The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1912-08-15
What His
Wife Wears


absolutely impossible to do it so long
as he remains at large.
When | married John had no idea
he was so fussy. | think l spoiled him
by unwisely complimenting his good
taste and judgment in regard to
clothes, and he got conceited about it.
He shouldn't have taken me seriously,
for woman has a right to say any
thing nice to a man that comes into
her head when she is trying to en-
snare him into matrimony, If he
played the game fair he would charge
all her compliments up to profit and
loss and use common sense after he
was married just as a woman does
but men are so foolish
Johns conceit was q great shock
to me, because everything | had done
or worn or said had invariably been a
little better than just all right with
John.
MY awakening came when l pur-
chased the linen dress. | found it in
one of these exclusive little shops
where they have clothes all ready to.
wear that are beyond your widest
dreams of style. The linen dress was
the last cry. l can't exactly describe
it except that it was a coarse, heavy,
natural ecru linen with panels of
heavy lace to match and an odd Grim
son suede belt and fascinating snatch
es of thin net let in here and there.
Any woman can tell from this de-
scription that it was exactly the stun
ningest, most unusual thing you can
ever hope to see.
Il simply grabbed it and had it fit
ted to me. When it came home l
donned it and casually walked out in
front of John
Il hadn't exactly formulated what I
expected him to say, but it was some
thing to the effect that he was over
come totally by my air of magnifi-
cence. Instead, he was strangely 81
lent. had not expected him to be SO
overcome
Don't you like it," I limited.
John coughed. I looked at him in
surprise. Then he took hold Of a
sleeve with a gingerly thumb and fore
finger What is it?' he asked. hest
tatingly 1T looks-er-it looks like
potato sacking. OF couse,' he added,
hastily and politely, 4 know it isn't.
But-er-isn't it queer
"Oh, he tried to be polite, he really
did. But he suffered so while he was
doing it that, having a tender heart,
couldn't stand it. He simply couldn't
see that linen dress. To him it was
a monstrosity, a blot on the landscape,
and at the thought of his wife appear
Ing in garment which to him was GO
ing to draw the scorn and amazed
amusement of the populace was unen-
durable
so long as that dress was in the
house John was nervous, anguished
and tormented, so | took it back |
told the store people that I'd pay them
to take it back, because if l kept it
knew 1t meant a divorce in the family.
but they were very nice and said
could change it. So | bought a lovely
taffeta gown. 1t was a changeable silk
with putfings and quillings and
quaint lace fichu.
MY dear you'll never believe me,
but when l put that dress on John
just sat and looked puzzled. Isn't 1t
terribly old fashioned?' he asked, tim
Idly. 4 remember my great aunt in
dress like that. Why don't you get
something new and styHsh?'
Wasn't that hopeless? l explained
to him carefully that it was the latest
style, but john vowed that 1t was an
cient and that they had imposed on
me and anyhow he disIiked change
able silk. So I sold it to my sister for
S. less than l paid for it. I was now
SIS to the bad as the second dress
had cost SIC more than the original
linen. told John that when he could
take day off and accompany me on a
shopping tour I'd buy a dress, but IN
til then l would devote my attention
TO hats.
Il got perfect love of a hat with
bunch of these white uncurled os-
trich feathers on that everybody
knows cost like siXty-and John threw
up his hands, He said looked as
though. had been caught out in the
rain and hadn't money enough to get
the feathers recurled He raved so
about it that | sent the hat back
Then | sat down in front OF John,
and by pafnstaking labor extracted
from him the description of the kind
of clothes he would like to see me in.
He said he liked tailory things with
shirt waists that had collars and cuffs
they've been out five years you
know-and sailor hats. John said that
nothing on earth looked so trim and
stylish as a perfectly plain sailor hat.
What would they do to me at fash
aonable tea if l appeared in such gar
ments?
"Oh, no, didn't ask John that. Any
how, was in luck, because l know
one woman whose husband wants
everything she buys to be red. He
says red looks so cheerful. John is
bad enough, though. I've made my
mind up to stop worrying and buy
clothes anyhow
'All I'm waiting for is some one to
distract him while I'm buying clothes
and then soothe him at the moment
he IN col oh 80 H.