Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1859-05-12
The Village Dressmaker


lFrom Mrs. Stoves new Story, The Minister
Wooiag'J
You may have heard of dignitaries, M
reader,-but, assure you, you know very
little Of situation of trust or importance
compared to that of the dressmaker in {
small New England town
What important interests does she hold
in her hands! How is she beseiged, court
ed, referred to. Three months beioreh and
all her days and nights are spoken for; and
the simple statement that only ON that day
you can have Miss Clippers, is of itself an
apology for omission of attention else
where,--it strikes home at once to the
deepest consciousness of every woman;
married or single. How thoughtiuIly is
everything arranged, weeks beforehand, for
the golden, importsRt seasnn when Miss
Clippers can come! On that day, Nere is
to be no extra sweeping, busting, cleaning
cooking, no visiting, no receiving. no read
ing or writing, but ali with one heart aud
soul are to wait upon her, intent to forward
the great work she graciorsly affords da, IS
leisure to direct. Seated in her chair o.
ttttc. WIFI ucI WC1l-WOID uItSlluG
with pins and needles a, her side. her ready
rol, of patterns and her scissors. she hears,
Judges and decides er cathedra on thp posi-
BILE or act possible. IN that impor' an ART on
which depends the right presentation OF the
floral part of Natures great Horticultural
show. She alone is competent TO say
whether there is any available remedy tor
the stained breadth in James dress xhether
the fatal spot by any magical hocus pncuS
Eau be cut out from tn luiness, or turn Il
up and smothered from view in he ga'heTs
or concealed by some new fa-h ms q.
trimming falling with gener Us APPROPRIATE
ness exactly across the fatal weak eoint.-
She can tell you whether that remnant OF
velvet will make you a basque-whether
Mamma's old silk can respnear in juvenile
grace for Miss Lucv What marvrls .ol
low he,. wherever she g1es. Wat WON
dertuI result. does she contrive fsom tl.
most unlikely mat rials as everybodv after
her departure wonders to see old things be-
come 80 much better than newI
Among the most Influential and hapry of
her class was Miss Prissy Diamond.-a
little, dapper, doll like body. quick in h, r
her motions and niube IN her tongue
whose delicate comp lexion, f.xpn curls
merry a W of spirits, and ready abundance
of gaysiy, song and story, apart from lei
professional accomplishments, made her a
welcome guest in every lam ly in the neigh
borhood. Miss Prissy laughinglv boastet
being past forty. sure tlat the ovowsi wouic
draw down ON her quite storm OF compIi
complexion and the brightness Of her merry
blue ewes She was well pleased to hea
dawning girls wondering why with 81 man
advantages she had never married. At suct
remarks, Miss Prissy always laughed Loudly
and declared that she had always had suct
string of engagements with the 0omer
thst she never found half an hour to listen
to what any man living would say to her
supposing she could stop to hear him. "Be
sides, If | were to get married, nobody else
could" she would say. "What would be
come of all the weddiDg-clothes for every
BODY elsel But sometimes, when Mis-
Prissy felt extremely gracious. she woul'
draw out of her little chest just the faintes
tip-end of q sigh, and tell some young lady
in confidential undertone, that one thes'
days she would tell her something. .--an'
then there would come wink Of her blu
ewes and futtering of the pink ribbons il
her cap quite stimulating to youthful in
auisitiveness, though we have never beeI
able 20 learn by any OF our antiquarian re
searches that the expectations thus excite
were ever gratifed.
In her professional prowess she felt & pal
donable pride. What feais could she re
late of wonderful dresses got out of impot
sibIy small patterns of silk! what marvel
of silks turned that could not be tnld frot
new! what reclaimings of waists thst otht
dress makers had hopelesSly spoiled! Ha
mt Mrs. General Wilcox once been ot
liped to call in her aid on a dress sent I
Ter from Parist and did not Miss Pris-
work three days and pights on that dres
and snake every stitch of that trimming evt
with her own hand before il was ft to
seen, And when Mrs Governor Dexter
best silver-grsy brocade was spoiled B
Mes Pimlico. and there wasn't anoth'
. scrap to pattern it with, didn't she make
new wsist out of the cape and piece one
the sleeves twenty-nine times, and yet n
body would ever have known that the
was p joining in it!
In fact, though Miss PrIssy enjoyed Il
fair sversge plain-sailing Of her work, 81