The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-09-08
JOSIE'S NEW HAT.

JUSlE 5 NEW Hal,
The question of q new hat is o serious
o"e to all girls. even to those who have
rich o and full purses.
To Josie Herne it had, alas! always
been ascrious question, but on u certain
momentous occasion, about to he de-
scribed, its seriousness was beginning
to assume appalling proportions.
This was the way of it:
The Newcome girls had gotten up q
lawn-party, led on to 90 SO oy o. e4'
ample of some friends who had but re-
Gently returned from a prolonged resi-.
dence abroad, and who declared that
life in the country was not to be en-.
dured without lawn-parties now n
then to relieve it's tedious monotony.
The Newcomos were the great people
of Centreville. There were half a dozen
girls OF them, and they were very nice
girls, too, in their way; rather snowy,
a little loud, a little slangy and some.
what disposed to put on airs" as they
said in Centrerille. But, on the whole,
pood.natured and kind-hearted glils;
and little Josie Herne, who was the
daughter of their music master. had
often found them so. They were con.
stantly inviting her to the house when
her father came to give them lessons;
they often invited her to tea-more often
than Josie could accept, for she had SO
few dresses, and such as she had were
not in q very fine state of preservation,
Notwithstanding the care she took of
them. And in summer, especially, she
had often to refuse invitations to tea,
when she would very gladly have &C.
cepted them, because her summer ward
robe consisted of two cheap muslin
gowns, made by her own skillful little
hands; and each time she went out
anywhere it was necessary to appear
in one or other 0 fthese gowns, carefully
lsnndried by Josie herself.
And how fresh and pretty they looked,
too; aud no one ever dreamed how
flushed and tired Josie had been after
the ironing, or what economy she had
practiccd to enable her to buy the extra
half pound OF starch.
But she didn't mind that. not a bit,
after the task was accomplished. She
was just as happy, and enjoyed herself
probably much more than any one of
those girls whose dresses were so many
that they would have been puzzled to
number them as q mere matter Of men,
DRY.
But sometimes even the strictest econ
omy failed to bring in the extra starch;
and as Josie was her fathers house
keeper, and did all the laundry work as
well as her own dresses, and the cook
ing, house. cleaning. everything, in
short, and kept the tiny cottage rs neat
and trim as q hower-garden, it happened,
occasionally, tina. she couldn't even
afford the time to 60 up to the New
comes grond house to enjoy the hospi-
tally that was proffered with such
hearty goodwill.
However, q lawn party-that was
something that could not be refused.
Therefore. it was accepted, and gladly,
too, for Josie Herne liked the society Of
young people of her own age, and en-
.joyed a good tim e quite as much as any
young, bright, happy girl could.
But on! the hours Of anxiety that
beset Josie after the too tempting invi-
tation had been accepted.
All Centreville would be there. or
course; the Newcomes had the finest
lawn in tne neighborhood, and every
body would be charmingly dressed.
Such an opportunity for the diplay of
summer toilets did not occur every
day, and when it did, of course every
n would take advantage of it.
Josie wa not a vain girl, and only
moderately fond o fdress, but for q lawn
party q hat was an absolute ecessity,
and what in the world was she going to
do? for she had been wearing her dark
straw, trimmed with a bright winged
little bird, all the spring and so far into
the summer that only a natural brunette
complexion like hers could have stood
such close acquaintance with the sun.
But that hat with a light muslin dress
would never do for a lawn party. Con-
sequently, poor Josie was in despair,
at least rs nearly so as a bright, hopeful,
light-hearted girl of her age could be.
Il must overhaul my WARDROBE" she
thought, the day after accepting the in
v%itation; end with a comical little
grimace she added, "being so extensive
of course | may have forgotten many
things-no doubt l shall find just what
I want in it,"
Next DAY, accordingly, as soon as her
mornings work was over, and after the
one hours practice on the little cottage
piano which she never omitted, Josie
proceeded to overhaul her wardrobe IS
she had said, and greatly to her surprise
notwithstanding its limited proportions
she actually found two articles Of which
she had been unconscious. They were,
first, a leghorn hat, very old, very yel-
low, and having a very wide brim; and
second, a dress of fine India muslin,
time-stained and a~ntiquated in style, but
so long and wide in the skirt that Josie's
quick eye instantly saw it, in the mirror
Of her mind, ripped, bleached, and re-
made into an elegant dress Of the pres
ent day.
Botu articles had belonged to the
pretty young mother dead so many years
ago, that even the memory of her was
ike a leeting mist-like dream to Josie
Hernc. But the warm tears dropped
from her eyes. and she kissed the hat
md dress as she took them up reverently
in her hands.
Dear little motherm she murmureG,
and thought, perhaps, that mothers
spnit lowered near, anxious that her
little girl Should erjoy her day Of inno-
cent pleasure while she was young and
happy:
lie hat was broken and worn round
the outer edge, but so wide that it could
bear with improvement, L couple OF
inches taken from the brim, and hen,
when pressed into .hspc on the post OF
the old fashioned bedstead, it looked, as
Josie laughingly assured herself, like a
brand new gipsey of the l.test style"
What to trim it with became the next
momentous question; and after thinking
the matter over all day while engaged
in her other duties, Josie was Obliged to
give it up, leaving the hat still poised on
the end Of the bcdpost, c~onsoling her
self with the hopeful reflection:
swell, III manage it somehow-some.
thing will be sure to turn up in time for
the lawn-party."