Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1874-11-13


nell after it, should some ones inter
est warrant the laying hold of it?
SO, as | began by saying, she should
never have said it. 1t was Jennie
who said it, and with an air of
triumph. n triumphant air is always
a walton attack on human jealousy,
a gratuitous waving of the red flag
in the very eyes of the bull. 1t is
true, she must have been more than
human had she not stopped to say
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. coursc?"
as if she was a girl that could get
nowhere unless pinned to the skirts
of some family! And SO she said it:
'sIt might be 'of COURSE if it were
you, Miss Matilda; but l am going
with Mr.. Messepsw
Th2t was fairly throwing down the
glove! Very imprudent in a lady
hampered by a mystery! and with u
great blush, too, that famed from her
checks all over her face! l suspect
Matilda could have forgiven the
speech more readily than the blush;
the last was such an mimpeachable
witness of happy consciousness on
Miss Milltugus' part; but assuredly
she was not the girl to refuse the
challenge.
Could Miss Nlillfugus have seen
but which of us does foresee? We
open the doors to Fate almost invari-
ably; yet which of us recognizes her?
Beyond satisfied impression of
"serves her right" Jennie thought
very little about it. She was absorbed
in more important considerations.
1t was a saying between her and her
sister that eff either were called sud
denly to die, their first impression
would be that it was impossible as
they had nothing fit to die in.' And
another, that ''they lived on the in
come Of Il wolf, as in it there was no
more provision for clothes than if
they had been born furry creatures"
Purchasing dress they styled
shooting the rapids, so great were the
perils, so nice the calculation neccs-
sary for the venture; while their
wardrobe itself, if it could pretend
to such name, they christened "All
the Year Round" as in buying
gown, say for the summer, it was
necessary to calculate, also, how it
could be rcmade in the fall, and what
could be done with it in the winter
a pathetic style of shopping in which
only a clairvoyant or spiritual me-
dunn might be supposed to achieve
complete success. And let none think
lightly of these perplexities. Solong
rs human nature is constituted as it
is at present, SO long not all the frouzy
sayings extent about silk-worm and
sheep wool will console womanly
woman when she disguises dainty
feet in coarse, misshaped shoes; when
wrist and shoulders that would be-
come silk and camel's-hair are dis
figured in rusty and darned alpaca;
when sashes, gloves, fans, chatelains,
flowers, perfumes, combs, pendants,
ribbons, the thousand triflcs that are
the real secret of a woman's toilet
hang in the shop-windows as unat-
tainable rs the apples Of the Hes
peridcs. And Jennie WINGED daily
under these privations, as did Gulliver
under the darts of the Lilliputians.
Something more than mortified
pride, however, was involved on the
present occasion. The prize, Messeps,
the pdrti of the block was in that
critical condition where he mi ght be
said to be tottering on the very verge
Of declaration. Jennie felt, in
stinctively, that the approaching ex-
pedition to the Gardens involved Il
crisis. a touch was needed to finish
the work, while on the contrary, if
he were allowed to recover himself
it would be no easy matter to lure
him back to this most desirable posi-.
ton. BY that cautious, treemasonry
existing among women, Miss Harriet
was quite well aware Of the position
of affairs, though up to this time not
Il word had been said between them
on the subject. She listened to her
younger sister with an anxious, pond
ering face, and sighed deeply.
'If rent day were only not the day
after to-morroww she said. If it
could be any other time"
''But l could not tell him that" re-
turned Jennie, half crying. "The
usagcs of society won't allow a girl,
you know, to say, 'if you will come
next week | will wear the butter in
my hat, the tea in my gloves, the
sugar around my neck; but you must
excuse me this evening, as the rent is
due, and we have disposed of those
article already"
Cor, if we were like those story
heroines," pursued Harriet, as is think
ing aloud, "who always have some
wonderful old lace, and piece of
satin or velvet that can be covered
over, and made to look finer than
anything from Worth's; but one old
gray dress, that has done duty for
two girls since spring-cotton goods
at that! Do you know, Jennie, among
all the bits of Italian lace wisdom
going the rounds, am not sure that
there is one more exasperating to me
than that saying about lady's char
acter as revealed in her dress? Does
it ever occur to anybody, l wonder,
that it costs more to dress plainly
and appropriately than out Of what
odds and ends you have, or the cheap
goods you can afford to buy? And
that there is such being as a lady
in taste and feeling without money!"
'But tonight! to-nightw insisted
Jennie, half gleefully, half anxious.
"What can l do for tonight? Our
old gray dress is too shabby; besides,
when you wore it last you creased
the 'front.'
"There is the old Victoria lawn.
1t is a little short -"
"And my shoes?" interrupted Jen-
ME, putting out foot on which the
stocking was plainly visible. 90,
sis, why not give it up! Hire a room
ut once in some tenement house and |