Smyrna times., 1886-10-13
Letters from a DreSsmaker.

don't know that am in very good |
case for writing this evening, owing to
a headache, beside stepping on my |
skirt coming up the front steps and |
pulling the braid off, which anybody |
knows is aggravating. And then I've |
just come from Mrs. Slack's, and that |
always wears on my temper.
When / come home from Mrs. Slack's !
the first thing 1 do is to go around my
room and look at all my table, bureau,
and washstand drawers, and see if they
are pushed in right tight. For l don't
believe there's one in that house but
what sticks out little way, with
maybe, whatever's inside showing
through the crack.
was brought up different. 1 re-
member one day when mother sent me
to the little corner cupboard in her
room for something, and the next time
she went up there herself 1 heard her
call me. was very busy making a
playhouse at the root of the old but
tOnwOOd tree in the side yard, and
didn't want to go, but when 1 heard
mothers Mary Ann" knew must.
Generally was "Nancy.") So ran
upstairs and found her standing in the
corner by the closet. "Come here,
daughter" she said, "and shut and
fasten this door. People that can't
take time to shut a drawer or a closet,
are in too much of hurry to get along
we'll in this world. Remember, if you
do thing well, it has only to be done
once; and don't spend time in coming
back to close tho cracks"
shut the door and remembered the
speech, for mother didn't often say
such things.
Mostly, in families, notice there's
some one who seems put there to close
up the cracks that the rest make, but it
don't seem to be so at Slack's. Mr..
Slack's as easy as his wife, and Effie's
| just like them, and so are Sam and
| Kittie. It's really a wonder how they
get anything done. Efie's to be mar
ried this Fall, "if she can get ready
without being worn out" her mother
says, and want to see what kind of a
hOusekeeper she'll make, for Arthur
Pratt's lived in very different way.
Eaie's pretty girl, and affectiOnate
and sweet tempered, and Arthur's
really in love with her now, but 1 re-
member his mother and the way she
managed, and l know her only son
hasn't outgrown all the neat, orderly
ways she taught him.
He came in to dinner the other day
while / was there, and while we were
at the table Mr.. Slack asked if any one
had seen a pair of gloves he was look
ing for. l put them in my lower
bureau drawer, when l was done with
them last Spring." he said, land now !
can't find anything in there but a lot OF
strings of trimming, and such stuff"
Oh, those things are mine," said
Kitty. Some of my best lace is there
IhOpe you didn't tumble it up, father" "
Can't say about that; 1 expect ]
did. What did you put it there for ?
All, Arthur, just wait till you're a mar
ried man, and you'll know severa
things! The amount of space room il
takes to hold a woman's clothes is
something remarkable. Sam and
talk abont building an annex for oul
clean collars"
The laugh then went round, anC
Kitty said with pout that there was
no use in keeping a drawer for one
pair of gloves" but l noticed Arthur
look a little sober and give a quicl
glance at Efie. She didn't look al
pretty as common that day. Their,
are some girls who can have their hail
a little tumbled and their dress some
, what worn, without it's seeming t.
spoil their beauty But that's no
? Ellie Slack's style. If she's not righ
! fresh, she looks it. She tries to bC
: careful for Arthur's sake, but she di,
= not know he was coming until afte
: she had gone down stairs.
{ And after they are married, when h
must see her mornings as we'll as even
ings, and when she is tired or busy, an
f will not feel like dressing up"
} wonder how it will be2
: It's queer how we use that phrase
dressing up" 1 suppose it mean
I coming to something above our every
0 day way of dressing, taking particula
E pains to get above the common run c
/ things. That's just the way the Slacl
3 girls have done. When they were nc
1 really plain and shabby, they wer
I dressed up"
: Now it seems to me that Arthu
e Pratt's wife ought to be one VIII
made the best of herself every day
+ and so had nothing to dress up" tt
J. But suppose l think that because hi
L mother was such a nice woman.
!. expect Efie's good enough for hin
She is for most men.
y Pm going there to make the wed
ding dress next week Ia lovely chin
K Grape, and didn't 1 see a fold of
,. caught in the wardrobe door TO-DAY
o where they'd pulled it out to sho1
Is some one, and hadn't wrapped it u
=. we'll land Arthur is to come in an
& see it, and tell us how it is to be mad,
J. He's one of the men who have "ideas
about wOmen's clothes, and EfIie say
Il the dress is to be just as he wishes.
" Well see about that!
r Yours truly,
MARY ANN JONES.