Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1910-06-09
THE BEST SHE
COULD DO

straw nat from her carefully built-up
couture. She laid the hat beside her
on the sofa and regarded 1t with
look such as the proverbial hen might
have bestowed upon her mysterious
ducklings.
The other. members of the sewing
circle gazed silently at the spectacle. !
If" said young Mrs. Allison, with
tragic gesture, IF any one had told
me a week ago that within seven
short days 1 should be the undoubted
possessor Of a head covering of those
impossible dimensions I should "a
recommended that his friends cd h
reliable alienist In his behalf!'1
The timid young matron In N IA
broadcloth giggled by way of sh{ bg
her sympathy. MY husbana ks
they're perfectly shocking" she IN
hded. Does yours?" W
Really" said young Mrs A an
coldly. II haven't consulted i'm
My own opinion of 1t has been4 ost
more than my naturally angelica no.
sition could bear"
But, DEAR" said the timid 1ng
matron In mauve broadcloth, "vs If
you don't like 1t, did you"
She broke off in confusion iiltbe
face of young Mrs. Allison's SEQ hful
expression.
"The ideal" exclaimed the owner
OF the hat disgustedly. you d5n't
suppose for a moment that / boukht
this incredible horror because l want
ed it, do your"
Then why" began again tho
timid young matron in mauve, her
puzzled look becoming more and
more appealing.
Well" said young Mrs. Allison. "I
went to every hat shop in this large
and cosmopolitan city and found moth
ing. absolutely nothing, smaller than
that tea table," She indicated the
ineffensiVe piece of furniture sar-
castically with one of her five hat
pins. Il tried on everything from a
cherry trimmed coal scuttle to a flow
er decked parachute, and finally
bought this In self-defense, because
wanted to go to tea yesterday aft
ernoon and every one seemed to think
a beaver toque was wholly out of the
question at this time of year"
"Of course 1t is" said the girl with
the new spring gown, positively.
Then" demanded young Mrs. AL
lison, with rising Indignation, why
will people persist in having teas at
the exact season when your winter
clothes are draggled and horrid and
you haven't had time to evolve new
spring attire?"
when you've put Off entertaining
all winter" said the timid young ma
tron in mauve broadcloth, there's
nothing else to do, is there? Nobody
will go to formal teas in hot weather,
and you've naturally got to give them
some time. They're a sort of duty,
you know"
Il suppose they are" agreed young
Mrs. Allison, with a sigh. Anyway,
didn't have time to have a head COW
ering made, and this one was the re-
suit of a choice of evils. It's so heavy
that it gives me constant sensation
Of sliding backward, and to avoid that
alarming tendency have to hold my
/ LCesN dO"h anu NhAh OuI tnN lOOh
upward out Of the corners of my eyes
like cat stealing the family beef
steak. And I bought it from alwom-
an who was hypocrite," she added,
| peevishly.
"Oh!" said the timid young NATION
in mauve broadcloth, adding innocent
ly. did she tell you 1t was becom-
mgr" =
mo-" said young Mrs. Allison, with
a still deeper sigh, nothing as bad as
that She had had a moral bringing
UP, think, and probably went into
the millinery business when she was
young and irresponsible. She merely
told me that this hat was bargain!'
The girl with the new spring gown
made critical inspection of the ex-
panse Of chip and trimmings In ques-
ton. II don't see why 1t should be
a bargain" she remarked, finally. as
It of color, or something's"
ooh, think not" said young Mrs.
Allison with an involuntary smile.
"but you see 1t was copied from an
$s5 Partisan model, and the woman
for whom It was made refused to take
it because she declared It was too
| SMALL"