The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1879-02-20
A PRACTICAL JOKE.
By MARGARET HARVEY.

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By MARGARET HARVEY.
Harry" Lille spoke as though she
had something on her mind, and the
young gentleman addressed looked at
her inquiringly, but she did not seem to
notice him.
Harry" she SAID, again, just as sud-
denly, and then once more relapsed into
a brown study.
In few minutes the bright wool she
was winding fell into hopeless tangle,
and Harry was obliged to take it off
his outstretched hands and help her
pull it into something like smooth
shape. Aud all this while the silence
continued, until at last becoming impa-
tient at the delay, feeling that Lille
wished to say something very ernestly,
he broke the silence by asking:
Well, Lille, what troubles your
You'll laugh" she answered, in a
hesitating manner, /" know you will;
but, indeed, if you were in my place, you
wouldn't see much laughing matter"
He did laugh-mnre at the depre-
eating, woebegone countenance than be-
cause he supposed whatever she had to
say worthy Of regret. And the instant
he did SO he was sorry, for the look of
distress deepened, and she said:
ooh, Harry, if | could only mako you
underestimate
Seriously as ever he uttered anything
in his life, he said:
"Well, whatever the trouble is, Pll
help you out, promise you, Lille,
dear"
He called his cousin Lille, DEAR"
all his life, just as you would say,
"Pretty Poll, or Pussy cat"
Lille was an only child, and Harry
was the youngest of large family, all
of whom, excepting himself, had mar
ried and left the old home. So, for
young company, these two cousins had
mainly depended on each other. They
usually spent their Saturday afternoons
together, and had done SO from the time
when they were school children, and
this was their only holiday. Now Harry
was twenty-four and Lille twenty. Lii
lie had had suitors, of course, but no en-
couragement did she ever give to any.
"Pm never going to marry" she
would say, Harry does as well as a
beau; and what would he do if mar
ried? guess I'll never fall in love, for
/ have never yet seen any body 1 liked
as well as Harry. And Pm sure he'll
be an old bachelor for my cake, for he
don't think there's any girl as good
as l."
Harry" she finally began, 81 think
it's too bad to be girl You can have
your money to spend, and can buy and
do just as you please. But pa and ma
would never let me earn anything-in
fact, never taught me anything by
which / could if had to. / had begged
them many time to let me do some
thing, but they say, 'Oh, l guess we can
afford to take care of our only girl, and
it all comes to nothing. And then, that
is not the worst. They won't let me
earn any money, and they won't give
me any either. Pm twenty years old,
and Pm no better off than child of ten.
If want a new dress, ma says: Eliz-
abeth, can't see that thee's destitute
If / want any petty things that the
other girls have, she says: Elizabeth,
couldn't thee conquer such foolish van
tiles if thee triedP If l want any
books, she says: Thee will find. Bar
clay's apology" and William Penn's
No Cross, no Crown . in the bookcase,
as well as the Bible, and the more
worldly books of /" Pamela" and " Rob.
insou Crusoe." Thee can not weary of
these books if thy mind is content
Now, much as I respect the Friends,
Harry, ] don't see any sense in being as
straitlaced as ma is. Pm sure Pm not a
hearty Friend myself. They say that
gay Quaker ladies dress in the best of
taste, and I believe they dol know I
could. But in such a half-cut rig as
this is, I'm neither one thing nor the
other. Look at me, Harryp
And she stood up. She wore p,ain,
black cashmere, made with an ungored
skirt and plain basque. Plain, straight
linen bands were at her neck and wrists,
unrelieved by ribbon or bit of iewelry,
while her hair fell in its own natural,
short, black curls around her face and
neck Her only ornaments were a rose
at her throat and another in her hair.
eyes," said Harry, you are dressed
very plainly, but never noticed it
before"
"I know you didn't, and that's why ]
have always felt so at ease in your com.
pany. But if you were a girl, would
you like to go out often in such cos.
tumeT
"Well, candidly, Lille, dear, if ]
were as pretty as you, and had such 8
knack of making people think SO, and
wore flowers with the grace you DO,
don't think I'd care much"
"Oh, Harry! But if l look well in
such plain dress, wouldn't look bet
ter if / had better? / have refused
many a fine invitation because I fell
that would look like fright anon.
properly-dressed people. Last week
went to see Belle May. She is havin,
her wedding outfit made. Such per
feet one! Every thing she could desire
and not an extravagant article in th,
whole lot. Her dresses looked as though
they were meant to wear, and wouI
wear-seryiceable, rich and elegant
nothing overloaded, nothing scant. Sh
said she never could have any thing he
own way until she had to attend to this
Her mother rushed to the other ex
trenne, so that poor Belle was compelle
to dress prononce at all times, and ofte
decidedly loud. I think it is Just q
much vanity to dress too plainly as to
gayly. Either attracts undue attentio
and says, Behold mel / am of di
ferent order from my fellow-beings