The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1913-12-11
THE HAT IN
THE WINDOW

wonderful hat that Flimsy a. Co. who
owned 1t. gave tia whole show win.
dow TO itself-a whole window with
only a few OF those distracting little
lace caps some ladies wear in the
morning placed around to finish off
the picture. rather than to display
themselves. 1t was pink with a great
DOW OF pink ribbon on one side and a
huge and bewitchingly curved brim
on all sides. And it was as fresh and
as exquisitely tinted as if il were a
big ripe fruit on its stem.
Even men passing by stopped to
look at it. Some of them, too, prob.
ably framed a particular face beneath
the broad tilted brim, and passed on
with II smile for the bewitching vision.
bu the p~assersby of the other sex. 1t
was for them the picture was made.
one very great lady coming out of
the store on her way to her carriage
caught sight of it and went back. But
sue uldht buy ii, thank Heaven.
Imagine that dream of pink young
loneliness Swallowing any such rouge.
iresheneu, powder-softened world.
hardened Visage as that very great
ladys with its keen hard eyes and it's
thin tight lips. No madam. not an
the Skin OF the fairy-fingered Agnes
can / you the right to wear thai
corohet of m%aidenhood. What a
grotesque figure you would cut if you
did, How | should love to see YOU
Try ii. How d%iscreetly l would smile
behind your back. how wittily |
would draw Mrs. So-and-So's atten-
lion to you. But try ii, madam; it
might shame you into visiting the son
you nave not seen since your second
marriage. That was ten years AGO
He is an Undergraduate now. But no.
you are o wise. Home, James"
Hold, madam, before you go, let me
show o those lace caps. Come now.
madam; lay aside the hair wash for
Il season, let the gray at the roots
creep on II up; let a few OF those,
oh so badly hidden wrinkles peep out
and don n of these, the finest Mech.
..l-. But 10, you have gone Home?
How dare you call any place home,
you w~retched, wrinkled, wizened old
woman? What an air" you have!
And for what reason? None. The
Sacred Apes of Benares, some one
called you and your like. Well named
thou Gloomy Teuton.
All, but surely here comes the right
full owner. "rimid and stepping
fast from that very neat electric at
the curb, young Miss Bowyer, IS and
Two years out" in society. She, too,
ooks up at the window and-merci.
ful Heavens-she signs. What. Is
there anything on earth you can't have
ii you really want it?
Down past the window they come
slowly stepping with downcast eyes.
and amid all the sparkle of silk and
broadcloth and silver and gold and
stamped leather and waving feathers.
What a contrast is made by their
black robes and hoods and white neck
erchiefs.
Surely not for these TWO sisters of
ST. Mary's could the window have a
message? No kin are they to the very
great lady or poor little Miss Bowyer.
Perhaps something they have in com.
LIoI W i'm lIdS tiHu Lou DlV lle OTnEIS
-never
And yeti was the crowd that first
drew her eyes-drew them away from
the monotonously regular black sur
lace OF the pavement whence they
should never wander. And there above
the heads of the crowd shone out
the first radiance OF the milliner's in
spiration.
When Sister Therese Sister
Iherese was thirty years the senior
missed Sister Margaret from her side
she found her two feet away staring
at the window, too 1t was a moment
only. the length of time it takes to go
Two feet.
Sister Margaret" The tone was
loud but i%nsistent. and so the touch
upon her arm.
Sister Margaret turned quickly,
flushing %furiously under the white and
black hood.
When the window was safely
passed, Sister rherese looked down
and under the hood. The flush was
still there and there came to her
ears the soft sibilant of q sigh.
oh, Sister Therese," said Sister
Margaret.
But who knows whether Sister
Therese should not have sighed also
and said. oh, Sister Margaret"
What We're her eyes doing before she
found Sister Margaret shining?
Well, perhaps SO. Else why did
Father Ambrose receive next day two
confessions of the identical sin and
impose two penances OF identical light
ness-for Father Ambrose is a kind
man, and besides he buys a new SOU
tane himself every now and then.
And as for the hat! Why, it wasn't
a real hat after all. Only an affair of
ribbons and wire twisted and tied to
show what may be next year. So you
could sigh for it and sin for it and be
Very unhappy about it, but if you
touched 1T, it would fall in pieces be-
meath your fingers.