Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-02-03
Three Calico Gowns.

-They-that is, the people-called the
Judge the oldest man that ever lived. Ii
oddity consists of having way of his
own, Judge Clinton was very odd man
He would insist upon living in little
brown old-fashioned house, without car
pets upon the floors, and what was more
vexatious, would not allow sofa, or
lounge, or rocking chair, inside the four
brown walls. As he had an idea that the
whole country was going to wreck and
ruin, because the men wore broadcloth,
and the women wore silks, he declared he
would wear homespun as long as he lived,
and his women folks should be restricted
to calico.
As we have nothing to do with Mrs.
Judge Clinton, we shall not allude to the
hearty vexation with which she carried
| out the whimsical old Judges domestic
relations. Az che ouuld do nothing wiser
than to gulp down her chagrin, she did
gulp it down, and, woman-like, pretended
to believe, with her husband, that they
| could reform the world by making them
selves conspicuously mean and uncom-
| Portable.
Judge Clinton was still in indigo colored
homespun, and Mrs. Judge Clinton in
ninepenny calico, when Miss Clara Clin-
ton, having reached the age of eighteen
and having will of her own (which her
mother was careful to tell everybody the
child inherited from her father, an
nounced her determination to go to board
ing school.
The Judge himself had been poor boy,
self-educated through his own exertions.
He was proof of his humble birth, and
the difficulties no had overcome at Brun-
derry. He had read Virgil by the aid of II
pine-knot, and Greek by the aid of IA penny
candle, and solved the problems of Euclid
by moonlight. He respected but one de-
sire in the world, and that WAS thirst
for knowledge. So, when Miss Clara pro-
tested that she must, and could, and
would go to boarding-school, Judge Gin
| ton cheerfulIy acquiesoed, aud expressed
himself ready to leash over"
No sooner was the interesting subject
preached, however, than to Miss Clara s
surprise, her father selected the most ex-
pensiye, thorough, and aristocratic insti-
tuition in the country, paid the yearly ex-
penses in advance, and sent her at once to
complete her education, with twenty five
cents for spending money, and three cal
leo gowns for her wardrobe.
| 1t was bad enough, Miss Clara said,
sobbing ali the while AZ if her beautiful
eyes had really been liquid fountains, to
| be obliged to dress in calico but have
three calico gowns all alike. from the self
same piece, so that her companions would
think she had but one--that was the
hardest to bear of all" But the old
Judge was incorrigible. He had saved
two shillipgs and sixpenoe by having
= II .l;1a onI ha uafie{:al IS
daughter was not
when Miss Clara babe adieu to the ugly
brown homestead, and her mother, who
wiped her tears on her calico apron, and
the sheep that bore the feeoes from which
her fathers homespun was made. She
loved everything about the dun dwelling,
now that she looked back upon it from
the coach window. But soon the novelty
of her condition overcame her grief, in
the new scenes and strange people around
her.
Very weary and travel-soiled, she alight-
ed at the end of her journey, and was
shown into the reception room, where
were seated several stylish young ladies,
evidently newly arrived pupils like her.
self
There was Miss June, with her exquis-
itely fitting travelling dress, who looked
her over with quizzical look ia her dark
eyes; and Miss Clara felt sure that the
peculiar smile that fingered upon those
sarcastic lips. owed its existence to the
fact that she wore "calico."
Blushing to her very temples, poor
Clara looked away, only to encounter the
gaze Of Miss Gay, who, reclining upon the
sofa in the most faultless attire, seemed
absorbed in studying the pattern of the
print.
Miss Gay and Miss June exchanged
chances and smiles Tears welled up from
Clara's full heart, but she was too proud
to wipe them away; one fell, then anoth-
er, when a soft voice said:
you are very tired, I am sure; so are
we all; but we shall be attended to soon."
Clara looked her thanks to the gentle
speaker girl very plainly dressed, and
of sweet winsome countenance, who,
bringing her chair nearer, asked her some
trivial questions, and related some ANUS
ing experiences of her own in reaching
the institution.
Clara felt more at ease, and, being natu-
rally vivacious and intelligent, soon made
friends with the kind stranger, who invit-
ed her to become her room mate
The school term soon commenced, and
there was little time for Clara to think of
her homely garments. But when Sunday
came round, and she took another calice
dress from her wardrobe, exactly like the
one she had worn all the week, her room