The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1873-07-29

very fond of Lou,as indeed oil her friends
are; though she still remains, like Holmes
aunt,
{" Tho sole ungathered rose
On her ancestral tree"
She lives far up in the country, but
occasionally comes to Boston on a visit
Her note was as follows:
DEAR HEpsY Here am in tho Hub,
at the west end of it is that the hubbi-
est part, wonder? I am coming over
to see you on Thursday. 1 meant to 20
to-day; but I can't-I'm all used up
clear tucked out as aunt Polly used to
say. What has done it?' Why my
new dress and such dress 1t would
give you fits to see how my back Is huuch-
ed up and pulled out. I'm a regular bal.
loon; a fashion plate anything that
is huge and hideous--a camel or drom.
edary, for example only they, poor
things, were born with humps on their
backs, and l wasn't. How came 1 so
deformed p In an evil hour l listened
to the voice of tho tempter, and put my
self into the hands of city dressmaker.
She's very Stylish quoted the tempt
or.
Little wrecked l, in my ignorance,
what that meant and | went to her
rooms in sweet, con6diug simplicity, bear.
ing an innocent-looking dress pattern un.
der my arm. 1 had three seances with
Mrs. Outfit, most imposing parsonage,
of whom l stood in mortal terror; and
at length emerged, transformed. 1 went
in slim, came out stout; went in
erect, 1 came out hump. backed; l went
in with forty dollars in my purse, l came
out with just enough to pay my fare home
on the street csr-the collapse having
been transformed from my person to my
purse with incredible celerity and case.
Verify, fashion doth make cowards
of US all : yea, and puff-balls also. ]
wish had the courage to 60 through the
world in gored gown without pinch OF
puff or pucker in it; but l haven't SC
[ am balloon, that by some incompre.
hensible machinery is raised into noun
famous ridges. Surmounting these ridges
at right angles to my body-if there be Q
body inside this corrugated globe, ot
which am in serious doubt, to say no
thing of an immortal soul-projects far
shaped be.fringed, be-puckered basque
looking, for all the world, like spread
turkeytail, On top of this projection 9
good sized trunk could be comfortably
seated only it might fall in wonder
if pappoose couldn't be inserted some
where; 1 do so long to blend the usefu
with the ornamental!
Now, Hepsibah, you are u sensible mar
ried woman, competent to give good ad
vice, and l ask you, what am | to do
60 round the world in this harlequin
guise, or give the whole thing grca
smash 1 should be glad to preserve {
modicum Of self-respect; but how can {
inside of balloon?
l shall appear in full spread on Thurs
day to spend the day. l can't sit down
but should like the loan of a bed pos
and cord; might go up, you know
Till then in every fibre Of my stiffening
Yours, truly,
The GREAT EXPANDED.
sat laughing over this, when in walk
ed Hester Graywood, another old friend
After the first salutation, she slowlJ
twirled herself round, and sank into
chair, exclaiming
Behold the woman who dares =
All ! | saw she, too. had on a nev
dress. 1t was of silvery grey silk, mad
with one skirt, without particle of trim
ming on it, and a sacque just bound will
bias fold Of the same. Yes. she hat
dared. 1t was really refreshing sight
and she looked perfectly bewitching il
her Quaker-like custume. But then
Hester Graywood is such a pretty littl
creature, she can't help looking lovely il
anything, and she knows it; so it doe
not require so great courage in her Il
dare. Yes. she looked charming. Yet
on second glance, there seemed kin'
of baroness about her, as if somethin.
were wanting. Was this because ha'
looked so long on mountains Of fripper
that my eye and taste had both becom
corrupt? Ten years ago we all wor
such plain, single skirts, and considere'
ourselves elegantly dressed why shoul
they look mean and skimpy now?
read Louis note to Hester, and sh
promised to join US at dinner on Thurs
day.
Extremes should meet she said.
She staid while apd we had littl
talk on dress, and the bondage fashio
imposes or how the taste Of the commu
nifty is corrupted by the overloaded, ur
graceful styles in vogue now, and o
many other things. such as sensible We
men do talk about when they get togeta
er.
'One of the greatest evils Of this a.
surd overloading,' said Hester, Is thu
it so fearfully overworks women. W
hear great deal about the hardships {
the poor shirt-makers in our cities; al
they are to be pitied, l know. But ther
are other women to be pitied, too. Lool
for example, at my neighbor, Mrs. 4
She is a fair representative Of a larg
class, and not on exaggerated case. He
husband is hard working mechanic,wh
earns a good living, and ought to lay u
something for wet day but he can
support wife and six children in lux
ry, especially as four of them are girl
Mrs T. is an ambitious woman, an
says she will have her children decent
dressed that means fashionably dresse'
She can't afford to hire her sewing done
so in addition to oil her housework, sh
makes their dresses, and it you have see
Oracle, the eldest one, you can judy
what that implies.
She's very stylish looking GIRL
said.
Yes. and her mother is very proud
her; as is natural. She is just seventee;
and what wonderful costumes she do,
bloom out in They are all aaoat wit
puffs and rufiles, quills and frills, unit
, there's scarce an inch of untrimmed sna,