Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1868-10-09
From the Evening Wisconsin
THE Misses Daisy and Catch

Thousand mites from me, two young Ia
dF aquaintances-th respective hopes
Of two respectable fani.jrs whom in
4 my thoughts / have always designated
as Daisy and Catclhy.
r. Both have attractions for nv artists
\ (amatenr) eye. DAISY has fine, elias
tie figure, which at forty years viii be
7 something better than withered and
shfnnken frame, fit TO he whrled off into
space by most any nor western susnv.
blond face, abundant brown hair put up
in plain colo, q well proportional hand,
: rosy at the finger tips, and not unacquain
ia with the brush and dustor--a brisk
fortstep and genial affinity for calico
dres es and white aprons in the morn
ing. CATcHFLY, OH the other hand, is
an ex:reeniy handsome girl, with large
Modonna eyes, so. finely colored and well
set that it is the wonder of my life how
eyes can be so fine and express so little
/ silky black hair, frizzed, and banded,
and plated, and puffcd and braided uD-
I'll il is just the head / would like for n
'sitter" j. | were to undertake n Jewish
\ Princess or some luminous eyed gem of
the Orient-a fault!ess nose, and well
formed. intensely natural mouth, from
whose silence one can make nothing, ex-
/ cept that it is pretty mouth. As the
human figure, so contracted that the
waist is Of lille more circum leeance tLa1
the neck is attractive on!Y To dressmak
crs, III not dwell upon Cntchfy's figure;
but size has q very white slender hand,
which it must be hard to refrain from
+ proposing" for "A brilliant way of man
ipuating the piano, and a manner of
crossing room, kiltenish and friskv or
Ianguid and superb, according to the
/ part taken for the day-whether man
ner he natural. Lately, think | have
witnessed one or two experiments of hers
with the Gtecian Bend.
Neither family is so wealthy that such
mean and grovcIling things rs industry
and economy can be entirely ignored.
In 10 h houses | have seen neat and
praiseworthy darns in the dining room
carpet; ard | know, confidently, that
both families make their own soap.
To cursory observer it would appear
natural that both Daisy and Catchhy
must be of great assistance to their re
Spcciive mammas, and, rs far rs Daisy
is concerned, the observer is right.
am not likely to "set the river on fire"
from early rising, myseIfsbut have Of
ten-whie sw eetening my seven o'clock
coffee-seen Daisy 60 past, armed and
equipped for her morning marketing, hcr
face as sweet and fresh as Aurora'a own.
And an hour later have been panied
to see Catchfy come yawning down
stairs-cad in vilaiuous wrapper, and
her head ms knobbed aud spikey as that
of dragon eat fauItfindngly the
breakfast her infatuated mother had kept
warm for her.
suppose it is owing rs much to ma
ternal discipline as TO Dlisy's own sense
Of right-Eerhaps; for in one household
tie mother reigns, and
peace and order and beauty draw
Round her their eternal law
and in the other, the child reigns, and
capfuson is the consequence.
In one household there is no shams.
Everything, from garrett to cellar, is what
it is-plan comfortable snd respectable.
In the other house the parlor puts on
sumptuousness, and the kitchen is in a
state of squalor. In the one household
there are such things as bright fires, old,
soft lounging chairs, cheerful meals,
bright gas-light the city papers, and
those small solid comforts OF life that,
after ALL are better than its great phan-
tom Joys. In the other house the Ere is
Kept low, and tue gas dim, and the table
meagre, and the back parlor walls dingy
ard the daily paper is borrowed (sad
COMMENT and tho wash-room "bcaten
down." and the sugar is brown, and
small distresses exhibit themselves con
stantly, because--of what? Because
Catchfy must be kept up. Because a
| little constantly saved from the fire and
the gass, and the table, and the other
creature comforts, will 60 toward buying
Catchfy's pulled jaconet skirts, Catch
fys new velvet cloak. Catchfy'a full
suit with its panuier trimmings of gimp
and points and fringe, Catchfiy's Flor de
Mayo, her gloves, her ribbons, her CHG
nons-until it would be very correct
I figure Of speech to say that she sports
the family bread upon her shoulders and
remorselessly trails the family comfort in
the dust Ct the pavement.
Daisy la few accomplishments, but
/ she has a good English education and
sweet voice which accompanies the piano
/ in such melodies as would sooth savage
husbands breast, and quell even an in
fant struggling with his eye teeth.
Catchhy has few French and Ger.
man phrazen, a thorough knowledge of
tatting--which bring out all the fine
points Of pretty hands-and her idea of
literature is Cooley. If she writes let
ter it is the performance Of half day
insy fingers and blotted Ms, at that
and in that letter will be sure to occur
such words as "perfectly splendid" and
''perfeetly horrid," and severa! errors in
spelling.
Daisy understands all the fine art of
housekeeping, SO that if she should mar
ny the President of Bank or million
aire lumberman-and hope she may,
z g al II