The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-04-22
evening State SantnaL.
MONDAY EVENING, APRIL %, 1872.
FREE DISCUSSION.
The bachelor on "Dony Warden"


10 The Editor Of the state Journat:
A great many Of the fair sex, find, who
profess to be enraptured with the new
style of dress of this name, are asking
"who apas Dolly Warden, anyway ?" And
| take it upon myself to enlighten them,
and at the same time to venture criti-
cism.
Dickens told us about her, and she was
no doubt veritable locksmith's daughter,
fond of dress, q real coquette, but by no
means heartless /; just as Dickens tells us.
A few extracts from "Barnaby Rudge"
will give us an insight into this now popu-
lar character, and at the same time help to
compare her taste and style with that of
the French modiste.
We are introduced to her dressed for a
party, with all her charms increased q
hundred fold by amost becoming dress, by
a thousand little coquettish ways, which
nobody could assume with better grace"
Again we see her " in a smart little cher
ry-colored mantle, with hood Of the same
drawn over her head, and upon the top of
that hood little straw hat trimmed with
cherry-colored ribbons, and worn the
merest trife on one side-just enough to
make it the wickedist and most provoking
head-dress that ever malicious milliner de-
vised. And not to speak of the manner in
which the cherry-colored decorations bright
ened her eyes, etc."
So much for her style. Now we are
waiting to see what answer she will give to
honest Joe Willet's declaration. Has she
nothing to say to him? 'No, nothing.
Dolly was coquette by nature, and a
spoilt child. She had no notion of being
carried by storm in this way. The coach
maker would have been dissolved in tears,
and would have knelt down, and called
himself names, and clasped his hands,
and beat his breast, and tugged wildly at
his cravat, and done all kinds Of poetry.
Joe had no business to be going abroad.
He had no right to be able to do it. If he
was bound in the adamantne chains of
love, as the coach-maker said he was, he
couldn't.o
"I'll not reproach YOU" answered Joe,
sits my fault, no doubt. Eve thought
sometimes you didn't quite despise me,
but | was fool to think so. Goodbye,
God bless you'll"
she was gone, actually gone. Dolly
waited little, thinking he would return !;
peeped out at the door; looked up the
street and down as well as the increasing
darkness would allow, came in again wait
cd little longer, went up stairs humming
tune, bolted herself in, laid her head
down on her bed, and cried as if her heart
would break. And yet such natures are
made up of so many contradictions, that if
Joe Willet had come back that night, next
day, next week, next month. the odds are
hundred to one she would have treated
him in the very same manner, and have
e, Il, . o
Distress"
or course in the story, after few years,
Joe comes back with one arm, saves Dol
ly's life, and the cherry-coored ribbons ;
there are confessions and reconciliation, and
thing, and they lived happy ever after
ward" But, unfortunately, every Joe
Willet cannot go off to the war and lose an
arm, and return to save his Dolly with the
other one. 1t is not always convenient,
however desirable. She more often mar
ries the coach-maker.
vain invocation! Why are these piles Of
horrid furniture covering, fringe and
tlounces, and abominable head gears styled
"Dolly Vardens ~ Upon what authority
Dolly's hat cost Is. Cd; "Dolly Var
den" is priced at from S35 to $40 Hor-
rors! Dolly wore cherry-colored ribbons,
while the modiste prescribes "solid colors"
t., e. loud--of green, blue and rose. We
know already, that the Girl of the Period
is spoilt child, brainless, in short, a
Dolly Warden; but withall true heart in
her bosom, let us hope. But, why need
she take delight in proclaiming in the loud
est colors, the largest figures Tin both sense;
of the terrn) and the most exasperatine
style, that she is dolly Warden ?"
BACHELOR.