The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1893-07-22
THE AUNT'S DEBUT.

young girl.
To night am to go to the first
ball OF my life. Just imagine my
emotions!
You ask perhaps how it is that l
have not earlier IN my lite become
acquainted with the delicious sensa-
ton OF debutante in the great
world of fashion.
Well, in the first place lived with
my grandmother among the mead.
ows and woods of far Brittany out
of The way of all invitations to dances
or dinners and in the seconnd place
the brillianey and excitement of a
life OF fashion had always had for me
a sort Of mimic terror. But now e
suis Parisienne," | am in the gay
metropolis OF fashion, and | have
learned how to be proud and digni
fed in the midst Of it all and to carry
myself as BELTS young woman Of
the world. | live with my sister,
and | go with my niece. a girl OF II
to the balls, parties and gay enter
tainments that are in vogue NV
meditations hav. Just been broken
in upon by the irrepl esslole 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 joke! Aunt Pauline is CO.
ing to the ball!
Are you really going to dance,
auntie? she asks me seriously. Are
you going with all the other girls?
Why not, indeed1 l answered.
| don't think l shall be out of place
there.
A delicious feeling creeps over
me. | feel soft cheek next mine
and whispered words OF love and
fatterv. Rose interrupts my medi-
tation with:
Auutie, dear, you will be the belle
Of the ball
AT length we are ready to start.
Dressing had been successfully
accomplished-but what tortures! |
had to strangle myself 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 a lobster. In vain | tried
to cool myself off at an open window
or to hide the crimson hue by
DO xders and cosmetics. All rene
dies natural or artificial would haye
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 dining room, a murmur
of appreciation greeted my entry.
By Jove, Pauline. exclaimed my
brother 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,
auntlet cried Rose. Is it paraquet9
No; it's an ostrich feather, dear,
| answered calmy.
Violette, my eldest neice, certainly
looked very fetching in her cloud of
rose tulle, but she is so mignonne.
l prefer a more majestic, dignihed
type Of beauty-like my own-and
so do the men.
Jacques looks awfully we'll in his
evening 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 car
riage rolls along, and at length we
arrive. St. Verge, how my heart
goes toe! toe! Happily l am free
from my rheumatism to night. Vic
lette is an extraordinary girl-she
seems SO qniet, and at her ease.
Viole,te, l whispered, do you
think we shall have lots of dancers7
Oh, yes, auntie. We shall have
all those gentlemen that | meet at
Nine. Beray's parties.
1t seemed to me that she blushec
a little.
| suppose they are proper sort o
men, Violette?
Oh, auntie! How can you? she
whispered back, with wiggle of her
beautiful shoulders.
| 60 up stairs to the ballro m as
in dream. AS shake hands with
Nine. Moreno, our hostess, | coulc
not help noticing how OIL she looked
in her velvet gown, although we hae
been schoolgirls together. Horrors
Can it be possible?
Here we are, then, at last, sitting
on our chairs and waiting. A walt.
begins to play, and Violette is whip
ped away by a handsome young
fellow. still find myself in m,
chair.
What an extraordinary state G
things-not a single man asks me t,
| dance.