The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1894-10-06
A BIT OF SEVRES.
A Foolish Fancy That Brought
About a Wedding.

Miss Van Tooker sat in the parlor.
1t was a cosy room, suggestive both of
comfort and elegance; but Van Tooker
mere, recalling its former glories and
keenly conscious of each worn thread
in the carpet, the frayed satin in the
furniture covering and darns in the
lace curtains, shook her head and
sighed plaintively.
Speculation, a panic and grief from
the consequent failure had carried
away Van Tooker pere. His thought
slight income upon which his widow
and her daughters, Elinor and Con-
tent, contrived to live presumably, no
one knew how.
That is, no one except Elinor, for
Elinor had the Van Tooker nose and
had inherited along with it those
qualities which not only command
success but deserve it. No one but
Elinor knew how the shabby old
gowns were rejuvenated, the hats
made good as new. and the cast-off
fnery of her mother and aunts trans
formed into bewitching party gowns.
Just as they are in Stories" exclaimed
Content, in ecstasies after each new
achievement of Elinor's.
Ordinarily when given to meditation
Miss Van Tooker sat in the library.
For it was aristocratic eve in its de-
cline, and together with her Van
Tooker nose Miss Elinor had inherited
-aristocratic tastes. Her great-great-
.grandfather-a Copley-hunR on the
wall; the old books were handsomely
bound; and, thank Heaven, the floor
was of polished wood and could never
show such unmistakable signs of shah
biness as the erstwhile beautiful car
pets were doing. Then Miss Van
Tooker a intellectual. and medita-
ton in the library was therefore more
appropriate.
When she sat there Saturday night
summing up her weeks occupations
the account ran something like this:
Monday night, acting Lady Teazle be-
fore the Comedy club, acting it well,
too, and thereby consuming the i'm
mense amount of nervous energy re-
-quired to act Sheridan; Tuesday after
noon, leading a conversation on social
ism at the Once-a-Week club; Wednes-
day. giving a little talk before the
missionary society on practical ways
of raising a fund; between times read
ing up for her paper for the Every Fri
day club. Added t this were the vari-
eous social functions in which she had
taken part; the teas at which she had
poured" the receptions at which she
had helped to receive; the German she
had led and the calls she had managed
to pay and receive between times. 1t
was a long list, but it wa Saturday
and she had Sunday to rest in when
the memory of the weeks occupations
made her weary. This was Monday,
however. She had been busting, for
their one maid was busy in the laun-
dry, and moreover klinor did not dare
trust her among the bric-a-brac.
That bric-a-brac. This was the rea-
son she sat down, duster in hand, to
mediate.
Van Toolker mere had adorned her
parlor. as was the fashion at the time
of its adjoining, with stately bronzes,
Bohemian glass and alabaster, and
had filed her china closet with the
wares of dorchester. Dresden and
,Sevres. Therefore when Elinor over
ed a tiny table with a linen cloth
whose original design was lost in the
embroidery and drawn work with
which it was ornamented. set it in the
corner between the window and the
CRATE and placed thereon six of her
Sevres cups and saucers, Mrs. Van
Tooker was properly incensed. Her
indignation increased when she dis
covered Content balancing a bread
plate of rare design upon a wire easel
to ornament the mantel. stripped of
her bronzes. The etagere, too, bore
traces of the dining roo robbery.
Only the fact that indignation as well
as sorrow rendered Van Tooker mere
SPECIFICS saved the girls from a
sever reprimand.
my dears. l have always found our
china closet sufficiently roomy." she