Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-02-02

People used to say il was almost a duty
for Colonel Henry Merriweather Page to
marry Il second time. A motherless boy
might do well enough, but when it came to
n girl growing up altogether among darkeys
and men, it was absolutely blood-curdling.
The poor child was really dressed in a man.
ner that was almost indecent, and it had
even been said (here the informant gen.
orally put an impressive hand in n one-but-
toned lisle-thrcad glove upon the arm of the
person to be enlightened) that she actually
used bad lauguage-in fact, swore, as she
heard her father do.
twas perfectly true that she rarely put
i'll an appearance Mt church, and when she
did participate in the hebdomnal 6evotions
of Brownsville parish, she was wont to
clatter up the central aisle in a short and
gathcrlcss habit, which was extremely
shocking to the taste of the congregation.
She wore boots, moreover, and it was
rumorcd spur on occasions. Her greatest
Offensc, probably, was her mode of dress
ing her hair, or rather of leaving it to dress
itself. She had n small, shapcly hoad clasped
closely from brow to throat by heavy red.
brown CurlS.
Colonel Pages pew was tho most con-
spicuous in the pretty sandstone church ;
and the nape of his daughters handsome
neck, exposed in all its chignonless effrout-
cry of Sabbath, was n nevercndirg
source of displcaSure to the outraged
Brownsvillians.
Had not st. Paul expressed himself
clearly, not to say strongly, on this very
subjCcte Was not woman's picty almost
as surely to be measured by the length of
her hair as the age of horse told by the
length of his nlppers! Could young lady
fly in the face not only of tradition, but Of
the Scripture, in this fashion, and yet be
all that is required of young ladies by a
country parishl Not so. The rcctor's wife
wCnt alone in her state Carry-all to remon-
stratc with Miss Page upon this very sub
iect.
She waited for sumo forty minutes, and
when at last her hostess entered, 1t was not
in neat magenta Colorcd paduasoy, neither
Il black or salt and pepper barGge, trimmed
with braid and pearl buttons, as was then
deemed the thing, but-shade of that godly
woman, Mrs. Colonel" Henry Merri-
weather Page III blue flannel waist, an
old homCspun skirt pinned up about her boy
lshly straight Lips, and muddy boots that
left apparent impressions on the rcd velvet
carpet of the drawing groom.
When Mrs. Nelson, after much dcxtrous
mancuvcring, had finally led the convcrsa
ton, by what she considered a master
stroke, up to the moot question, Miss Page
had replied merely by running Il slight
brown hand through the offensive locks anu
saying:
why do wear it this way! Oh! like
It, and dad likes 1t, and Dick" then, with 6
sudden ohliQuc glance of her bright red
Drown eyes: II shall always wear it so
'vaS when am marrlcd.''
20 seem to have no doubt on that
he rCctor's wife had replied, in 6
.essw lirh was dryer than the smile
e. UuDuuiCl il Mrs Nelson haC
81 4,ght bc termed wcll-irrigatcG
II Pray, is 1t TO be soon!'
Hiss rage had laughed at this, flinging
one blue tiaunelCd arm over the chair il
which sho sat sideways, and Mrs. Nelson
had shuddercd both ut the laugh and gest
urr, which she found unplcasantly in keep
ing with their owners cropped locks.
Dear me, no! Goodness, no! l SHOULD
think not!' the delinquent had replied