The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-05-29
Skirt8 MU8t Be RUffI8d.
That is the Latest Edict of FashonA Story of French
Girl Whose Life Had Been Full of Joy.

steD higher OF course, there are times
when to match certain slippers one has
TO assume colored silk stockings, and then
| CRY Give me heliotrope or give me
DEATH and up to date death has not
appeared
BY the bye. / must be growing very
old, for ! am dropping into my anecdo-
tage. Do You remember the story of the
French girl whose life had been full Of
Joy. but who was told by fortune tell
err that she would die within three
months and who had been worried by
dreaming, first of all. of black cat, next
of a wedding and, thirdly, of two white
doves, all proofs that death was near
her? Although Joyous. this young wo-
man was inclined to be careful. So she
thought to herself: AT present ! am
wealthy. That is for me- And how un-
pleasant it would be to have my body,
which has been so greatly admired Tor
| am a good figure, thrown into a pau
per's grave? That shall not be. Hay
ing wealth | will go ut once to an I'M
dertaker and make all arrangements TO
pay in advance for my funeral. 80
she trotted off to the most Fashionable
undertaken in Paris, saw the head OF the
establishment and said to him after IN
ouiring about the carriages, hearses ana
I'M the more ordinary particulars OF
funeral. what is most fashionable IN
shrouds z" With the usual good man
ners of an undertaken, who always
washes his hands in impalnable water
with invisible soap, he bowed ana enter
cd into an explanation: For young Ia
dies. those who are unmarried, we make
n pure white resting robe. For widows,
for married ladies or for those ladies
whose lives have been full of gayety we
make an eternal dress of delicate mauye,
while for elderly ladies. elderly widows
and spinsters who have passed 80, we
arrange 4 gown of black velvet"
MademoiseIle hesitated for a long time.
Then she said: Make me white
shroud trimmed with the finest lace.
win nay for it in advance" The gentle
man who undertook" was subservient.
He seldom had such customers. After
giving her the change he bade his fair
client good morning, and she walked
slowly 10 the door with her finger on her
lin. Looking back at him from under
the rim Of her big hat, her black eyes
sparkling, her whole face telling of the
wit concealed in that small brain. she
added. feeling sure that he would un-
derstand. by the bye, perhaps it would
be better to pin on my gown bunch of
violets so there may be a touch of
mauve" After telling this a man asked
me if she was buried in that way
Men rs a rule are anticlimaX. Plays,
books music, nothing is written for men,.
They lack subtlety. A man may play
on the violin like an angel. You may
credit him with soul, but the soul is
divided between the violin and the Wo-
man who listens to its strains of Won
derful melody. He understands the tech
nique He knows his work to perfection,
but he doesn't know how close to each
other are heaven and music. The play
writer takes his pencil that dreadful
blue one, and KS ont something, not be-
cause it lacks wit, not because it does
not fit well in that particular place but
because the women wouldn't like it. The
novelist, pen in hand, or wiser still, die
tating to n stenographer, for manu-
script stands Il better chance for accep-
lance If ii is typewriter, looks at al
chapter and applauds himself for his
brightness and then hesitates. Conse-I
quently he is lost if he allows it TO re-
main. 1t is Il chapter that will displeasel
the average woman, and everything in
art books music and plans to succeed
must please the Women with a capital
w.
You take the chosen one to the thea
ter. You are generous, pleasant fel-
low You have been through a good coli
lege and have seen something Of life, but
there is line in the play that to you
seems as nothing, and the little woman