Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1893-06-25
THE AUNT'S DEBUT.


IN the great world of fashion.
Well, in the first place lived with my
grandmother among the meadows and
woods of far Brittany, out of the way of all
invitations to dances or dinners, and in the
second place the brilliancy and excitement
of life of fashion had always had for me
a sort Of mimic terror. But now "Je suis
Parisienne," am in the gay metropolis OF
fashion, and | have learned how to be proud
and dignified in the midst of it all and to
carry myself as BELTS young woman OF
the world. l live with my sister, and 20
with my niece, a girl of IL, to the balls,
parties and gay entertainments that are in
vogue. My meditations have Just been
broken in upon by the irrepressible gayety
OF my youngest niece, Rose. She is dancing
round me, throwing her arms and legs in
the air little more than decency allows,
and she is shouting at the top of her voice:
Aunt Pauline is going to the BALL
What jokel Aunt Pauline is going TO
the ballp
Are you really going to dance auntie2"
abe asks me seriously. Are you going
with all the other girls"
why not, indeed?" l answered ~ don't
think shall be out of place there"
A delicious feeling creeps over me. | feel
soft pressure, two strong arms around my
neck, a soft cheek next mine and whis-
pered words of love and flattery. Rose in
terrupts my meditation with:
"Auntie, dear, you will be the belle of the
ball"
AT length we are ready to start. Dress
ing had been successfully accomplished
but what torturesl had to strangle my
self to make my corset fit round my slender
waist, and my dress was ever so much too
narrow for my modest figure.
The result was that the blood rushed to
my face until began to look like lobster
In vain | tried to cool myself off at an open
window or to hide the crimson hue by pow
ders and cosmetics. All remedies natural
or artificial would have been useless to
suppress or even tighten the ruddy glow of
my cheeks.
Nevertheless when descended the stairs
and Joined the rest of our party in the din
ing room, a murmur of appreciation greeted
my entry
by Joye, Pauline" exclaimed my broth
er-in-law, what shoulders"
Now, Roger, be quiet, will you. You
are not serious when you say that"
What have you got in your hair, auntie'"
cries Rose. rs it paroquet"
'No; it's an ostrich feather. dear" an
swered calmly.
Niolette, my eldest niece, certainly looked
very fetching in her cloud of rose tulle, but
she is so mignonue. / prefer a more ma
jestic, dignifed type of beauty-like my
own-and so do the men.
Jacques looks awfully well in his even
ing dress. His shirt front is irreproachably
spotless, and his eyes are fairly sparkling
with pleasure and excitement
Roger takes US to the ball-you must not
think for a moment that | chaperon my
niece. The carriage rolls along, and at
length we arrive St. Verge, how my
heart goes tool tool Happily l am free
from my rheumatism tonight Violette is
an extraordinary girl-she seems so quiet
and at her ease.
"Violette," l whispered, do you think
we shall have lots of dancers9"
"Oh, yes, auntie We shall have all those
gentlemen that / meet at Mime. Beray's par
ties.
1t seemed to me that she blushed little.
81 suppose they are proper sort Of men,
VioletteS"
"Oh, auntie How can youi" she whis-
pered back, with a wiggle of her beautiful
shoulders.
l go up stairs to the ballroom as in a
dream. As / shake hands with Mime. Mo
reno, our hostess, could not help noticing
how old she looked in her velvet gown, al
though we had been schoolgirls together
Horrorsl Can it be possible'
Here we are, then, at last, sitting on our
chairs and waiting. A waltz begins to play,
and Violette is whipped away by hand
some young fellow. | still find myself in
my chair
What an extraordinary state of things
not a single man asks me to dance.
No doubt it is my imposing air and man
ner which keep them away. | have often
been told that in evening dress | look quite
intimidating Besides, all the men here
are mere schoolboys 1t is positively alb
surd. They ought all to be sent to bed and
let their places be taken by serious men of
the world, who know a good thing when
they see it.
Ali Here comes Jacquesl He brings
with him cavalier for me-a partner
A tall, dark man, about 30 years old,
wears a fine, silken beard, very pointed.
His eyes look tired and reflective, and his
high forehead has already lost something
of its fresh youthfulness. He asks at once
for the next dance-a set of lancers. As
we dance his flow Of conversation never
danced with Violette, who has told him a
great deal about me, and that for a long
time past he has been most anxious to meet
and know me.
He pays me delicate compliment about
my water colors be saw at Nine. Beray's
q paint in my spare hours.) Altogether,
what a charming partner, and how short
that set of lancers seemed But he asks
for another dance-a polka. After the
polka he asks me for a quadrille. ] begin
TO get afraid that his marked attentions
may compromise me- But how am | to
tell him soi just now when he was look
ing at me his eyes were very soft and tender.
wonder If the dancers are beginning 10
notice what conquest / have made.
What an example for Violette, though, IL
abe should ever know that | had In the
slightest degree encouraged this mani IL
Is certainly time to make him feel that his
attentions have passed the limits Of good
taste Just at this moment he comes up