Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1875-02-24


trimmings, and a train a yard long.
She expected to enjoy herself very
much-but oar expectations are not al
ways realized. The train was torn
down by some old gentleman's ruth
less boot the blonde ripped to tat
tiers, and she had the satisfaction of
hearing Mrs. Hyde-Appleton remark
soto roce, 10 her canpanion, as she
surveyed her through aponderous eye
glass:
"Why, that's Emily Lourle's blue
silk dress! | would know the pattern
of that blonde anywhere. And how
in the world comes Miss Rossitur to
be wearing it p
Poor Louisa. She could have cried
with vexation and disappointment, if
tears would have done any good. And
Hubert Dalton, to meet whom she
had specially made the effort, never
looked her way all the evening, but
tlirted to his hearts content with Mrs.
Hyde-Appleton's pretty Cecilia Pyn,
sent
''Well," said Mr.. Rossitur, when
his daughter came home in y hired
hack at two in the morning-he was
smoking and reading in the little room
called his study-'have you had a
pleasant time 2
"Not very Louisa responded, spir-
itlessly.
"Was it worth the twenty-five dol
lars, that would have bought nice
warm fur sacque for Leila, instead of
the shabby thin thing she will wear
now, all winter ?" asked Mr.. Rossi-
tur
Louisa went into tears. 81 never
want to go to another ball. said she.
"And I'll cut this blue silk up into
dresses for Leila and Fan. There is
a spot on the side breadth where
that clumsy old Brewster spilled
a glass of wine, that ruins it for me !"
Mr.. Rossitur kindly patted her
dropping head. "NIy dear" said he,
"you thought the old father very
cross and unsympathetic the other
day, but [ guess you'll come to the
conclusion that he knew best after all.
Don't fret any more, but let this
teach you to be wiser another time"
But alas this was not destined to
be the end of the chapter. Louisa
went down to Maddox street the
next day, to get sash which had
not been sent with the other belong
ings of the blue silk dress, but to her
surprise the store was shut up.
"Haven't you heard, miss ?" said
policeman, strolling up and down
the street, OF whom, in'her perplexity,
Louisa made inquiry. "They'rc all
down with the smallpox Brought ii
in one of their secondhand packages
from Philadelphia, and the stock in
trade was carted away this morning
in one of the Board of Health's wag
ons, to be burned y
Louisa stood pale and petrifed
while her thoughts travelled witt
lightning speed to the blue silk dress
at home. Oh, that she had been wise
enough to follow Mrs. Staples advice.
and let the cheap second hand store
alone.
She went home, with heart a.
heavy as lead in her bosom.
at is too late to confess my indis
cretion," said she, to herself. "If-i
any harm shouldcome of it, I can only
endure it in silence !"
But the next day, when little Fan
dropped around and complained o
headache and pain in her back
Louisa's reticence gave way, and sh'
confessed all to the kind family doc
tor.
"a bad business-a bad business,
said he shaking his head. ''But / an
not going to scold you, my dea
young lady. l can see by your look
that you have suffered enough al
ready"
The blue silk dress was taken ava,
and bulied three feet deep, at the bacl
of the garden, and poor Louisa, keep
ing right at the side OF one after an
other Of her sick sisters, regretted tina
she had ever set eyes on it. Last o
all, she herself sank beneath the fe1
disease, and after weeks of pain ant
suffering walked to the bite con
seriousness that her coveted beaut
was gone.
Scared, scanned, hideous to look W
on, with not vestioe of the roses an