Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1893-06-20
A NANKEEN JACKET.

My friends make fun of my weakness
for yellow.
l confess that I adore it, notwithstand-
ing that have good reason to detest it.
Truly, human nature is a bundle of con-
tradictionsI
1 love yellow because of q certain cpl
sode in my life which occurred when ]
was but years of age. love nankeen
above all on account of a jacket of that
material which played in that episode
an important part.
Our school, which had been placed nm
der the patronage of st. Elizabeth, was
a mixed one-that is to say, up to the
age of 10 years boys and girls worked
and played together. In spite of occa-
sional quarrels the system, ON the whole,
worked very well.
had not been eight days at st. Eliza
beth's before 1 fell in love. Do not laugh.
1 loved with all the strength of my child
nature, with a love disinterested, simple,
sincere.
1t was Georgette whom loved, but,
alas, Georgette did not love me.
How much suffered in consequence.
used to hide myself in corners, shedding
many tears and racking my brains to find
some means of pleasing the obdurate fair
one. Labor in vain, a thankless task. at
8 years of age or at 80.
To distinguish myself in my studies.
to win by my exemplary conduct the en-
comiums of the sisters Dulorre-all this
made no impression upon cruel Georg-
ette. She made no secret of her prefer
ence for dull, idle, clustering fellow, o
years old, who won all the races. who
could fling ball farther than any one
else, carry two huge dictionaries under
his arm and administer terrible thumps.
This hero was rightly nicknamed Net
a-Mort.
knew what his blows were like, hay-
ing been the involuntary recipient of
some of them. Some do, say? had
received more than dilatory donkey on
the road to the fair!
And Georgette had only laughedl
Obviously it was absurd to think of
employing physical force against my re-
doubtable rival. and intellectual superb
ority in this case availed me nothing. |
determined therefore to annihilate Meta
Mort by my overpowering magnificence
Naturally our parents did not send us
to school attired in our best clothes. On
the contrary, most of us wore there or
Oldest and shabbiest garments. Con
quently opined that it would be nod :
fcult achievement to outshine all my
schoolfellows.
should have to coax my parents into
loosening their purse strings and get
them to buy me beautiful new jacket
1t took me very long time to decide
what color this jacket should be. 1 linen
tally reviewed all the colors of the rain
bow. Red tempted me, but doubted
whether jacket of that color would be
attainable. Should it be blue, green,
indigo, violet2 MOI Not one of those
ce'ors was sufficiently striking.
paused at yellow. That might do.
1T is a rich color; there is something
sumptuous and royal about it. Summer
was approaching. decided finally upon
yellow jacket of nankeen.
Without delay set to work ON my
school garments. It was a work of de-
struction, for 1 wanted to make them
appear as disreputable as possible. /
slyly enlarged the holes, wrenched off
the buttons and decorated my person
lavishly with spots and stcins of all
kinds.
In what judged to be an opportune
moment tinidly expressed my desire.
/ had to do more, much more than
that, before could obtain my will /
begged, stormed, grup led. sulised. /
became almost i'll VITA hope deferred.
At length, for the sake of peace, my
parents granted my eccentric wish.
It was q proud moment for me when
for the first time arrayed myself in
that resplendent nankeen jacket won at
the cost of so many struggles. Standing
before the mirror surveyed myself ad-
nairingly for full hour. was grandl
superbi
'sAh, my Lord Met-a-Mort, you viii
find yourself ousted at lastl Ny shining
jacket viii soon snatch from you the
prestige acquired by your stupid, brute
force. Georgette, astonished. fascinated,
dazzled and delighted, will run toward
me, for l shall now be the handso1nsst
boy IN the school. Met.a-Mort win weep
for chagrin, as have so often wept for
jealousy and modification.
Alas. for my rose colored anticipa-
Of laughter. Even our gentle mistress.
EIInhnce OutoIIes cou4u not repreSS a
smile, and above all other voices heard
that of Georgette, who cried mirthfully:
"Oh. look at himi Look at himl He
is canary bird"
The word was caught up instantly.
An the scholars shouted in chorus: "He
is canaryi A canaryp
Words fail to describe my bitter dis
appointment, my burning shame and
chagrin. saw my folly now. But II
was too late-the awful deed was donel
Worse than all, in order to obtain this
now odious jacket had spoiled all my
other jackets and had nothing else to
wearl When ON the evening of that