Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-10-17
A STORY OF A BALL DRESS.

Fifty dollars, Nettie not one cent
more Mrs, Locke said, decidedly.
Fifty dollars !" Nettie echoed, dis
contentedly. ooh, dear! how far will
fifty dollars go? Dress, shoes, flowers,
gloves-that las packet Aunt Nell sent
me is exhausted, that is. all the evening
tints, and I'll have to buy a pair. Let
me count up: gloves, three dollars and
a half; shoes, | can buy pair for five
dollars cheap, but they'll have to do !;
[ can manage with ten dollars worth of
French flowers if [ use them with dis
cretion. OF course Phil will send me
al the natural flowers I'll need That
leaves thirty-one dollars and a half for
my dress, not counting the dress-mak-
ers bill, Of course Madame Perot will
wait. Do you think | can make it do,
mammal"
You will have to make it do, Nettie
Your father says he can't possibly give
you any more. You know he has heavy
losses IN two or three directions, owing
to the recent failures
It's SO provoking Just now, too,
when [ especially want to make good
appearance at this party. I'm sure l
can't see why the banks couldn't have
waited a little longer before breaking
up in this horrid way If they had
only waited till next week, | shouldn't
have cared SO much" Nettie said,
poutingly.
They didn't break simply to vex
you, Nettie, rest assured of that: so
forgive them the misfortune" her moth
er returned, half laughingly, half re-
provingly. 'And be content, my dear,
that it is no worse. Think how many
girls there are who can not have warm
and comfortable clothing even, much
less fifty dollars to expend on ball
tineries.'
[ don't believe such people exist eX-
cept in novels. [ don't know any girl
who hasn't comfortable and elegant
clothes. Why, even our servants dress
with certain style. Their clothes are
not only comfortable, but really hand
some, of good material, and as fashion
ably made as any ones; and all my
friends dress elegantly. Nellie will
spend three or four hundred dollars for
her new ball dress Clara will spend
quite as much then Maud Campbell
Is to have a magnificent set Of new Jew
els, and her dress-I went with her to
madame's to have it fitted yesterday,
and it's grand. [ can't begin to de-
scribe its magnifcence in the way of
laces and flowers. One single spray
cost forty-seven dollars and fifty-one
beggardly fifty-for my entire dress,
shoes: gloves, flowers, and every thing
Oh dear oh dear!'
You have a dozen dresses, Nettie,
that are plenty good enough to wear"
Your idea of good enough and
mine are very different. I haven't
thing fit to be seen"
Your apricot silk?'
Is entirely passee.
Your violet?''
Never was becoming. Blondes Of
my style are horrid in violet
Your Nile green ?"
Oh, don't mention it, please, mann
ma; every blonde [ know has worn
green, green, green, till I'm sick of the
sight of it.
Your scarlet satin? | am sure that
is color blondes don't often indulge in.
1t is certainly becoming, and undeniably
an elegant dress You can take off the
white applique founces and remodel with
my black Chantilly, trim it with white
and red roses, and you have dress fit
for an empress
Too imperial, mamma dear It's
entirely too early in the season to appear
IN such a brilliant dress"
Then wear your blue gros grain. 1t
Is beautiful dress, Nettie, and certainly
can't be objected to on the score Of not
being becoming
" Yes, it IS becoming" Nettie said,
casting conscious glance toward the
mirror; :" but the truth is, mamma, |
want reW dress. I'd be mortified to
death 10 wear one of my evening dresses
Of last season."
When [ was a girl, Nettie, one silk
dress for occasions of ceremony, and a
quiet muslin with pink or blue ribbons,
were considered a very nice outfit [
remember the night your father fell in
love with me [ wore white muslin,
with scarlet roses in my hair, and he
says it is the loveliest dress a girl can
wear"
can assure you, mamma dear,
tunes are changed. Simple muslin and
scarlet rose dresses the heroine of
novel very prettily, but such common
place clay as Nettle Locke requires a
gloss of satin and glimmer of pearls, if
she expects to reign queen rose of the
rosebud garden of girls I'd wait
long time for Phil to fall in love with me
dressed like such guy" Nettie said,
with laugh and blush
Well, my dear, here is your allow
ance make yourself as gay as possible
with it," Mrs Locke returned, laughing
ly. !" If you will permit me to make
a suggestion. however, [ think the blue
gros grain and your white lace over
dress will be much handsomer than q
new cheap silk
" don't intend to buy cheap silk,
mamma I'm going to have trailing
silk illusion, trimmed with pink aza-
leas-the frailest, loyeliest things-ex-