Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1868-02-19
Miseellauy.
Mrs. Lumpkin's Purple Silk.

sive, shining, purple silk, scenting of
operas, lace shaws, and chandeliers. Nat
uraly, it was not well out of its wrapper
when it began to bully us-that is, my
wife, Mrs Pleiades LumpAin, and |. What
indeed, could such silk be to house
with three-ply carpet and an unmistak-
able flavor of dinner in its best room but
an insult, insilkate2
Why did Mrs. Lumpkir buy it? The
Bazaar, being feminine oracle, may divine.
For my own part, L have never yet sue
ceeded in resolving wOman's Z" because "
into anything like a reason From my
view, nothing could have been more inap
propriate When the makers of that silk
laid the threads together, and chose the
tints, doubtless they had the wearer in
mind-a round, rosy dame, stepping down
from her coach with an air and train.
Apart from the facts of our little house, it,
4" three-ply," and hair-cloth furniture, is
Mrs. P,eIades that woman? On the con
trary, she is anxious woman. She has
careful lines about the mouth, come OF
helping me in that long pull and strong
pull needed to make both ends of our in
come meet. She has neither the roses, the
swing, nor the plump contours If she
were book, her title would be, Thoughts
on Penuyworths" You see. then, thai
whenever she wore it, this opulent silk
must be a sly and constant satire upon
her
| have been speaking only of the silk in
the raw, as 1t lay yet III its wrappings.
Now it is true that it convicted Us, when
ever we looked at it, of our utter shabbi-
ness. Still we had it then at certai;.
disadvantage. Mrs. Pleiades cou.d do
what she liked with it-make it into a
coverlet if she pleased, and leave it to ioui
our imitation walnut bedstead and. brown
wallpaper But for silks as for human
beings there Is no standing still. Follow
Ing the lead Of its destiny it must develop
into a dress. From that moment it began
to require =
First, a dress-makcr Mrs. Pleiades
habitually made her own dresses bur
from the very beginning it was so evident
that she had nothing III common with her
silk that she engaged dress maker with
out delay. The dress-maker was a great
creature. She took my wife's measure-I
mean her social measure-at a glance.
She handled the silk audaciously, and
threw my wife into agony by suggesting
that the patter was short She was per-
feet Nena Sahib IN our little domicle
Sae destroyed our petty illusions. and our
modest aspirations, with a certain pleasure
worthy OF that monster. She u0uLd talk
TO us, poor minnows. Of nothing but whales
She reused Mrs Pleiades to a maddenine
envy Of certain ladies whom she had never
seen il her life. Finally she decreed thai
that the dress should be piped, and trim
med with satin and lace.
Piped Mrs Pleiades came to me about
IT, My notion was of some such subterra-
nean networa as is under the pavements, .
substitute for crInolne, perhaps, or some
thing Just discovered TO be healthy.
d" What are the pipes made for |
asked in all innocence; 4" and won't they
be wcighty to carry about. my dear
And [ protest | never was so astOnished
as when Mrs. Pleades flew out in ra re,
and vowed that | had no sympathy and
WAS laughing at her
Tne dress was piped out of our little fund
in bank Mrs. Pleiades had not once
thought of trimmings She had achieved
the silk by months of clipping shilling>
here and boarding pennies there it was
the one blossom Of her self-denial. There
Sahib secuted Mrs. Pleiadess timid sug-
gestions Of trimming with the silk, or OF no
trimming and we were always at the dis
advantage with this dress that We should
have been with white elephant or fairy
unexpectedly quartered upon US. Know
ing nothing Of the habits of the animal, we
must believe whatever was told US concern
ing 1t.
So the dress was piped, and besprinkled
with velvet and lace, and when Nena Sahib
was paid also, it became clear that | should
wear my old overcoat this winter. But
who would not forego a new overcca at for
the pleasure of teaching his wife lesson =?
\ dress finished is like the child come t
mans estate You know then where t,
rank it. Mrs Pleiadess silk had become
i dinner dress. But Mrs. Peiades lay
the cloth, broiis the steak, and bakes the
bread herself Could Mrs PleiIdes bro /
AMI bake in purple silk, piped and trim
med with satin? Or could Mrs Pleiades.
having dished the dinner in calico, rush
to her wardrobe and array herself in the
purple silk. while the gravy cooled, and l
thumped on the table? Or could Mrs.
Pleiades wear the purple silk when she
took her sewing Of an evening across the
way, or when - across the way came
over to US? No, a thousand times no.
You may take liberties with an alapaca
there is adaptability in a merino; but it
was not to bc expected that Mrs Pleiades
silk should conform to us We were
conform to the silk. 1t was made fol
grand occasions We were TO manufacture
the grand occasions. For people of ou,
stamp there is but one grand occasion, and
that is going TO church
But to what shall liken this insatiabl
silk. Ii was like the relentless step
mother in the fairy tales. When the poo
child has wound the tangled sken as thlc,
as four persons, she must separate In thel
order thousands of mixed feathers, am
when the feathers are in order she mus
fnd Strawberries under tie ice. One dit
icuity only hid another behind 1t. Wha
should Mrs. Pieiades wear with this purple
silk? Mrs. Pelades has worn her clOai
for three winters and it is brown. Mrs
PIeiades's bonnet is two winters old and /
is green and | think have already hint
ed that that we had exhausted our fund II
bank. Those were days of trial for Mrs
Pleiades. If wishing were power tn
brown cloak and green bonnet must hav
turned purple under our eyes. She ran
sacked the trunks and rag-bags; she poret
over the fashion-plates ; she shut hersel
up of evenings |, on my part, watcle
her struggles with solicitude, and bllndl
Il L Il