New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-02-08
ROWENY IN BOSTON.
MARTHY S. TRYING ITO GIT A rrr.n


scarcely no trimmin' on it to meet'n.o
The relation between wearing scantily
decorated soft felt hat and being 81" suit on gon'
TO Borston." seemed very clear and close to this
speaker. however obscure it might appear to the
ordinary human being. Mrs Warmers two
daughters always wore very stiff hats with large
quantities of cheap flowers on them, and they had
never announced any intention of visiting Boston
Perhaps, therefore, their mother had her reasons
for coming 10 her present conclusion
Il want to know" exclaimed Martha Hancock
"Then it's Roweny. Wal, she never like
YOUR girls, Mis- Warner OF course Hiram futile
can't give her cent to go with. And then the
temptations there. i hope she won't come TO no
bad end
Mrs. Warner drew in her lips and shook her
head. She remarked that she had been greatly
blessed in her children. but that there was
mighty sight in bringing up. She didn't believe
if she did say it herself that either of her girls
would ever git notion that they must 90 where
their parents neverd been. OF course 10 one
could tell what would happen, but she did think
that wouldn't happen.
Miss Hancock shook her own head in sympathy.
She was forty-four years old and had never mar
ried. She always said, when rallied this fact
that she had never been inclined 10 matrlmony.
She saw enough of it in the lives of her marfleu
friends The apparent acidity of this speech was
attributed to the fact that no one, so lar as was
known in the ncighborhood, had ever desired 10
marry Miss Hancock.
The people in this village were not given 10
belief in those words of Thaokerays that any
woman may wed any man. if she makes up hel
mind 10 it. On the contrary, they were sure that
all the old maids in the world were so from dire
necessity
NJ
Miss Hancock commonly called MarthS
S." to distinguish her from another Martina WIN
the same surname who lived in the same dstrict
When Marthy s. mentioned her vocation, she SAID
she dressmaked" for such as wanted her She
would usually add that though she made no pre-
tensions 70 being stylish, she did think she could
nut a touch on to a garment that could DC
equalled by few.
This was true although in different sense
from what she meant it, Her patrons, or her
victims, always presented the same trussed ap-
nearance across the chest, and always SUFFERED
from the same sense of restraint in the elbows
Naturally those who had never had any other
drcssmaker and these many IN this locall'y'
bejeved that to be trussed and to be conhned at
the elbows was the condition of woman when she
was dressed up"-it was one of the lnevl'aDIe
misforfipes of being born feminine instead oil
masculine.
Martby s. took in The Fashion Delineator,
and she did not think it necessary to go any
where to see what folks were wearing" She
frequently made up patterns. She said she
wouldn't give in TO anybody in the matter ol
making up patterns
Sometimes she was asked if she mad ever been
in Boston. She always replied; NO. o"o sne
had been in Providence
1t seemed to her that the fact OF her having seer
tho capital of Rhode Island would in a way estab
lish her as a traveller, and would atone Tor mel
not being familiar with Boston. Her Unclt
George had taken her TO restaurant IN froVt
denoe and they had each had an oyster stew
She often mentioned this stew as being one OF
the most delicious dishes she had ever tasted
l do not know why it is, but the person VINO
comes from the real country to a city always
orders an oyster stew at the clearinghouse where
he stops. and he feels certain sense Of exhilarat
inc destination when he eats it, and when he pours
in some of that tablesauce he has a sense that
no is a COSMOPOLITAN, He thinks he would give
a great deal if he could take all his meals at
restaurant He reads with awe and enjoyment
those curious names Of wines on the other side
of the bill of fare. But he is a Son of temperance
Mrs. Warner was running the machine" while
Marthy S cut and baSted. At intervals there
were pauscs while one of Mrs. Warmers daughter!
would be fitted" This fitting was sometimes
very tedious and the person undergoing 1t wouil
at last got very squirmy. 1t was not agreeable
N have Miss Hancock standing by you with hel
mouth full of pins, pulling you here and pulling
YOU there, She confessed that she dld not a.
such times think anything about the suffering'
of her patient. She only thought of "gittin' {
fit"
The Youngest of Mrs Warmers daughters wal
about sixteen She was pale and thin anc
demonstrating. She considered to have
crown too fast. 1t she who was now be
meath Miss HancOck's hands At first she wa
very calm and patient She was acting upon
firm resolve she had made, and privately com
mupicated TO her sister, that she wouldn't gi
into no tantrums this time"
Bnt after awhile she became fascinated by Thu
way Marthy 5. put pins into her mouth. Thu
child watched with everincreasing horror. Il
seemed to her that no human mouth could hold 81
many pins. and still they went in and disappeared
behind those thin lips.
Why did not the points Of some of them pro
irude through the dressmakers cheeks? How
largo was that mouth inwardly anyway? Viewed
rom the outside it was small and npped IN a
he corners.
Tunice began to grow faint from standing
Objects were vague before her. She suddenly
rrasped Marthy s around the waist. leaned upoi
her and cried ont brOlenly:
"Oh, you'll swaller UNI! you'll swaiier nm
Miss Hancock made gurgling, rafting nolS
and hastily elected great many pins INTO I'M
palm of her hand. She had almost swahowe'
them in her sudden alarm lest ounce wouid iain'
She mt the child down on lounge while TN
mother brought out the csmphor
.you,d made anybody swallcr rhinoceros
veIlipo like that" cried Miss Hancock. in un
comfortable anger when she saw tinge of colo
coming TO the girls face.
Eunice sobbcd She turned her eyes 10 he
mother.
Shed got in twcnty-nne, mother, she sald
and | knew IL she nut in the thlrtleth cOuIdn