Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1891-10-15
OLD CLOTHES.
A Made-Over Jacket and What It
Did for It's Owner.

If Carlyle had had my experience his
philosophy of clothes would have been
modified thereby. cannot say in just
what particular, but am sure such an
experience could not have failed 10 af-
feet his views on the subject.
was the youngest of a family of
six, and the law of succession to cast
of garments being firmly established
in the family, was brought up in old
clothes. My sister Hannah was the
eldest, next to her came Maria, then
came Tom, my only brother, followed
by the twins, Ludora and Isabella, and
last, and in all respects least, made
my entrance into the family.
suppose the law of succession afore-
mentioned was n necessary feature of
my mothers domestic economy, for she
was left a widow shortly after my
birth, without an abundance with
which to support the family. Maria,
being but year and half younger
than Hannah, was very near her in
size, and seldom had to suffer the infe'
LEFTY of wearing her outgrown or ont
worn clothes The fact of Hannah's
having new article of dress or adorn
.ment was generally considered q suffi
cicnt reason that Maria should have it
Tom, being the only boy, was favored
and he was the only one who was per
mitted anything like extravaganza il
dress. His cast-off garments wcrC
given to our ncighbor, Mrs. Hobbs
still poorer than we, to be converted
into garments for ''the little Hobbses,
as we used to call her numerous off
spring. Ludora and Isabella openly
resented the "made-over" garment
furnished them from Hannah and Ma
ria's wardrobes, and soon outgrev
the possibility of being forced t.
wear them; but ! think must have
been poor-spirited child, for | no
only stayed little" SO long that whel
! had, at last, grown tall the fact wa
quite ignored, but generally accepted
what was given me uncomplainingly
and when, on one occasion, did Civ
an angry expression to my detestatiol
of our clothes and my desire for ney
ones, tho family were astounded. M.
mother said she would not hav
thought it possible for her little Bah t.
show such naughty temper and selfis'
spirit; and, seeing that | had brough
her to the verge of tears, refraine
from further complaint, though tn
'little Bah" was, at that moment, a
offensive to me as the cast-off gan
ments.
never liked the name of Dab,
which, in fact, is not my name, an
really is not name at all, being mere
ly contraction of baby, which ha
been worn for a short time by ever
child in the family, except the twins
to whom it could not be convenient
applied, and had, at last, like the oil
clothes, been given to me in final POI
session, while my own regal-soundin
name of Minerva" had been lai
away, presumably as too good for m
everyday wear. To the title Of Bah,
sufficiently diminutive in itself, wa
generally added the diminutive az
iectivc little" and | was called "littl
Bah" until / was fully five feet fiv'
which is little more than the heigh
of either Hannah or Maria; but the
possessing more avoirdupois and in
portance than |, no one ever though
of calling them little.
That this much wearing of Of
clothes had q manifest effect upon m
destiny will clearly appear from tt
facts whichI am about to relate.
the time of which | shall speal
Hannah and Maria were both marie,
and Tom was in his senior year in I'll
college at D.. An epidemic I
measles causing the college to clos
earlier than usual, he came home
March, accompanied by friend WI
was teacher there. | was absent c
a visit to my Aunt Maria when the
arrived, and when | returned HON
this friend, Randolph Morey by nan
whom Ludora and Isabella, thong
! they were both engaged, declared
, be "splcndidv' had gone on, taking To
with him, to visit relatives in N
Soon after my return, Ludora al
Isabella went to spend a week Wi
Aunt Maria and do some special sho
ping with reference to the double we
ding in which they were to figure n
many weeks later. The next d;
after their departure my mother sal
Dab, l wish you would see that Ton
! room is in order. He will be bat
Saturday, and Ludora and Isabella we
SO busy with their sewing don't thir
!, they made his room as neat as it mig
be-"
: found that the room might be MAJ
heater. ! picked up garment whi'
Tom had lung across chair, and ca
ried it to his closet on entering wifi
my eye fell upon well-worn blue fla
mel coat and neither garments hangil
there, and novel idea flashed into u
mind. Not long since dress of da
blue serge had been made for me o
Of Ludoras and Isabella's old ones, al
/ needed = jacket of some heavier N