Show Tiff irs its mortimers eor Mor timers ni new W velvet cloak y 1 BY MIR MRS mes B F X E 1 dat bat you will allow fred that is the greatest of bargains and nellie mortimer looked anxiously at her husband as he buttoned his overcoat after alter dinner preparatory to leaving for the store and only think she continued 1 I can get A whole cloak for a trifle more than dira granby p pud lid tid for one yard of hers hersl ye yes s my dear and I 1 am confident the difference in in the looks of the cloaks will plainly tell the difference erice in the price depend upon it nellie these wonderful bargains seldom grbo atho amount urit to much and mr air mortimer bilor leaned back against the door and buried his hands in his coat pock pockets its nearly to his elbows well I 1 am sure I 1 near saw anything so cheap and nellie looked 1 I do not see one particle of difference in it all and just think a velvet cloak jor tor three dollars abard only nine dollars for the whole but there are the linings trimmings and all the gix fix inasi persisted mr mortimer oh as for that fred I 1 have hive it all fixed I 1 will take my old blue silk dress I 1 am so tired of it for lining and I 1 will have it cut and basted and I 1 cak can can make it myself so you see how cheap it will all be and I 1 do hate that great broche shawl I 1 always feel so muffled up in it then this is no new plot of your yours eh ell little one and fred thought of the old blue silk which was not three months old and a favorite offis 1 and the file tiresome shawl and nellie said slie elie ti thought it was way such a bargain s she he hated tto flo to let it slip and the clerk told her in sober struth truth that it cost them nearly twice the price he lie asked for it and she looked so earnestly about it that the hands came slowly from the capa cious pockets and nellie noticed that her bus husband iad lad biad a peculiar wise look and a roguish twinkle in his eye as he gave her the required sum and bid her goodbye good bye until teatime tea time lime in the early springtime spring time timm before that I 1 nellie greyson left her own guiet quiet village home bi a bride about a year before frederick mortimer chanced to spend some little time in their vicinity transacting some business and became acquainted with nellies brother harry ano anc and I 1 was consequently invited to call during his stay which he gladly did and being quite charmed with the little home circle which received bi him in as cordially his calls lengthened into visits and frequent ones too and after his bis return home there came such highly perfumed letters written on tented note paper addressed to miss nellit greyson that all A the people that chanced to know anything about it thought that it meant something and it all ended in freds taking rooms in a stylish up town boarding house and bringing the pretty little nellie into town to preside therein of course there was a great stir in the house when it was known that a bride was coming among them and when she made her appearance at the breakfast table the morning after her arrival in her plain white cambric wrapper confined to her de licate waist with a belt and gold buckle and her beautiful brown hair wreathed into a graceful knot behind and looking the very personification of youth and innocence they were all taken somewhat by surprise 1 sq to be sure she was a lovely little creature b but ot they had expected a belle abelle it was not to be wondered at that mrs fred erick ick lck mortimer was at first fairly bewildered with everything every thing she saw salv she who had rarely been from home except to school was as yet 1 a I novice in the wa ways y s and customs of or the wo wold wold woid id into which she had been transplanted but it was new and consequently delightful and as ghe bhe became acquainted with those around her and the fhe strangers became friends nellie was nearly happy there there was one thing that troubled mrs mortimer exceedingly and was the great bugbear of har her exi exl existence tence and that was wits to be fashionable to be quoted to be copied to be called the fashionable mrs mortimer imer was indeed the very charm which was working its way to her ber unsophisticated heart and she ehe heard it discussed daily by all the ladies in in the house and as she heard the merits rile 1118 of people rated in proportion with their dress and fashionable position in society was it woud wonderful erful that mrs frederick mortimer should wish to be considered as one among the chosen fred freil had often observed of late that nellie when walking waihing with him was constantly point ing ins dome gome love of a bonnet or magnificent silk slik and twisting her neck peeping in at the show windows that they passed and bhe she was forever quoting mrs mr granby who was an extravagant trava triva gant woman and managed to spend in one 3 ear par upon her showy person enough to support two small smail families she was always alway showing dear idear mrs mortimer some new purchase pur ehase and ai n as s her room was only across the hall nellie and she was upon guite quite intimate terms notwithstanding all her friendly pretentious however there wag was a spice of malice in it all and she had a faculty I 1 y of 0 reading at a glance the very unsuspicious little nellie