Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1909-01-12
Lady Betty
Across the Water
By C.. NJ e A. M WILLIAMSON
ceey,uss 1906. sy
By C. N. & A. M. WILLIAMSON

DcdE W tulhA tAiab hS AeA0 ~
haps squandered some hard earned
savings on buying such an extrava-
CANT present for me. But the more
thought of it-which l did all the way
down to the shops-the more ! thought
It impossible that. man who had
been obliged to cross the Atlantic In
the steerage would even have hun
dred pounds in the world. Somebody
had perhaps given him the dog from a
good kennel, when 1t was wee pup
DIV, | said to myself, but this, though
1t eased my mind in one way, made
the gift seem all the more pathetic
that that poor, handsome Jim Brett
should part with something he must
have loved (for who could have Vivace
and not love himD to please me.
should have liked to write q note to
the Manhattan club. where he had told
me he was employed. to thank him.
But he had sent the present anony'
monsly. and felt somehow as II he
hadn't meant or wished me to az.
knowledge 1t.
While I was wondering what
should do. the brougham stopped be-
fore shop even larger than Harrods
or the Army and Navy stores. There
were lovely things In the windows
things that looked like American wo-
men and not like English or even
French ones. though l couldn't define
the difference II were ordered to with
a revolver at my head.
The petticoats and stockings and
belts and lace things and parasols and
especially blouses, We're so perfectly
thrilling that my heart began to beat
quite fast Mt sight Of them. l felt as
IL I must have some Immediately. and
when Mrs. Ess Kay said that this was
"quite a cheap store" said to myself
that would do something more In
teresting than watch her shopping.
She had to buy handkerchiefs to be-
gin with, for most Of hers had disap'
peared In the wash at foreign hotels;
and Sally wanted yelling. Those were
not interesting to me, because they are
necessary, and necessaries,, like your
daily bread and such things, are so
dull. said that I'would just wander
about a little, as they thought they
would be some time, and we made an
appointment to meet in half an hour at
what they called the notion counter.
hadn't an idea what 1t was. and didn't
like to ask because I had asked SO
many questions already, but / knew
that could get some one to take me
there when the half hour was up.
When you want everything you see,
but aren't sure which things you want
enough to buy and how many you can
afford. It's less confusing to prowl
alone Besides. there was an exciting
feeling of independence in strolling
..bout rnchaperoned In a shop as big rs
, village In q strange foreign city.
really did. need a sunshade to go
With Il blue dress Of mine, because my
only light one Gf don't count rather
Il common white thing is pink. saw
some beauties, and wanted to ask the
price, but the attendants-whO were
girls with lovely figures and their hair
done in exactly the same flop over
their foreheads-were so interested in
talking about q young man they all
knew that It seemed cruel to interrupt
them, especially as mightn't buy the
sunshade in the end. However, i did
venture to speak, in quite humble
voice, by and by. but the girl couldn't
understand q word until I'd repeated
everything twice. "a sunshade? Oh.
you mean one Of these parasawls,' she
said then. Excuse me. It's your Eng
lish accent didn't quite catch at first.
That ones ten dollars and fOrty-nine
cents, and this Is eight dollars eighty
nine"
While we were busy doing the doL
lars into pounds and shilIings we got
quite friendly. for she was a very
obliging girl and didn't bear me any
grudge for interruptIng, though her
friends were going on with their con-
versation and telling such exciting
things about the young man that she
must have been dying to listen.
However, my girl hardly paid any
attention to them at all, except Just to