Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1893-11-04
AUNT PAULINES DEBUT.

am thirty eight years of age, and
am Il young girl.
Tonight | am to so to the first ball
of my llir. Just imagine my emotions!
You ask perhaps how it is that | have
not earlier i'll my life become acquaint-
ed with the delicious. sensation of Il
dcbutantc i'll the great world of fash
ion.
Wei, in the first place | lived with
my grandmother among the meadows
and woods of far Brittany, out of the
way of all invitation to dances or din
ners, and in the second place the bril-
liancy and excitement of life of fash
ion had always had for me Il sort of
mimic terror. But now "Je suis Parish
cnne,' | am in the gay metropolis OF
fashion, and | have learned how to be
proud and dignitied in the midst of it
all and to carry myself as BELTS Il
young woman of the world. | live
with my sister. and | go with my niece,
Il girl of seventeen. to the balls, par
ties and gay entertainments that are
in vogue. My mcditations have Just
been broken in upon by the irrcpress-
bic gayety of my youngest niece, Rose.
She is dancing round me, throwing her
arms and legs in the air little more
than dcccncy allows. and she is shout
ing at the top of her voice:
Aunt Pauline is going to the ball!
What Il joke. Aunt Pauline is going
to the ball.
Are you really going to dance,
auntie:' she asks me seriously. Are
you going with all the other girls?
why not, indccd?" l answered. Il
.J,,n Ia, Of
there"
A delicious feeling crcepS over me.
| feel Il soft pressure. two strong arms
mine and whispered words of love and
tlattcry. Rose interrupts my medita-
"Auntie. dear, you will be the belle
of the ball"
At length we are ready to start.
Dressing had been successfully accom-
pliShcd-but what torturcS! | 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
Il lobster. In vain | tried to cool my
self off at an open window or to hide
the crimson hue by powders and cos
mctics All remedies, natural or arti-
ticial, would have been useless to sup
press or even tighten the ruddy glow
of my cheeks.
Nevertheless, when | descended the
stairs and joined the rest of our party
in the diningroom Il murmur of appro-
bation greeted my entry.
BY Jovc, Pauline" exclaimed my
brother.in-law, what shouldersr'
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 Il paro-
quctT'
NO; it's an ostrich feather, dear" I
answered calmly.
Niolctte, my eldest niece, certainly
looked very fetching in her cloud of
rose tulle, but she is so mignonne. |
prefer a more majestic, dignilicd type
of bcauty-like my own-and so do the
men.
IasqucS looks awfully well in his
evening dress. His shirt front is IRE,
nroachingly spotleSs. and his eyes arc
fairly sparkling with pleasure and ex.
citpment.
Roger takes us to the ball-you must
not think for a moment that l chap
"ron my niece The carriage rolls
along, and at length we arrive. ST
Niergc, how my heart goes toe! toe
Happily | am free from my rhcuma
tiSm tonight Violette is an eXtraor
dinary glrl-she seems so quiet and al
her ease,
"Niol"tte," whispered, do you think
we shall have lots of dancerS!'
In oil
those gentlemen that l meet at Nine
Bcrays parties"
1t seemed to me that she blushed 4
little.
Il suppose they are proper sort OF
men. Niolctte?
oh, auntie. How can you" she
whispered back, with a wiggle of hel
beautiful shoulders.
| go upstairs to the ballroom as In {
dream. AS l shake hands with Nine
Moreno, Our hostess, | could not hell
noticing how old she looked in her vel
vet gown, although we had been school
girls tCGcihcr. Horrors! Can it b,
possible!
Here we are, then, at last, sitting OF
orr chairs and waiting. A waltz he
gins to play, and Niolette Is whipped
away by Il handsome young fellow.
still find myself in my chair.
What an extraordinary state of thing
hot Il single man asks me to dance.
No doubt it is my imposing air ant
manner which keeps them away.
have often been told that in evenn:
dress | look quite intimidating. BE
sides all the men here are mere school
boys. 1t is positively absurd. The!
ought all to be sent TO bed and lc
their places be taken by serious mcl
of the world, who knoW good thin:
whom they see il.
All! Here comes Jacques! He bring
with him II cavalier for me--a partner
A tall, dark man, about thrty-fiv