Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-10-17
YELVETEEN BOOTS,

in his muddy but large and dark eye, and gla-
mOuT of whiskeT, that make calm description
of him simply impossible to any woman under
forty. These attractions may be the reason why
be stands 70 the neighbOrhOOd where our story
transacted itself, or rather to the young ladies
thereof, in some such relation as a prize racing
cup, a champions belt. Certain il is that
Misc Moblot, whose father owned his own house,
was a. well known at Constant * Strings as
the lay-hgure in the window; that Miss Matilda
Mason and MissSelliquips were intimate friends
of the deadltest type, for no other purpose than
other young women were atsWOrds'- points about
him; and that all united in detesttng Miss Jen-
ME Nilifugus, as half a length ahead. and likely
TO win in virtue of her good looks ami unds mia
BILE genulity. Therefore, | repeat, she should
never have said It, even II there had been 10
such thing As The Mill UEds mystery.
And there - such mystery. Jennie Mill
fugus, with her sister Harriet, lived in No. 10 Of
block OF taree- story buildings well over to-
ward the West-bTick houses with high steps
wearing, IN some indetnAble way, the air of
person with We!l-cleaned gloves, and Old boots
scTupUlOusly blscked. According 20 the wav IN
which YOU choose TO put 1t, these houses are the
last bulWark Of the street against the tIls Of
poverty rolling in from the river, or they are
the connecting link between life, four blocks
away, on ten thousand year, and life on ten
dollars week. And being thus asst were, on
neutral ground, it Was natural that they should
express the III at-ease condition OF all neutTa!i-
tyi also that all the inhabitants should be en-
gagged IN desperate hand 20 hand struggle
with appearances, and hat they should De serv
high with sn outside world. and observe toward
each other an awful punctilIo.
ana struggling n 4Tt5 r were HsTTl, and Jennie
Miitugusr A. sIIl> o. au excellent fam iy;Ons OF
the sharpest stngs. that last, Of poverty. For il
one must be poor, snf can take u IN the natural
way, planted slGATely on feet stout sni Long,
and wide, with sleeves rolled 20 the elpog M.
affair : not - hopeless The lady who delight
cd me but now with q nod or recognition from
her me b4rOuche. dfteeu years ago smoked
pipe, and was seen OF IN Jrnings with bare feet.
But weighted with thsi- ancestors about their
necks-as we're HsrIiCt and Jennie-thJ-e tS0
CIR lived the lie of a OOarJer baron OF old for.
ever on tie alert, forever uenacsd by the foe.
forever battling with the fact that were cont.n
uslly forcing their way through the weak de-
Tense OF appearances. Harriet was thirty 10 AZ.
The family mother, a. often happens with an Ell
der slster;a most properly plain and practical
and adapted % her position. Jennie was TWEEN
", AID the women declared there vas moth ny
IN her Nevertheless, she was OF a verv whole
s5He ana "Omauiy appeaTsnce-s rarer charm
than y apt 70 be imagined. Girls are iauuty
stylish pretty by the score; but how often co ne
one, 70 whom you are drawn a thoroughly Al
sssntially a wOmau@ Just this Jennie con
unuaily sISgested. You observed the dimplea
her wrist, the white parting Of her a5Und IL
hair, the wbOlesOm5 redne-s of her lips an
Wbiteness OF Der skin, pair OF ne gray eve
with black iashes and readily Iii ating IRIS
round waist, an easy grace in the very fiO~
her skirts, II y0l UNFAIRLY and with a quick sans
OF pleasure. Perhaps this was why men and Mr.
Ne sseps found her charming. Perhaps, also
was Why the gentleT inhabitants or the block
had q fashion OF speaking OF uer with a slight
Ing smile, and as 'fpoor thing" But Whv sh5
should never have been seen with her sists,-
Whv, when you called on Tuesdays, Thursdays.
