Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1859-01-21
MISS sLrMMENs' WINDOW.
CHAPTER i

There's Stebbins house been shut up three
days, not sign of life about it. I wonder
where he's sent the children to- / suppose
their grandmotheTs. Poor little things it's
cruel to think Of their being orphans, and no
telling what kind of a stepmother they'll get
% knock en- and beat EN- around and scbinch
en- in clothes and vittaIs. However, NAV be
their prospects is not so bad as they might be:
PsLhapS they're soon sgOing to have somebody
to LOOK after 'em who never had the name of
taxing the advantage of any body let alone
stepchildren. Do you know why Stebbins had
his house painted straw color, instid of white,
and that sweet little pOrtculIis put over the
front door IL you don't some body does II
was only the day before he had the men to
work, be says to me: lvira;'-Stebbins has
called me by my name ever since his wife
died-'supPOse you was going to have a house
painted, what color would you prefer % "La.
now, said /, peoples tastes differs: and
serce the house isn't mine aud nobody has
ever said II was going 10 be mine, what do Won
care what color like best ?'' "well," said
he, Il knew you was considered the fastest
person IN the village used to all sorts of pretty
oOiors IN ribbons and trimmin's, and, as don't
purfess to have much knowledge of such things
myself, thought I'd ask you Wasn't that
delicate way, now, Of managing the matter,
and letting the persons most interested know
that he d like her opinion? declare, nv re-
spect for Stebbins riz considerably. though
I'd always thought well of him as a good man
TO his family, ard stidy, industrious person,
not bad looking, either, though rather old for
girl in her twenties Let's see, he must be
full forty year old; that would be fourteen
years difference. So then / told him wa,
sick OF those everlasting white houses, and
that thought peach bloom or straw color
would lOokly swcetly, and he thanked me,
and asked me 1t l could suggest any other
improvement, and fairly blushed at having
him putting such questions to me, and / said
oh, Mr.. Stebbins, if you'd really like NV
ideas on the subject. think a handsome mort.
eullls over the front door would make your
house almost equal to Squire Higgins's /"
The very thing :" said he 'and if it don't
cost too much, shall have one right away"
WHAT'S that to you say, Clara Brown
"Stebbins is apt to look at the cost of a thing
before be gets it," Supposing he is. then: SO
Is any prudent man; they'd be a fool not to
L guess there's some as have to work in tbis
chop for seventy-fTe cents a week and their
board, would be clad Of chance to help spend
what he's been so prudential as TO lay up.
Mind that sher you re running. YOU'RE get
ting it as crooked as one of Tim Buttons sto-
rics; and that bunnit is for Mrs. Martingall,
the particularest of all my customers
nat has StebbiDs gone out Of town fOr2 I
haTn't insinuated that | knew, have II He
may be gone to Boston to get a new set of hair
bottom chairs and carpet for the front room
a
not saying that be has, not that / know any
thing about his business. may be going 10
make a wedding bunnit for somebody not far
away from this chair, out of this piece of white
satin; but that's not saying that am going 10,
Look here, Dora Adams, if you don't quit That
everlasting giggling and snOrting out laughing
you ii quit my shop. How much work do Won
suppose you get done in a day, between Iook-
ing at them red danglers that you set up half
the night to p1t In papers and snickering at
goodness knows what every FIVE minutes
Your hair isn't red; its orbOrn, and curl,
naturally ?" humph. perhaps you'll vet some
hne young man to believe that, but not imme-
Jelly.
Just see that little stuck up Laura Gr;g,s
trOttiDg along to school in her all-wool delaine
dress, plenty good enough for SUNDAYS. Her
mother just does ii to spite better peopIe: but
II what report says is true, she II soon be in the
hx OF man who bit of his nose to spite his
lace. It's no matter what mean I'm never
the first TO spread bad news; and don 'tinten,I
TO be now. People that live beyond their
means must expect to be brought I'D with a
short turn sometime. When folks gets To send
Ing to Boston and Lowell for their bunnits he
cause there's nothing in their own village GOOD
enough for EN-, its time
wonder whose dog that can be Girls. run
nere and look, before he gets past the corner:
That one with the crimpy tail, black and white
Did either of you ever see it before1 {. No -;
We'll, neither did |; and now somebody's 90,
company, or somebody's been buying him. fI,s
curious bis master wasn't with him. being a
strange dog, so he d be apt to have somebody
with him to keep watch of him He eopIdnjt
% stray dog; he run along too contented for
That. He beautiful fellow; such long, silky
hair; such intelligent eyes, and such a curlvH
gracious! here he comes, not the dog but his
master. Yes, that must be him; for he's a
stranger aud now hers a whistIiDg to him; and
he got on one of them new tangled oyercoats
and Is so stylish. Dear me, / wish I knew
where ne was visiting, and what brought him
TO Pennyvllle, and how long he was going 70
stay. Goodness! ne looked right straight in
the window; and he must have seen somstAing
TO admire; Ter he kept on looking full a min.
ute Girls, what are You peaking over NV
shozlder for Get back TO YOUR work voT,
lazy, giggling things, declare, I shall 90
crazy long before In thirty years old, if have
70 Keep track of two such idle snips, He's
gone round the corner, now, towards SQUIRE
Higgins. If fSabina Higgins caugat that fish
when she was away to her uDcle's, she did more
than. gave her credit for. Hand me that
Leghorn dat It's to be called for at sundoyp
ana We not made the FIRST bow yet, nor put in
the lining. If there wasn't so much CAB going
on in the shop, there'd be more work don
gee what they wanted so particularly tonight
Tor. There's no picnic nor nothing going off
that We heard Of and it's three days 10 sun
day Maybe Celestia's going to town with her
father when be takes his grain to market. It's
always hurry! hurry! hurry! Everybody hur-
ries the mllliner, just for the fun of it, be-
lieve. There's one thing, Alyira Slimmens
don't intend to be their slave much longer.
6he slghs for the repose of a straw-colored
house, with a white portcullis to shade il like
the satin cape Of Leghorn bunnit. What 3
that getting Poetical ?" Suppose 1 am
Young people mostly are occasionaIly: and |
don't see what's to prevent. There are but
few in the interesting situation of an engage
ment but feels inclined, At times to express
their feelings in verse. There was some lines
by somebody to somebody in the last number
OF the Pennyville Eagle, signed -. : :" and
if 81. s." don't stand for Joshua Stebbins
what does il stand for2 I've answered them
already, and shall send the verses over to the
printers tonight; but / wouldn't have any
body know that was an authoress. i wouldn'
read them to anybody if was asked; but III
recite the last verse, because l know you d
like 70 hear il: .. ..0....
-