Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1877-06-25
My New Alpaca Dress.
BY ROsELLA RICE.

with folds of the same; we'll, spread a
newspaper over it, and let's leave it. l
feel as though l never wanted to wear
tits neat and pretty, and in good
taste, but l don't like to look at it. it
makes me sad. for a "tale hangs there
by;" and 1, Callie Ross, sighed and
closed the bedroom door as my girl
friend. Lottie, laughed and looked up
in my face, as much as to say, did l
eve>l"
In the evening Lottie and Lide and
my own girls were popping corn and
swapping apple-seeds on the stove, and
hurling parings over their heads to see
what letter of the alphabet they would
form in falling, and all these silly, fun
ny little enjoyable things that girls
have done from time immemorial.
sat reading DIR. Bushnell's "Moral
Uses of Dark Things" but somehow
his best sentences would entangle them
selves in the girls capers, and at last
laid the book away and drew myself
nearer the stove.
l observed the girls whispering to each
other, and occasionally heard one say,
"Oh, you do it," "No, you, 1 don't like
to-" At last LOttie said, "Aunt Callie,
won't you tell us story, it would be
better than anything else. Your stories
are good, just like they are in novels
had to laugh at this, because 1 so
dislike and dread and fear novels, that
the compliment was anything else than
Lottie intended it should be.
"Tell's us why you don't like your
new dress, Callie, that's dearie; if it
does make you sad, why you'll sleep it
all away before morning, with that clear
conscience of yours, and you'll wake up
as brieht-as-as a new tin dipper,"
and the GIRL Lottie, little witch, laugh
ed and smoothed and patted her pinky
palms together.
"Well, I'll tell you girls in my own
way, then, and you mustn't interrupt
me, or laugh or make remarks. I'll tell
the whole story, from beginning to end
ing, why l don't like my new alpaca
Dress"
81 was only fourteen years old when
my mother died, and l had only one
dress, gay chintz, like curtain calico,
with big leaves and full -blossomed roses.
l never liked that dress, but it was all
that l had at that time and, with a
rufled calico apron and thin black
shawl, l was fixed up to attend my mo-
theirs funeral. had always gone bare
footed from April until November, and
my feet had spread out so they could
not be squeezed into my last winters
shoes, on that memorable occasion. |
remember cousin brought me hers to
wear-calfskin, lined and bound she
said, soft, nice ones, the like which
had never owned. My shoes was always
heavy leather, like mems coarse boots.
l managed to crowd my overgrown feet
into cousins shoes, but they almost
split over the sides they were low, and
the binding at the top cut into my heels
so that they bled, and at night the
coarse, homemade cotton stockings had
to be soaked in warm water before they
t would come off,
"In week or so l limited to my faith
er that | would be glad if my sister anG
l could have black dresses-just plair
ninepence calico would do; but he said
it would be wrong to wear black tha
i he disapproved of such things, and wee
better look for the interests of our i'm
d mortal souls before the adorning of ou
i dying bodies.
! "This was sensible talk, and we triet
e to believe it and act upon it, but it wa
hard work for growing little girls. VIII
s loved pretty things.
8 "We used to talk it over, and try t
make ourselves abide by his wise decls
ion, after we had gone to bed at night
but it generally ended with an uncon
a trollable fit of weeping down under tn
n quilts, and the smothered cry of Moth
n er, Mother 7 as we lay there. lone littl
: things, trying to comfort each other.
GAS soon as harvest was over ou
! grain was hauled in wagons to LAX
a Erie, and exchanged for money, sal
a coffee, fish, muslin and boots. On
r. night the loaded wagons stood in tn
ID street, with white covers. freshly file
tar-boxes, and everything in good orde
II II ready for an early start the next morr
j. ing.
L. 1--WE girls listened and heard fathe
40 making out his bill of goods and grocel
2 ies-but never a word said about tw
:. dress-patterns. l was very anxious, an
trembled, but dared not run the risk
at a refusal. My sister was bolder, an
tie ventured further than dared. I W;
ce fiery and impetuous, and would say Gu
~ -. ting things, while she would coax al
mo- cry, and say, oh, do now ?
nd "'This is our last chance, l said.
In will take the baby and go out into Il
.ul M orchard and look for some apples, viii
On ,Sn you cOax-and, sis, don't give up; min