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

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lars, too-so cheap and so becoming"
Uncle Abel confessed afterward that
he felt quite confounded at the price,
but he did not mean to let that Frenchi-
fed girl know it, so he only said, "Oh,
that's the style, ehp 1t amt bit like
Betsey's old one, though"
| "Oh, no, sir; the fashion has changed
entirely. Now the gypsy is the newest
thing out, and your wife would set the
fashion, l don't doubt"
She looked up at John Dare merrily,
but could not interpret the look in his
eyes; SO, taking it for granted that it
was an expression of admiration, she
pursued the same strain:
&c Just fresh from Paris. / am sure
your wife would like that. Shall try
it on for your"
"Wa'al, yes, I can tell better how it
will look then. Now it looks just. like a
dish.'
"There, it goes this way,' and Josie
pitched the little thing over her rosy
face, tied the strings in big bow-knot
and swept down the length of the room.
"Don't you like ftp"
"Waal it's kind o. purity, but its awful
queer; amt it JohnP"
John thus appealed to could only an
swer that he ''knew nothin' in the
world about women's bonnets,' and
took up his revery, whatever it was, just
where it was broken off. But looking
idly in the long mirror opposite, he saw
Josie making signs to another girl, and
he soon found that they were amusing
themselves vastly at the perplexity Of
their customer. He saw, too, that a
pale quiet girl, with smooth brown hair,
looked up from her work Indignantly,
and he rather saw than heard her say,
"For shame!" and grew crimson as she
spoke.
His own face flushed little as he be-
came aware that Uncle Abel was being
made the butt of their jokes-good
Uncle Abel, who was looking so admir-
ingly at the fabrics incomprehensible to
him, his old heart only full of the
thought how he should make his present
worthy of the patient soul for whom it
was intended.
Then John was greatly perplexed;
for as he said truly, he knew nothing
about all that mysterious and bewild-
ering arrangement of dress that he saw
every day.
Still he knew that Aunt Betsey's
spare locks, thinly sprinkled with gray,
were not dressed in modern style, and
he could not for the life of him see
whereabouts on that dear old head any
of those gypsies would rest. He re-
membered that long ago Aunt Betsey
was wont to twist her hair with the
same energy that distinguished all her
movements and that this operation re-
suited in hard knob at the back of her
head like door handle, which certainly
would not harmonic with these cape
less head dresses.
just as his brow was overcast with
this thought, the pale girl came near
Uncle Abel, her cheeks blushing as she
did so in defiance of the other girls,
holding in her hand plain Leghorn
bonnet, trimmed with violet ribbon.
She wore mourning dress, and the
plain brooch at her throat held lock
of gray hair.
&c think this might suit you, sir"
she said. "If your wife don't dress her
hair in these fashions, these bonnets
would not do at all. This is rich and
plain, and covers the back of the head
and neck"
"Wa'al, now, tell me, for I have got
so bothered with these things that 1
don't know one from t'other. I want
to get bonnet for Betsey, and / mean
to. Now jest tell me if you would like
your mother to wear one like thisp Oh,
l beg your pardon, ma'am. didn't
see," and he touched the sleeve of her
black dress. "I-I-am sorry!"
The young girl brushed off tear
quickly as she said. 81 have no mother
now; but if you will trust me, sir, think
tins will suit.'
She had stood, hitherto, just out of the
range of John Dare's vision, and had not
seen him at all. Something in the sound
of her voice attracted him, perhaps, and
when Uncle Abel called,
"Here, John Dare!'' he stepped
hastily enough toward them. The girl
thrust the bonnet into Uncle Abel's
hands, and would have been out of sight
if her dress had not caught on one of the
branch stands and held her fast.
"Amy!" and John Dare, with hot
flush on his face, caught her hand and
so detained her. "Amy Egbert, have l
found you at lastp''
The girls face grew white and red by
turns, and the words she spoke came so
low and broken that only John could
catch their meaning.
Uncle Abel pushed his spectacles up
on his forehead, still holding the hat in
his hand, looking open-mouthed from
one to the other.
81 guess you must have knowed this
young woman afore, didn't you'll" he
said; but John was too busy with eager
questions, and Amy was trembling and
flushing as she tried to speak calmly,
and SO his question was unanswered.
Pretty Josie was dividing her attention
between new customer and the
strange scene beside her, and between
anger and modification she looked in
no need of help from rouge, as she
tossed her head and muttered various
uncourteous remarks in regard to ''that
Amy Egbert and her beau"
Uncle Abel held the hat while lon
ger quite patiently, but at last despaired
OF the interview being ended, so he
coughed, and then said:
"I'll take this bunnit. Twenty dol
lars is a good deal. Betsey's worth it,
amt she, Johnp'
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