The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1869-01-21


bonuots from Paris.
In this department | was general
ly successful; the most difficult dame
from Ilighga,o or Holloway, and |
have a superstition that they are
worst in these quarters, rarely lcav-
ing the shop without also leaving
a parcel to be sent to her address,
until one afternoon, when there came
in lady, whose appearance, frequent
seeing aud subsequent events have
united to stamp on my memory. Let
me begin with her dress, as becomes
a draper, promising that never saw
the slightest change in it. She had
on a black silk gown, Paisley shawl
pinned to the throat, though the day
was a warm July one, and Tuscan
bonnet trimmed with satin ribbon.
She could not be called young by
the most liberal Interpretation. The
tight, false curls, common to elderly
ladies Of the period, were in the ap-
pointed station, but there was vig-
Or and haleuess about her sufficient
to damp and darken the hope Of ex-
pectaut heirs. Her face was plain,
nor had ever been much the contrary
in features aud in frame she was large
and bouy, yet her voice was soft aud
agreeable, aud thought her quite
au easy pleased lady, as she bought a
cap.ribbon aud some other trllles
with little turning over.
"Any de laines, ma'am p said l
hoping to extract more money, ior
her long silk purse was well filed.
"Yes, | do want something Of the
kind, she said, looking over the
dresses presented.
"But it is not here. Have you
anything with red stripe in it, very
small and very brilliant, it's not a
rose aud it's not a scarlet, but just
red, you know, like blood newly
drawn" ."
"Sure to have it, ma'am. There
is no house in London that can
match ours for de laiues;" and /
brought out of our back shop, where
we kept our old things, an arm.iulI
of every shade and size, but none ol
them would do. She turned over
dress after dress to the numbor oi
some scores, dilating all the while on
the peculiari les of the stripe she
wanted, its narrowness, its brilliaucy
and its likeness to resh-drawn blood
1t was getting near tea time nd |
saw there was no possibility Of sery"
ing her. Carelessness was therefore
coming over my manner; but as the
shop was full aud the manager NOV
ing about, l thought it best to ap-
pear anxious when she turned away
with:
"No, you haven't it; that stripe il
very difficult to fnd, but | must iiid
it somewhere"
My assurances that it could not be
got in London if not in our house
were fairly cut short by sight got
of Mr.. McA dams face. If somebpdy y
bad stopped him whore he stood at
the opposite counter, more ghastly
expression of pain and heart.slckness
could not have passed over it. l was
also conscious, though cannot say
by what sign, that the lady recog-
nizod him, and there was something
to my fancy very much like an evil
spirit looking out from her eyes as
she said:
"No matter how long l search fol
it, must get that red stfipe."
Sometimes iG was ribbon she
wanted, sometimes it was a shawl; but
whatever might be the article in re.
quest, whether large or small cheap
or expensive, it was always distin-
guished by the blood red stripe which
was not to be met with, and no.
ticed that every day the lady grew
more anxious, or, at least, louder in
her inquiries after it. AllIthe young
men began to know her by the rec
stripe. l got half afraid Of the old
woman, and made sly endeavors to
disgust her with the shop. Any
thing of the kind was so contrary to
regulations that l took care that Mr.
McAdam should not see it, but my
eye was naturally attracted to him
when the lady Of the stripe made hel
appearance. After the first day i
| did not seem to annoy him, though
observed that he kept well out Of hel
reach, and her talk about the stripe
was evidently intended for his ear; il
was always pitched higher when he
was within her hearing, and there
was the same wicked look in her eyes
when she sew it had caught his ut
tention.
The cleverest traveller our house
had was an Irishman, called Bernard
Kelly. He was a capital hand fol
business, native of Dublin, and, IL
shop phrase, Travelled Irelagd twice I
year for Cooper & COverdale. Kelly
betted on the Derby, frequented thu
Travellers Club, patronizcd the dra
ma, Il use his own words, was giyeI
to gambling in a small way in fac
was the very gentleman of our firm
on whom Mr.. McAdam's precept ant
example had the least effect. Th'
manager had made great exertion
for his reformation, but to no pur
pose; Kelly never came from hi
club until ear ly on Sunday morning
never got up till l p. m, could no
be induced to 60 to church by an.
persuasion, read nothing but news
papers and novels; yet there were
none Of the young men who woulC
have gone further to serve McAdam
He had como back from his summe
journey, and was helping at m,
counter one busy day just befor
closing, when the old woman cam
in wanting a mourning dress, and, o
course, red stripe in it.