Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1900-02-08
AUNT TABlTHA'S WEDDING GOWN
By Margaret Dodge.

HE gown was pale gray taffeta
dotted here and there with tiny
pink rosebuds. 1t was evidently an
old gown, but made in the voluminous
notwithstanding fashion that
would adapt itself easily to the style
at the end of the century. Indeed, lit
tie Mrs, Vining, kneeling on the floor
in her attic storeroom and spreading
the lustrous fabric across the top IF
the big Noah's ark trunk, was already
lin fancy, at least taking in" here
and letting out" there, with Ger
tainty of success, born of long expert
ence.
For IS years Mrs. Vining had been
making over for family of three
pretty daughters, and, as she said to
herself, she could ''almost do it with
her eyes shut" To-day, however, Mrs.
Vining was planning for none of these
three pretty daughters. Once, indeed,
when she heard the sound of a girls
voice in the room below she started
and crumpled the folds of the silk to-
gether almost guilty..
II don't care" she said to herself
when the voice died away. II don't
care, I'm going to have this silk for
my very own. It will make over as
good as new without a bit of trim
ming except what I've got in the
house, and I do so want something
that's pretty and in STYLE"
The last words came with the rush
of long-pent-up stream. Not since
the girls had outgrown their baby
clothes had Mrs. Vining owned gown
that even remotely approached that
ideal.
The Winnings lived in pretty cot
tage in popular suburb, kept trim
maid-of-all-work, gave teas and pro-
vided music and dancing lessons for
their daughters in addition to the reg
ular courses at the public schools. In
fact, they had enough for the COM
forts of life, with little left over
for the luxuries; but that little, either
in whole or part, never fell sto Mrs.
Vining.
One month it went for tea table
for Ellen, the eldest, who had social
aspirations; another month it was alb
sorbed by a subscription to the boat
club for Bertha, the athletic daughter,
or by dancing lessons for 15-year-old
Edith.
Ihen there were always the gowns
gowns for Ellen's whist parties and
Bertha's tennis club and Edith's dan
cling class; gowns of cotton and crepon
and silk and muslin, gowns that even
when manufactured at home and made
over from material that was Gin the
house. in some way ate up every pen.
ny that the little mother had laid ~
for her own modest outfit.
In the end Mrs. Vining always either
attended DAYTON teas and church So
cables arrayed in prehistoric black
silk or stayed away altogether. d
late she had always stayed away; ano
the three girls said that it reaIl,
wasn't worth while for mother to have
good clothes, for she never went any
where and didn't care
Being really amiable and sweet
natured girls, they probably believed
what they said. Indeed, it's quit.
likely that it never occurred to the1,
that mother didn't care to go any
where because she had no suitable
clothes. Meantime Mrs. Vining sal,
nothing at all.
But just within the last week Mrs
Vining had come to care very much
both about clothes and about ''goin
somewhere" In two weeks there wa
to be reunion of the Avery fam1l
at the old place in Averytown, N. H
and she had been asked to write tn
poem.
"You see haven't forgot the Lowell
poetry you used to write in the day
when you were Grace Avery and til
Averytown poet. belle and glass {