The Vain Old Woman

Adapted from the Oerman by Arlo Bates, in the August St. Nichols. There was once an oíd woman so very poor that she had no house, but livedin a hollow tree. One day she foand a piece of rnoney lying in the road. Fnll of jo at her good fortune, she began 10 consider what she should buy with her raoney. "If I get anything to eat," she said to herdelf, "I shall quickly devour it, and that will be the end of the matter. That will not do at all. If I buy clothe people will cali me proud, and that will not do; and besides I hare no closet to kep them in. Ah! I have it! I will buy a broom, and then everybodv 1 meet will tuink I have a house. Á h',,oni is the thing. A broom it shall be." So the okl woman went into the next oivn and bouglit a. broom. She walleed prou'lly alung with her purchase, looking about her all the time to see if people noticed her and looked euvious, thinking" of her house. But as no on seemed to remark her, she began to be disoontenled with her bargain. "Does everybody have ahouseexcept m?" she said to herself, crossly. "I wisn I had bougüt something else." Presentí) she met a man carrying a small jar of oil. "That is what I want," exclaimed the o'd woman; 'am body can have a house but only the truly rich can have 011 lo light it with-" So she bartered her broom for th oil, and went on more proudly than ever, holding the jar so that all could sce it Still she failci to attract any particular notice, and she was once more discontented. As she went moodily along she met a womau with alarge bunch of flowers, "Here, at last, I have what I want," the old woman thought. "If I can get these, all that see me will believe I am just getting my house rcady for a brilliant party. Then they'll be jealous, I hope. So when the old woman with the üowers came close to her sho offered her oil for them. and the other gladly made the change. "Now I am indeed fortúnate," she said to herself. "Novr 1 am somebody." But still she failed to attract attention, and, happening to glance at her old dress, itsuddenly occurred to her that she might be mistaken fora servant carrying flowers for her mastor. She was so ruuch vexed by the thought that she flung the bouquet into the ditch, and went home to her tree ernptv handed. "Now lam well rid of it all," thesaid to herself.