Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-02-12
THE ILLUMINATED DRESS,
THarper's BslsI. |

A
| It, an awful nuisance tooe poof, THAT'S a
! fact. And 10 be poor and TO be yfetty and 70
/ be proud-hard lines can 90 but little further
and had gone 10 the extremity Of hard lines.
suppose you'll think no good OF ne for say
Ing that was pretty. But didn't say It first.
Inc glass said II every morning. And when one
sees cheek Ike the rosy down on peach, eyes
SOFT and dark as black pearl, their dark
| fringes almost too heavy for the white lids &c
Iit, features il IKE sculpture, and yellow nsil
shining Ike satin fOIds Ia its bralds ana all
| that sort OF thing, enc would have TO De fool
not 10 KNOW whether the picture was good, o al
or lndlnerent And 80 j knew that was
! pretty; bur didn't take much satisfaction In
| II; IL Lever gave me thrill OF what call
| Vanity; IL was the source OF almost constant
!rtlncadon, On the other hand, and would
| rather have been plain as Susan Winck worth,
| ana have had plenty TO wear.
Drab doesn't show the dirt and 30 my dresses
were always drao. Remnants are cheaper than
whole patterns, and 50 my Or 25seS were comb
/ nations o! Two or three remnants. AS for BON.
! Lets, don't believe ia ever had an entirely
ne" one made my own gloees-but It's OF no
! wanted everything.
| And then you can't keep pretty girl shut up
rom the rest OF the human race, unless you
| put her IN convent; people VIII ind her out;
| and by people / mean John Rokesby and Paul
| Veptnor, and all the rest To tell The truth, /
| didn't SO much mind John and Paul and all the
rest, because they had known me as little ~
| Dag ever since was born, and dear Old John
| would have been only too glad to take me- for
better or worse. rags and all; and Paul
wouldn't have had. you know, to save his soul
besides. susan was In love with Paul.
But when Whole parcel OF gay and wealthy
people came to the lovely little town for q two
months visit, some at the ROkesbys', AMI some
al tne Inn, and some camping out on account
or the survey OF line Trey were running from
somewhere to nowhere, then IL was different
l kneW the first thing they'd say would DE.
Wnat pretty giflT and the next thing would
De- But lisa she quite too aWfuliy SHABBY"
| AND couldn't keep out OF their sight: for had
| TO 90 TO the mail, and 10 the store, and to the
mill, and 70 the station, and had TO De seen out
doors, super intending the boys 10 picking aud
| boxing and packing; for ali the Income we had.
| mother and i and the children, was what we
| could make from cur strawberry beds ana
| orchard. and 1t was mighty little anyway. and
| mother Was delicate, and had to see TO every
thing.
IL happened that was down at the station.
arranging with the freight agent for my straw
berry Crates. on the day those people came:
anu saw them, every one, and all their gay
bustle. and all Their pretty dreSseS-the glris
| mean; and / suppose they were travelling
dresses too-very likely the worst they had
and their worst SO far SURPRISING my best that
they didn't seem To belong to the same ORDER OF
things. j lad heard Susan and the ROkesby
girls talking OF the arrival OF these people, and
OF all the fine doings there were to be; but
saw az glance that could have no share In
the fine doings. unless IL should be In pillow
case party, or something OF the kind, where
every body looked alike. Tney had never heard
OF ICE. and so looked at them With impunity
The tall dark fellow was Mr. Paget. aud
that frlghtfuily stylish tall sallow girl. ID
DARK blue fouiard, all puffs and rut-
hes and shirrings and laces and ribbons,
was his sister Miriam and that the nine
eyed beauty Was Miss Meryin, and tue red
headed girl was MaIta and the straight young
much time In guessing, either, for my ears are
as good as telescope tuOes, and couldn't he.p
heating what some OF them were saying, as
they stood waiting for somebody to Classify
ssIlsiuTnR ORR xrjtb
red gold hair there! Say, Sammy. wager
case OF claret lIn on visiting terms WITH her
before to morrow.
You're regular heart breaker, Meare brt
/ take you up.
shes enc OF ours. al any rate, said another
IEeIns John Rokesoy going TO speak with
her. What uncommon luck that fellow has
Looming 10 dc. Independent fortune, sound
health"
ana knows pretty girl besides, Mervin
But didn't lei or. when mamma asked me II
had seen them. that that dark blue foulard
mad nearly smOthered ne with envy.
