Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-07-07

| Then she took up the paper and inspect
| ed the picture again until its every de-
| tail was impressed on her minds eye.
| At length she arose and went into the
| house, and before the old mirror on tor
4 Of the high old walnut chest Of drawers
| in her bedroom took out the tuck comb
and two wire hairpins that confined her
! light grizzled hair In a tight knot on the
back of her head. With the aid of q
1 horn comb she began to twist and ar
/ range the hair into as near @ resem-
bIance to the pompadour In the picture as
| the scantiness of the material and her
/ own unskillfulness would allow. 1t re-
quired a great deal of pulling. combing
and putting, for hair that has been parted
| In exactly the same line and brushed fiat
/ for forty years has contracted habits
that are hard to overcome.
! When she had finished constructing
/ the pompadour there was nothing LETT
for the Lady Teazle curl or even for Ine
| smallest knot behind. But Mrs. Mimms,
| her blood being fired by what she con-
| sidered the success of her efforts, reck-
lessly supplied the deficiency by snip
| ping off a pale blue ribbon bow from her
most sacred tidy in the parlor and
| pinning 1t on so as not only to shield the
vacancy behind, but to present two CO.
quettian loops in front. Then she went
| into the "comp'ny room closet and d1Ved
into the cedar chest in which her own
dared not sacrifice the blue nuns Yelling
on the altar of a waning affection, as II
seemed that 1t must be her only depend
ence for the future, but her second-best
fore which had been turned and made
over until 1t was too faded and worn Tor
anything but rainy Sundays-that she de-
cided she might venture on the ex-
travagance of using.
4
She Invested herself of the black and
white calico which was her ordinary at
tire, and put on the brown dress. turn
ing in the neck in very modest In
front. around which she folded large
white handkerchief. Then she stood off
and surveyed herself. To her eyes the
result was wholly satisfying. and a most
pleasing and artistic variation to her
usual appearance. She even ventured
upon a bit of black ribbon around the
th.oat, but the feeling that this was
going too far and would certainly be
characterized by Syram as "tom-foolish-
ness made her take 1t off rather regret
fully. She thought 1t did much to IN
crease her resemblance to the young fe-
male in the picture.
A glance at the clock cut short her adj
miring scrutiny and sent her hurrying to
the kitchen. These. unaccustOmed prep
arations had taken far more time than
she had realized. and she we'll knew that
no amount of mysterious attractiveness
on her part would atone in Syram's eyes
for any deficiency in the matter of sup
per.
Half an hour later MT. Syram Mimms.
coming up from the stable with roam
ing milk bucket in either hand, was halt
ed in his progress by the sight of Mrs.
Mimms feeding the chickens in the back
yard She had denied even the common
justice Of a checked gingham apron to
the brown cashmere dress for fear of
spelling the effect, and she was doing her
best to appear unconscious
"Whar've you benz demanded Mr..
Mimms.
II hain't ben nowheres.'
What be you a-doin' rugged out IN
them togs, them" he asked, severely.
Mrs Mimms tilted her head to one side
and smiled up at her husband some
what shy but coquettish smile. I was
jest expectin' of somebody" she said.
II amt a-sayin. who"
Mr. Mimms' eyes almost bulged from
his head at the unexpected nature Of this
reply He set his buckets carefully down
on the ground, that he might concen-
trate his attention upon the matter in
hand.
1T can't be Scratch Bohannon or Nina
Smoot," he soliloquizedr half alour. She
wouldn't dixie up so for them: and the
circuit rider amt due for two weeks yet.
1t must be fish Chapman from over t
the courthouse fish Chapman was
first cousin of his wife's, who had money
In her own right, and OF whom Syram
didn't approve because she was 700
"dressy'' and wasted her money ana put
nations into his w1fe'S head.
Its dretful expensive havin' so much
comp'ny. I wish folks would stay to
home an do their work an MIND their
own business" he added. =
IT never said nothin' bout comply,
replied Mrs. Mimms, with some spirit.
She remembered with indignation that II
had been two months since there han
been any one in the house to meal.
The close ways OF the vaHey peop s.
often grated on her more generous spirit.
Then what are you a-talkin ABOUT.
woman? Who are you a-looKln LOT
demanded Mr.. Mimms. in evaporation.
Never mind who You'll know IN GOOD
time" retorted Mrs. Mimms. She was
in hot pursuit of the advice to make
little mysteries with ones husband. ana
she was enjoying herself immensely.
Mr.. Mimms picked up the milk buck
cts with violence that sioshed some OF
their contents over the legs of his over
alls and strobe away in a high state OF
indignation.
Having strained the milk into the row
of waiting crooks on the porch table and
set it away in the cool springhouse over
the little branch, he washed his face and
hands at the pump and nattened his wiry
hair In front Of the little mirror which
had reflected the decorative attempts OF
Mrs Mimms-this last an unusual and
wholly unwilling concession to the ex-
pected presence of fish Chapman-and
responded to his wife's call to supper.
As he entered the kitchen he looked az
prehensively around the room. even Civ
ing a furtive glance behind the 'oor:
but there was no one there save his W1fe,
Hospitality beaming at him behind the
coffee pot. and he was too much dis
pleased to ask further explanation.
"Will you have a cup of coffee. Mr..
Mimms?' asked his wife. in exactly the
same tone that she would have used to
the circuit rider.
"Of course. I'll have Coffee" replied
Mr. Mimms, exasperatedly. Amt I be n
a-havin' it these forty years? Whatd
you suppose I'd have?"
Mrs. Mimms made no direct reply. Let
me give you piece of this egg bread.
she said. with sweet cordialhy. It's real
good, eff I do say 1t. as shouldn't"
Again Mr.. Mimms caught himself look
ing involuntarily around the room. The
term "egg bread" was one reserved only
for company use-the name batter