Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1903-04-23
Simple Lavinial She did not know


But when Saturday afternoon came
around and Lavinia went into the vii
lage as usual to do her errands, she
purchased two instruments that her
mind had dwelt a good deal on
through the week. These were
"crimping pins" and she had come
to the conclusion that the time had
arrived for the use of these impor-
tant articles.
But she could not help a guilty and
uncomfortable feeling with these
things in her possession, and as she
entered the house she almost felt
that her mothers eyes rested on
those crimping pins, though they
were wrapped up in a paper at the
bottom of her pocket, and her circu-
lar was over the pocket. She could
never tell the exact length of her
mothers penetration.
When she went upstairs to her
W little bare room that night she
surveyed her face critically in the lit
tie square of glass that hung against
the wall above the homemade
dresser" and even tried to get a good
idea of herself in profile. Then she
brought the glass to bear on each
feature separately, and as a result
of the examination said YEARLY:
"I'm a fright, that's what I be-"
Then she did what she considered the
| hrD uaSt nnt Of hnr EFn chn md 1n,
hair up in the crimping pins, and
without pausing to consider the &C.
ton, hurried to bed.
But as she lay between the home
made flannel sheets, sleep would not
come. How would the crimps look
and how would her mother like them?
If her mother would only go away
and visit over Sunday, she could ex-
pertinent with those crimps. But no
her mother never went away. She
was always there to oversee every
thing.
Oh! was it, after all, such a crime
to be so attractive that a gentleman
desired her society! Then common
sense whispered to her that she was
not attractive. With these and many
other painful reflections she fell
asleep.
Next morning Mrs. Brown did not
seem to notice that her daughters
temples were bound in a red and
green kerchief and treated that
daughter with unusual kindness.
Her excessive amiability continued,
though Lavinia certainly was dazed
and did foolish things; fed cream to
a calf in place of skimmilk, and
passed her saucer for coffee at break
fast.
Her mother sweetly overlooked
these little mistakes. She also
maintained her composure when La
vinia came from her room after the
late dinner had been cleared away,
with her best black flannel gown on
and a wavy fluff of steel gray hair
over each temple.
The two women sat down before
the kitchen fire in their high-backed
rockers. Mrs. Brown was indus
triously reading her large printed
psalm book and Lavinia had the Bible
open on her lap, but made no pre-
tense of reading. Her mind dwelt
on the great event that had come
into her life, She no longer had any
fear of her mother in connection with
Mr. Smiths visit. Her mind dwelt on
other matters now.
She had done the barn chores fully
two hours earlier than she had ever
done them before, and now she sat
thinking that the fire in the "settin'-
room" stove was all ready to "touch
off," and tried to calculate the time
it would take it to get "het up after
he came. That he would come she
did not doubt, and when he came
what would he say? What would he
say?
That question filed her poor dazed
brain and hummed in her ears until
she could not by any means put it
from her.
She knew that giving him per-
mission to come was as good as &C.
cepting him, and he knew it as well
as she.
1t is sad to relate that Lavinia
never had "Sunday-night company"
and she had a hazy idea that this was
a deplorable state of affairs.
She was aroused from something
very like sleep by the clock striking
out the hour of seven. At the same
time she heard the noise of wheels,
and presently some one was saying,
"Whoa!" very emphatically in the
back yard. Her mother remarked
sweetly:
II guess we're goin' to have COM
pany, Lavinia. Run and light tn
settin'-room fire, while / go to tn
door,"
While she was thus employed she
heard Mr.. Smiths voice in the shed,
and did not even wonder to hear her
mother warmly asking him in and
hoping he felt himself tolerably well.
Mr.. Smith shook hands with the
two women with a great show of
robust cheerfulness, hoped they were
well and thought as he was passing
he'd drop in an be sociable, as it
must be pesky lonesome for two
women Twin alone like that.
Mrs. Brown replied with many
smiles that it was rather lonesome
sometimes and that she was awful
glad to have him come and, of course,
he would stay the evening.
OF course he would, and then he
had to 60 out and stand his horse in
the barn, as it was apt to get
mighty uneasy hitched to the wagon.
When he returned he unwound a
long, stringy muf1er from about his
neck, and Lavinia hung it with his
hat on a nail beside her own working
hat and coat. Then he began to
wrestle with his outer coat, and it