The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1889-09-21

| was you, Hannah, or blue"
''Pink, to be sure" said the frizzed
one. "Here is the very idea-rose-col
ored tulle shirred. with a bunch of rose
buds, and humming bird just lowering
above them. A real Paris fancy, and
4 just reduced to ten dollars, from four
teen"
"Ten dollarsw
| Poor Hannah had but eight at her COM
mand at the utmost. She whispered this
! fact to Miss Troll, with her eyes glued on
the rose-colored tule.
| 'I'll lend you the other two," Amanda
whispered back. ats pity to lose such
bargain. Just think how it'll outshine
| all the other bonnets at church next Sun
day."
'Shall l try it on?" said the frizzed
damsel, as she lightly adjusted the hat on
her own head. "You can form some
idea of its general style by that"
| The saleslady had bright tresses and a
delicate stay-in-doors sort of complexion.
Hannah Poland was sunburned and
l freckled, with colorless hair like dry
grass, which uplifted itself at the parting
, In genuine ''cowlick." But neither she
nor Miss Troll took these little inconsist-
| encies into account.
! ''Lovely!" Hannah cried. ecstaticallv.
"The prettiest hat | ever saw!" de-
| clared Amanda Troll.
"But won't pa think it rather gay?"
whispered Hannah.
"He amt going to wear it." said
Amanda. And pink is Frank Bonds
favorite color, you know"
This decided the question. The bon
net was purchased, packed into paper
box and safely bestowed under the buggy
seat.
Hannah Poland went home half
frightened, half-delighted, with the bar
gain she had made. But she was thank
full that on their return it was twilight
enough for her to smuggle the bandbox,
unseen, into her own room, while she
satisfied her fathers curiosity with a
sight of some calico she had purchased, a
few yards of ribbon, a wide brimmed
straw hat for the. old gentleman's own
use, and half dozen palm-leaf fans.
''But you didn't spend all your money
on this" said Mr.. Poland, checking up
the sums on his fingers.
"No-I-bought bonnet"
"How much ye give for it9'
'Six dollars"
The truth again, but not the whole
truth.
"Six dollars. Whew. Your ma never
give that for bonnet in her life
Fittings cost more now, pa"
"Wal, you must be awful savin' of it.
that's all. Then there's two dollars left.
Guess you'd better send that to old Aunt s
Betsey up at Three Big Pines. We amt
done much for her this year. and she was l
your mas own aunt. Will you write to
her, or shall II"
"Ill write, pa" said Hannah, with |
sinking heart.
She was already beginning to repent of
ler bargain in bonnets. S
She repented still more that night when '
before her cheap little pine-framed mirror
he tried on the new treasure. In itself S
was undoubtedly very pretty; but the
ielicate color seemed to accentuate every |
reckle, every patch of sunburn, every l
separate hair in the cowlick. Il
II look like the owl that Peter Hib- I
'ard caught last week." she muttered to
herself. "But perhaps ii used little
and washed my face in butter =
milk every night until Sunday"
And she put away the new bonnet with b
sigh. n
1.-The Bismarck brown with the gilt t.
uills would have been far more becom-
ng," she thought. Il wonder if they b
'ould exchange it2'
Mr.. Perkins called the next day to see
Miss Poland would contribute ANYTHING h
Or the children's picnic, and with burn
lg cheeks and heart throbbing with al
ecret modification, Hannah was Obliged V,