Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1910-09-24
'PRISCILLA'S
( PROGRESS

manency.
Priscilla stood ready for departure,
in the center of an anxious family
group which was full of solicitude for
the new winter toilet and prolific of
suggestions as to how best to keep 1t
dry.
Priscilla's winter toilet was of green
velvet. She wore a hat that shot back
ward from her marcel wave with pre-
cisely the correct precipitancy. With
one white glove she clasped her UNI
brella and with the other she attempt
ed TO control the voluminous folds of
her circular skirt
Priscilla's toilet was unimpeachable.
The day could not have had a love
licr victim.
Priscilla was on her way to cards
and salad A friend who lived In
distant part of the city was giving a
birthday party. Priscilla was bound
to go, but she shuddered at the jour
ney-four blocks with muddy cross
ings, a damp car ride and then more
blocks with muddy crossings.
The first block was traversed with
out catastrophe and the first street
was forded in safety. "As long as
don't have any accidents" murmured
Priscilla. as she chose her way care
fully among the footprints of the Sec
ond crossing, 81 am all right"
At that instant her left sandal de-
tached itself, from her patentleather
and remained imbedded in the mud.
Priscilla's swoop to repossess the
sandal resulted in nothing but an en-
tanglement of skirts. When she re-
covered her equilibrium she had the
uncomfortable feeling that her hat
had lost its faultless angle.
1t was In the next block that she
completely lost control over her skirts.
In the struggle her umbrella pitched
forward jolting a few cold drops down
her neck and fiattening her already
loosened hat hard against her nose.
Priscilla emerged from the sudden
descent of brim in flushed and ex-
cited state.
She gathered an armful of skirts to
her right, only to have the folds on
her left elude her and caressingly
sweep the walk She fercely attempt
ed a change of arrangement, which
resulted in more drops and the COM
plete emancipation of her skirts,
which took to the wet and the mud
with a craving indicating an unre-
fined nature. Her carefully acquired
marcel wave began to yield to the
dampness, too.
1t was at the next crossing that she
lost her right sandal This made it
necessary for her to pursue her jour
ney on her heels, in order to avoid
damp shoes and the complications
which would follow
In the car the gentleman who gave
her his seat more than undid the
kindness by standing in front of her
and obviously pressing his wet UNI
brella against her green velvet When
she tried to get rid of the surplus
moisture on her own umbrella by keep
ing 1t thrust out into the aisle, three
separate passengers chose to stumble
over it. Thereupon each glared at
her as If she were responsible for
their awkwardness.
1t was also in the car that she made
depressing discovery in regard to
her marcel wave. She tried in
hopeless fashion to readjust her hat
to its quondam angle on the wreck of
her cherished couture. She felt hot
and sticky and inclined to steam, and
she hated the girl across the aisle,
whose hair was naturally wavy and
who remained in triumphant posses
sion of her rubbers.
OF course, the conductor stopped
the car half block below the point
she desired. OF course, her umbrella
committed a few final indignities up
on the occupants of the back platform
as she opened the implement before
getting off. However, she would rath-
er have been burned at the stake than
apologize, such was the ferocity of her
mood. Misfortune has terrible eff
feet upon character.
The rain pursued the even tenor of
its way. Still travelling on her heels,
Priscilla approached the last block OF
her journey. In her hand she had
been carrying all this time little
box, in which was string of tur!
quoise-colored beads, to grace the fes-
tivities of her hostess. AS the last
stroke of misfortune, quite suddenly,
in desperate clutch at her skirts,
Priscilla dropped her box. In daze
of horror she saw her turquoise-col-
ored beads roll east and west and north
and south.
She stopped for one and smudged
her clean white glove. She tried again,
and her hat for the second time ex-
tinguished the light of day. She tried
the third time and her umbrella got
In her way and circumvented her. In
window above her two humorists,
aged about six, were enjoying the sit
uation. 1t was too much. In an en-
tirely reckless mood, Priscilla aban-