The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1885-02-06
/" PLEASE pin my fichu.'
"'Whom did you come withi'

| Dub Oh my nhlTI
Hurry up, girls, and let me primpr
"How does my skirt hangr ETC., etc.
"Ah, il my mistress could only see how b,
skirt hangs now, she might find pity for O
old servant, and take me down.
"All Of this was, Of course very nov
and very pleasant TO me. We-Iny mistre,
and I-fnally got down stairs, and stood
long line Of people which seemed TO te
inmate at one end Of the drawing-room, q
IL we were spectators and the ticket of1e
was there. / couldn't understand it at a
until heard Miss VALERIE say:
"Good evening, Mrs. Gossiper. What
lovely party So good you are to yourl
peoplel They positively ought to adore yo
here's one that does
Then, when we passed by, she went or
In an aside to her partner: Thank goodness
that is over and we can enjoy OurselvesP
There's only one thing worse in thi
world he replied, and that's when yo
file past bride and groom at a larg
wedding for the alleged purpose of con
gratulations You have a sense of slowl,
approaching doom-a shuddering fear tina
the man in front Of you and the man be
hind you will say exactly wha
you are going to say; and, as I
consequence, when you reach the couple, you
mutter something which no one hears-fol
which you are thankful-you shake hand
with counterfeited fervor and sink away il
sadness. Or elss you prepare little speech
that Is rather original-quite neat, in fact
and just in the opening sentence the bride
answering what she supposes is the usual I'M
becility, interrupts with. Thank you; In
very glad to see yon, etc. Result the sam.
as before
Then they laughed, and l began Il
wonder why they did these things when my
train of thought was ruiely broken by being
whirled round AMI round, Jumped against
nunberless varieties of ma sculine Leg &,
cru shed almost fiat in collision with mem.
be.S Of my own family, aud otherwise NAL
treated This was very perp!exing at the
time, though have since learned that they
were Waiting, and theS, were the
time | remember particularly ono
pair OF trousers-my mistress danced with
taeIn, or. should say, with their occupant
which ran against me cruelty, ami seemed
10 be in trepidation and uncertainty as to
where they ought TO step-the decision being
usually disastrous could not account for
this, as my mistress kept saying to him:
How nicely you dance! never saw any
one improve so much" and many such com
pliments; nor was the matter explained
when he went away, although young lady
who sat by us Whispered: who was that
frightful dancer you had just nowF and my
mistress replied naively: Mr. Coupon Bond !;
don't you know himH at which they both
laughed quite heartily, much 10 my amaze
ment
ut is quite unnecessary for me to detail
the many now and enchanting things I
learned in this, my first social experience;
the many witty and fiattering speeches
made to US by young men; the charming
way in which and my sisters congreGated
together when We were tired of dancing,
and squeezed each other into affectionate
proximity on sofas and easy chairs; the
reckless way in which we failed to cover up
pretty slippered feet, and the admirable tact
with which we concealed large or fiat onesl
Nor is it necessary TO dwell on the conquests
we mado or the havoc we wrought among
hearts.
Stay! There was one whom ] win men,
tion-a curly haired young gentleman, of
whose feet / never once lost sight, 50 closely
did he pursue us. He seemed to he dancing
Oh air when we waltzsd with him, anu |
heard him murmnr: For love Is heaven,
and heaven is love'-the true application of
which did not at that time appeal to me-
He took us TO the refreshmentroom, and in
ais eagernsss to supply us with everything
satable managed to upset plate of terrapin
On his trousers, which mishap seemed
not to dampen his spirits at all, though it
certainly injured his appearance As We
went down the stairs again l fancied he
leld my lady's hand rather longer and more
irmly than her safety demanded, but she
sfterwari said she excused it, as she felt
'ure 1t was the champagne, and in the end
his devotion was rewarded by seat in our
carriage as we returned home Here also it
'eemed to me that / was uncomfortably
although the seat on which my
lady and the curly haired gentleman sat
was quite large, and l fancied that the
mell Of stewed terrapin was unpleasantly
lose; but it may have been the cham
payne, or / may have been mistaken, as
lever heard her say anything about it,
"Wbat followed during the next few weeks
4 the season would be more or less a repeti-
ion of the foregoing. We were in whirl
4 gayety, and soon wore Off the gaucherie
which made me wonder at many things I
aw at my first ball We went to innumer-
etes and frolics Of all sorts, till became
cry much attached to my mistress and alb
orbed in her beauty. The curly-haired
'oung gentleman was constantly at my side,
nd began to think seriously as to whether
should discourage his attentions.
Il had not fully made up my mind when
he great crisis Of my life came. One even
~ at the tea-table Mrs. Valere-our man.
IA, stout, comely matron-was reading
ome kind OF q magazine, and l heard her
ny: valentine my mistress name is
'alentine), 1 see that hoops for young girls
re going out t'Why, Of course thought /,
while the girls 60 out the hoops must 60 out
Dor1 She continued: 4 was talk
lg to Mrs. Fanglenew to-day, and
ne said her girls intended to drop them
Certainly thought /, they could hardly
Ike them off over their heads.' Mrs.
'alere went on: And she said to me: "You
se, my girls like to be first in the fashion,
nd they do not need hoops to improve their
ontour, like many othersl"' The idear
lid Valentine, laughing, and suppose she
Id you not to think of changing your
aughter's il you feared the loss would de-
act from her appearance Didn't she,
About that, replied Mrs. VALERIE;
nut Iassured her in my blandest tones that
oop-skirts were less becoming in slender,
slicate girls, than to stort, fieshy, short
aisted ones; 80, IL her dear girls were going
} lay them on the shelf, / thought you could
So t'Well, thought l, I'D just as soon be
i'd on the shelf as hung ON a chair My
istress laughed again: why, mamma she
i'd, you're Voltaire for reparteel I'm
-oud Of YOU
"And that was all heard on the subject.
"Two days afterward awoke TO find my
II distending Mrs Valere's stiff brocade,
stead of my MISTRESS light grenadine, and
ZEN it dawned on me that l had been BAN
in my ignorant security, had
the drift OF their tea table
all Of which related to my ulti-
ate rejection. oh, it was q bitter blowi
o more parties, no more pleasure-to ex-
Iange my mistress's light step and spark
~ speech for Mrs Valere's slow, sturdy
ut and plethoric serenity, not TO mention
her differences of mind and person was
tteriy miserable for a time, but grew
'adually more reconciled to the change,
ough pinned for my gentleman admirers,
ID particularly for the curly-haired young
an |
ITO my delight, IL was only few days
ter that the servant brought in his card
r Mrs VALERIE; we went into the parlor to |
) him. He had not forgotten me, then; he
~ still true TO me, and had arranged this
a meeting. How good of himi We en-
red the parlor, and was alarmed by the
llor Of his face, the nervous working of
) hands, which betokened suppressed
guish. All, poor fellowi he has missed
) terribly-he has suffered intensely.
= Mrs. Valere,' he said, 4 have come