The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-04-21
UMBRELLAS SLIPPER.
BY POLLY KING.

The first going away from home is a
tremendous event in girls life; and
Marion Leslie's existence had been SO
narrowly bounded by the hnlf-asleep
southern town where her father had
his parish that when she realized that
she was really going away from home,
that she was going to5see New York
and take part in tho wonderful city
life, it seemed to her as momentous q
step as going to India or the antipodes
There was large family of children
packed into the low rooms of the rec
tory, and Marion, as the eldest, had
had her hands always too full to give
much thought to dreams. If now and
then she had longed to see little
more of the world, there was always
some little brother to be amused or
hands occupied her thoughts would
soon come bacl, to normal channel
Mrs. Leslie, who was a northern
woman, had kept in touch with several
of the friends of her girlhood by
monthly letters, the answers to which
were one of the events of the quiet
rectory life. Perhaps the most de-
lightful of these correspondents was a
Mrs. darkness, a woman who had
married a rich New York merchant.
and who had daughter about Mnrion's
own age. Her letters were looked for
ward to; and you con fancy the cx-
element that rcigned in Marion's
mind when her mother told her that
Mrs darkness had written for her to
come to New York and pay a two
months visit.
Alarion's first feeling was too tumul-
tuous TO be described; her second was
| that she must not think of going, that
the expense of the journey was far too
great, and that she could not leave her
mother with the caro- of all the children.
| Mrs. Leslie, however, soon showed
her that this feeling was very wrong
one, rising from Recommendations
ness; and the rectory was soon in a
great whirl of cutting, sewing and
planning for Marion's modest ward
robe. Everything was finally finished,
neat half-dozcns of white garments, n
tailor-Inadc dress, some pretty morn
| ing froclls, and best of all, one evening
( drcss-the pale pink silk in which Mrs.
Leslie had been married years before,
and which she had put away lovingly,
thinking to keep it to show her chill
drcn and her grandchildren. She felt
| that Marion must have an evening
| dress, and she brought out the we'd
ding dress and spoke OF refashioning
it SO calmly that Marion could only
guess at the sacrifice that her mother
was making for her. There was an
abundance OF silk in the full old~fash-
| Toned skirt TO make o very modish
gown according to modern styles, and,
with the aid of the fashion papers,
which occasionally found their way to
the rectory, they made very charm
| ing evening gown; very simple, 1t Is
true, but it fitted we'll and hung we'll,
! and the bertha OF old lace about the
shoulders would have carried off
| much worse gown md adorned much
palmer face than Marion's
Mrs Leslie was moro worried about
the details OF Marions toilet than her
| daughter, who was yet in ignorance of
the enormous value of shoes, gloves,
handllcrchicfs and fans in we'll
| dressed woman's outfit One of the
family treasures was n little ivory fan,
| painted a la Vatican, which had be-
longcd to some long dead southern
| beauty. This priceless treasure was
added to the girls scant collection of
adornings. The question of pair of
evening slippers seemed to be the only
one which it was impossible to solve
adequately. There was pair of
beautiful little bronze slippers in II
shop in the town, but they were five
| dollars, and the rcctor's narrow purse
| ho1 1,an,, ca, 4
tent; it seemed as though Marion's
| journey would have to be given up,
when an idea struck the girls mind;