The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1882-11-17
THE LOST BONNET

THE LOST BONNET
"Oh, | want to gol l want TO go g
4 muchl" said Ella Uaeloii TO herself
+ "And to think must stay at home jus
y for want of bonnet. 1t is too mean
| declare ii is. might just as well hav
bought one last week when / went {,
the city, but | thought the fashions wer
not settled yet. / can't wear black vel
vet with blue muslin. And it's ius
the incest picnic we've had. Oh
dearl"
GA letter, Elal I've been to tb,
station TO get 'em. And rice and rails
ins for a pudding!" shouted little jacl
Haskell, tossing a white envelope up
on his sisters bureau as he rushed past
her door.
"From Cousin HESTER" said Ella,
glancing at the envelop. "Full of brag
as usual, L suppose. "What airs she
did give herself while she was here, 10
be sure. All because her father has
made little moro money than pa has
[ wonder she isn't ashamed TO write"
However, size opened the letter at
once, and sat down to read it. 1t
opened thus:
"DEAR ELLA: find | heve left my
bonnet box behind me. ] put it on the
upper shelf of the closet in my room.
and as there was no occasion for any,
thing but my hat, and the bonnet was
really too handsome to wear out in the
wilderness, | never looked at it again.
Please send it at the first opportunity
by express"
Ella read no more. The letter drop
ped out of her hand. She flew out of
her room, and into the spare room that
had been given to her cousin during
her visit, and there, upon the upper
shelf, she found box, which, being
taken down and opened, revealed a
bonnet of palest blue Starred satin,
with delicate feathers TO match, and two
gale pink crushed roses daintily, perch
ed upon the crown-a bonnet that hove
upon its lining the signature of Par
lSlan mlllncr.
-Thc most beautiful bonnet | ever
saw !" cried Ella.
AS she spoke she perched it lightly
on her head, saw that it became her,
and on the instant was overcome by
temptation.
"If ] could ouly borrow it and wear
it to the picnic!" she whispered.
She caught up the haud-glass and
looked at her profile. 1t was a most
charming view of her face.
'Iwill," she added. "Didn't she bor-
row my blue bell and wear it entirely
ont, and lose my silver thimble, and
tuck up the curtains of her room so
that they had to be done up over again
as soon as she was gone? And it can
not do much harm TO a bonnet to wear
it once very carefully"
And Ella sat down at once TO write a
little note of acceptance to the young
ofHhcF Company" n
"Going" said Mrs. Haskell, lifting
her eyebrows in surprise. "WelI, L
hope you'll enjoy yourself; but will yon
feel comfortable in your old bonnet?,
"Well, I'll manage somehow, ma"
said Ella, not daring to meet her moth
er's eyes; for she knew what her opini-
on would have been about borrowing
handsome bonnet in that fashion: and
the problem she was now solving was
how to conceal the fact that she wore il |
from the members of her family. The
only plan that occurred TO her was to |
cover it with grandma's bie brown
barege veil, which she borrowed for
the purpose, receiving MANY instruct
ions not to tear it or lose it.
Silas Perkins came in his buggy to the
door at the proper hour, and Ella ran
out of the house and entered the bug
gy rather hastily, with her head APP
parently cnveloped in a snuff. .colored
tnrban.
Out of sight of the porch, Ella unpin-
ned the snufl-colered veil, and sat be-
side Silas Perkins in blue and rose
tinted bonnet that took his breath away
with admiration.
In fact, ii was the sight of the bonnet,
and the pretty face under it, and the
tints of gold it brought out in the wav-
ing hair, that made Silas forget that |
his horse Napoleon would not bear the |
whip, and gave him a graceful flick up
on his neck, whoreupon Napoleon at
once asserted his independence by run
ming away. The road was smooth, and
in the course of q quarter of an hour,
as Silas declared. he brought that horse
to his senses. The actual fact was that
Napoleon grew tired of running and
moderated his space. But meanwhile |
a dreadful thing had happened. The
branch of tree which grazed the buggy |