Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1881-01-19
BETSEY'S BONNET.

"Wel, Uncle Abel, now you are
of Tor home, ] suppose trading all
done, crops all bargained for ch =
and John Dare lited hia hat aud
pushed back his thick hair M no
stood on the hotel steps talking 10 a
plain country farmer In suit Of home
spun gray.
"Wa'a, no, not quite yet, john
I want TO get Bctsey bunnit +,
real nice one /; jnst AZ good as q
Yorker might want Cause Betsey's
worked awful hard, this spring
Times are good, too. So I guess
wen see II my Bctsey shan't look as
good MS anybody. S'posc you don't
want to 60 along with me, do you 7"
"Lct mo see--4 o'clock-yes, III
90, Uncle Abel III look at the
pretty gi'ls, though you won't mind
that Come on.
So they walked up tho street, the
fashionable attire OF the young lawyer
contrasting strongly with the anti
qualed 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 carefulness. There
was little likeness in the face--a trifle
too fair tor manly beauty, with its
blonde moustache 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 bnt the blue eyes were
the same in both, and like those that
were closed forever under the sod in
the apple orchard on Uncle Abels
farm, where his sister was laid when
Johnny was tiny child. 1t troubled
John not whit to be seen with the
plain countryman in spite of his
perfumed hair and well-gloved hand,
his heart was as true as steel to the
good friend Of his boyhood, and the
iuquiring glance of his companions
gave him no annoyance whatever.
They reached Madam Rozette's at
last, and John lounged in the door,
way and straightway engaged in the
laudable employment of finding out
the prettiest face Of the girls in at.
tendance. Josie Molliet, radiant
with smiles, and I think little arti'
fetal bloom, came forward with the
most bewitching glances to wait up
on the farmer who brought 30 at
tractive a person with him ; and
fancying that she would show her
superior quality by so doing, made up
her mind to quiz Uncle Abel uo-
mercifully. Poor old man ! He
never was so miserable in all his life.
In Hoptown he would have made nc
trouble whatever. Miss Crabtree, in
her plaiu dress and cap with lavender
ribbons, would have told him at once
what to get and her little gray eyes
would not have confused him in the
least.
But here was fine lady, with
great circumference of black silk
trailing out along the carpet, a waist
no biggar than a wasp, a head on which
the hair seemed struggling in crimps
and cnrls to get away from the shin
ing bands strapped tightly around it
and pair of great black eyes looking
straight at him, while the damsel helt
up one style after another, or tiee
them on coquettishly, but derived M
help from him.
"Now, young woman, show mi
some of your best bunnits-real goot
ones. None OF your poor, old-fash.
ioued things for my wife,"
Having said this, Uncle Abel tel
that he had sstated the case clearl..
and should have no mere trouble.
Miss Josie sailed about, and return
ed with white chip gypsy, trimme'
with blue, shirred green satin with
, red rose on it, and gray straw trimme
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