Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1880-04-22

cows and horses, cats and doves; even
the wood birds had way of flying low
round the charming head as she called
them. Some said it was her beauty, for
| she was the loveliest little brown-haired,
blue-eyed, white -browed, damask-
checked piece of flesh and blood one
could imagine; others said it was her
! gentle ways; and the rest fancied it
was some nearness to nature in her, or
some secret attraction like that of the
| Indian snake-charmers.
| That is the same way she tanned
James brother Phil" said Lucia.
Every one knows that Phil was the
haughtiest and most high-strung man
| in existence, and rather despised women.
And now he just adores the ground she
walks on.
As for me-" said Miss Meyer. 81
should be afraid that that sort of love
was glamour, and would break up
some day.
There's no danger of Phil's love for
Adele breaking up,' said Jane. And
how she does worship himi She never
mentions his name, but she writes to
him every day-and she even saves the
scraps of bis writing on newspaper en-
velopes-she does indeed, girls!n
so much for any one," said Miss Meyer.
I don't know anybody that's more
likely to" cried Lucia, 'sWhen you do
fall in love, Maria Meyer"
Don't you concern yourself, young
lady. about me-" said Miss Meyer,
sharply, walking off to give Laddie
biscuit. which was at once stolen by
Jack, Laddie being engrossed in fine
romp with Adele. They say she used
to care for Phil herself" whispered
Lucia to her neighbor,, and then they
fell to comparing their tatting and
crocheting. and getting out patterns,
and Miss Mahoney joined them.
Miss Mahoney's morning toilettes
were as extraordinarily severe as her
afternoon ones were extraordinarily su-
perb. "Oh, Miss Mahoney!" cried one
of the girls one morning, " if we had
your laces, we shouldn't have to do
tatting"
We hear you have such lovely lace,n
said Maria Meyer, with her grand air on.
have some very pretty pieces, !" said
Miss Mahoney "Our family is an old
Irish family, and / am the last of it,
md so in one direction and another I
have fallen heir to good deal"
And suppose you know all about
lacepn said Lucia.
know all about m lace. Some of
it is quite nice. As pretty pieces" re
peated Miss Mahoney, "of their size,
as one could see in America"
What if you had grand opening at
some time, and let us see them all?'
asked Lucia.
why, with the greatest pleasure,
any time-now, if you say sou And
of course the girls all said SO. and
sprung to their feet at once.
Oh, is she going to show US her
lacesP" cried Adele, dancing up with
Laddie barking and jumping round
Jack. who had perched on her shoulder.
How lovely of you, Miss Mahoneyr''
and she followed with the rest.
This" said Miss Mahoney. when
she Lad opened her boxes, " is Venice
point.
. It doesn't look any different from
tatting.n said Maria Meyer.
Only" said Miss Mahoney, "as
different as mist is from water. This is
a bit Of Spanish lace made in a convent.
Here is a scrap of cardinals lace; no.
body but the cardinals at Rome have it.
| don't know how my grandmother
came into possession of this scrap
there used to be an archbishop in our
family somewhere, but that's not a car
dinal. These are all old French laces-
Mrs. Palissey never saw their equal.
But they are a great deal of care.
often think that piece of Valenciennes
costs me as much trouble as child.
These are Irish 1aces-they are like
hoar-frosts and blowing snow-drifts,
somebody once told me. They don't
make them now. See this piece of Eng
lish point-old Devonshire poipt-n
:" Oh, how lovely y cried Adele, while
the others were exclaiming over this
and that. s'Talk of snow-drifts!p and
she took the Devonshire point in her
hands; it was two or three yards of fin
ger-deep edging in a couple of pieces
caught together by thread, of the most
exquisitely delicate beauty both of tex
ture and design-idealized foam wreaths
or the fancies of some frosted pane
spread on spiders web "How per-
fectly love.y!' exclaimed Adele again,
and she wound it around her blushing
face before the glass. "What finish
for bridal toilette?n and then she held
it up in her hands in the sunlight. and
the magpie on her shoulder, cooking
his head on this side and the other,
looked more demoniac than ever
through the film of an end of it that Law
over his shining black feathers. "You.
are exactly like one OF those girls hold
ing little bannerols that come dancing
out of the facades of temples in those
Pompeiian decorations of Phil'st'' cried
Jane. What a pity that you're not
going to marry q rich man, Del, who
could afford you Devonshire point and
diamonds" she added, the least atom
maliciously, instead of poor young
architect!o
IF Adele wound duster round
her she would look decorated" said
Lucia.
Most folks would" said Adele, tax
ing off the lace soberly, and laying it
down. but l must confess that /
think lace is the most perfect thing
made by hands; it always seems to me
the nearest approach of man to works OF
nature, and I'd about as lief make lace
as paint pictures" And then Miss Never
began wrapping herself in black lace
mantle so precisely designed that the
very dewdrops seemed to glisten on the
poppy petals there; and presently all
the other girls were masquerading in the
precious things, while Miss Mahoney
sat by complacently enjoying her msg-
nifcence.
Now, my dears, said Miss Mahoney,
as ono by one they resigned their bor-
rowed plumes, you see / have nice
things, if | don't wear them.'' And,