The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1883-10-17
THE COMEDY OF A STRAW HAT
VIRGINIA ". JOHNSTON.

VIRGINIA W. JOHNSTON.
Barbara Williams inspected Der
hat meditatively, and turned it
around, poised on her left hand.
Spring had come, and flowers had
not only bloomed in every garden,
glorified the market place, and form
ed bowers of fragrance about the
corners of old palaces, but adorned
the heads of all woman kind.
Barbara Williams was no longer
Young. and even cherished an inten-
ton of assuming the black and noise
less garments of the German Protest
ant Sisterhood a few years later. In
the meantime it was spring, and her
Paris hat had done good service for
three years.
She was calm and patient wo-
man, with a slight figure, pale,
thin face, ,delicately featured chestnut
hair meeklv smoothed on either
temple. and brown eyes. This tran
quil face was very attractive. Seen
in a crowd, impassive and nun like
in its repose, an Anglo-Saxon would
have affirmed:
The face of n woman who has
overcome the world (" the more sub
tie Italian perception would have
decided, in turn, "A Madonna in ex-
preston.
The hat was made of black straw,
rolled on one side in graceful curve,
aud trimmed with ostrich feathers.
This modest and serviceable head
covering possessed additionally the
harmony of French art in the droop
OF the plumes and the adjustment of
the SATIN knot. IL was not the true
poetical bonnet of the French mod
iste, the airy fabric of lace and deli
cate tints evolved as an effort of ge-
MUS TO suit some beauty ofthe world.
I The hat of Barbara Williams belong
ed instead TO the class made by
wholesale for strangers, and was as
likely to be worn by an English wo-
man of fifty as an American girl of
sixteen.
They say Paris hat always looks
well, no matter how many seasons
old said Barbara, still turning the
treasure on her left hand. Il do
wonder if this one might not be
done over, though. and a bunch OF
lilacs or violets added to a great ad-
vantage?'
OF course said Pet, glancing up
from her drawing, and transferring
some of the crayon adhering to her
own fair countenance.
Hats have poke fronts this year,
added Marion, who was pounding
chromatic scale on the piano.
Yes. they are more pOky than
ever said Pet.
Barbara Williams sighed
That is the way OF the world,
she reasoned. Nothing stands still. /
If hats are comfortably turned up.
thew should turn down. Now,
might take this one to milliner,
and have a sort of gutter of straw
built on the brim. and, re-trimmed,
and be ready for church next Sun
day in fresh spring finery, all at the
expense OF few francs
You are such a dear, economical |
BODY exclaimed Pet, laughing.
MY dear, | have been as poor as
crow all my life. and poverty is
the best Of schools in which to learn |
lessons of economy, replied Barbara,
sedately.
Marion gazed at the musical score
before her, and said, after short
pause:
i wish YOU were rich
Thank you, my child. The wish |
is as improbable as that | should |
meet troubadour on our stairway |
prepared to offer me his hand and |
fortune in preference to all pretty |
young girls
Barbara spoke with a soft gayety, /
and taking the scissors from her
work basket soon reduced the trim
mings of the hat to an indistin-
guishable heap.
The deed is DONE she proclaim ]
ed, holding up the rusty and batter
ed structure thus robbed of all adorn-
ment.
As for Marion, she glanced tender
ly at the engagement ring on her
own finger. Was not her sailor low
er, now doing duty on board man
of war in the Chinese seas, coming
home next year? What were the
troubadours Of a Florentine palace
to her p
The trio occupied a small apart
ment up under the roof of a great |
mansion in the city of Flowers, gain
ed by an interminable flight of stone
steps. and furnished by an ingratia-
ting Italian landlord with chairs, Ia
bles and bedsteads apparently join
ed together by means of glue, so
readily did these articles fall apart |
on the slightest application of exter-
nal pressure Barbara Williams was
taking charge of the two Poppleton
girls in Europe. Barbara was always
taking charge of somebody, such was
her vocation, as the poor relation of
a wealthy family, and therefore ac-
corded irreproachable credentials. !
The Poppleton girls wished to study
the arts at Florence, and would en-
| Joy their winter in the beautiful city |
more in retrospection than in the re-
ality, if the truth be told. Pet had |
copied head by Titan in the Pitt
Gallery, and acquired chilblains as
result. Marion pursued music |
with ardor, and conscientiously at
tended classical lectures in sombre
halls of colleges and dismantled con-
vents.