What sort OF looking people Were they.
ALICE" she asked.
Oh. city folks.
Nicely dressed. suppose" said mamma.
Lmidly.
"Oh, Beautifully" And then mamma s,phei
and began TO speak, but thought better OF II.
wouldn't have You think that mamma was a
silly or weak minded woman: she wasn't: but
she had been young herself and knew how
young folks felt. But guessed what she was
going 10 say, ana ran ana threw nv arm.
round her dear old peck aud cried ~ don ear,
about their nnerle5, not but tue least bit: Ia
rather have you and"
re3kons ef you was ali rugged ous TOO.
you'd look as scrumpt!0us as any OF them Mis-,
NJ Si1 1, Ntsyi 6 our sd little eoof9d help
dress, dear, sighed mamma
Oh, new dress wont signify Sali. I'm
not likely to sec them"
= MOI likely &c see them sltd MANN ..up OF
one elbow. Il should Ike to know why moi, !r-
Innate az ycU ore With the R9kesbys ami ali
Of course you'll sc them, ana meet them ire
qucIt!y, Ms Rokesby has sent for you 10 c9ma
up and spend She day 20 inorreH.
e ph, it'5 40 use. can't go"
Yes you eau. I've had cid MaTret 10 liz
yoNT white dress 10 day, and there's nothing
any pretter than white. We got out Ib9.
i've al afternoon strawberry garden parry
While they're here, Alice and that would naEr
you feel independently
- very, said l, when wed have 10 20 with
oGt butter and sugar. and live on beans Tor a
month. 10 pay for me Cake
"a Just AS lief, CRIED Eguerr.
and sod /. said AleG
:" doesn't mind the beams said Sissy bat
sugars right hard to spare. Miss Al"
ON. well, SAID !, II guess you wont have 10
spare It." And then | went to meet John
hosesDy, who was coming round the ina.
bushes, and just hal time TO Shut the wicker
gate before couple OF gentlemen were al the
Ing half an instant. had introduced to me Nir
Paget and Lieut. SayaTy and Mr. Mcrvin apd
then an oIder gentleman joined them, and he
was CoiOnel Meaie. knew John didn't Ike IL
but be couldn't help himself. and as soon as /
saw his annoyance began 10 enjoy It. dlin't
Mild them, II J was III my old gardening sur;
but II II had Teen their sisters! However
dldu unlock the gate, or ask them across IT,
Rokesby soie march on rs, Miss Lamarte'
said hr. PdSet. .'Bnt he'll find that sort OF
thing wont answer. We had heard nom Miss
Marcia al about you"
All about NE, Did that mean my dresses tooa
Vel, X ! had had all the purple and flue linen
Ci The queen OF Shtba, could not have held
my head any higher than cid at that speech
although knew how inconventent IL would oe
10 keep up that styie Aud then / saw Johns
eye twinkle, aha l faced about In q second
so have heard all about YOU, Mr.. Paget."
W nat nave you heard may aSk9' said he
Ildl i, Alfred fa5ei AIN poor, but cOnfounn-
eJ4y ari5tociatic. Poor. / suppose he wasted
more than We had TO live on. That"
That COL. Aeare Is a real heart-breaker. and
that John liokeSDy has uncommon luck. But
luck or not, can't ask your friends H. John
Tor II wouldn't be luck at all II / caused Lent
Sayary the loss OF his case or cIarat. SO must
say good evening"; and LEFT them all agha3t
ala Jchn the most OF any; ana Wild horses
WouIdn I have drawn me 10 MIS- Rokespy 3 next
Jay II sit nae not come after me with pair
oi Iatht ones and made such fuss about it
lol she was toLd or ne-aud mamma sett'ny In
duUut II: ana crying ana saying was losing
all my cAancts-thaJ IL Was less trouble TO 20
tLan 70 STAY. but can assure you that II ! had
really been tne queen OF Sheoa | couldn't have
Uttn treated Thereafter with more proprtrry.
aIth0ush John said, when he had a chance thai
u ~ TtT IL no Esks.