The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1889-07-25
PLUNKETT ON WIMIN.
LOVE OF DRESS OFFSET BY sAcRl-
FIcE IN TRoUHLoUs TIMES.

How Fashions Changed and Were FOL
IOwed-The Women Of Richmond Dur
ing the Battle of Seven Pines-HOW
Their "GOOdness'' Was Shown
"a girl viii suffer agunies and smile ali the
time Just to be In the fashion" said Plunkett,
as he took his seat and stuffed the tobacco in
his pipe.
''In their counting days. ventured Brown
''They viii draw their corset strings 90
tight that they pant like lizard and er fell
low can span GROUND EN-, and they VIII
force number four shoe on q number seven
foot and skip GROUND as frisky Is er lamb,
while they are suffering agonies that would
put any man in the hospital
SIN their counting days." said Brown.
''ToTINo" LOADS OF DRY GOODS.
ST can remember" said Plunkett, "when
1t was the fashion to be pale and sickly look
ing, and the girls would poultice their faces
and hands with meal dough to bleach 'e1n,
and they'd be so fincky that they'd cut q Pea
In two for mouthful and swear they had q
bate when they had only eat a half biscuit
And then pretty soon the craze got on the
red order, and the poke berries were gathered
and rubbed on their faces, and when they'd
get hot and perspire the pokeberry juice
would streak 'em up the same as an Indian,
but it was the fashion, and whatever Is fash
ion is right"
''If its some other fellows sister, /" suggest
ed Brown
"One time" resumed P1unkett, "they had
q fashion to look slim and bean pole like, with
out any bumps on themselves, and six yards
of calico would make any Of 'em a dress, and
then ergin they took a craze to be fat and
chuhfy, with big bumps themselves, and
then 1t took good sized dry goods store to
furnish cloth enough to dress one Of 'em, and
the cotton they used to make the bumps would
fill good sized hamper basket; I've seed little
puny wimin tote enough dry goods on their
selves to weigh down a strapping fellow.
at know that wars er bad, bad thing, re-
sumed Plunkett, after short pause, ''but
when call to mind the simple ways Of our
| Georgia wimin in them hard days feel like
the country was blessed by its coming, for
we would never have learned their goodness
| In times Of peace.
''The pretty bonnets that were made from
| the scraps Of the worn out dress Of peaceful
days sheltered faces free from foibles, and the
homespun garments covered forms unwarped
by the strains Of fashion They dressed in
tears and moved as in the presence Of death,
as pure as angels and as self-sacriicing as
| the men who fought their battles"
| you're right" said Brown.
Speaking erbout the wimin in the war, "
| said Plunkett, as he scratched his head and
| knocked the G5.ies from his pipe, "makes me
/ think of the day that the Seven Pines battle
/ was fought in front Of Richmond. was
there that day, and it was the hottest weather
/ I'd ever seed. Two of the finest armies that
/ ever stood facing Of each other were there
/ Mcclellan and Joseph e. Johnston. The
| Yankees could sec the flags waving on the
capitol Of the Confederacy, and it was under
stood that it was going to be the day that
would decide the fate of Richmond and Of
| the Confederates.
HOW BANDAGEs WERE MADE.
Gas soon as the first streaks of day broke
in the east it was saluted by the boom, boom
boom of the big guns captured at Manassas
called Eherman's battery. There were two
guns in that battery called Long Tom anG
Laughing Charlie. They had queer ring
10 their boor1, and it was these guns that "a
luted the day as it peeped up over the hill
and announced ready for the Confederates.
"Richmond began to stir. The wimin anC
children lit outen bed, the bells began to RIM
and the whistles to blow and the peopl
hocked to Main street till there was not stand
| ing room on the walks. The fight had com
menced, the big guns were roaring and tn
little guns were like fire in q cane brake
Trains rolled in from Petersburg and Lynch
! burg with re-enforcements. They Lit from
the cars and started at q double quick dow
Main street and out to the fight. Rnapsack
begin to be thrown to the right and the left
| and the cutters were filed. Wimin an
children went to piling them up and stoct
guard over them, but it was no use, the
were never called for, and it was mighty FEY
that unslung their mapsacks on Main stree
, that day that lived to see the end.
"As the day advanced the hotter it grew
, Every vehicle in the city was pressed int
service to go for the wounded, and as the
rolled in the cry for water, water, water
was heard everywhere.
"The wimin of Richmond were the first
discover what was needed Every bucke
and dipper was pressed, and the old men an
children went in q run to and from the waite
plugs, while the wimin went for provisions
Tubs and buckets were placed all along th
curbstones on each side of the street file
with water, and baskets were held by th
wimin, and each soldier was given a sand
witch as they double quicked down the line.
"The wounded were coming in by thoJ
sands. The news spread that Joseph E. JOIN
5 ston was shot and Lee had took commanC
p The doctors were out OF bandages, and th
wimin tore their mderclothing and sheei
into strips to bind up the wounds
''This young generation are the sons an
daughters of such wimin as these. As it W;
= then so it will be ergin, l reckon, so let fel
| | rip But it does make me mad to see 'el
fools erbout the fashion. Atlanta COns6tI
= ! tim