and Saturdays, a. often az you pleased, you
found Miss Harriet, fresh AMI smiling 10 receive
you, and no hint or JENNIE; aud, II You came on
Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays, whenever
you please Il, ven found Jennie, fresh and sniI-
ing, ana no hint OF Harriet; aud way the two
sisters, differing 50 widely IN years should
have dressed precisely alike, even 70 the la
bow and ruide-ah, that was the MillfugIs
mystery. No one ever saw them out OF The
little, dark horse hair furnished psrIor. No one
ever saw them together. No one had ever dined
or lunched, or taken tea, with them and no one
had yet 7mprehended 1t. But to keep mystic
~ wholly within the compass OF ones life, and
no Loose end hanging out, is impossible; and a
steady and cautious pull at such an end-whst
might II not bring, pell-mell, after II, should
some ones interest warrant the laying hold OF
SO, as began By saving she should never
have said u. Ii was JENNIE who said it, ard
with air OF triumph. A triumphAnt air j.
always Wanton attack on human jealousy, a
gratuitOus waving OF the red flag in the very
eyes OF the boil. 1t is true, she must have been
almost more than human bad she not stoned 10
LAY she could not stop, and dropped the word
Gardens" and remarked that she was going
there that evening. And that Miss Mason
should say, with the Smith family, Of course,"
was vexatious; for why "Of course?" as il she
was girl that could get no where unless pinned
70 the sklrts OF some family! And go she said
ait might be, 'of course, 'ifit were Won. Ms
Nathdaj but am going with Mr.. Messeps!7
That was fairly throwing down the glove!
very imprudent in lsdy hAmpered by a mys-
nom her cheeks all over her face! l suspect
Matilda could have forgiven the speech uaore
readily than the blush; the last was such an mr.
Improbable witness OF happy Observation-Disclosures
Mlss Millfugus' part; but, uredly she was MT
the girl 70 refuse the challenge.
Gould Miss Nillfu2us have seen-but which tf
US does foresee? We open the door ourselves o
ATE a. moSt invariably; yet which of Us recoE-
nlzes her: Beyond . satisfied impression #
serves Fer right, Jennie thought very lite
aeoutlt- She was absorbed in more important
son COZ 1t was saying between b
Anu ner sister that ''n either were called SUD-
ceDly 20 die, their first impression would be that
was impossible, as they had nothing 1T 70 die
IN And another, that "they lived on the in
come OF wolf, as in II there was no more pro-
vision Tor clothes than if they had been born
Purchasing = dress they styled shooting the
rapids, 50 great were the peris, so nice the cal.
cniAuOn necessary for the venture; willis their
ssTdrO1e itself, III IL could pretend to such a
name, they chrissened GAN the Year Round"
a. IN buying gown, say for the summer, IL
N1s necessary 70 calculate, also, how il could be
rem Aae IN the fall, and what could be done
VII y IN tae winters prophetic style OF shop
ping, IN which only q clsifvoyaut or spiritQsl
medium might be supposed TO achieve complete
peIpleXoes. So long as human nature il cor.
sutnteu As ~ Is al present, long not Ali the
sheep-wOOl val console womanIv 49, -; snu
enc DISCUSSES dainty feet In coarse mi..hanan
shoes, when srlst and shoulders that wouId
become six and camefs-hA,r are disd,ursd IL
rusty add darned alpaca, when sAshes gIo1ss
fans, chstelains, flowers, perfumes, COMBS
pendants, NIB bons, the thous Ind trihss that are
the real secret OF a voman's toilet, hsnz in the
s1op-windows, a. unattainable as the aTDIes ~
The Hesperides. And Jennie WINGED daily under
these Rriyations, as did ulliver under tie darts
OF the Liliipu fans.
Something more than mortified pride, how
ever, was Involved on the present occ aston
lie prize Messeps, the pGrti OF the block WAS in
tnsI critical condition where he might be said
zoe, 20 ee t9t,ering on ths very verge OF dsclara-
toh- Jehn'e felt, inStinctively, that the ap-
PfOSehlnS expedition 10 the ardsns involved
crisis touch only was NJ eded % nnish the
WORK while, on the contrary, III he w,rs A.
loSsc % recover himself, IL would BE- 70 sssy
nssesI 70 lure him back to this most dssirl Die
posltlon. BY that curious free "a asourv exfstlog
among women, Miss Harriet was quite vel
aware OF ne position OF Affairs thoag Oh m n e.
his time not a word had been sad h.txxsso
them on the subject. she listened 10 her yonnssr