and knowing also that the new firm in brooks street was not doing such a flourishing business as gramby co and however much mrs Mor mortimer dearv pd eato to equal or even approach herself or r mrs cra gra graham ham an and warren on the floor below it would bean be an utter impossibility nallie mortimer would have been exceedingly ahoi ahot red ked ed had any aily ovet one tild clid her that such a spirit was gifts creeping into her heart beart yet jet she did orten olten whip pr tp herself that it would be ve so erand to dregs dress eis lis beautifully and to have instas as muc much it money as asa conla s endi like mrs granby still she ha had d a great greaf lio ifo i of f bein being C considered ons 1 ider i ed ex trava gant and when she heard beard one after another bathe of the ladies ladles call cail the other so and wonder r if their husbands could afford such things nellie thought with satisfaction to herself they surely y cannot say as much ot of me about this cloak business nellie had had many miserable thoughts ever since sho eho went with mrs granby and heard beard her order a cloak made from a piece of often ten dollar velvet and knew also that mrs warren had concluded to have one from the same piece nellie s planning commenced she knew she could not afford one half so expensive and she knew also that she really needed none as her shawl was new and very nice yet a cloak would be so very becoming she did so hate to ask fredford Fred for he had already bou bought gli more for her tier than would have sufficed for two t years in her country home but nellie I 1 w war av desperate and when she chancel chanced to bee hee hee the I 1 piece that was offered at the astonishingly low price of three dollars a yard she made th the e effort and succeeded never in all her life had find nellie felt so glad giad as when she spread the bank note out to t 0 be sure that she really had bad it and already in imagination she was walking with fred with the identical velvet cloak drooping daintily from florn her shoulders A low rap at the door and it immediately opened and mrs granby wanted to show dear I 1 mrs mortimer such an exquisite set of olace lace sand I 1 so cheap it was perfectly wonderful and then if she told fold how cheap she ehe must neker never never breathe it ort orl 0 mrs warren and mrs peters would be sure to get gel some just like them mrs graham I 1 had a set already not half so beautiful and it cost much more notwithstanding the numerous invitations to guess the price nellie was wisely silent for she had not the most remote idea of it and when mrs granby whispered only fifty dollars nellies exclamation of impossible which meant to convey how cheap for such beauties really meant such an amount for these and if mrs birs granby granny knew it and whispered it in several rooms in itt the course odthe of the afternoon nellie mortimer was no wiser for it before tea time the velvet was purchased and when asked by the clerk derk for her address she told him she would take it herself such an unusual answer evidently struck the gentleman as singular but nellie glided out of the store with her bundle and took her way to one of the most fashionable modister modi stes we awe do not cut and baste madam was the answer to her inquiry after her long walk awe we can make your garment if you wish just then one of the sewing girls appeared pulling the basting thre threads ads from front a splendid rainbow silk and handed it t for inspection and commenced putting on her bonnet and shawl 0 mercy cut out and baste this ladys cloak before you go for nellie had remained standing wondering in her own mind what she should do she certainly could not leave it to be made and where should she go to hire it cut possibly no one cut cloaks without making them so aen when the sullen lercy mercy disappeared into the next room with the velvet nellie felt inexpressibly relieved oh goh if she had lad mercy enough to let it alone I 1 should have thanked her thought mrs airs mortimer an hour afterwards as she tried in vain to find how in the world to put it together the cloth had bad been cut regardless ot t quality mail mall was looe lode in several places and one shoulder was full two inches shorter than the other and as freds step was heard at the door the new cloak vanished into the closet the perplexed louk look was gone and nellie was as gay as a bird for the next two days mrs mortimers Mor timers door was locked whenever anyone knocked and mrs granby said she believed beli bell eveh evea she was always out nellie did not deny the charge and worked steadily at the cloak sewing and ripping basting and trying on until she fairly hated the sight of it and vainly wishing she had not b ben been en so foolish as to purchase it but it was too late so she worked on oil but it looked bungling and hung awry and once or twice she gathered it up and looked desperate desperately lF at the glowing coal grate she felt that it would be such a satisfaction to see it crisping on the red hot embers after alter several days of weary labor she had the pleasure of proclaiming to herself that it was done and as she glanced at herself in the mirror she really liked it baill she could not forget the trouble it had cost her and that it was pieced so much she felt sure that would