The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1868-12-22
hllstcll0nn.
The village Sewing-Circic.
By CHRISTINE II. CARPENTER.


\ drowsy summer afternoon hung over
the dainty little village of May,vIlIc, ncs-
Ting among the green Connecticut bills.
The leaves of the clustering vines framing
the pretty white cottages Just stirred iAto
the sunshine, while even the bees and
butterflies crept to shelter in the hearts of
the great red and white roses, family nod
ding to some OCCASIONAL zephyr as it Ian
guished by. From the open windows of
widow Mays "bcst room" hum Of
voices stole ont upon the scented air. and
within, more than n score of busy hands
fashioned divers fabrics INTO far shapeli.
ness. 1t was the weekly sewing circle of
the Maysville church, for which fair
was in prospect, a fact that formed the
secret of this feminine conclavc- Who
ever saw a sewing circle without its little
titbits of gossip? This was no exception
to the rule. Presently Il CHEEKY face looked
up from its owners glancing needle;
"Do you know" said she to her neigh
Dor, "that I've quite altered my opinion
Of Mrs Wells, lately? Pray don't start
she has not arrived yet
GLOW is that You used to think her
/ the most cxtravagant woman III the viii
lage, and I'm not sure but YOU were quite
right. To my certain knowledge she
wears the most new dresses, new bonnets,
and so costly, to say nothing of the style
in which those children of hers are primp-
ed up! You don't pretend TO imagine her
husband can stand it so much better than
others that I might mention ?'
"Oh no Mr.. Wells is not rich
only comfortable
Il can't aiIorl two ucw drcss,s to my
neighbor's one"
Maybe You don't know how 10 econ.
omizc."
"Economize, I'd like You to point out
another woman in Maysyilla who ear
stretch ont dollar turlhcr'n can,
"Yes, | can do it,
"Just tell me, and III take Iassot
right off"
"You might profit 10y it, too, as
have"
"Do tell !"
"Ifs Mrs Wells"
"NIrs Wells, That Dies beat nv tim
Ito set her up as my mod.l! Now,
dare say, if one really knew. She spend
three times rs much,"
"No she doesn't, nor in fact any nor
than you do.
"Oh, nonsense. How 10 you get owe
the four bonnets, and the dresses an
fancy furhclows, one always sees abou
her ?" The little m Itron shook her hea
4agaciously. "No, no, Mrs Brown | ca
cnlate the whole matter in plain figure
, Now, for instance; There were my tw
bonncts last year. Ned thought as ho "
should have something better than II
hideous things Miss Smith gets up in Il
village, so went to New York. Wei
G there were two days lost just going ar
coming at the very time was most wal
, ted. | tired myself almost TO death loo
ing for something reasonable, and at la
had to take the nearest to my means.
. thought il would do well enough till | q
. home, and Mrs Wells called on me ne,
!, day with the very loveliest bonnet on b
:. head ever saw. 1t never cost less thi
twenty five dollars in the city me-
that gray velvet she had last fall.
II know all about it. 1t didn't &C
but six dollars. and 1t didn't come fro
the city"
"Six dollars! You must be drcamin
And where in the name of all create
could any one get such bonnet in May
vile Then again, when was in I
city l saw dress something like that bl
}. merino of Susie Wells everybody lik
so much. thought I'd enough left
re re buy it for Ada. l knew the stuff was
&c more than fourteen shillings a yard, IA
pc it takes just four yards; but besides, thu
u u was the making and trimming We
e. in and priced it. 1t was eighteen dolli
IS yard.
j., "And Susie Wells cost her mother OF
ng about nine.
~, 'Ihat beats me out and out. VIII,
&C. does she 20 to get such bargains.
le- ''Not very often out of Maysville."
"Why, never see them, when |
TO Miss Smith for anything new, m
or likely it's some notion she's borrowed fr
! he Wellses. do believe they set