The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1893-06-08
A NANKEEN JACKET.

for yellow.
confess that 1 adore it, notwithstand-
ing that have good reason to detest it.
Truly, human nature is bundle of con-
tradictions!
love yellow because of a certain cpl
sode in my life which occurred when l
was but s years of age. I 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 I'M
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 fell in love. Do not laugh.
[ loved with all the strength of my child
nature, with love disinterested, simple,
sincere.
1t was Georgette whom 1 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 bbdurate fair
one. Labor in vain, thankless task, at
9years 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-
cite. She made no secret of her prefer
ence for dull, idle, clustering fellow, 0
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 Met
a-Mort.
knew what his blows were like, hay
ing been the involuntary recipient of
some of them. Some do, say? L had
received more than dilatory donkey on
the road to the fart
And Georgette had only laughed!
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. II
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 our
Oldest and shabbiest garments. Conse-
quently l opined that it would be no diff
ticult 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. men
tally reviewed all the colors of the rain
bow Red tempted me, but 1 doubted
whether jacket of that color would be
attainable. Should it be blue, green,
indigo, violet? No! Not one of those
colors was sufficiently striking.
I paused at yellow. That might do.
1t is rich color; there is something
sumptuous and royal about it. Summer
was approaching. decided finally upon
q yellow jacket of nankeen.
Without delay set to work on my
school garments. 1t was work Of de
struction, for l wanted to make them
appear as disreputable as possible. L
slyly enlarged the holes, wrenched off
the buttons and decorated my person
lavishly with spots and stains of all
kinds.
In what I judged to be an opportune
moment timidly expressed my desire
I had to do more, much more than
that, before I could obtain my will. II
begged, stormed, grumbled, sulked. I
became almost i'll with hope deferred.
At length, for the sake of peace, my
parents granted my eccentric wish.
1t was proud moment forme when
for the first time I arrayed myself in
that resplendent nankeen jacket won at
the cost of so many struggles. Standing
before the mirror | surveyed myself ad-
miringly for full hour. was grand!
superb!
"Ah, my Lord Met-a-Mort, you will
find yourself ousted at last! My shining
Jacket will soon snatch from you the
prestige acquired by your stupid, brute
force. Georgette, astonished, fascinated,
uaZZleu anu QelISuUeu, WILL Itlu JONdIu
me. for I shall now be the handsomest
bow in the school. Met-a-Mort will weep
for chagrin, as have so often wept fo1
jealousy and modification"
Alas, for my rose colored anticipa'
tions! was greeted with a broadside
of laughter. Even our gentle mistress,
Er1nance Dulorre, could not repress
smile, and above all other voices heard
that of Georgette, who cried mirthfully:
"Oh, look at him! Look at him He
is canary bird!''
The word was caught up instantly.
All the scholars shouted in chorus: ''He
is a canary! A canary!"
Words fail to describe my bitter dis
appointment, my burning shame and
chagrin. saw my folly now. But it
was too late-the awful deed was done!
Worse than all, in order to obtain this
now odious jacket had spoiled all my
other Jackets and had nothing else to
wear! When On the evening of that
- -.:z.-ol1o Ja,, 7 told NV trndlhleS