Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-09-01


proved dull scholar in acquiring these
superfcialities. Size was too e1ninently
practical to waste her time upon words
She was student of deeds. She took
to home duties and to her needle as nat
urally as bird to building it's nest, and
was as blithe withall over it. Our faith
er died when we were twelve years old.
Mother kept us at school with very
straitened income. A so-called educa-
ton was to her the one important thing,
inasmuch as her own education had
been gained outside Of books.
She was willing to make any
sacrifice to give her daughters
an education, little understanding what
that really meant. What pity that
our schools are such misnomers, and do
SO little'toward developing young women
for practicalAlife But l am not about
to moralize on the subject of school
education. I am going to tell stoly-.
summers story. One thing I must
explain, Mary absolutely refused to go
to school when fourteen, said cit was
all nonsense; she should never learn a
single useful thing there" and instead,
apprenticed herself to fashionable dress
maker. Now she was, and had been
for many years, supporting our small
family very comfortably. Mother was
still able to be helpful about the house,
and | was turned to what little account
I could be in assisting generally, and in
the simpler details of dress making,
writing an occasional bit of sentim ent,
which strangely enough was accepted
by the newspapers. [ was still fond of
studying, and had sincere sympathy
with out-of-doors. Woods and bios
SONS and sunsets had charms for me.
One summer day had, as have before
limited, been spent in delightful man
ner, with friends, at Oakwood, favor
lite Wisconsin resort, anu longed to
repeat the experience. The people and
the place interested me, and now I get
back to my story.
I worked diligently at French hens
all that sunny, summer afternoon, and
did not for once wander to sylvan
shades and sequestered hooks. I re-
ceived several compliments from that
splendid sister of mine, on whom I
looked with the sort O. worshipful ad
miration which ne'e1- do-well always
feels for an eminently purposeful per-
son. held out for many days, pretty
we'll for me in working ways, and was
amply rewarded by Mary's lavish COM
mendations upon my unusually excel
lent workmanship.
6 Marty !"
eyes," with the proper infection for
reply, Marty, if you'll believe it your
day dreaming was catching. I have
been to Oakwood, too. And I've been
a-thinking, a-thinking, and more than
that, I've been doing, (of course she had
been DOING and I've evolved from my
consciousness vacation for us, and it
is to be spent at lakewood.
Mary Bentley" was all ] could say.
6 Honest, we are going the last of
June and will stay ten days, my matter
of fact sister continued.
but -, the fashionable southern
crowd land, and-the fabulous prices
for board and our wardrobe" I said
excitedly, taking now the opposite tack
of practicality.s
Well, it is not state prison offense
if we don't mind the fashionable crowd
and follow our own fashion in dress.
Enjoyment does not mean for us good
clothes. I remember some of the very
elite at lakewood looked like Satan, to
put it mildly, when they went sailing
and fishing with those huge hats like
farmer boys and draggly skirts punched
up ungracefully and untidily behind
We need go to neither extreme of dress,
and I've got money enough for the
board, and my idea of the value of mo-
ney is to get something with it that is
good for as, not to do what somebody
else does with it, but just what we Ike
to do best ourselves. Marty and I want
to spend a week at lakewood, and we
believe it will be good for us to do SO,
and we are going. We wont age even
out1'e fashions albiet they are inexpen-
siye. We will be just what we are,
natural. everyday, young workwomen.
We will make up in neatness what we
lack in style and will have good time
any way
Sensible to the last" ] said, laugh
ing in spite of myself. 'That's long
speech for you to make sis, but I'll en-
core it. You'll find me sound on the
dressing business if I am not on the
seen. A summer resort seems to me to
be a good place to see., See some fol-
lies, perhaps, but people are growing a
trife more sensible at such places at
last. Nature is the foundation upon
which fashion has built these resorts,
and it is nature that is the real attrac-
ton after all, but nature and human
nature get oddly mixed sometimes, and
SO to quiet people like us they give a
chance to see BOTH"
"Goodphiiosophy, Marty! Your read
ing helps you to some sensible ideas if
you do lose yourself in day dreams oc-
casionally. But come, we will have to
work right lively at these dresses to
finish them In time to get our own
ready for our great event-our chance
at nature and human nature
It did indeed seem like a blessed
chance, and I blessed the good sister,
whom knew had worked out it's pos
sibility for my sake alone, well know
ing how much it would mean to me.
[ was very industrious, also very i'm