Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1881-01-29

ltdltIuS Out along TIC carpet,
waist NO bigger than q wasp; a
head On which the hair seemed
struggling in crimps and curls TO
get away from the shining bands
strapped tightly around Il, and a
pair of great black eyes looking
straight at him. while the damsel
held up one style after another, or
tied them on coquettishly. but de-
rived no help from him.
Now, young woman, show me
some of your best bonnets--real
good ones. None of your poor,
old fashioned things for my wife.
Having said this, Uncle Abel
felt that he had stated the case
clearly and should have no more
trouble. Miss Josie sailed about,
and returned with q white chip
gypsy, trimmed with blue, shir-
red green satin with a red rose on
it, and a gray straw trimmed with
scarlet peoples.
"Now, that will be just what
! you want, l am sure; only twen-
| ty-five dollars 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 Frenchified girl know ii,
he only said: "Oh, that's the
style, Ell? 1t amt a bit like Bet
sey's old one, though"
"Oh, no, sir; the fashion has
changed entirely. Now the gyp-
sy is the newist thing out, and
your wife would set the fashion, /
don't doubt
She looked up at John Dare
merrily, but could not interpret
the look in his eyes; 30, taking it
for granted that it was an express
sion of admiration, she pursued
the same strain:
"Just from Paris. / am sure
your wife would like that. Shall
try it on for you?"
"Wa'al, yes. I can tell better
how it looks then. Now it looks
like a dish"
"Theie. it goes this way and
Josie pitched the little thing over
her rosy face, tied the strings in a
big bow knot and swept dow n the
length ofthe room.
"Don'tyou like it?"
"Wa'al it's kind o. purity, but
its awful queer amt it, John ?"
John thus appealed to could only
answer that he "knew nothin' lin
the world about women's bon
nets" and took up his reverie,
whatever it was, where it was bro
ken 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 pale, quiet girl,
with smooth brown hair looked
up from her work Indignantly and
he rather saw than heard her say,
For shame!" and grow crimson
as she spoke.
His own face flushed little as
he became aware that Uncle Abel
was being made the butt of their
jokes-good Uncle Abel, who was
looking so admiringly at the fab
RIGS 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 perplex-
ed for, as he said truly, he knew
nothing about all that mysterious
and bewildering arrangement of
dress that he saw every day.
Still he knew that Aunt Betsey' g
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 these gypsies
or fanchons would rest. He re-
membered that long ago Aunt
Betsey was wont to twist her hair
with the same energy that distin-
| guished all her movements, and
that this operation resulted in a
hard knob at the back of her head
like a door-handle, which would
not harmonic with these capeless
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 trim
med with violet ribbon.
She wore mourning dress, and
the plain brooch at her throat held
a lock of gray hair.
II think this might suit you,
SIR" she said. eff your wife don't
dress her hair in the fashions,
these bonnets would not do at all.
This is rich and plain, and covers
the back of the head and neck"