St. Landry democrat., 1883-09-15

wait till it slackens,n she said. you'll
be very wet if you don't. Haze you far
to gop' J, !, -,
with an embarrassed giggle. I'm
pretty near by, and the horse-car runs
just in front OF the door. But Cary has
to walk quite long way. and her shoes
are thin, too. She'd better wait, 1 guess,
but | must 60, anyway"
Miss Sydney glanced at the shoes
cheap, paper-soled boots, with a dusty.
velvet bow sewed on the toe of each,
and she, too, concluded that by all
means ssCary" must wait.
Come in here.'' she said. leading the
way into the parlor. Esther had now
lighted the lamp. A little fire sparkled
on the hearth. Myra drew an easy
chair close to it. ..Sit down and have
thorough warming" she said. ut is
chilly evening"
Eyes m. Z
The girl thrust the velyet-bowed
SHOES, which CAPPED for lack of buttons,
out to the fire, and, half from embar-
rassment, held up a hand to shade her
face. TWAS a small hand. with an am
biguous red gem on the forefinger. The
nails were all bitten to the quick, Miss
Sydney noticed.
The face shaded by the hand was not
unprettY. The brown eyes had a
straightforward, honest glance, the
mouth was rather sweet. there was that
delicacy of modelling, just bordering on
fragility, which gives to the early youth
of SO many American women a tieeting
charm. 1t was face which softly
banded hair and low knot would
suit; but, with the bad taste of aher
class, Cary had adopted the style Of
couture which became her least. All
the front hair was an unkempt tangle Of
chang At the back was a mass OF
iute switches, braided and surmounted
with a gilt comb, and on top of the
erection was perched a straw hat lined
with blue and ornamented with be-
draggled cocks tail. The dress. of
cheap material, was blue also, and was
frilled and fiounced into a caricature Of
the prevailing fashion. A rufle OF
soiled lace surrounded the girls neck,
beneath which, over a not over-clean
muslin tie, hung a smart locket OF yell
low metal = very yellow. Bangles
clinked round the slender wrists. Be-
meath the pulled and rufied skirt q
shabby Eetticoat of gray cotton peeped
out. Though the weather was chill,
the girl wore no wrap. Miss Sydney
noted these details in half the time it
has taken to describe them. and stirred
with a pity that was half indignation,
she said:
.'NIy child, how could you think of
coming out on such a day without a
shawla''
81 haven't any shawl.
Swell, a jacket, then.
II haven't any jacket, either, that
matches this dress glancing compla-
Gently down at the beruffied skirt.
But you would rather wear a jacket
that didn't match your dress than catch
a cold, wouldn' you:?''
ssYes,' admitted the girl, in rather
an unwilling tone. ssBut the only one
I've got is purple, and it looks horrid
with this blue Noting dissent in her
companions face, she added: ''We poor
girls can't have a wrap for every dress,
like rich ladies do.
'No,n said Miss Sydney, gently, : |
know it. I never attempt to have diff
ferent wrap for each dress I wear. |
can not afford it, either
(" Cary stared. GLOW queer!a she
began, then changed it to: ssBut you and
us are quite different, ma am
There was something wistful in the
face, which touched NJ yra Sydney. 1t
will be time wasted, dare say she
said to herself, ..still should like, just
for once, to argue out the dress aues-
ton with q girl like. this. She is one
of q great class, and, poor things, they
are SO dreadfulIv foolish and igno-
rant. ~ She made no Immediate reply
to her companion, but rose aEl rang the
bell.
q am going to give you a cup of
tea, y she said. ..Hark, how it rains!
You can go yet, and you will be less
likely to take cold when you do go, if
you start well warmed. Besides, want
to have you stay. should like to have
a little talk over this question of dress,
which is so interesting to all of us
women = She smiled brightly at her
guest, who, as if dazzled. watched the
entrance of the tray with its bubbling
kettle, its plates of thin bread, and but
ter, and crisp, dainty cakes; watched
Myra measure the tea, warm the pot OF
gay japanese ware, and when the brew
was ready, fill the thin-lpped cups, and
drop in sugar and cream.
How nicen she said. with sigh of
satisfaction. Her heart opened under
the new, unwonted kindness and com
fort, and Miss Sydney had little diff
Guilty in learning what she wished 10
know. Cary Thomas was the girls
name. She. had lived sat homen till
two years ago. Did she like the city?
Yes, she liked it well enough, but it
was not much like home to board. She
and another girl that worked at Snow