The Virginia enterprise., 1903-02-20
The Blue Skirt


- ESSIE GALE was ambitious, i'm.
m moderately so.
~ Jack Gale was ambitious, too,
but temperately so.
; 1t was because of the varying de-
grees of their ambition that this story
came about.
Jessie could sing. Jack could not. He
could only listen with a rare apprecia-
tion and adore this particular singer
Beyond all bounds Of her deserts. For
Jack was as gifted In the rare art Of
loving truly as Jessie was in the art
of singing. Rather more, should say.
All this had much to do with the blue
skirt, for it was these psychologist
conditions that brought about the Incl
dent of the blue skirt
Jack had always extravagantly ad-
mired the gown Of which the blue skirt
was component part. He had told
her so often, but Jessie had answered
rather fretfully that it was "such a
simple little affair."" Pale blue cham
bray, made with blouse effect and
Atrimmed with ruffles edged with mar
grow torchon. So woman would have
described it, but to sturdy, honest, low
ing Jack it was blue cloud fecked
with white, from which the black eyes
! and curling black hair, the red lips and
Z. creamy skin of his wife cleaned forth
I brilliantly.
+ Jack never forgot the day she tossed
it aside.
'I'H never wear that old thing
again. she said. Il do hate to wear
things when they've grown shabby"
There was little tremor Of sensi-
+. tiveness in Jacks face as the words
struck cruelty upon his ear, but he
made manful effort to suppress it..
His income was small, but he was do
ing his best to increase it, and the in
come was sure to come If it was bit
slow. He had told Jessie so often and
had explained that there was some dis
position to keep the young engineers
down.
''The older fellows naturally want to
keep the best positions" he said. "Try
to he patient, Jessie. 1 am doing my
best, dear"
i And Jessie was silent. She had the
retrospective nature that matches
heavy-lidded eyes, habitually cast
down. And the habits of silence and
introspection were growing
1t was on the evening of the day that
Jessie said she had thrown away "the
old blue dress' that the great change
came.
Jessie heard that theatrical mana
ger was reorganizing a company for a
season of comic opera. A neighbor has
told her he needed girls for the CON-
, pany-"girls with looks, and with
J. voices, if possible, but looks always -
And Jessie had been to town and been
engaged and had come back and told
Jack.
B. She was a little frightened by his
$ strange silence.
4" II did it to help you along-because
& the money will help us both," she said
\ In defense. Then she burst out into q
u storm against the manner of their life,
NJ II hate the solitude here" she said.
4 "Sometimes I feel afraid of the hills,
l 1t seems as though they will fall over
q, me and crush me. And the silence here
4 Is awful. l want to hear human voices
MI want to hear people laugh and sing
I want color and movement and sounC
M instead of these walls of green making
IN "a living tomb for u.s.
N Jack had talked with her very gen
8s tly, and she had answered every argu
SS#ment with q bitter protest. He answer
ed her sadly then:
55S;. "You are young, dear. I might hav,
81 sssIsknown that love would not fill your lif,
now. When you are as old as I an
you will know that it is all that reall.
ma tiers, besides working and doin.
ones duty. 1 will give my consent t.
IS your going, for all live for is to max
you happy
Jessie Joined the company and wa
Hactipg a small part in a pretty, uncu]
Il tivated voice. She dressed with half
dozen other girls who smoked an,
81 MA used slang, and in the guise of friendli
ness made her up to distort tn