The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1877-05-24
THE OPAL SILK DRESS.
BY s. ANNIE FROST.


glided over the key board of her music
teachers piano. 81 know John will be
so disappointed if do not, but | really
and truly have nothing to wear.''
''But John knows you arc not rich -
ooh, yes John would not care if 7
went in calico dress and bingham apron
but-but please don't think it is false
| pride, but all his family will be there.
and you know they ali look down upon
me because mother has keep to bOardcrs,
and John Is rich. | don't mean all, be-
cause his mother is very kind to me-
But l would not like to shame John by
being shabby, and | cannot ask mother
| for even the price of tarletan, till she
! gets ahead a little.'
- see. But your pretty pink dress 20
| Game to grief at my last party. One
! OF the gentlemen upset ice cream all down
| one side, and dresses are so cut up now
a-dayS, you can't alter them one bit
| why, Miss PattisOn, that very dress was
one Of mothers, and there were so many
long, full widths in it, that we easily
made dress and Overskirt, with miles of
! ruflling, out of the skirt. To be sure,
mother is very tall, and l small, but l am
| sure none of the dresses she wears now
! could be altered for me-
While Daisy was speaking, Miss Patti
| son, her music teacher, was looking at
| the pretty face, the soft blue eyes and
1lOssy curls, and thinking.
SIT is useless to me, and as she says,
there is plenty of material for Il modern
dress in an OId-fashiOncd skirt. | have
kept 1t, to be sure, for many years, but
after all -'
And here she spoke, hesitatingly:
''Daisy, L have Il dress L shalt never
wear again, that l should like to see you
dressed in for Mrs. RansOm's party"
"But," half sadly, half merrily, ''you
will not mind accepting it from such an
old friend as | am, or from one who
loves you as dearly as | do 1 will show
it to you"
She arose as she spoke, and opening a
closet in the room, took from a trunk
there an opal silk. 1t was certainly old
fashioned, with wide skirt, tlOunced to
the waist, offering material for Il modern
costume of most elaborate style.
"Oh," little Daisy said, cit is lovely
any alteration. Only, Miss PattisOn, this
is real lace in the deep berthe"
eyes, dear. You can easily make
modern fiChu of that"
cit is so kind to give it to me" said
Daisy, ''for l do want to 60 on Wednes-
day, more than L can tell you. And oh,
Miss PattisOu, we have Il new boarder.-I
He came this morning, and took the two
second story front rooms. did not hear
his name, but he Is an elderly man, with
a face that is pleasant and yet very sad. |
y good face, but sOrrOwful! l know |
shall like him"
81 am glad the rooms are taken
Yes, indeed. for they have been va
cant nearly six months, and that is the |
reason mother is so straighteHed. But l |
hope now she will get along better. Oh, |
dear! l hate being poor! | would love Z
John if he was a pauper, and marry him, |
but l am glad he is rich, too. He prom |
ised to be ever so good to mother, and he |
loves her as much as love his muIher.-l
Only his other relatives think he i fool :
ish to marry poor girl. Miss PattisOn," !
this hesitatingly, ''were you ever in
lOVe?''
eyes, dear When wore this dress,
twenty years ago, l wore it to please eyes
as loving and tender as Johns will be for
you! Mother, l too had a mother then,
Daisy, told me opal was an Unlucky col
or, but the dress pleased me, and being a
spoiled, wilful child, | bought it,
'But was it unluCky?'
''Dear child, if did not believe that to
be all nonsense, L would never give that
dress to you. Yet, on the evening | wore
that dress, the first cloud arose upon Il
life that had been all happiness before
We all have our troubles. Mine began
then, in a separation from the only man
l ever loved, L have kept that love in my
heart all these years, Daisy, though l
have never seen my lover, never heard
from him"
''Please tell me all about it, pleaded
Daisy.
''ShalI 1 tell you, dear? 1t is long
since l spoke of it. was an only child,
Daisy, and my father, although never a
wealthy man, had handsome salary
We were in good social circle, and l
had all the gaity and tfnery young heart
could desire; and had suitOrs too, dear,
Int yIo1
given to one. Walter-weIl, never mind
his other name. While l loved him on
ly, | had other friends, and one, Clar-
cnce Fisk, loved me, though | had never
suspected it until the evening when l
wore the opal silk.
cit was my birthday, my eighteenth
birthday, and had large party of my
own young friends. L was intensely
happy, Daisy.
''Only that morning Walter had brOt'
me a choice basket of flowers, and had
told me his love, asking me to be his
wife. Upon my finger was his betroth-
al ring, a large pearl encircled by dia-
mOndS. 1t was a tritle too large, but af-
ter Walter put it on with loving words l
would not let him take it off, promising
to buy a guard for it. the next day.
''ThC evening was half over, when
who had been waltzing with
me, drew me into small room leading
OUT Oh JIlG CIOWuSu DaflOrS, anu 10 my !
surprise told me he loved ne.
CHE had never before been in a posi-
ton to marry, but on that he had been Of
fered position in Cincinnati that would
give him a liberal salary.
81 was shocked and bewildered when
he asked me to be his wife; but, Daisy,
had known him all my life; he was like a
dear brother to me, and | could not dis
miss him harshly. Even when my own
sorrow came, had no Self-reprOach, be-
cause l tried to soften my refusal by
words of sincere friendship and afIec-
ton.
81 let him take my hand i'm his and
press his lips upon my forehead in a fare
well Caress. But, as he did so, Walter,
coming to seek me, saw him, and misin-
terpreted the action.
''He spoke harshly, and suddenly pOin-
ting to my finger, accused me of having
given my betrothal ring to Clarence.
"Bewildered and half angry, / looked
at my hand. The ring was gone, All
my frantic search through the room was
treated with quiet contempt, Is piece of
acting"
"But did Clarence take the ring?' ask
ed Daisy, bTeathlessly.
''My dear. | do not know. We could
not find it. Clarence died in Cincin-
natl, Walter left me in hot anger. and
never returned. My life was soon a
Swallowed one; l lost both parents, and
am now, at thirty eight, a little old maid
music teacher, moderately Contcnted,
with an income sufficient for my wants,
and''-here bliss Pattison smjled-''very
fond of my young friend, Daisy"
DaiSy's mother was quite as much
DlpaSpl and excited ~ the little maiden