Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1890-01-31
A POSITIVE WOMAN.

a 1alr, Daby-llke face, and no one
could blame her for gazing at herself
with some complacency, for the dain-
ty bit OF millinery perched over the
curly brown bang was exceedingly
becoming
"There'll be nothing like it in Hutch
inville,' she said to herself, with q
thrill OF pride, and her fingers mean
while fiuttered like humming- birds
among the trimmings, touching here
flower and there loop.
She was going to Hutchinville the
next week for the first time since her
marriage, to spend few days with
her mother, and the bonnet had been
selected from Nine. lie Grande's lat
est importations with view to daz-
zling her rural friends.
81 only hope nothing will hap
pen to it before go there" was her
thought, as she turned at last from
WIG vi.
She even denied herself the pleas
ure of wearing it to church the next
day, fearing n shower, for the skies
were lowering. To face her city ac-
quaintances for one more Sunday in
the bonnet that she had already
worn n whole season required far less
strength of mind than to take her
seat in the little HutchinviIle church
conscious that her bonnet, robbed of
its pristine freshness, was being
bounced upon by every eye in the
Congregation; but she could not re-
sist putting it on to let Jack see how
he liked it.
Its pretty well up in the world, ,"
said Jack, viewing it critically, with
his hands behind him; "but it seems
to be the fashion in head gear nova
days. And really, on yonr head, my
dear, it looks remarkably we'll"
Mrs. Prindle preened for moment
before the class. She was almost
tempted to wear it, after all, but a
warning splash on the window kept
her from yielding.
81 won't risk it, she said and put
ting the bonnet back in its nest, she
stood on tiptoe and pushed the band
box In place on the upper shelf of the
wardrobe,
Hutchinville was nights Journey
by boat, and the next dav proving
stormy, Mrs. Prin1le, in terror of
seasickness, decided to defer her trip
but with the waning of the afternoon
the wind suddenly shifted, the clouds
parted and the sun burst forth like n
monarch newly crowned. If it was
going to he n fair night, it would be
too bad to disappoint her mother,
who she knew would be looking for
her the next morning, and ordering
a carriage thelast moment, she hast
lily gathered up her baggage and de-
parted.
She was methodical little woman
and even for the short time that she
was to occupy her stateroom she
wanted "a place for everything and
everything in its place." but on
boarding the boat she met an invalid
friend who detained her for half an
hour or more in the ladies cabin,
and before she could arrange her
stateroom the capricious wind had
veered again. She stood for a mo-
ment at the window trying to per-
suade herself that there was no cause
of uneasiness, but the rain was al
ready driving against the deck, and
the increasing roughness soon com
PEELED her to take refuge in her berth.
To all those on board who were
predisposed to seasickness it was n
night of woe, and when, the next
morning, Mrs. Prindle took the
stage for HutchirNille, the lit
tie village being about three
miles inland, she was too ex-
hausted to give n thought to her bag
gage-even the precious bonnet had
for the moment drifted out of her
midland it was not until she alight-
ed at her mothers door that the dis
covery was made that the bandbox
was missing.
With hnsty greetings and equally
hasty directions as to where to find
the box, her brother Tom was dis.
patched on horseback to the boat,
and in a disturbed state of temper
and nerves Mrs Prindle seated her
self at the breakfast table.
wouldn't worry aboutit, Phebe."
said her mother; it'll be all right if
you lett it in the stateroom."
But Tom shortly came galloping
back with the information that the
stateroom had been searched in vain;
not a box ofany kind was to be found.
Then that maid must have taken
it," Mrs. Prindle declared. "She had
to go rummaging among my things
last night for my bottle of salts, and
| daresay the bandbox took hereye."
More likely it slipped overheard
when they were bringing your traps
ashore" remarked Tom with n re-
pugnance to having people suspect
ed.
But Mrs. Prindle, convinced that
the bandbox was in the waiting
maids possession, insisted ON going
herself TO see the captain.
The captain, who had just risen
from breakfast when the carryal
stopped at the gate, listened to Mrs.
Prindle's story with courteous pa
thence. Mrs. Bates had been on the