Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1885-02-11


together the necessary articles of ward
robe. Among the first things pre-
sented was pair of black silk stock
ings and pair of kid slippers.
"What are these?" Miss Harrington
asked.
aWhy, they are the newest style of
slippers, auntie." said her niece.
"Paper soles, and three-inch heels
tapered down to cherry pit in the mid
die of the foot. I presume you wear
these all the time you are in the
house?"
"Why, of course, auntie."
"In the dead of winter as well as in
the dog-days?"
The young lady laughed merrily at
her companions old fogyism. "Certain-
ly. just see how pretty they look with
the silk stockings"
SLOW many corns have you,
Blanche?"
ooh, only two or three little bits of
ones. send for chiropodist once in
while, and then I'm all right for ever
so long"
ga girl of nineteen with her feet in a
chiropodist's hands" said auntie, with a
wry face.
@That isn't anything. Why, almost
all the girls"
"Not the slightest doubt of it," the
lady interrupted. "You have nothing
else, suppose to put on your feet bat
these things?"
"No, auntie, and wouldn't wear any
other if I had"
81 have now accounted for your back
aches, Blanche" said Miss Harrington,
sand we will proceed to eliminate the
spinal column from the charge of mala-
ria; it is perfectly innocent" And now
the nurse examined the other articles
laid out for use. There wasn't an inch
of flannel to be seen; nothing but the
finest and most deliberately beruf1ed
and embroidered linen.
"And you do not own flannel petit
coat, Blanche?"
"What in the world do Iwant of fan
nels? You know [ almost always go
out in the carriage, and there are lots of
warm robes"
att is about as I supposed" Miss Har-
rington remarked sadly. "Your break
down is due to perfectly plain and
natural causes. There is nothing in the
least mysterious about it. You have
deformed your feet, weakened your
spine, and consequently your whole
nervous system, by the shoes you have
worn. By series of exposures you
have reduced your vital force to such
an extent that reaction was impossible
without further prostration and COM
plete cessation of irritating causes.
Here are your corsets. How much do
they measure, please?"
Nineteen inches, auntie," the young
ady was almost ready to cry now, sand
they are whole inch larger than most
girls of my size wear"
what is your size? Here is a tape
measure, and will soon tell you. You
have lost considerable flesh, and shall
have to allow for shrinkage. Twenty
four inches just as you are, Blanche.
Think of it A twenty-four-inch waist
squeezed into undetermined corsets
We will now clear the heart and lungs
from the charge of malaria. Your ir-
regular pulse, the cutting pain in your
side, your uneven and most inadequate
respiration, can be traced directly to
tight lacing. Now, have this to
say, my child. I shall not permit
you to wear one of these articles as
long as you are under my care. If you
will accept pair of my quilted slippers,
and allow me to wrap you in blankets
till you have some clothes suitable for
a convalescent to wear, all right. If
not, you must find some one else to take
care of yoC. My time is altogether too
precious to throw away. This may seem
very cruel, Blanche, but really think
it would be far better for you to die now
than to be nursed back to the old
shameful conditions. There is nothing
before you but life Of invalidism if you
decide to go on as you have begun"
"But how can Iwear horrid old shoes
and old scratchy fannels, and have a
waist like washerwoman's? the girl
inquired between laughing and crying.
"You haven't said anything about
goloshes and leggings yet, but perhaps
you'd like to have me wear those?"
''Shall I get the blankets and my
quilted slippers, Blanche?"
eyes; bring the gunboats and the
fannels," her companion replied, ''and
If you can find few hens feathers to
stick in my hair The resemblance to a
Sioux squaw will be most striking"
After this Miss Blanche had some les
sons in physiology and hygiene, and
very interesting and profitable topics
they proved to be. She learned the
reasons of things, and had sense enough
to accept and utilize them Harper's |