The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-12-18
BETSEY'S BONNET.

SWELL, Uncle Abel, now you are off
for home, suppose; trading all done,
crops all bargained for, ehP" and John
Dare lifted his hat and pushed back his
thick hair as he stood on the hotel steps
talking to plain, Country farmer in a
suit OF homespun gray.
"Wa'al, no, not quite yet, John. I
want to get Betsey a bunnit; a real nice
one; just as good as Yorker might want.
Cause Betsey's worked awful hard this
spring. Times are good, too. So 1 guess
we'll see if my Betsey shan't look as
good as anybody. S'pose you don't
want to 60 along with me, do youp''
"Let me see-four o'clock-yes, I'll
60, Uncle Abel. I'll look at the pretty
girls, though; you won't mind that.
Come on"
So they walked up the street, the
fashionable attire of the young lawyer
contrasting strongly with the antiquated
cut OF the farmers garments, which at
home were wont to lie in solemn state in
the spare room all the week, only to be
worn on Sunday with becoming careful
ness. There was little likeness in the
face-a trife too fair for manly beauty,
with its blond mustache and setting of
close brown curls-to the bronzed and
beardless one, with the few locks, spare
and gray, beneath the we'll brushed hat
but the blue eyes were the same in both,
and like those that were closed forever
under the sod in the apple orchard on
Uncle Abel's farm, where his dead sis
ter was laid when Johnny was tiny
child. 1t troubled John not q whit to
be seen with the plain countryman; in
spite of his perfumed hair and we'll
gloved hand, his heart was as true as
steel to the good friend of his boyhood,
and the inquiring glance of his compan-
ions gave him no annoyance whatever.
They reached Madam Rozette's at
last, and John lounged in the doorway
and straightway engaged in the lauda-
BILE employment of finding out the pref
TEST face of the girls in attendance.
Josie Molliet, radiant with smiles, and
/ think a little artificial bloom, came for
ward with the most bewitching chances
to wait upon the farmer who brought SO
attractive person with him and fancy.
ing that she would show her superior
quality by so doing, made up her mind
to quiz Uncle Abel numerically. Poor
old man! He never was so miserable
in all his life. In Hoptown he would
have made no trouble whatever. Miss
Crabtree, in her plain dress and car
with lavender ribbons, would have told
him at once what to get; and her little
gray eyes would not have confused hin
in the least.
But here was fine lady, with a great
circumference of black silk trailing ou
along the carpet, waist no bigger thar
awasp, a head on which the hair seemed
struggling in crimps and curls to gel
away from the shining bands strapped
tightly around it, and pair of grea
black eyes looking straight at him, Will,
the damsel held up one style after an
other, or tied them on coquettishly, bu
derived no help from him.
Now, young woman, show me somt
OF your best homestead good ones
None of your poor, old-fashioned thing
for my wife,"
Having said this, Uncle Abel felt tina
he had stated the case clearly and SHOULD
have no more trouble.
Miss Josie sailed about, and returned
with white chip gypsy, trimmed will