Year: 1871

OF the little place, and kept few gro
ceries for sale. But he had enough to do to
maintain his family scantily and decently.
| was sixteen and housekeeper; my mother
was dead, and l was the eldest of us four
children. The rest being younger, strove
to do my best for them.


NY QpevSreat trouble then was my clothes.
OtlGg dig girls of our station that asso-
ciated with dressed better than | could, and
it grieved me-. Vanity begins earlier than
that in the female heart l had made up
and remade every article of my mothers
wardrobe for the children or for me, and had
worked up every shred to the best advan-
tage; and now that all was gone, and l did
need new dress for the coming winter.
had made my shoes last as long as other
girls did, for l knew that my father needed
every sixpence he could earn, and L dreaded
wanting anything. Not that he ever was
cross, but he often sighed, and looked SO
panied and sorrowful when asked for money
that tried to do with as little as possible.
But here was the last of October; my
summer dresses, poor enough at all times,
looked very thin and paltry now. One Sat
urday afternoon shall never forget. 1t is
what am going to tell of. Ny work all
done, the children at play in the orchard, ]
combed out my long, brown hair, put on my
best cotton frock, selected plain linen collar
of my own making, and pinned it around
my neck with an old breastpin, the only bit
of jewelry ! had ever owned. With me,
think it was an instinct to dress well. Not
fine; only neat. Then, taking out my last
winters best frock, / sat down by the win
dow to see what could do at renovating it.
1t was light blue merino-very light indeed
now-and l knew it was too short for me,
as l was still growing, and was very shabby.
But by turning and putting in wide band
of trimming which had, thought it might
be made to answer; SO | set to work with a
will,


The work was vexing. l was trying to
do what scarcely could be done; and as
sat sewing and contriving, felt fit to cry
over our poverty. Just then the dog on the
shop sill set up loud barking, and looked
to see what it was at A man was coming
in at the gate with pack on his back; a
treveling peddler, knew. He smiled and
came in, although said did not want any
thing; and the children seeing him, came
running in too.'


lrcannot afford to buy; indeed 1. can
not, " kept saying. But the man only kept
on smiling, and opened his pack on the parlor
floor. And it was too great treat to me to
see the things to make great opposition.


The first that came out was just the very
thing had most longed fora beautiful fine
French merino, of dark crimson color.
had once seen a dress of this kind, but none
had ever been offered for sale in our little
place that could equal this in shade or tex
ture.


The peddler looked at me with his keen
black eyes as knelt down to feel the prize l
had no hope of winning "The lady will
buy" he said, but shook my head, and
crossing my hands behind me, stood up reso-
lutely, trying hard not to long for the much
desired piece of goods.


Not buy!' he exclaimed in broken
tongue of some sort, could not tell whether
German or French; and he looked so aston
ished, even pitiful, that felt sorry at once,
and confessed that had no money and
could not purchase.


"But the beautiful young lady have some
old silver-old jewelry-old silk dresses
just as good as money ?" said he.
| laughed at the dea but he only opened
another package to display to the boys some
dumb watches with very gay chains, and
handing them each one, he took out small
doll for my little sister, and told them to run
away now =" till sister bought her dress" !
motioned to the boys to stay near the door
step, and then taking up the much coveted
dress piece, l again examined it. Satan was
tempting me, or some vexatious spirit that did
duty for him, and never had been so sorely
beset. How could let it 60, yet how pay
for it?


The black eyes never left my face, but the
fellow was respectful, only bowing lower as
he said, " You think it good p


"Oh, yes!'' ! replied ''too good for me-"


Not so" he said. +" 1t suits you much,
and you shall have cheap"


4 tell you have no money


"No matter, trust You give me some
thing to keep for you, and l come again, he
said.


But have nothing" I insisted. Still
he only seemed more eager; said something
of hard times, of having to stay at the tav-
ern, and expenses over Sunday; of being SO
" very tired and with the merino in my
hand all the time.


Suddenly he stepped close to me, pointing
to the poor brooch wore. could give him
that, he said that is, lend it to him in trust
until he came again. Did think much of
it, he asked.


laughed as undid it. did not think
much of it, but it was all the .ewelry pos
sessed in the world. showed him my name
on the back, "Mabel." But it was worn
nearly illegible now.


Nearly quite" said he, turning it about
in his hands. It's.very poor.


And this was true; the poor thin gold, if
It was gold was all dinted and mashed flat,
the original pin gone, and a needle tied in by
the eye with thread served to fasten it.