The record-union., 1897-11-08

shop doors while the elder women did
the buying, and carried their purchases
home in huge market baskets. When
the mornings buying was done a Sun
day stiffness reirned over the street.
The friend with whom / was stopping
was to celebrate her wooden wedding
and the whole little burg was agog with
excitement. Country people have to de-
pend largely on one another for recrea-
ton and amusement. and as a conse-
euence even the smallest entertainment
assumes gigantic proportions.
Promptly at o'clock the guests be-
gan to arrive. and presto! What mar
velous changes had taken place in their
attire. Beribboned, beruffled gowns met
the eye at every turn. The country maid
has penehant for much trimming and
a marvellous, sometimes remarkable way
of putting it on. Some halS dozen of the
prettiest girls were to wait on table and
these appeared in decollete gowns. Per-
sonally l think there is nothing so pref
ty as a decollete gown IL the girl who
affects it has plump white neck and
arms, but it's a dead give away to the
woman with the bony, wrinkled neck and
ScraWny arms.
Have you ever heard, my friends, that
wrinkles appear first of all on the neck
II you haven't, then just take my word
for it; this is a bona fide fact, and almost
any beauty doctor will verify my state
ment don't know just why this should
be unless it is due to the high collars so
much worn my women of late. Then.
too pretty face should always be above
r I, Inxr n
rosy, dimpled face to carry eff this style
of dress effectively; if your face hasn't
all of these requirements then take my
word for it again. and connne yourseil
tc high necks and long sleeves to the
end of the chapter.
Apropos of necks, reminds me or the
girl with the abnormally long neck,
which heretofore has been at once her
terror and despair. The girl with the
long neck is distinctly fashionable at
the present writing. The longer the
neck the better. 1t was our new Ameri-
can Duchess of Marlborough who set
the fashion on the other side of the wa
ter, and there can be no reason to doubt
that the aristocracy on this side of the
pond will speedily follow suit. 1t seems
that the Duchess has a swan neck, "
as they are now called, but instead of
going into despair about it, she sent for
her jeweler and had made a wonderful
collar of pears-made seven rows in
ALL / think-which was fastened be-
hind by a diamond clasp. All Europe
saw the diamond collar and all Europe
raved about it; and that is the reason
so many fanciful collars can be seen
fn- in 10 windows
Even the woman who lives in the
country and does her own work had
time to cultivate fad. Nearly all the
women in the particular little town of
which I write are enthusiastic Christian
Science workers, and some are even
full fledged demonstrators, whatever
that mysterious term may signify. l be-
lieve that in one way it is productive
of much good One of their beliefs is
that matter does not contain pain;
that is one of the reasons that you
never find a single complaining invalid
among them.
1 have observed in rural districts a
great punctilliousness in the matter of
introductions If by chance, your host
ess fails to properly introduce you to
the person sitting next you he or she,
whichever it may be, will totally ignore
your presence, and sit in stony silence
the entire evening. If you should hap
pen to be so indiscreet as to venture
a harmless remark, the chilling frost
with which it is received is sufficient
to CONCEAL you the rest of the night.
The prettiest girl of all amused me
greatly by assuming a charmingly