Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-04-02
Mss BEULAhls noNNRT.


? u MISS BEULARls BONNET. @
II DoN'T want to be too fine, ye
know Mary Jane; somethin' tasty and
kind of suitable It's an old bunnit;
but myl them Leghorps III last gem
Grafton if you favor 'em, that was
mothers weddin' bunnit." %
i "YOu don't say sol Well, it has
kept femarkablYwelli but a good Leg
horn will last, that's fact, though
they get retl brittle after a spell; and
you'll have to be awful careful of this,
Miss Beqlah; it's brittle now, see."
3" Yes, l expect it is, but it'll carry me
through this summer, | guess. But |
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"
lf 'i'Liza Barber! do tell! Why,
haven't seen her sence she was knee
high TO hop-toad, as you may say He
uain't livin', is hep r.. l-.-V
"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
guess she's full eighteen"
" Mercy TO mel time flies don / itP
But about the bunnit; what should you
say 70, this lavender ribbinPN
d " Amt kind Of dark for lavenderP
had an idee TO have brown, or mebbe
dark green" ...,.
Land! for springP Why, that din't
the right thing. This lavender is real
han some, and I'll set it off with a little
black lace, and put a bow ont in the
tronti it'll be real dressy and seemly
for you"
"Well, you can try it, Mary Jane;
but give you fair,warnin' If think
it's too dressy, you'll have to take It al
off, t tH :.
. I'm willin',n laughed Miss Mary
Jane Beers, a good old soth, and con
temporary Of her customer, Miss Beulah
Lardn, whOgwas an old maid living in
Dorset on a small amount Of money
carefully invested, and owning the great
red house which her grandfather had
built for large familyion one corner Oi
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 a bon
net, oyer which she had held such
anxious discourse. If she had any fem
mime Yanity---and she was woman---il
took this Virtuous aspect of desire to
be " "respectit like the lave,h for deQen.
Cy of dress as wen as demeanor. This
spring she had received letter from
her niece, the widowed Mrs. Smith,
asking if she could come 10 visit her
and sending back a pleased assent, Mis-
Beulah and her little handmade, Nanny
Starks, bestirred themselves TO sween
and garnish the house, already fresh
and spotless from its recent annual
cleaning.
Mrs. Eliza Smith was a poor woman,
but a 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
byhor mother 70 blossom into beauty In
due season, and "'.mhrry we'll" as The
phrase goesi but Sarah and certain
Fred Wilson, telegraph operator in
hartford, had set all the thrifty mother
plans ut defiance, and fallen head over
heels in love, regardless of Mrs, Smith
or anybodyfelse. Sarah's brows were
not black and straight, or her chin firm
and cleft with a dimple, for nothing
she meant 10 marry Fred Wilson as sooi
as was convenient; and Mrs. Smith
having unusual cOmmOn-sense, as wei
rs previous experience of Sarah's ca
pacity Of resistance, ceased TO oppos,
that young lady's resolute intention
Master Wilson had already gone West
TO a more lucrative situation than Dart
ford afforded, and Sarah was only wait
ing to get ready rs to her outfit, anC
aniass enough money for the cost o
trIgehngi 70 follow him. since he wa.
unable ID return for her both from laol
OF money and time, In this condition
of thiHgs II occurred TO Mrs. Smith that
II would save good deal Of money 4
she could spend the summer with Aunt
Beulah, and so be spared the expense OF
board and lodging for her family. Ac-
cordingly, she looked about for a tenant
for her little house; and finding one
ready to come in sooner than she had
anticipated, she answered Aunt Beuleh'
friendly letter Of invitation with an i'm,
mediate acceptance, and followed hei
own epistle AZ once, and, arriving, ala,
for Miss Beulahl before that Leghori
bonnet had come home from Mis-
Beers front parlor, in which she car
ried on her hourishing millinery bust
ness.
Miss Larkin was unfeignedly glad :,
see Eliza again, and, giving the rest al
equal welcome, established them in tn,
clean, large, cool chambers that werI
such a contrast TO the hot rooms, small
and dingy, Of their city home.
Jack was a veritable little pickle; tal
Z OF his age, and lightof foot and hand
nature had fra ned him in body en-,