The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1876-06-29
Nely's Calico Dress.
BY ROSE TERRY COOKE.

| lle Nely Day looked up Into her mother
face with a wistful gance, as if she wa
half amused and half sad.
"Wear your new dress, Of course" plac
idly answered the widow Day.
But, mother, it's only Calico
That's very true. and ten-cent calico a
that; still, it is all you have got, Nely.'
''And the girls are all going nanny
even the Holdridges and their New Yorl
company"
Mrs. Day turned u pleasant, keen fac,
toward her daughter looked at her stead
lily for minute with faint smile lur1
ing about her lips, and then answered
with the New England word Of all-work
"Well P"
But it isn't WE'LL" said Nelly, with 8
little yeXed laugh. II don't like to 90
nanny dear, where my company'll be
ashamed of me-"
Then should certainly stay at home,
was the serene answer.
ooh, mother"
Mrs. Day got up and came across the
room to Cornelia.
"My dear little girl, look the thing ir
the face. You own two calico dresses ane
black silk and Il grey merino; the me.
= L
wear the silk scrambing after arbutus
Look things in the face, and take youl
choice"
"Our arbutus parties are 50 pleasant, >
sighed Nelly
"Then you can't make up your mind to
90 in Il clean calico and enjoy yourself
or have you an intention of going to show
the New York people your best gown, and
how little you care about running it ?
Nelly, don't be a goose Put your silly lit
tie pride in your pocket, my dear, or else
use it on your sandwiches, for | know no.
body in the valley has any better than |
can make
"Who's proud now, ma'am. I'd like to
know ?" laughed Nelly, her sweet temper
and sense coming to the front; and kiss
ing her mother, she danced off to put a
fresh frll in the throat of her silk dress for
Sunday, for tomorrow the arbutus party
would take all her time
Nelly and her mother were poor; but
when one is young and pretty. poverty is
only matter of small stings. 1t was the
mother who felt anxiety for the future,
who spared herselfal spurious comforts,
who pinched and pared and labored to lay
up little for some day OF rain, or per-
haps for Nely's wedding. Who knows.
Her husband had been dead this fifteen
years. Had he lived, she woulG probably
have been still poorer. He was country
clergyman, studious, dreamy, helpless 1t
is true, his wife loved and mourned him,
but everybody knew it was better for her
that he died and left her his life insurance.
If she did not think so, it was owing to Il
foolish way women nave OF preferIiuS :,
living, loving husband to five thousand
dollars. Folly? OF course; but then they
are women.
Now she had only Nelly, and she loved
her after that same fashion; but certain
crisp common-sense and provident mater
nal instinct helped her not to spoil the
child however much she would have liked
to.
Only calico! But when Nelly left her lit
tie room next morning dressed for the eX-
pedition, Mrs. Day was altogether salts
tied with her aspect.
Mother had made the gown herself.
1t was simple enough; black and white
stripe, more white than black, single
deep rutlle on the skirt bound and headed
with black cambric bands; Jacket fitting
closely, but not tightly to the delicate
rounded figure, finished with a black cam
brio rutfle, a like trimming around the
throat, but within it pleated linen frill,
both kept in order by q band of black vel
vet, from which hung a white spar cross,
her solitary trinket. and one that was her
mothers before her; little black cloth
sacque of Il singularly graceful shape,
braided on the edge in a Greek pattern ;
a wide-leafed black hat with bit of snow
white feather trimming round the crown :;
and a pair of black gloves, much mended
and little purple and shabby about the
tinger-tips, completed the costume; but
when you put this simple attire on to a
slight, graceful figure with a blooming
lace. starry dark eyes. and abundant rich
brown hair turned back from the white
temples and knotted up high on the small
head, while dozen little fluffy tendrils
tluttered over the tiny pink ears, and low,
white forehead, you did not remember
that the dress was calico. And even an
ugly calico might have been forgotten if
you peeped into the clean new lunch bas-
ket, with an Old damask towel folded over
the contents. but filled with such dainty
sandwiches; some OF tongue that Mrs.
Day had cured herself, rosy, tender, and
flavorous; some of ounce marmalade in
irm-grained slices translucent as clouded
amber; some Of acid jelly; and some Of
maple sugar. o benighted reader, who
never ate this last-named dainty, you have
new experience before you! here were
slices OF whitest wheat and some of fresh
est rye bread, well spread with golden
butter, and then thickly spread again with
maple sugar stirred while hot into thick
paste, sweet as honey, but spicy even in
sweetness with the taste of tie trees heart,
the forest odors, the clean fine aroma of
Northern woods and wilds. No wonder
that Mrs. Days sandwiches We're proven
bal in Beckett!
The widow looked with satisfaction at
her pretty daughter; she had fashioned as
well as made those graceful garments, and
if the sacque was ingeniously pieced from
Parson Days Sunday coat, the dress ten
cent calico, and the white band of feathers
plucked from the breast of two Thanks
giving chickens and sewed by her own
fingers, she knew that the patterns of
those economical garments her own quick
eyes had copied from Partisan outfit sent
to Beckett tor one of the Holdridge girls
wedding, and did not Lima Holdridge lend
Nelly the Bazars every week
Moreover, Mrs Day had an artists eye
tor dress; she would have been treasure
in some great dress making establishment
and she knew very we'll that Nely's array
was thoroughly in keeping, and then it
was on Nelly!
SO her treasure set off to meet the party
at the depot, and perhaps the little girls
heart sank bit when she saw the elabo
rate walking dresses of dove-colored cash
mere. seal brown de bege, or shining pop
lin, frilled, pleated, shirred, punched, tied
back, and elaborate in fearful and won
deriul manner, that the Holdridge girl:
and their two friends from New York
wore; even the village girls had done
their utmost to be fine in emulation. Addy
Mason was spectacle to behold, in pei
green alpaca trimmed with black velvet
and pink roses in her turban of felt; while
Jane Glass was gotten up in her best black
silk furbelowed with yak lace, and hel
new Sunday bonnet of white straw will
blue-green ribbons and tips of pink ugh
Nelly shuddered at the sight, for Jane wa
sallow-hair, eyes, skin and teeth. Blu