The Republican journal., 1881-01-06
Betsey's Bonnet.

all balgained for, eh y and John Dare
lifted his hat and pushed back his thicl
hair as he stood on the hotel steps talking
to a plain country farmer in a suit o
homespun gray.
"Wa'al, no, not quite yet, John.
want to get Retsey a bunnit; a real nice
one; just as good as a Yorker might
want Cause Betsey's worked awful hard
this spring. Times are good too. So
guess We'll see if my Betsey shan't lool
as good as anybody. S'pose you dom
want to 90 along with me, do you ?"
LET me see-4 oclock-yes, I'll 20
Uncle Abel. I'll look at the pretty girls
though YOU won't mind that. Come on.
50 they walked up the street, the fash
iOnable attire of the young lawyer con
trasting 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 carcfulness
There was little likeness in the face-a
tritle too fair for manly beauty, with it,
blonde mOuStache and setting Of close
brown curlS-tO the bronzed and beard
less one, with the few locks spare and
gray beneath the we'll brushed hat but
the blue eyes were the same in both, ana
like those that were closed forever undcl
the sod in the apple orchard on Uncle
Abefs farm, where his dead sister was
laid when Johnny was a tiny child. II
troubled John not whit to be seen with
the plain countryman in spite Of his
pertumed hair and well -gi0yed hand his
i Il,
friend of his boyhood, and the nquiring
glance OF his companions gave him no an
noyance whatever.
They reached Madam ROzettc's at last,
and John lounged in the doorway and
straightWay engaged in the Iaudable en-
ploymcnt OF finding out the prettlest face
OF the girls in attendance. Josie MOllict.
radiant with smiles, and think a little
artificial bloom, came forward with the
most heWitchlng glanceS to wait upon the
farmer who brought so attractive person
with him and fancying that she would
show her superior quality by So doing,
made up her mind to quiz | JMclc Abel un
mercifully. Poor old man He never
was 50 miserable in all his life. In Hon
town he would have made no trouble
whatever. Miss Crabtrce, in her plain
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 a fine lady. with a great
circumference of black silk trailing out
along the carpet, waist no bigger than
a wasp, a head on which the h9ir seemed
struggling in crimps ard curls to get
away from the shining bands strapped
tightly around it, and a pair of great
black eyes looking straight at him. While
the danselhe up one style after another,
or tied them Oh coquettishly, but derived
no help from him.
"NoW, young woman, Show me some OF
your best bunnits real good ones None
Of your poor, old-fashioncd 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 white chip gypsy, trimmed with
blue, shirred green satin with red rose
on it, and a gray straw trimmed with
scarlet peoples.
"Now, that will be just what you want,
| am sure; only twenty-five dollars, too
so cheap and so becoming"
Uncle Abel confessed afterwards that
he felt quite contounded at the price but
he did not mean to let that Frenchified
girl know it, 50 he only said, "Oh. that's
the style, eh! 1t amt a bit like Betsv'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, don't doubt"
She looked up at John Dare merriIy,
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:
"Just fresh from Paris. am sure your
wife would like that. Shall try it on
for you 2"
"Wa'al, yes, can tell better how it will
look, then. Nov it looks Just like dish. =
There, it goes this way" and Josie
pitched the little thing over her rosy face.
tied the strings in a big bow knot, and
swept down the length of the room
Don't you like it ?"
"Wa'al, it's kind o purity, but its awful
queer; amt it John y
John thus appealed to, could only
answer that he "knew nothn' in the
world about wOmen's bonnets,n and took
up his reverie, whatever it was, lust
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 grow 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 50 admirably at
the fabrlcs lncOmprehensible 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 perpleXcd; for
1 IS he said truly, he knew nothing about
al that mysterious and bcwildering ar
/ rangement of dress that he NV every dav.
Still he knew that Aunt Betseys 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 or
| tanchons would rest. He remembered
that long ago Aunt Betsey was wont to
twist her hair with the same energy that
distinguished all her movements, and
that this operation resulted in hard
Knob at the back of her head, like door
handle, which certainly would not har-
monze 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
herhand a plain Leghorn bonnet, trimmed
with violet ribbon.
She wore mourning dress, and the
plain brooch at her throat held lock of
gray hair.
81 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