
| large quantities. and my one servant had
! spent four entire afternoons baking for
| her. had also so far forgotten and for
given the injury to my brocade as to lend


my white bridal silk "a shining gift from
a rich uncle of mine) to adorn the ele-
CANT figure of Miss Medora. Mrs. Dor
sey's parlor presented a most inviting
aspect to the guests who thronged it,
brilliant with light and fragrant with the
odor of flowers and perfumes. The host
and hostess were most gracious and even


Medora condescended to play the agreea-


bic to Colonel Miggs, a rich old widower,
who was understood to be on the lookout
for a wife. The supper to which we were
invited at midnight was elegant and


costly, and the long table glittered with
! plate. ssk s9aa


Notwithstanding nay dissipation, 1 was


up early as usual the next morning, and
having loaned my biscuit oven to my
neighbor, with innumerable other arti-
cles of pottery, glass and china ware, had
to stir up some Waff1es for breakfast I
saw Ed comfortably off to the store, and
concluded to try to get relief from a
severe headache by taking long nap.
lay down on the lounge in my pretty bed
room, by the open window, where
Carolina jasmine was lavishing perfect
wealth of fragrance from its golden
chalices on the sweet south wind that
stole in and betrayed the secret of its
dalliance. From troubled dream I was
startled by the voice OF the irrepressible
Angelica She had come to bring back
my oven, out of which foot was broken,
| pair of Bohemian glass vases, one of
them cracked, and my white silk dress


I mentally congratulated myself as she
handed me the last carefully wrapped in
tissue paper, scented with tube-roses;
when unfolded it, however, to my hor-
ror. / perceived a dark, murky-looking
stain running the full length of the front
breadth Angelica, in the name of her
mistress, made many apologies, and then
serenely requested the loan of pound
of sugar. MRS. Dorsey had used the
last grain in the house the night before,
and just wished to get enough for break
fast" I commanded my temper and
sent the sugar.


April had fairly arrived with a smiling
countenance, and my husband on the eve
of starting North for new goods, babe me
make out a memoranda of such goods
and groceries as l required. As l gave
him the list said, 81 will have to get
some sugar and tea from the store to last
me till you get back, Ed, for I'm out
now.


"Why, darling" said he, 'you must
have used more lately than the first
month you kept house" @


"No, Ed, but I've lent at least forty
pounds of sugar to Mrs. Dorsey, and she
has not returned it; that is what has cut
short my supply, She has borrowed fifty
pounds of -four, and I've kept no account
of the meal and drasoingS of tea.


'well, really" said Edgar, "this looks
somewhat serious. We are poor, love,
have our fortune yet to make. You must
quit lending; however willing, we are
not able to afford it. For my own part
l never was any hand to borrow, and
don't approve of the practice at all. 1t
is like standing security. / have known
many a hard-working, saving man to
build up q fortune and then have it all
swept away to pay a security debt, his
poor wife and children plunged in ir-
remediable poverty, just because he was
too clever to refuse to put his name to
somebody else's promise to pay, and just
to keep from being thought hard of by
some other clever fellow, he runs the
risk, and takes the hard consequences of
his want of moral courage. That's the
oAuse of one-half the trouble in the
country. Borrowing and lending may
be classed in the same category; they
involve one-sided policy in which one
of the parties is sure to be looser. Ny
dear, have you borrowed anything from
Mrs Dorsey2'


"No, Ed; mother wouldn't let me.
She's as much opposed to borrowing and
lending as you are"


"Well, dear, when your neighbor sends
to you for groceries again, just say you
can't spare them"


During Edgar's absence was actually
L. - karNw,.