Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-07-24
4 gfrI to have her head turned BY ! love-

a girl to have her head turned BY . love.
ly gown
| And so, ten days later, the little fam
I ily a hundred miles away were thrown
into pleasant excitement by the com
ing of a letter from Aunt ElInor and a
box from the express.
How perfectly lovely of herr cred
Alice, flushing to new beauty as she
read And to think of me in really
Paris gown! wish now I hadn't de-
clined the parties
..But why can't you have them p:
cried the younger sister, as she tugged
at the strings of the box. TELL Fred
YOU have changed your mind. You know
they said they shouldn't take YOUR de-
cision as absolute. They knew why
YOU had to decline
wedding" the elder sister said, de-
cisiveiy, when the gown had been
taken out and admired n dress like
that shows off ten times more by GAS
light.
And my four bridemaids in Sir
Joshua dresses Alice added, little
mournfully. I know beforehand that
May Fleming and Ruth Nicol can't
..You might take Fred's sisters in
their places" Mrs. Grey suggested.
sit would be proper respect to the
family. But, to be sure, they are older
than YOU, and not 500 verv rood
looking. And you promised to be
rose among rose-buds, Alliet'
..Good-looking, indeedr' cried the
young sister. '.They are horrid old
maids. But but they do know how to
dress. and in. the evening. I daresay won't
look so bad. But perhaps the others
can manage it"
Is. But Alice's foreboding was realized.
Her best friend declined her Office at
SIGHT of the treasure. She was teach
er. she had an invalid mother to sup
port, and a gown to match this would
be a base extravaganza. Alice was
fain to propose the vacancies in her
guard of honor to her prospective sis
ters-in-law, and find what comfort she
could in her sisters suggestion that the.
contrast between their faded faces and
her fresh young beauty would be all
the more striking. And besides, they
all agreed that such a gown deserved
some sacrifice.
Well, it had all it deserved before
they were through with it. Alice had
meant to have everything simple and
suited to her circumstances. She had
no intention of putting everything into
fallals. For if the Raymonds were a
fine family. and some day Fred would
have plenty of money, he had only
nice salary now, and they were to be-
gin in the Queen Anne cottage his
Co nd
hers was to furnish But really
tween things, so all the pretty and pic
its claims, and presently they were all
pale and worn with the stitching they
undertook to get things undreamed of
before its coming made plain the shah
biness of their previous ideas. Mrs.
Allen, who came down a week before
the wedding, saw with dismay the ruin
she had wrought. The talk was all of
fashions and frills, of presents and par
ties and prinking, and temporarily it
seemed that the Paris gown had
changed her Puritan niece into gilded
wording.
..You would like to see the dress on
me, auntie,' Alice said that first morn
for me, but we have thought of altering
the draperies. And papa declares the
corsage is too low, but the Raymond
girls say not. The Raymonds ale used
to everything, you know, but Eve
promised that you shall decide the
matter"
Ha an hour later she trailed down
into the little parIor attended by her
1ar, To IN
beauty's illumination. She looked
pink and cream, and the graceful neck
rising from the foam of laces was white
as they. But somehow Mrs. Allen did
about. and turned and twisted and
looked at herself in the small, old-fash-
ioned mirror, and complained that
really one could see nothing in such a
thing.
And I want more light" she cried.
bring in the large burner from the
hall, mamma, and, Nelly, these
sconces."
And in an instant Nelly had Lit
them, tossing away the mato,l as the
fame broke out. She was little ex-
cited, little careless, and then she
thought it extinguished. But it was
not, and it fell-since at that very mo-
moment Alice had swept her train into
a new place-on her laces. And then
in an instant there was a sheet OF
flame, and they were all running
and screaming, and Alice was on the
floor, and smothered in the rug one
of them had caught up. and Mr.
Grey had thrown a vase of flowers
over her, and the fire was out.
''But. oh, papa moaned Alice,
forgetting everything even then but
her dress, show could you-how could
YOU throw water on mea I suppose it's
ruined And oh, my armand my
hair!"
Thank Providence" Mrs. Allen
cried. IF only your dress is hurt.
Such an escaped But your arm-let
us see it. My poor. poor child!'' For
as she stripped off the blackened bits
of lace and satin, she saw that the
fair round arm was deeply marked
by the track of the fame One shoulder,
too, and the curl at the nape of the
neck had suffered; but, under the cir
she had suffered less than
they feared.
'sBut my dress! my dress!' she cried
again, as she looked at its ruin
s:what shall l do now for dress? And
the cards out. and verybody knowing
what I'm to wear. and even the flowers
ordered, and no money left"
"My dear" Mrs. Allen interrupted.
as she bathed her arm, '.there'n be
time enough to see to all that. The
burn is deeper than thought. If your
arm is well in q month. You'll do very |