The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-04-25
ICopYright, 1851

lCOpy AlBlAg 1000
Bless us and save US, how the dea
girls are learning to sewi True? o
rourse it's true. They sewed hard al
during Lent, and now when you maxi
a call the tiny little workbasket, witt
its expensive fixings-and they cost 4;
pot of money, do gold handled scissors
and do thimbles set with turquoise-bu
having achieved this very feminine &C
complishment every girl is going t,
utilize it. She looks so sweet as she sit
with flying fingers working over a bi
Of linen that you find yourself watching
those white hands as they control tina
sharp little bit OF steel, when suddenly
the work stops for a minute and the
head is lifted to allow the eyes to lool
at you and ask a question. Then yoJ
wonder if a woman were ever so pretty
before. Then you know it means &
great deal when somebody masculine
says to somebody feminine, "Oh, Mis-.
Montmorenci, what a lovely sash you
have on" sash at present being q
something that is much trimmed anc
frilled and fiuted and scalloped and
maze fancy in every way. Miss Mont
morencI looks at you with a conde-
scending air and answers, Il made ey-
cry bit of it myself"
You no longer doubt as to whether
Miss Montmorenci can marry a poor
man or not, for a girl who can make
sashes-well, what can't she do?
Then there is that other girl whose
hat is a very joy. 1t is burdened with
flowers, it is gay with ribbons, and it
is cooked on one side in a knowing way
that is very fashionable and very be-
coming. You look at it and think what
a wonder it is and how much it must
have cost, and when you venture to ex-
press your admiration to the wearer
she says, with a gay toss of that Won
derfully crowned head: "Oh, it's a mere
nothingi 1 bought the hat, and 1 had
the ribbon, so l Strengthened out some
towers and got a few new leaves, and l
trimmed it myself. 1t saves an awful
lot of money to know how to trim your
own hats" You thought her lovely be-
tore, but you are sure she is divine now.
1t is curious how women congregate
when they sew. A woman never likes
TO sew alone. She wants somebody else
either to criticise her work or to talk.
The other morning three women were
hemming ruffles and, with divine mus
lin frocks in view, were also talking
and having for a topic that never end
ing one-woman. The first one. who
happened to be a blond, inquired, In
your experience have dark or light wo-
men been the most faithful" Then she
kept on: Personally never knew but
three women who were absolutely true
to me, and they were rather normal in
color. One had brown hair that wasn't
quite dark, another had light hair that
wasn't quite blond. and the third had
gray hair. The first one had been nv
friend from the time we were children.
and the friendship lasted absolutely ua-
til death did us part. The second one
was woman much older than myself.
in whose society 1 found constant en-
ioyment and the third was my mother.
There are hundreds of names on nv
visiting list. names Of women who if
any one of them were asked if she were
my friend would say, Yes" and vet
tomorrow if I needed a friend I should
go to the one who likes me because I
am a pleasant companion or to my
mother But l would much prefer to go
to a man"
The girl who had listened attentively
and seWed steadily at the same time
had brown eyes and brown hair: but.
dropping her needle, she gave her ex-
perience: 7 had curious education
about women Girls were scarce in our
family: consequently we were taught
to think them of great value II YOU
could do anything to give pleasure to
a woman: if by words, deeds or in any
way watever you could help one, it was
a courtesy to yourself That was the
theory with which I started out into
life. and. while physically l am not black
and blue. spiritually l am. The woman
to whom I gave the helping hand usu-
ally finished the performance by biting
IT, The woman 10 whom I gave Il GER
tain amount of affection. consideration
and kindness was invariably the one
to say the most horrible things about
me. who insisted l had a motive in ev-
erything I did and who was finally con-
vinced that l was entirely selfish in nv
desire TO assist her Ny women friends?
While very few. they are women for
whom / have done nothing and with
whom il is merely a question OF general
liking. The woman for whom you do
D good deed Immediately concludes that
she wants to cut your acquaintance. /
Why do not know, except that she is
ike a certain kind of mongrel dog the
females OF which can never meet with
out having a row. Faithfuluess with
me has not been a matter of complex
on. Faithlessness has been a general
The other woman who had sewed and /
Kept quiet was neither dark nor light. F
,ut belonged TO the type so common in .
his country. that Of light brown hair /
ma dark eyes. She spoke very slowly 4
md as If she had thought it ell out
She said: We'll. 1 have been curious 4
enough TO watch. and with me il has .
been an absolute matter of complexion. (
Women who are unwomanly. absolutely +
sacaitfnl lacking in truth with no !