National Republican., 1873-11-20
Making Her Own Hat.

Mr.. Howard Paul, In his Entertainment,
says that "when sudden sharp fever Of
economy attacks q woman, and she detor-
mines to make hat or bonnet for herself,
for brief period between the formation Of
the resolution and the consummation of the
deed her mind passes through various amusing
stages Of agitation. First, she gets herself
up In her most attractive guIsc, and proceeds
to purchase shape'-as believe the fragile
outline or framework Of the future structure
Is caled-then, taking o bus home, she
drinks In the details Of every hat that enters,
and learns them all by heart, and does men.
tai sums over tho cost Of the ribbon, and
makes up her mind to have flowers In hers
like those worn by the woman In the corner
and lace like that gaudy-looklng creature In
the middle. The next day sho walks down
the street, and studies all the hats that come
along; and, when woman passes her with
one on, she twists her neck round to see how
1t looks behind, and Is 'disgusted to sec tha,
the woman Is also dlslocating her neck to sec
how she trims her hat. When she arrival in
front Of a mlllincr's, shcIingcrs until she has
analyzed all the hats In the window, and she
determines to trim hers nineteen different
the woman who sat In the corner. Then she
| shoots into the shop, and asks to sec hats
with the air Of q pcrton who wishes to invest
| o small fortune In hcad-gcar. She examines
| every hat In the establishment, Overhauls ten
bushels Of flowers, gets about fifteen shilling
worth Of work out OF the saleswoman, and then
says she will look farther Then she gets home
with her mind fixed on thirty-eight or nine dlf.
ferent styles In which she wants TO trim her hat.
After awhile she begins to think she ought
| to have feather In II, and she passes two OF
three slecplcss nights trying to decide whether
to put one In or not. At last she resolves che
win. Then she lies awake for two more
| nights cndeayoring TO determine whether II
shall be red or blue. She settles on blue. She
buys the trimming, and sews It on In twenty
successive positions, her mind filed with
deepest anxiety as to whether the feather
should 20 on the right side, the left side OF
on top. She puts 1t on the right side; but just
then Mrs. Dc Boots passes the window with q
feather on the left side Of hers, and 80 she
calls, and her feather Is on the right side, and
then another change Is made. At church
next day Mrs. Smith has feathers on both
sides, and Mrs. johnson has one on the top.
Then more sleepless nights and painful
uncertainty. At last, In utter despair, she
takes the hat to milliner, and pays thirty
shillings to have 1t trimmed. When Il comes
home she pronounces 1t hateful and picks
II all to pieces, and broods over 1t, and wor.
rlcs and frets, and loses her appetite, and
feels life TO be burden for two weeks longer,
until suddenly she has just the right thing,
and becomes once more serene and happy,
and puts the hat on and goes out and makes
millions Of other women miserable because
their hats are not trimmed exactly like hers.
As q wife, woman is blessing; as mother,
naught can compare with her; as an organ
izer of new hats, she Is simply an object Of
amusement decomposition"