Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-10-25

year should elapse after the elections for
Congress before the members could take
their seats. But Mrs. Clineher and the girls
managed to put in their time very agreesblY
shopping Id New York and Philadelphia,
buying elegant gowns and bonnets, and such
like female toggery as Millville had never
dreamed OF before. For, with all their
riches, the Clinchers, feeling that they we're
but plain folk at best, and that their nat
ural sphere could never reasonably or sensi-
bly, extend much beyond the suburbs of the
village OF Millville, had never attempted to
exceed the fashion Of the place. Mr.. Jehu
Clincher was king, Mrs. Tabitha Clincher
was queen, and the Misses Clincher were
princesses there without attempting to daz-
zle the eyes of the locality with gorgeous
costumes.
But it was all changed now. There must
be show of grandeur consistent with the
dignity of Congressman and millionaire,
to begin with. More important than that
was the determination of Mrs. Clincher, that
her daughters should be quite as conspicu-
GUS in Washington as in Millville society,
and so there must be costumes from the best
American modistes at the very least, and
possibly the richest resources of the French
capital would have to be drawn upon to
little village OF MillYille, so far reaching is
the dominion OF modern society. Of course
the larger portion of these purchases never
saw the light of day in Millville. The
orthodox population of that secluded burg
would have been shocked beyond recovery
had it been revealed to them that the ladies
of the Clincher family had gone to the very
extreme of the fashion IN ordering their
evening gowns, with a wealth of
longitude at the southerly end, and a
paucity of the same at the northerly linn
its, in the snowy regions of the neck and
bosom. 1t was only in the seclusion of the
Clincher mansion, in the late hours of the
night, when there was no danger of inter-
ruption, that the ladies guiltily put on
their gowns, repulsive to the morality OF the
place; and it required some practice even
when none but they were present to accus-
tom themselves to the boldness of the
fashion. But there was fascination in this
new richness of dress which soon overcame
all scruples, and the Misses Clincher. and |
even at this time the mother herself, on fre- |
quent occasions INDUCED in the vanity of |
their figures at full length in the |
mirror, in each delicate degree of costume, |
from the snowiest linen and the finest of |
laces, ND to the point at which fashion de- |
clared they were dressed, but which seemed |
to them for . long time to be anything but |
full dress.
Mamma, do believe I shall faint the |
first time go into company in these awful |
gowns" said Miss Clincher one day. It's |
ali well enough to learn to look at myself in
The glass, and to have you and Vsleria gaze |
1t me and talk about me without my having |
\ ft but it will be quite another thing /
when strange men stare at me and make re- |
marks in their minds about the shape of my |
neck and arms and the quality OF my skin. |
know they'll do il, and I don't believe I |
IAN stand it. I'd like to know the name of |
he inventor of this horrible way of ap-
oearing to be dressed when you are not"
"Well, I suppose it will take nerve"
aid Mrs. Clincher, "but we always 60 /
through with what We undertake, you
( now, and wen struggle with the situation
Is best we can when we come to it."
"Oh, I'm not bothered half so much |
lbout that as about what shall say" be-
noaned Miss Valeria. ST Just know I
hall make fool of myself among all these
mart people, who have been used to society
md politics and di-di-vhat il it?''
Diplomacy. suppose you mean" said
Miss Clincher with q superior air.
"Yes. diplomacy; that's what I'm afraid
# more than anything else, I've read in
he papers that those foreign ministers and
he other foreigners who are with them, are
Iwfu1ly smooth and deceitful, and that you
lever know whether they mean what they j