be seen and altogether it looked unfinished then she thought of those beautiful trimming she had admired so much only a few days be fore which would be such an in addition and w would hide entirely en lirely the dell defects acts but then she had not money enough to buy them not even one yard and her porte monnaie was opened she still had the little gold dollars that fred had given her telling her to keep them for a year and see how many she would pet get and never before had llad she the least inclination to spend one of them but now she looked at the cloak called ca lied it dowdy and resolved to buy the trimming cost what it is would my dear mrs mortimer I 1 do so want you to tog go down street with me this morning said mrs granby 1 I want your good taste in the selection ff of some dress goods come a darling I 1 dislike very much to go alone how irow bf beautifully she looked dressed so superbly nellie felt an tin inward satisfaction that I 1 she had bad her velvet cloak done to wear wehr and a as she came cams out with it on she felt that she looked s well weil n ell eil and was sure she slie made a better ap appearance pe arance than she would in her broche oh 11 my de dear a allas tigas tl at us something new is it not and mrs granby glanced at the new cloak when n did acome it come home i yesterday it atias was finished forgetting gelting to say that it had been at home all the time but my dear creature you have been most miserably cheated did you know it was half cot cottonard cotto nand nani birs mrs granby held heid it beside her I 1 own I 1 no indeed I 1 did nott noti not answered nellie in n dign antly why do you ask such a thing I 1 am hure bure I 1 it mas as good or I 1 assure you I 1 never should hate hae ti ken it the clerk told me he had never sold abard a yard less than six dollars and its a shame but never mind come or we shall not get back in time for dinner and nellie neilie went carrying the empty porte monaie and feeling heartsick heart sik sick with her new velvet cloak and trying to keep it from front blowin blowing open gopen granby should not know that it was lined with her old blue silk on the next nest sunday nellie stood ready for church in lier her new cloak and fred praised her looks and admired her until she began to think he was actually making fun of her and she felt she ought to ook took pleased he took such infinite pains yet she felt wretched in spite of her en deavo deavors dea vorm rr arid and when lie asked fifthe beautiful trimming was thrown in with the bargain she had hard work to keep lynck bick the tears however she conquered but it is fearful that nellie oid aid not hear much of the sermon that day A short time afterwards as mrs mortimer w was as passin passing from her room to the street a she 11 e heard her name mentioned then a low titter and mrs airs warren and mrs graham simultaneously exclaimed 1 I thought as much then the voice of mra granby went on speaking in a low tone yet sufficiently loud for poor nellie to hear cotton velvet old dress the file trimming cost more than the cloak and poor humbled little mrs mortimer hurried on heard beard enough how earnestly she wished the poor coveted cloak would catch on fire or be stolen anything to get rid of it and in answer to freds inquiries as to her downcast expression at dinner she pleaded a it headache but why not wear your new cloak nellie it looks much better belter than that shawl said mr Mor nor mortimer timer limer as his wll wil wie le appeared before him ready to accompany him to a lecture oh I 1 had rather wear this to night n answered nellie examining the fas fastening tenina tenino of her glove getting saving eh afraid you will injure it by wearing it in the evening I 1 suppose but never mind my my dear wear it to night you lock look so muffled up in that I 1 like to see cee you in your best what more could be said nellie quietly folded the shawl and placed it in her drawer and putting on her cloak went to the lecture it seemed to her always to be the way she never went with fred but he be insisted upon her wearing her new cloak and if she he made r the invariable reply don t le be so saving of it I 1 nellie there are more where that ca came me fr grom from om it did not cost you much only three dollars a yard now isyou if you had ind lud paid ten like mrs granby you might well be miserly poor little mrs Morti meil hw pret wretched clied all this made her fred was so provoking she was sure surp she would hate him if he kept on oil in this way from some reason or another there had grown a decided coolness between herself ans and mrs granby since the advent odthe of the new cloak and when fred came home one night and told her that he lie had bought a house and thought seriously of housekeeping she felt happier than she had for weeks before come darling put or your cloak and bonnet and we will walk over and see it it s not far from here and I 1 know you need a little ex arcise so they started and if nellie saw any loves of bonnets or superb mantillas cantillas man tillas on the way way she never mentioned it and abd imagine her auger sur prise when fred stopped before an elegant I 1 little atle brick gottage pott rott tane tage ane aeo surmounted with a light iron balcony through the blinds which were tui tul guined ned very |