The Washington critic., 1888-02-25
EARRINGS FOR ONE.
The Event which Begins an Epoch in
Girls Life.


Girls Life.
Speaking of earrings, it may be re-
marked that in every maiden's life
there are epochs, says writer in the
Chicago Tribune. One closes and
another begins when she leaves her
mothers lap and first goes to school.
The mother cries for q week, and the
poor little damsel gazes out at the
world with her heart in her mouth,
very much as she would If she were
left in circus of wild beasts. An
other epoch is closed when she put
on long dresses and takes her braids
off her back, after which she invaria-
bly, writes her first love letter. Then
there is the epoch when heart whole
ness closes and she puts on her en-
gagement ring, and again the ending
of the maiden's epochs in marriage.
But there is another which usually
occurs before the putting on of the
long dresses. II is the piercing of the
ears, and it marks the birth of vanity,
1t is the coronation Of self-con-
sCiousness,
1t comes about suddenly. Some
fine day, when there is an unusual
amount of electricity in the air. q
little schoolgirl looks in the glass and
begins doing upher hair. Like the
Lady of Shalott, she may see her
Lancelot pass on the other side of the
street. Her cheeks are flushed, her
eyes;daneing, her hair hayward and
beyittching, her lips full Of laughter
and life. Suddenly she. stops with
1, al IA
little closer to the glass.
Dear me-" she said, softly. She
turns herIhead sideways and looks
shyly out of the corners Of her eyes.
She shakes out her hair and spreads
it over her shoulders. -s.5
"Wellp' she cries, enraptured. She
talks to herself a little to see how her
mouth looks when it is not in repose.
II should saygso,'' she remarks at
length, and she doesup her hair and
goes down to inform her mother that
she wants her ears pierced. Oddly
enough, she always gets permission.
Ten to one there are couple of ear
rings waiting for this auspicious oc-
casion, presented her in infancy by
bachelor uncles or doting grand
parents. s ...
Then arises the question how TO get
the holes punched. The. elder sister
volunteers to undertake IL. The en-
tire family gather to witness the ope-
ration. Father looks up over his
paper with an ill-concealed interest.
Mother holds the trembling hands of
the willing victim. Tom gets an
augur, and is driven from the room
with reproofs.
Then sister comes with q needle.
She is shaking from head to foot. She
sets the point of the little instrument
in the velvet flesh, lets out a little
spurt of blood and quietly faints. 1t
is evident that the operation will
have tobe conducted by some one of
less tender sensibilities. Pretty Mar
oissa goes to the family doctor, He
is brutally sensible old man. He
tells her fatty that he won't help her
to make fool of herself. Tom sug-
gests that she shall try the black
smith. Sister thinks the dentist may
be prevailed upon. Narcissa concludes
that whoever does it, for her part she
had better take chloroform. No one
thinks of giving it up.
At last q happy thought strikes
father. He takes Narcissa with him
to a jewelry shop-a diamond empo-
Iium," the advertisements call it.
81 would like 10 get my daughter a
pair of solitaires," he says TO the
clerk, shut, unfortunately, her ears
are not pierced
The clerk smiles and offers Mar
cissa chair. He stands behind her
and pinches each little ear till it is
! 7hite, Then he runs q sharp needle