The Red Cloud chief., 1881-04-21
TIE ILLUMINATED DRESS.

,e1 - 49,
10 the extremity OF hard lines.
| p you'll think no good OF me
for saving that l was pretty. But
didn't say it first. The glass said 1T
ever morning. And when IN sees a
cheek like the rosy down on a peach,
eyes soft and dark as a black pearl,
their dark fringcs almost o heavy for
the white lids TO lift, features like
sculpture, and yellow hair shining like
satin folds in It's braids, and all that
sort OF thing, one would have 10 be n
fool not TO know whether the picture
was GOOD, bad or Indifferent. And so L
knew that | was pretty; but i didn't
take much satisfaction in it; 1T never
gave me a thrill of what 1 call vanity;
il was the source of almost constant
modification, on the other hand, and l
would rather have been plain as Susan
Winckworth, and have had plenty to
wear.
Drab doesn't show the dirt, and so
INV dresses were always drab. Rem
nants are cheaper than whole patterns.
and SO my dresses were combinations
of two or three remnants. As for bon-
nets, | don't believe I'd ever had an en-
tirely new one. l made nv own gloves
but it's of no use going through the
category of my wants; / wanted every
thing. :,
And then you can't keep a pretty girl
shut up from the rest of the human race,
unless you put her in a convent; people
will find her out; and by people | mean
John Rokesby and Paul Ventnor,
md all the rest. To tell the truth, L
didn't so much mind John and Paul and
all the rest, because they had known
me as a little rag-bag ever since was
born, and dear old John would have
been only too glad to take me for better
or worse, rags and all; ami Paul |
wouldn't have had, YOU know, to save
his soul-besideS, Susan was in love
with Paul.
But when a whole parcel of gay and
), wealthy people came 10 the lovely little
town for a two-monthS' visit, some at
the Rokesby's, and some at the inn,
and some camping out on account OF
the survey of n line they were running
from somewhere TO nowhere. then II
was different. | knew the first thing
they'd say would be, What 4 pretty
girl" and the next thing would be,
"But isn't she quite too awfnlly shah
by" And l couldn't keep out of their
sight; for | had 10 60 to the mail. and
10 the store, and TO the mill, and to the
station. and had to be seen out doors,
experimenting the boys in picking and
boxing and packing; for all the income
we had. mother and | and the children,
was what we could make from ouI
I. strawberry beds and orchard, and il
was mighty little anyway, and mother
was delicate, and | had to see TO every.
thing.
IL happened that l was down at the
station, arranging with the freight
agent for my strawberry crates, on the
day those people came; n | saw them,
every one, and all their gay hustle. anc
all their pretty dresses-the girls. ]
mean; and l suppose they were travel
inc dresses too-very likely the worst
they had. and their worst so far sur
passing my best that they didn't seen
TO belong to the same order OF things
/ had heard Susan and the Rokesby
girls talking of the arrival OF these PEG
pie. and of all the fine doings Their,
were to be; but | saw at a glance that
could have no share in the fine doings
unless it should be in q pillow-cas'
party, or something of the kind. wher'
everybody looked alike. They ha,
never heard of me, and so | looked a
them with impunity that day ut TIT
station, and decided that the tal darl
fellow was Mr.. Paget. and that fright
fully stylish tall sallow girl, in a darI
blue foulard. all puffs and rutlles an
sh:rrings and laces and ribbons, was hi
sister Miriam, and that the blue-eye
beauty was Miss Mervin, and the red
headed girl was Maria, and the straigh
Young men were the surveyors.
needn't have spent much time in guess
ing, either, for my ears are as good Q
telescope tubes, and / couldn't hel
hearing what some of them were say
ing. rs they stood waiting for somebod
to classify their luggage. "Deuce
pretty girl, with the red gold hair there
Say, Sammy, wager a case OF clarct II
; on visiting terms with her before Il
morrow"
YOU'RE a regular heart-breake
Meare: but | take you up"
..She's one of ours, at any rate, sal
another. There's John Rokesby g
ing to speak with her. What uncon
monluck that fellow has!-nothingtod d.
ipdependent fortune, sound health
..And knows a pretty girl beside
Mervin."
But | didn't let on, when MANN
asked me If | had seen them. that tn
dark blue foulard had nearly smothere
me with envy.
What sort of looking people WEI
they, Aliee?" she asked.
.'Oh. city folks"
"Nicely dressed, 1 suppose?" sal
mamma. timidly.
s.Oh, beautifully And then MANN
sighed, and began tospeak, but thougi
better OF it. / wouldn't have You thin
that mamma was a silly or weak-min
ed woman she wasn't; but she n;
been young herself, and knew no
Young folks felt. But l guessed VIII
4 She was going to say, and ran al
threw nv arms round her dear old net
and cried, IL don't care about the
fineries, not but the least bit; I'd rath
have YOU and"
"Ireckou eff you was all rugged on
too. you'd look as scrumptious as al
of them, Miss Al" said Sissy, our lit
colored help.
ssWe must find some way to get u
new dress, DEAR" sighed mamma
"Oh. a new dress won't signify"
said. I'm not likely to see them
Mot likely to see them?" said MAJ
ma, up on one elbow. Il should Iii
to know why not, intimate as you a
with the Rokesbys and all? OF cour
You'll see them and meet them fr
ouently. Mrs. Rokesby has sent +
YOU to come up and spend the day t
morrow"
..Oh, it's no use. Ican't 60"
eyes, you can. I've had old Marg
do up your white dress to-day, al
there's nothing any prettier than whit
We got out the strawberry stair
Speaking of them, we might give