Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-17
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! OF those qualities no man has ever compTe-
hended. To man a tea gown is a cross be-
| tween the peignoir and a ball dress; cur
| ious hybrid thing, in the presence Of which
| he is not quite sure whether to feel duly
| embarrassed or conventonally awestruck.
! Therefore he compromises by being miser-
, ably uncomfortable and in consequence no
dutiful, sensible wife ever wears one in the
| presence OF her lord"
That is where we lovely spinsters find a
few drops Of comfort in our isolated state"
cooed Maieie now thoroughly restored to
! good humor. I'VE can live beyond, not to
speak above, masculine prejudice and today
my newest tea gown came from the hands
of the sewing girl, who made II every stitch
for me in the house and the whole thing
cost me price you would refuse to believe
If gave 1t to you. Now picture to yourself
long, loose flowing thing, of the softest
! willow green" began Maisie, rising to dis
| play her brown gowned figure to the covet-
ous gaze of the two tea gownless matrons.
| 1T is green because woman who has just
| arrived from the other side tells me that the
elegantes in Paris who can lay any claim
| at all to youthfulness are wearing the
| April tlnts OF greens. The idea is charm
| ingly symboical, and SO l purchased my
| green robe in silk warp Henrietta, which
| you know is as luscious in it's folds as the
more expensive and nimsy crepe de chine
over which women make such a bother and
| big bills.
MY sleeves are cut exactly on the pat
tern used for shaping those of an Episcopal
| clergyman's white robe though to closely
fit my arms are inner sleeves of gathered
green chiffon. There is an accordion
pleated front of chiffon, bouillones Of 1t
run round the skirt of the robe rucked
yoke of it fills in the throat at back and
front, while the dominating note of con-
trast is an arrangement of liberty satin
stoles with friuged ends that paes mar
rowly over either shoulder and running
through buckles of cut steel drop their wide
fringed ends nearly to the floor. These
great shoulder sashes are of darker
green than the gown itself and faced with
cream white china silk, and, If l say it my
self, is the dearest thing in tea gowns I've
seen in twelve month"
George Loves Gray.
II am 90 glad dear" murmured the
hostess, "and though | should love to have
green tea gown or blue house dress, like
a dutiful wife l am going after all to chose
a gray. You see George has a great liking
for gray, though he doesn't know it."
Then how on earth" began Mase
with rising eyebrows.
do I know he likes it?' asked the
hostess. "Oh, that is quite easy: He
proposed to me one day when l wore for
the first time a gray suit, and explained
his weakness afterward by saying I looked
so confoundedly attractive he couldn't help
himself, and as the crisis came suddenly
l looked about naturally for a cause and
discovered the gray drees Since then every
season I've had at least one gray gown and
have never found any reason to distrust the
efficacy of that especial tone.
This time I've chosen an ash gray with
just vague faint note of pink in it to take
away from any suggestion of chill to the
complexion that gray does sometimes con-
vey. The goods is soft finished cashmere
with sleeve tops, yoke and cuffs of cream
white wool bengaline. On the skirt and
waist black soutache braid with a silver
rim will bring out the high lights aud just
a cord of coral-rcolored velvet will give a
finish at the top of the high, close-itting
collar"
1T will become you admirably" assured
Maisie, as she stood balancing herself on
her patent leather toes between the por
teres II wonder if i would forswear any
of my cherished tea gowns and colors for the
sake of a mere mans foolish prejudces as
you do dear" she added before she slipped
past the statueSque butler into the ccld,
crisp dusk. MARY DEAN.