Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1889-08-14
Sbopping for Friends.
yvw1FE NARsHALL NORTH.


sny shopping done, Cousin Lucy" says
the city cousin. Il can get SO much
better material for the same money IN
the city. and it would be real pleasure
to serve you"
The country cousin accepts the offer
| in good faith, and when she has an in
/ vitation to a grand wedding reception
in the quiet town, and finds several
purchases necessary in order to COM
p!ete her toilette, she writes letter to
the city cousin a few days IN advance,
engages her dress-maker for definite
time. and quietly sits down to await the
coming of the desired articles.
To the busy city home comes the
missive. ''What a botheri" says the
summer cousin. "Here is enough shop
ping to last an entire day. Everything
must be sent by Saturday at the latest.
Nv dress-maker Is coming this morn
ing. The annual meeting of the City
Missionary Society Is appointed for to-
morrow There are two receptions
down for the next day, with Susy's
graduating exercises, and Cousin Kate
and her family coming in the evening.
What shall 1 do? 1 thought the week
quite too full before"
But you told Cousin Lucy to send
to YOU at any time, protests sensible
John, the masculine city cousin.
Don't blame her for accepting your
cordial offer of assistance"
mo, no." says the kind-hearted.
| busy woman 1.-The fault is all nv
own When L was at the farm las:
summer, Cousin Lucy was hospitality
personified. No self-denial was too
great for her; indeed she never thought
of personal inconvenience If only we
were happy. And L shall get every
article named in this letter, SO far as
possible, if it takes two days to accom-
plish IL. Next summer / VIII frankly
explain to her some ways in which she
could make the errand comparatively
easy one
.'In the first place, Lucy does not
consider that the sample of silk, which
Is like the party dress of five years ago,
and which she wishes 10 match in vel
vet, was an unusual color even when II
WAS new, and Its exact counterpart IN
velvet could then have been found only
Mt certain places where, as the adyer-
tisements saw. .high-class novelties are
kent 1t is quite possible that might
visit every shop IN the city and find no
five year-old velvet of that particular
shade. 1t was not in the market a sec
ond season. and very likely never Will
be again. The ribbons and gloves
which she wishes to complete the cos
tune are equally hypothetical pur-
chases- The old-fashioned blue bro
cade, one of whose tints she wishes to
match for Aunt Huldah, presents the
same difficulty. That particular shade
of blue has not been in the market for
fifteen years, l am sure.
1.-The item of gloves is another per
pleNity. Lucy is very particular as to
nit, but she simply writes, Send me
two pairs; size five and three-fourths. >
Now one markers five and three
fOurths glove Is equal to the six of an
other. If she had but sent an old
glove, or indicated the size worn in a
particular make which she had tested,
1t would have been a great help.
Aunt Ruth adds that she would like
a china bowl TO match the set, which L
have seen so many times that must be
able to recall 1t readily L know that
the pretty set from which We used to
drink Lucy's fragrant tea is white with
band of blue and one of gold, but the
precise width of the band, the tint of
white, and the shade of blue L could
never tell in a wilderness of bowls of
every conceivable shape and design.
''Then, again, Lucy leaves me to use
my own Judgment as TO prices, but
am quite sure that she has in mind
some wonderful bargains in gloves and
velvets which / showed her last sum
mer, and she Will be disappointed that
/ have TO pay regular prices simply be
cause / have no time to look up bar
gains, unless they happen to stare me
In the face, as my own did And II 1t
chances TO be bargain day at Woods
or Jennings, the time and car fares
necessary to an investigation would
overbalance any difference in price that
might or might not result.
''Now if she had said, Il ought not
to expend more than fifteen dollars for
the velvet, but you may use twenty
dollars for n superior article, or, 'Ehe
tan gloves are To be kept for nice wear,
and should be the best of their kind,
but the dark ones need not be of the
finest quality, L could have suited her
much more easily and in much less time.
She asks for a line of samples of
spring woollens- At the large houses
1t Is against rules to cut samples after
ten o'clock in the morning. Where
am known they would be given me as
an especial favor, which L do not al
WAYS care to accept. / shall doubtless
be asked to leave my friends address,
and be told that samples will be sent
from the regular mailing department
From experience L know that in most
cases the salesman forgets to report the
order, and the address might as well be
thrown into the North River. Lucy
would be much better served If she
would write two or three concise, de
finite letters stating her wishes rs to
price and desired line of shades, en-
close 4 stamp, and send to the leading
houses IN the city, for which no ad-
dress other than the firm name would
be necessary. She could then select
two or three samples which seem de-
sirable, send them TO me, and l could
tell by looking at the piece whether 1t
would be a suitable purchase for her.
But the point which L shall especi-
ally emphasize Is the matter of time
Had these orders come to me three
weeks ago, when L was making similar
purchases, 1t would have taken very
little extra time TO ill them And II
she can Int anticipate her needs for n
few weeks ahead, especially in the mat
ter ui unusual things, II would be a real
pleasure to procure for her some of the
dainty, pretty fancies that do not get
50 far inland as her secluded home.
but which would delight her beauty
loving soul
''It seems ungracious to suggest it,
but If Lucy had only sent a check COW
erlng the probable amount of her pur-
chases, 1t would have been a great con-
yenience Just now. L have several bills
10 Tnaat tn-1ar and ,,.o E.