Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1868-12-23
lHE VILLAGE SEWING CIRCLE.
BY CHRISTINE II. CARPENTER.

4 drowsy SUMMER afternoon hung over
tue dainty little village OF MaysVllle,
! uestling among the green Con nectlcut
hills. Tie leaves Ut the clustering vines
If ming he pretty white cottages just
stirred in the sunshine, while even the
bees and butterflies srept to shelter IN
the hearts Of the greas red and white
roses, family nodding TO some occasional
zephyr as it. lasgulshed by. From the
open windows of Widow Mays best
room d hum of voices stoie out upon the
scented air, and within, more than score
of busy hands fashioned divers t b. les in,
to talr shapeIiness. 1t was the weekly
sewlng-circie OF the Massville church, tor
which talr was in prospect, fact that
formed the secret of this feminine con
ciave. Who ever saw q sewing circle
without its little titbits o. gossip? This
was no exception to the rule. Present
Iy CHEEKY face looked up from its own
er's Z lanclng nre1le:
do YOU know, said she I'd her neigh.
Dor, ''that I've quite altered my opinion
Of Mrs. Wells, lately ? Pray don't start
---ShS HAS uOt aTlfFeu JSb-
How is that Yuu used to thin he,
tie most extrasagant woman In the viii
laye, aud IN hot sure but you were
quite right To my certain knowledge
she wears the most new dresses, new BON
nets, and so costly, to say nothing OF the
style III which those children vi hers are
crlmped up! You don't pretend to i'm
agine her husband can stand it SO much
Uetter tnau others might mention p
"Oh no; MIR Wells is not rich-only
comfortable"
II can't afford two new dresses to my
neighbours one"
"Mayue you don't know how to econo-
mize."
''Economize I'd like you to point
out another woman III Maysvllle who can
stretch out dollar further | can ~
" es, | can do it."
- ust tell me, and I'll take a lesson
right off, ..r .-.-....
You might profit by it, as I have"
"Do tell p
"It's Mrs. Wells"
"MRs. WELLS Tat does beat my
time-to set her up as my mode Now,
dare say, If one really knew, she spends
Just three tunes as much"
No, she doesH't, tlUf in fact any more
than Jou do"
''On,. nonsense! How do you get
over the four bonnets, ard the dresses
and fancy turbelows one always sees about
her z" The little matron shook her head
sagaciously. No, NO, Mrs. Brown, [
calculate tbs whole matter in plain
figures Now, for instance: There were
my two bonnets last year Ned thought
as how L should have something better
than the hldeo1s things Miss Smith gets
up in the village, SO Vent to New York.
" ell, there were two days lost just going
and coming at the very time | was most
wanted | 'lrei myself almost to death
looking fol- something reason Bile, and at
last had TO take the Hearest to nv means.
| thought it wotla do we'll enough till
got home, and Mrs. Wells called On nIe
next day with the very loveliest bonnet
on her lead | ever saw. 1t never cost
less than twenty-five dollars in the city
[ mean that gray velvet she had last tall."
Il know all about it. 1t didn't cost
but six dollars, and it didn't come from
the ci.y.'
six dollars You must be dream
ing And where, in the name of crea,
ton, could any one get such bonnet in
MaysVille Then again, when was in
the city | saw dress something like that
blue merino of Susie Wells everybody
liked SO much. I thought I'd enough
left to buy It for ada I knew the stuff
wasn't more than fourteen shilling yard
and it takes just four yards; bat besides,
there Was the making and trimming. I
went in and priced it. It was eighteen
dollars" ...........
"And Susie Wells cost her mother on
ly about nine" ses
THAT beats me out ard out. Where
does she go to get sucn bargains ?"
Not very often out of Maysvillc"
"Why, Lnever see them When 90
to Miss Smith for anything new, most
likely it's some notion she's borrowed
from the Wellses, l do believe they set
the fashions for this village for dressnak-
ers and all." r.-
'Well, Mrs Wells cen do it If she
likes, for the truth is she has sure guide.
Phia is the aeoret."