St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1885-03-19
Their Folly.

paying her morning visit. 81 have
taught her that girl cannot he too
particular in her person and her dress.
Why, she knows as much about har-
mOny of colors, and what is most be-
coming to her, as if she were nineteen
instead Of fourteen"
Mrs. Forrest looked grave. eve
cannot agree upon this subject, Kate,
she said. "a girl should have habits
of neatness, of course but the giving
of very much time and thought to the
tint of IA ribbon, or its becomingness,
seems to me wrong. 1t narrOws the
mind, and tends, | am sure, to bring it
to a very low level. | try to make
Grace understand that dress is of i'm
portance, of course, but of infinitely
less importance than her studies"
Eyes. YES. And she is n very apt
scholar, Mary" laughed Mrs. Meredith.
Mrs. Forrest turned the converse
ton. She was, no doubt, extreme in
her ideas with regard to the degree of
attention that should be paid to dress,
but she knew that her cousin was too
extreme in her love of dress, and that
Mr. Meredith not only had a compare
lively small salary, but that he was
involved in debt 10y the heavy expenses
of living and by his wife's extrava-
gance. OF late. too, Mr.. Forrest, who
was a merchant. had heard grave
whispers with regard to Mr.. Meredith,
and his wife had gone to her cousins
that morning determined to remOn-
strate with her on her eXtravagant
habits. She found, however, that her
remonstrances were useless.
That day Dora Meredith returned
from school in bad humor. She threw
he satchcl in a corner, pushed her din
ner away untasted, and sat with a
frown on her pretty forehead.
"What's the matter, dear p her
mother asked, tenderly. "DOH't frown
so. 1t creases the skin, and will soon
er or later leave lines on the forehead"
Dora's brow instantly unbent. She
was disrespectful and undutiful to her
mother, but the argument of appear
ances always Influenced her.
''It's my sacque :" she cried, petu
lantly "The miserable old thing -
she exclaimed, looking at it with dis
gust. "Olga Marsh came to school to-
day with a sacquc just from New York.
It's seal brown, trimmed with fur
the same color. It's the lOVeliest thing
You can imagine. Olga stands next to
me in the class, and she looked so
stylish, and SO dowdy with this old
grey sacque, that | was mortified to
death. The girls whispered and laugh
ell, and | knew what they were say
ing. | hate this shabby old thing -
at isn't old, dear" her mother said,
feeling as much aggrieved as her
daughter at olga Marshs new sacque.
''You haven't worn it two months yet.
I'm sure olga Marsh never can look as
stylish as you de, let her wear what
she will"
"Oh, of course it's the sacque," Dora
said, more complacently. 1.-The fur
trimming gives such a rich finish, you
know. But all the same, Olga Marsh
is the best dressed girl in school now,
and everybody says so.'
"Well, YOU know that Judge Marsh
can afford to give Olga everything she
wants." Mrs. Meredith said, mOurnful-
~. "IIe's rich man. It's hard
trial for you, dear, know, but what's
to be done have to fuss and worry
ut your pa for days before | can get
money from him for the simplest tritie.
How tired am of being poor and try
ing to keep up appearances!
$50 am =" Dora answered, prompt
ly. "But poor OF not, mamma, Eve
made up my mind to have a cloth
sacque with fur trimming. l think
I'll have navy blue no, maroon will
be more becoming to my complexion
gazing ut her pretty face in the glass.
"Tm sure | don't know how you'll
get it," sighed her mother. ''When
your father handed me five dollars for
your shoes, he said not another cent
for dress could we get from him until
next month"
''Oh, papa always says that. But
you know you can get it, mamma"
with a significant smile. give found
out one or two of your cute little
tricks"
Mrs. Meredith colored to- the roots of
her hair. She did feel some shame |
when Dora came upon her one night |
when she was taking some loose change |
from her husbands pocket after he
had gone to bed. The girl laughed,
and thought it good joke. Papa was
so close with them and then, too, was
so careless with his money. that he
would be sure to think he had lost it.
She saw nothing bad in the act, and it
did not once occur to her that her
mother was doing wrong. She did not
know how often Mrs. Meredith did /
this wrong to obtain money for her
own and her daughters extravaganza.
She began by taking small sums, but
at last distracted larger amounts.
1t was this unsupported drain which