The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-09-17


the better" said Elvira Sleek,
the village scamstress, and she said it
with decision.
Another thing: it's always best to
keep in your proper Speer and dress and
act in harmony with that speer. When
you try to git beyond it something will
be sure to happen that will make you
wish you hadn't That was the way 1t
was with Ellen Trip when she tried TO
intcrdooce the tube skirt into our viii
age. Ellen weighs two hundred and
lhrty-nine and half pounds and
when woman o that heft gifts into q
tube skirt all her relatives has cause
To blush if she don't blush none her
self, and If she has Il husband and he
sits TO swearin some over il | don't
think he ought to be fetched up before
the church for it. DIDN'T you ever hear
about El!cn's tube skirt? No? But then
you amt lived here but three months
ana IT'S more than a year since Ellen
sprung her tube skirt on Elderberryville.
d made most of Ellcn's dresses for a
dozen Years., but didn't make that
tube skirt so / want what you call a
party to the crime. First place I didn't
Know how TO make such thing, and.
second place. wouldn't want to aid
ana abct any one in getting and wearin'
such thing If | knew how to make it,
Ellen got II rcady-made in the city,
and that only made a bad matter worse
The tube and the hobble skirt may do
Tor broadway there in New York.
street that always makes me think a.
the broad path that loadeth to de-
struction as the good book SAYS, but
when it comes to interdoocin the tube
skirt on our Main Street here in Elder
bcrryvllle it's putin UP a losn' battle
aS IN custom and tradition and environ
ment ana the rights o the community
in sen'ral To have their feelings re-
spccted It's a turr!ble strain on the
feelings To have 10 look on two hundred
rounds % female in q tube skirt made
50 snort that the woman that wears 1t
shows what passes for her ankles Ellen
had been on visit 20 the city and it
was there the tube skirt germ got hold
OF her and did its deadly work II was
made OF kind OF a yallow- brown silk
with white polky dots evry mite as
big as Il silver half-dollar. and the dress
had a big white sort of sailor collar
more suitable for an ovcr-drcsscd child
o live years than a big fat woman of
forty. Then She brought home one o.
these cart-whcel hats to wear with the
HfeSs ana was all ready 10 astonish the
natives. was SEWN at Ellcn's house
the first time she put on her new rig
after she come home. and when she
asked me how | liked it | up and told
her that ! was glad she was no kin o.
mine If she really meant TO wear that
rig on the street. She said that she
sure did. but she sure didn't. She was
SaNin' the rig to wear to a big Labor
Day celebration we We're to have in
our grove IN the river. 1t was the big
gcst affair we had had in these parts
for long time. for it was county
as well as town affair and the gov'ner
was To be here and | reckon Ellen
thought she would astonish him along
with the rest of US. reckon he would
of been astonished all right
Now, Pliny Trip tllcns husband.
is plain, sensible sort of a man who
tips the beam at two hundred ana sixty
nine. Got the second prize at the Fat
Mans Convention in town last fall
He's real good natured, as fat folks are
apt to be, bat when he see Ellen in
that tube skirt and the cart wheel hat
ne used langwidge unbecomin' the
Christian character and member o.
the Methodist Church in good and reg
lar standing. but if the church had of
tried 10 church maui him for il / yum
If | wouldn't of stood up for Ebcn! 1t
says in The good book that we will not
bc tempted beyond what we are able
To bear, but | bet you that the wife o.
the man who writ that never wore a
tube skirt! Ellen she just laughed at
The t,hpp - 10,