The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1907-03-23
ELBOW LENGTH
AND MORE

her name Is Dolly, and she Is just
he fluffy, violety, dimpled and demure
sort of person who ought to bear that
name.
The night before she had had ter
dble falling out with Him." and she
must have been absent-minded when
she went up stairs that afternoon to
1ress for silly pink tea. She didn't
want to go, In the first place. but she
knew that He would be there and It
would never do to let him see that she
felt SO badly about 1t that she had
lost her interest in society. Besides,
Of course. she didn't feel badly about
II. No. of course not.
So she dragged herself up stairs
and put on the very smartest frock
and brightest feathers she possessed,
and all of her gold bangles and her
gold chatelaine. 1t was a dusky,
cloudy afternoon and she had to light
the gas to see how to get the powder
ON straight When she had finished
the last touch and saw that it was
good" she turned out the gas and
went languidly down stairs. Before
she had reached the bottom step she
that she had forgotten her
gloves-her lovely violet silk gloves
which just matched her costume. She
ran up again. very much astonished
and provoked that she, the careful and
esthetic Dolly, should have forgotten
so vitality important toto
the matter in hand. She would have
to take on every one of those gold
bangles now and replace them en- top
of the gloves.
She remembered having seen the
gloves ON top of her bureau, 80 did not
stop to light the gas again. but
snatched them up and ran down the
steps, for she was late. When she
glanced at the clock in the hall she
noticed that she was even later than
she had thought, so she decided that
she would wait and put her gloves on
in the street car.
After a GREATNESS run she caught
car on the. fly, pushed her way into ii
and found a seat, only to find Him sit.
ting opposite and staring at her quite
TRANQUILITY.
His hand went up to the brim of his
hat, but she coldly turned her chin to
ward the window at her back and
gazed into the muddy street behind
her. But one cannot look behind for
ever, and after a while she began
gradually to turn her head back again
1t was then that she observed every.
body in the car was gazing straight at
her. She blushed deep scarlet. They
were laughing! A messenger boy op
posite her was 80 convulsed that he
was fairly sputtering. An old gen
tIeman with eyeglasses grinned at her
as though she were his own daughter
And He-he was shaking with mirth OF
delight or something equally vulgar.
She was on the verge of tears
What could be the matter? Had
everybody noticed, how she snubbed
Hfm-and were they laughing-no. Il
be. She felt the front Of her
dress. It was carefully buttoned
her hat and hair and gazed
down at her boots and petticoats. But
there was not even a pin out of place.
Then she observed that her arms
were bare and that she had forgotten
to put on her gloves. With queenly
dignity and her chin in the air. she
mechanically thrust her hands into
one of the violet silk things she car
ried. She drew and drew and drew ii
up without even glancing at it-and
then her fingers struck something
strange and she looked down with
horror.
In her lap, with its foot dangling tc
the floor, lay long, violet silk stock
ing, while on her forearm, in the full
view Of the whole car. she held an
other violet silk stocking. Its heel and
toe conspicuously covering her hand
and her wriggling fingers.
She wanted to shrek but she
couldn't. The rest Of the passengers
nearly did SO. however. as she took
the thing between her fingers and
jerked it on as though 1t had been q
poisonous snake.
1t was then that he showed his true
colors and made her feel that never.
never could she live without him.
Reaching over, he carefully picked ny
the violet stockings from where they
had fallen on the floor and stuffed
them In his coat pocket Then he mo
toned the conductor to stop the car,
and. without a smile or . word. pre-
coded her to the door. helped her to
alight. and silently took her home.
At her door she put out her hand
and he laid the stockings in 1t. and
then-in the dusk she flung her arms
about his neck and vowed he was the
bravest. bravest ever" He believes
he really was.
Hnssld 0ak~ Ia There