The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1889-11-23
MRS. BLIYEN'S BONNET.


"Oh, yes, know" said Leona, clasp
ing her hands. "But that old Leghorn
hat, with the crown like stove pipe
and the front like a washhands basin!
Who could tolerate that2 And every.
body laughs when she comes into
church."
"Let 'em laugh" shrewdly remarked
Myra. "Td be willing folks should laugh
at me If was worth thirty thousand
dollars and owned the Bliven mills into
the bargain"
Myra Manton was 'hired help" at the
Bliven farm--a stout New Englander of
fifty summers, with hair cut short, no
visible waist, and swapping black eyes.
Leona was old Mrs. Bliven's niece-a
slim girl of IS, with balsam pink COM
plexion, dreamy gray eyes, and teeth
white and even as small pearls.
In the eyes of James Bliven, the old
lady's son, Leona was fairest of all Gre
ated beings. Even Myra Manton allowed
"that she was sorter nice to look atr' As
for Mrs. Bliven herself, she expressed no
opinion whatever; Mrs. Bliven was not
person who talked much.
''She's come to make me visit" said
Mrs. Bliven one day to Myra. II sup
pose, if she suits me, shall ask her to
stay for good and all"
"If you don't, l suppose Jim WILL"
said Myra, with shrewd twinkle of her
eyes.
Gas 1t happens, I'm the mistress Of
this house." said Mrs. Bliven. "Well,
we'll see how she suits" "
And neither Myra the solid, nor Leona
the sylphlike, knew, as they sat on the
sunshiny doorstep, slicing great red
hearted peaches to dry for winter use,
that Mrs. Bliven, from the garret win
dow above, where she was looking over
her balls of carpet rags, could distinctly
hear every word they uttered
"Myra," said Leona, as she replenished
her pan from the great bushel basket,
"l'm going to tell you something"
Tell ahead!' succinctly retorted Myra.
"Tve got such an idear
"What is it?"
"Well, one of my schoolmates at Fan
over hall had grandmother. And her
grandmother had just such Noah's ark
of a bonnet as Aunt Bliven."
''Humph" said Myra, peeling diligent-
ly away.
"And she and her sister took a pair of
big shears and shipped it up into little
bits and made the grandmother believe
that the rats did it,"
"Must have been credulous old Greet
ur," observed Myra.
''Oh, no; but it was really such neat
job. Don't you think, Myra, we might
dispose of the old Leghorn hat in some
such way?"
"No, don'tl" said Myra, spearing
peach on the end of her knife and begin
ming artistically to remove its pink velvet
jacket.
Leona sighed and went on with her
work. Myra Manton paused to call her
frolicsome little terrier off from brood
of half grown turkey poults who were
foraging around the barn door.
81 do wish" said she, curtly, ''that
Cappen John jackson hadn't sent me
that plaguey beast to take care on till he
come back from that voyage to Fayal.
If he hurts any of the fowls 1 expect
Mrs Bliven'll murder me-"
"Myra," said Leona, "are you really
engaged to Captain John Jackson?"
Get outl" said Myra, with sheepish
smile. 81 dunno whether be or not"
The next day Leona came into her
aunt's room with pretty black and
white straw bonnet, trimmed with a let
dagger and loops innumerable of black
ribbon.
''Look, Aunt Blivenl" said she.
~.
turning her spectacle glasses full on the
girl.
''I've been trimming q bonnet for
you"
''You might have saved yourself the
trouble" sharply spoke the matron.
"But don't you like it?" pleaded LeonA,
who was beginning to tremble all over.
TITS very nice, dare say. but I'm
very well suited already with what I've
got"
"But, Aunt Bliven"-
"'Tain't worth while to discuss tho
matter" said Mrs. Bliven, dryly. 81 cal
culate I'm old enough to choose for my
self what Ill wear and what 1 won'tr'
Leona shrank into herself like the
leaves of sensitive plant; she crept
back to her bedroom with the rejected
triumph of home made millinery, and
had a good cry over It.
Presently she heard her aunt calling:
"Myral Myra"
She ran out.
"Oh, Aunt Bliven, had forgotten to
tell you. Myra had a telegram from her
sister up at Portland, and she had to run
to catch the 10 o'clock train. Her sisters
husband has had an accident, and
promised her I'd explain it TO you. She'll
be back as soon as they possibly can
spare her, and I'm to do the housework
while she is gone"
Old Mrs. Bliven shifted discontentedly.
Seems to me people are always havin'
accidents" said she. "Bowever, you
may go and pick some Lima beans and
sweet corn, and we1l hare a dish OF
good, old fashioned succot4sh. Myra is
good cook, but she never could make
succotash. And in the afternoon wen
have Toby harnessed up and drive over
to Widow Sally Smiths to tea"
The long shadows of afternoon were
lying athwart the closely mown grass
when old Toby was led to the door, and
Mrs Bliven called loudly to Leona TO
bring down her bonnet and shawl.
The girl, who had no especial fancy
for the society of Widow Sally Smith
and her hard voiced daughters, listlessly
obeyed.
But the moment she opened the ''best
bedroom" door, where the old lady kept
erchoieest treasures, she uttered a shrek
Of dismay. There. ON the floor. In a
series Of jagged strips and indistinguish-
able debris, lay MrA Bliven's famous
Leghorn bonnetl
''R~s5aass Hasg @isd . shrilI vvtoo.