The news & observer., 1898-07-31
The Minister'S Wi@.
How She Would Look in Dress of Mauve Some Peculiar
tiles Which Bah Finds in the Country.

anu tHeH, NHeH we SdlI tHe HUSH VI
health which permits wearing of the
new blue and showing plumpness of neck
which allows a decollete bodice. we will
start away from the children. dogs and
birds. leaving them to find health and
happiness in the green pastures and amid
the red cows, which are pro-
ductive Of a very good time. Most
of the neighborhood has called on us.
and we have had no end of opportunities
to give advice. which is always so pleas
ing and which we would not take our
selves if an angel from heaven offered
it free of charge.
In the country they always ask you
about the fashions. The minister's wife
a lady who is inclined to be intellectual
and who has read Kant and quotes En-
erson, whispered to me cOntidentially her
desire to know the fashionable color.
told her that New York was entirely
given over to red in doing. not in wearing
though. For wearing every shade of
heliotrope which ranges from the shade
that seems blue to that which is close
to royal purple is in vogue. She said
she was glad to know this, because she
had always thought there was something
genteel about mauve, and then every
body couldn't pronounce the name. She
added that she would get her husband
to bring her home some samples of Il
certain shade next week, when he went
10 town To buy Il new concordance. and
| thought what q love man must be
when he is willing to get samples of Il
color that is developed in seventy-tive
different tints. | think in a dress of
mauye the minister's wife would look
like a lemon. since it will bring out all
that is yellow in her complexion and
harmonic with all that is bilious in her
temperament.
Then, too we had great excitement;
the water pipe burst. Now, when We
came to this house, we We're told that it
had all the improvements, and the in
provement we specially admired was the
bath tub. In the city when n pipe bursts
you send for three plumbers. being sure
that one will come. You allow him to
boss You and then you give up your
new gown, or whatever it was YOU in
tended to get, to pay his bill. In the
country things are managed differently.
/ never knew how a leak could be stop
ped without the aid Of the gentleman
who piumbs. This one began as do ali
leaks. at the mystic hour OF II. and drip
ped down from the third to the second
story before its dire purpose was dis
covered. By that time it had ruined
Il lot of books. some rag carpets and
some chairs of the vintage of 1116.
Two men and one woman had started
out to discover it. and it was the woman
who found it-with bonnet pin. We
were rather rocky looking lot The
two who did the most looking and work
ing We're in wrappers. put on hastily
over their nighteowns. The one who
did the most talking sat on the side of
the bed, dangling her feet and admiring
them, clothed as they We're in Turkish
slippers The man was quite presentable
in Il pair of trousers and a bike jacket.
while his feet We're like those people
Milton. modest in their nudeness.'
while his feet were. like those people in
Mlron, modest in their nudeness. )"
They didn't trouble anybody very much
until he succeeded in stepping on pin,
and then he talked louder and used more
expressive words than | ever dreamed
were in the vocabulary of job. When
the leak was found the question was
how could it be stopped. Everything
was suggested. one small boy even offer
ing an India rubber ball for the pur
pose.
What do you think was utilized? A
porous plaster was slapped across the
place where the leak had been. and after
considerable pressure. it stuck so that
if prevented further damage. The next
morning the plumber scOrned it. But
it had answered the purpose the night
before. and who but n woman would
think of stopping a bad leak with such
a funny thing? After il was finshed-I
mean the application of the plaster-the
genius refreshed herself with ginger ale.
while all the rest Of MS sat around and
thanked heaven for the wit and wisdom
that belonged to u.s.
Half the town came to see the porous
plaster and our landlady felt that we
had added honor to her house. although
she was kept busy making angel cake.
for she is the kind Of woman who thinks
you can't stop in to pay a pleasant
visit without having something to eat.
But this angel cake is 50 light that it
melts in your mouth, and it has got just
such little bit Of crust Oh top as to re-
mind you that. although you are subsist
ing on angel food, the ordinary everyday
crust will still cling to you and hold you
back to this earth
Several girls came to consult me in
regard to earning money, and, as well
as | can understand, each one wanted
TO stay ut home, have several assistants.
do nothing. and for this have large in
come paid her. Said L. "In the first
place. the world is crowded with wo-
men who want to work. Those who
have good homes where they really earn
money in helping to keep them in order
have no right to go out into the busy
world and take work from those women
who are homeless and who must earn
their bread and butter. You girls have
an idea that you will be able to drop
into Il dignified position where you
will sail around in an expensive tailor
made suit and then have your employer
fall in love with y0u. In this dream
you are mistaken. Things do not go
in this way. On the large income, from
SO to so IA week, you cannot get n
taitor-made gown, while in an office there
is always plenty Of technical work. for
the girl to do, and her employer is nine
times out of ten red Of face, fat Of body
and bald of head who showers all the