Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1911-12-01
The Genevieve Who Loved Her Kimono
By HELEN HELP

/ her brown hair waving bit and wear
ing triumphantly that braided Golf
fure that always made James glad
he had money enough to buy her that
S6-inch switch of naturally curly hair.
James locked GenevIeve carefully
over, and then he kissed her. right on
the mouth. He. slipped his arm about
her slender waist, too, and gave her
a squeeze. Nothing like feather bed
about this, eh, Genevieve?" he cooed.
Gee, l outgrew the feather-bed stage
way back when was a kid. Some
thing tailor-made for mine, all right.
all right"
Well, for minute Genevieve was
startled. Then, in a calm complacency
of the safely welded woman whose
husband can't escape-not without los
ing his righteousness and paying ALI
mony, anyway-she passed it up as
the mere exuberance Of that curious
creature, man.
They walked the block to the Mars
tons and rang the bell. There was an
audible scuttle behind the safely shut
door. you don't suppose they're Ill
or in bed or anything. do your whis-
pered Gehevieve. Then the door was
opened by a trim and tidy maid who
carefully guarded the inner portals.
Around the bend in the hall fed pat
tering footsteps, which tripped over
something and strangled squeal
ended in the slam of door.
| Yes, the family was at home. Mr..
Marston was in the parlor and Mrs.
Marston would be right in. And when.
after 10, Is, 20 minutes Of wriggling
conversation-making on the part of
Mr.. Marston, Mrs. Marston appeared,
what she said was; do excuse my de-
lay, but really, had on my kimono. and
simply had to fly" Yes, and she fell
over the kimono in the hall, and that
was why she squealed.
'Marston's mighty nice fellow, but
gee! his wife's slob," unused James
to his Genevieve as they trailed home.
''Um-yes," unused back Genevieve.
my, but I'll be glad to get home and
Into my kimono."
| When James went to business every
morning he took the elevated. Thence
he beheld back windows OF. fats, every
fat inhabited by a kimono-clad wife
and mother. In the evening he return
ed past the same streets and then also
he beheld long vistas of kmono-
clad females, lowering about gas
stoves or out on the front steps,
calling the children home to dinner:
or presiding, with flowing sleeves. over
generously provided tables, while a
trim maid waited in the background
not in kimono.
| James sometimes had occasion to
get out of the office and plunge about
to different parts Of the city. morn
ings and afternoons. The fences that
he passed were ornamented with ki-
mono-clad womed gossiping with other
kimono-clad women in the next build
ing, while still others, wearing the
| gift of Japan to the great republic,
leaned over porches experimenting
John as he beat the rugs In the back
yard.
| he saw blue kmOnoS laden Win golu
embroidery and green ones stiff with
plain, American dirt. He beheld the
creamy-white bridal finery with droop-
ing sleeves and a pointed neck and a
train, and grandmamma with knitted
lavender shawl wrapped up to her chin
because the gray wool kimono is cut
too low for comfort, and she catch
ing cold so readily, too.
And his prayer goes up to the arbi-
ters Of fashion: Cant you take this
kimono and put 1t back on the other
side of the great Pacific ocean, where
1t belongs? Our household architec-
ture is too complex for the blamed
thing, anyway"
Copyright. by Associated Literary Press)