The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1891-03-26

y
ed, with their names, from their French
ancestors.
Gabrielle cared nothing for past
grandeurs and aristocratic ancestry,
but she would have liked money enough
to dress prettily. She had excellent
taste, and that taste was affronted by
her threadbare dresses and well-worn
gloves and shoes.
"Ah," she said TO herself, as she
gazed at the famous spring hat, 81 can
make one just like that! There is
mammals old point lace scarf which she
gave me! No old lace is handsomer
than that. 1t is ragged, but can get
out more than enough for a hat.
have piece of green satin just that
shade, and Christine Beaupre will
make me a spray of lilacs. You can
hardly tell her flowers from those ex-
pensive French flowers. Oh, l will
have a hat as pretty as Mile. Rose
Lambert's; but she will never know,
and madame will never know, and it
will be as becoming to me as to la petite
Lambert!'
l. She smiled at herself in the mirror
opposite. No doubt Gabrielle was vain,
and knew quite well that she was
pretty. She made pretexts to examine
the hat in order to initiate it exactly,
and when Miss Lambert, summoned by
madame, arrived, Gabrielle, to her
great delight, was selected to try it on
and make alterations, if any were
needed. Of course Miss Lambert
Madame Louise fail in disposing of her
CONNECTIONS according to her plans?
There was a slight alteration to be
made in some of the loopings, which
was intrusted to Gabrielle's def
fingers.
''Be sure, madame, to send it to me
Saturday." Miss Lambert said as she
was leaving. Don't allow your press
of work to crowd my hat out of your
mind"
But certainly not" madame
screamed, gesticulating vehement
denial. 'To forget! All! dat would be
impossible! Mees Rose, you will sharm
all eyes on Easter day, and if re young
demoiselles would give one tousand dol
lar dey could not get hat like yours
in re city. 1t is unique, sharming, as
it is re most sharming young lady in re
city who will lend grace to it."
Miss Lambert smiled and bowed to
the compliment. 1t was really pleasant
to her to know that she was the owner
of something not attainable by her
thousand and one dear friends.
Gabrielle hurried home that night
and was soon deep in lace and satin.
Her friend Christine happened to have
on hand a spray of lilacs similar to the
flowers in the Paris hat, and for small
sum Gabrielle secured it. 1t was mid
night before she completed her task,
and then she laughed with delight as
she placed on her pretty yellow hair
hat SO like its model they could hardly
have been known apart.
sit is a good thing Miss Rose does
not come to st. Anne's chapel and that
madame does not set foot in the French
quarter" she laughed, merrily. "Miss
Rose would burst with rage to see her
fortydollar hat on the head of Nine.
Louise's workwoman. Why, it is pref
tier than hers!''
On Saturday there was such rush of
custom at Nine. Louise's that Gabrielle
ner. About noon Miss Stoll had been
taken ill and was obliged to go home.
1t was very unfortunate, for it threw
a heavier burden of duty upon the rest,
who were already greatly overworked.
During the rest of the day the shop was
in great confusion.
"7Iens!" cried madame, in good
French, just as the shop was to be
closed, and she clapped her hands to
her forehead as if to restrain from wan
dering the few ide as her head still con-
tanned; II believe l have lost my mind
in all this uproar. Here is Nine. Ernest
Lauve's bonnet, and she lives in the
French quarter from here!
Gabrielle, it is near the Rue D.,
where you live. Take the bonnet to
her, and then you can go home, since
by that time it will be dark, and you
have had no dinner"
Poor Gabrielle, exhausted and hungry,
was only too glad of an errand that
would release her from the shop even a
few minutes earlier than the others.
When she reached home after dark she
was too tired even to look at her Easter
hat
Nine. Louise hustled hither and
thither, for there were many hats and
bonnets to be delivered to her custom
ers that evening.
"And Mile. Lambert's hat!' she cried.
"You must take it to her, Victoire, and
<o11 I, %o0 ~ L.
| FORE"
Victoire went to get the hat. She
returned after several minutes absence
with a troubled face.
MADAME, the hat is not there.
Gabrielle made the alterations this
afternoon. Did you not send it by
| her?"
"Now madame cried, angrily. "She
| took Nine. Lauve's hat. You are all
crazy-you can find nothing unless it is
under your nose. Get that hat immedi-
ately! Do you hear? immediately!'
The frightened workwoman ran here
and there, pulling down boxes and
ferreting in every corner of the large
room.
Nine o'clock struck, and the missing
hat was not found. But all agreed
that Gabrielle was the last person seen
with it. It was then too late to take
further steps, and madame, over
fatigued and nervous, became hyster-
ical, and was borne to bed, crying that
her establishment was ruined, that a
theft had been committed, that her
customers would lose their confidence
in her, and that she could never face
them again.
But she Weakened on Easter morning
with her senses restored, and with a
well-formed resolution in her mind.
| Since Gabrielle was the last person seen
with the hat, no doubt the careless girl
had slowed it away somewhere and
forgotten to mention it. She would go
to the French quarter, and find out
from Gabrielle, where the hat was.
There would still be time to get it and
send it to Miss Lambert before she was