The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-02-03
ONLY AN HOUR Or two.
waiting for n woman to "Get Ready

i
waiting tor n woman to "Eet Ready"
1 Are you man?
| II SO. you have probably had the pleasure
OF waiting Tor woman to "get ready" to go
somewhere.
Getting ready is mighty operation for q
woman to perform. Tt always has been so;
but In these days OF implicated costumes
and innutnerable appendages Of the toilet 1t
| Is o sttlpend0us undertaking.
You are infatuated with Miss b. You in
yite her to ride behind your span Of grays
| You are wise enough to know that all women,
and would much sooner be made love to by d
man who owns O nice team than by one who
taKes MS alrings In horse cars and omnibllses.
You set the time at 3 30 p. m. She sweetly
at four. or course she would like to go earlier,
but she doubts If she can get ready; and. Of
course, as you are not married to her, you are
only TOO happy to do just as she wants you to.
change all that, and madame must be ready
when monsieur bids her, or she is left behind.
| At precisely four the next day you drive up
TO Miss BIZ gate with grand flourish It
| looks old fogyish to be walking your horses
up to the htching place, and you have been
| showing the animals your whip Il few blocks
back. They are stirred up by it. and paw no
Papa B.s concrete. and snap at his young
| shrubbery in u vicious way, and assure Won
equinely that they had just as soon not wait
| for woman to get ready.
| You think first you won't hitch them, for
| surely she must be ready, but remembering
former experiences with those of her SEX you
change your mind and give small boy ten
cents to have an eye on them. You ring the
door-bell and are admitted, and the small boy
engages In marble playing with another small
boy, and trusts the horses to Providence.
"Is Miss b. ready y you bfandly ask the
maid-servant
She doesn't know, she'll 20 inquire. You
stand first on one foot and then on the other,
and stare at the hat-tree, and pull up your
! new-style collar, which ought to stand up
but which has developed an obstinate ten
dency to lop down and you wonder where ON
earth that servant has to go to inquire" and
you run out to see to your horses, and admin
lister some sharp words to your small delin-
quent groom, and he thumbs his nose at You
the moment your back is turned.
By the time you get into the house again
Mrs. y. is coming down the stairs in a toilet
made IN ey nfe haste She Is eorda and In
be down in o moment, and she is so sorry to
have kept you waiting.
From above stairs You can hear the sound
of the notes Of preparation Much treading
back and forth, opening OF closet doors, shut
ting of drawers, seedlings OF the maid, in sup
pressed tones, and liveiness generally.
II you could look into Marie's chamber you
would be in despair. Her "crimps" are not
pull-baek's elastic cords are out Of gear, and
the maid is fixing them; she can't find her
bracelets one cuff pin Is missing, she has put
arnica on her handkerchief by mistake, think
basque from hurried buttoning and oh dear
dear! where are her parasol, and her lemon
kids, and her lace scarf, and that coral neck
chain and shawl, and her white lace vail,
and dozen other necessary, articles?.
She has hurried so that her face is all In @
blaze, and she feels sure she looks like
washwoman, and she seizes the powder
puff and dabs q little chalk ON her forehead
and leaves some in her eyebrows and hopes it
won't be seen, as she is going to ride out with
q man and not with q woman.
All unconscious OF the trials which beset
your charming Marie, you are striving TO do
The agreeable to, Mrs. B., with the sound Of
your horses paving up that sidewalk In your
ears and you know the old man is particular
about his grounds; and directly you hear
something snap and rush out to find that one
Of your spirited nags has broken off fence
picket and Is trying his best on another by
way OF desert.
Will she never get ready2
You go back to tell Mrs B. that your horses
are So FESTIVE that you must stand by them,
and you retire to the sidewalk. painfully CON
ment house, half dozen children and young
people, and as many more idle loafers, are
watching you, and laughing at your predica-
ment and telling each other that that is the
chap what is q trying to court Marie b.. and
she's had nine feIlers already, and every one
of em went back on her.
You consult your watch, 5 o'clock You feel
inclined to swear q little; but early piety for
bids, and you try to possess your soul In pa
thence.
The door opens. She comes radiant and
smiling, in the loveliest OF new costumes,
pinned back so tight that she creeps toward
you like q snail, and you mentally wonder |
how she is ever going to step high enough to
get into the carriage; and her hat is SO be-
coming, and her black lace scarf increases the |
Wilderness of her neck 50 much, and she tells |
you so sweetly that she is sorry she kept you
waiting, that you feel infinitely obliged to her
for doing it, and feel for the moment as IL the
highest and most supreme delight of exist
ence could be found only in waiting for her to
"get ready