New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1880-07-07
WE saw Providence girl yesterday
who was ''just as pretty as she could be-"
but, poor thing, she couldn't be very
>retty.-Bosto,a Post.
MISS DEULAu'S BONNET.

,mlSS DLUAAuO DUNNEls
II DON'T want to be too fine, ye
know, Mary Jane; somethin' tasty and
kind of suitable. It's an old bunnit;
but my! them Leghorns III last 3 gen
Grafton il you favor 'em; that was
mothers weddin' bunnit.''
"You don't say so! Well, it has
kept remarkably we'll; but good Leg
horn will last; that's fact, though
they get.real brittle after spell; and
you'll II have to be awful careful of this,
Miss Beulah; it's brittle now, I sec.''
eyes, I expect it is, but it'll carry me
through this summer, 1 guess. But I
want you to make it real tasty, Mary
Jane, for my niece, Miss Smith, she
that was Liza Barber, is coming to stay
awhile to our house this summer, and
she lives in the city, you know"
ELIZA Barber! do tell! Why l
haven't seen |cr scnce she was knee
Ugh to hop toad, as you may say. lie
amt Twin is he?''
"No; he died two years ago, leavin'
her with three children. Sarah is a
grown girl; and then there's Jack, he's
eight, and Janey. she's three. There
was four died between Jack and Sarah
l guess she's full eighteen
Mercy to me! time flies, don't it?
But about the bunnit; what should you
say to this lavender ribbin?''
"Ain't | kind of dark for lavender?
| had an idcc to have brown, or mebbe
dark green"
"Land! for spring? Why, that amt
the right thing. This lavender is real
ham some, and I'll set it off with little
black lace, and put a bow ont in the
front; it'N be real drcssy and sccmly
for YOU"
''Well, you can try it, Mary Jane;
but I give you fair warnin' , if l think
it's too dressy, you'll have to take it all
off,"
"rm willin'," laughed Miss Mary
Jane Beers, good old soul, and con-
temporary of her customer, Miss Beulah
Lark who was an old maid living in
Dorset on small amount of money
carefully invested, and owning the great
red house which her grandfather had
built for a large family on one corner of
his farm. Miss Beulah Larkin was tall,
gaunt, hard-featured and good. Every
body respected her, some feared, and a
few loved her; but she was not that sort
of soul which thirsts to be loved; her
whole desire and design was to do her
duty and be respectable. Into this
latter clause came the matter of Il bon
net, over which she had held such
anxious discourse. If she had any FEM
mime vanity---and she was woman---it
took this virtuous aspect of desire to
be ''respcctit like the lave" for decen-
cy of dress as well as demeanor. This
spring she had received letter from
her niece, the widowed Mrs. Smith,
asking if she could come to visit her;
and sending back a pleased assent, Miss
Beulah and her little handmade, Nanny
Starks, bestirred themselves to sweep
and garnish the house, already fresh
and spotlcss from its recent annual
cleaning.
Mrs. Eliza Smith was poor woman,
but Il woman of resource. Her visit
was not purely of affection, or of family
respect. Her daughter Sarah---a pretty,
slight, graceful girl, had been intended
by her mother to blossom into beauty in
due season, and ''marry well,' as the
phrase goes; but Sarah and certain
Fred Wilson, telegraph operator in
hartford, had set all the thrifty mother s
plans at defiance, and fallen head over
heels. in love, regardless of Mrs. Smith
or anybody else. Sarah's brows were
not black and straight, or her chin firm
and cleft with dimple. for nothing;
she meant to marry Fred Wilson rs soon
having unusual common-sensc, as we'll
as previous experience of Sarah's ca
pacity of resistance, ceased to oppose
that young lady's resolute intention.
Master Wilson had already gone West,
to 4 more lucrative situation than Dart
ford afforded, and Sarah was only watt
ing to get ready as to her outfit, and
amass enough money for the cost of
travelling, to follow him, since he was
unable to return for her, both from lack
of money and time. In this condition
of things it occurred to Mrs. Smith that
it would save q good deal of money if
she could spend the summer with Aunt
Beulah, and so be spared the expense of
board and lodging for her family. Ac-
cortlingly, she looked about for tenant
for her little house; and finding ono
ready to come in sooner than she had
anticipated, she answered Aunt Beuleh's
friendly letter of invitation with an i'm
mediate acceptance, and followed her
own epistlc at once, and, arriving, alas
for Miss Beulah! before that LeghOrn
bonnet had come home from Miss
Beers front parlor, in which she car
ried on her ilourishing millinery bust
ness.
Miss 1.arkin was unfeignedly glad to
see E'iz: again, and, giving the rest IN
equal welcome, established them in the
clean, large, cool chambers that were
such contrast to the hot rooms, small
and dingy, of their city home
Jack was veritable little pickle; tall
of his age, and light Of foot and hand;
nature had framed him in body and
mind for mischief; while Sarah was a
pleasant, handy young girl as long as
nothing opposed her, and Janey a round
and rosy poppet, who adored Jack, and
rebelled against her mother and Sarah
hourly. Jack was born nuisance; Miss
Beulah could hardly endure him, he did
so cOntrovert all the orders and manners
of her neat house.
Mrs. Smith began to fear her visit
would be prematurely shortened on
Jacks account, and Sarah, who had
wisely contided her love affair to Aunt
Beulah, and stirred that hardened heart
to its core by her pathetic tale of pow
erty and separation, began to dread the
failure of her hopes also, for her aunt
had more than limited that she would
give something toward that travelling
money which was now the girls great
object in life, since by diligent sewing
she had almost finished her bridal out
fit. As for Janey, she was already, in
spite of her naughtiness, mistress Of
Aunt Beulah's very soul. If Janey
said, sTum!' in her imperative way,
Miss Beulah came, whether her hands
were in the wash-tub or the bread-tray.
Janey ran riot over her most cherished
customs, and while she did not hesitate
to scold or even slap Jack harshly fol
his derelictions, she had an excuse
always ready for Janey's worst sins,