Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-20

officer chuckled as he said it. and an
other outsider pounced down on him for
an explanation:
What makes you laugh about it,
Because when l started in TO take a
hand she waved me off and licked him
from start to finish. She's a little thin
woman. but she's a champion, all rlgnt.
When she had laid him out she told me
that as 1t was the first and most likely
his last offense in the Wife-beating line
she would be much obliged if the law
would overlook it, and that she would
guarantee to keep the peace And l
reckon she will
When he had got that far the crowd
was laughing with him.
Except one man. who still fixed a wolf
sh stare on the small frame, as if, some
way, he had smelled a tragedy and had
been cheated OF his lawful prey.
She was a bent-over little old woman
who walked with a cane. Her dress was
of Quaker plainness and the bonnet that
showed sparse white hair was tied In a
prim bow under her chin She was
standing before store window filled
with fall millinery, and after plainly
critical survey of the wings, breasts
and tail feathers that characterized the
display she opened her heart TO another
woman who happened to be standing
beside her.
.They must a took all the poultry out
of coops-I don't wonder you can't get
good feather beds no more.
Don't you prefer spring mattress
inquired the other woman.
.'Marthy does, but L don't. i tell her
it's because she has to beat 1t up for me
mornings I don't see why they don
wear sensible clothes nowadays. When l
was young women wore bonhets Inc
prettiest bonnet l ever saw was the poke
[ was married in. 1t was white leghorn
with an inside lace ruche, scattered with
pink rosebuds, and quilted all around with
narrow white satin no wider than that
she measured off a half inch by claw
like fnger-"and long streamers OF white
ribbon as wide as that.
TT must have been lovely, said the
other woman
ION. it was And l had me mantle
of green silk with three rows of black
velvet all around. and bows of it up and
down the back and front-light apple
green, shot with satin spots. I've got a
piece of 1t yet
TT must have been beautiful" said the
other woman.
ooh, yes: everybody said it was; and
II went so we'll with my dress. That was
white berage with flOunceS to the waist.
each of them bound with white feather
edge ribbon. 1t was made with spencer
waist and fastened with cameo pin set
with pearls l gave it to Marthy when
she married. and she handed it down to
Maggie, and now it belongs to Kate. It's
a lovely pin, but the pearls are some dark.
and two of them are gone. John gave it
to me for a wedding gift
What kind of shoes did you wear?'
asked the other woman.
They wasn't shoes. They were bronze
slippers with black elastic strapped cross
wise over the instep and white clicked
stockings"
They must have been pretty" said the
other woman.
"Oh, they were. But l had lovely en-
broidered ones to wear with my morning
after gown. That was of pink and brown
plaid silk opened over a white embroid-
cred petticoat John said that was the
most becoming dress l had, because 1t
went so we'll with my pink cheeks and
brown curls."
The other woman must have known
that the little old bent-over creature was
happy in her glimpse back to a girlish
past, for she said, as if she meant 1t:
You must have been real pretty
oh | was. was noted far and near.
l was daylight beauty. l didn't have
to depend on candles for my looks"'
Maybe it wasn't exactly true, bat what
difference did that make?