The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1913-07-04
KATHERINE'S LIFE
TRAGEDY.
4 STORY ABOUT CLOTHES.

weekly budget of yarns. The tall girl
sounded the note of the evening.
I hope nobody will tell anything
funny tonight" she said Il don't
feel like listening to it. | am terribly
unhappy myself, and | want to hear
about people who are in the same fix.
l hope every person present will tell
a story about the most miserable per-
son she ever knew"
Al present except one ayerred that
most of their acquaintance we're so
unhappy that 1t was impossible to tell
which was most wretched. The little
old lady on the top floor said she could
make choice, so she opened the dis
eussion.
The most miserable person | ever
knew she said, and the one who, in
my judgment, had the best right to be
miserable, was Katherine MeliiBh. The
source of Katherine's trouble was her
clothes.
She was born to lll-fttIng gar
ments. The Mellishes, as a family.
were never known to look beyond
their noses With characteristic lack
of forethought the preparation of
Katherine's wardrobe had been delay
ed beyond her advent and her first
clothes we're of a most primitive pat
tern.
They remained so throughout her
childhood. For one thing. they were
always too big for her Katherine
grew up and out, especially out. with
astonishing rapidly, but her clothes
kept pace with her progress. Only
few of those uncouth garments were
made with an eye TO her pudgy figure.
Katherine had five sisters and 4 score
of girl cousins, also of generous pro
portions. and their tast-off raiment
was her heritage.
The ehild's heart ached At sight Of
those clothes. Katherine WAS one Of
the unfortunate poor born with good
taste. She liked things to 1T. In
stinctiyely she knew the eolors and
modes that we're becoming 10 her, but
she never had anything that looked as
she wanted 1t TO. Her blouzes always
bagged in the wrong places and her
skirts hung askew If by any chance
Katherine got anything new. It was
bntehered In the making BY hYgienle
relations whose conception Of sin was
a garment calculated to impede circu-
lation.
Once woman whose little girl had
de ave Katherine a hat. It was Il
pretty hat Katherine wore It once 10
Sunday school, Everybody turned To
look At her, grown-ups ag well as
children, and many whispered. Rather
inc knew, without hearing, what they
said. They we're wondering where she
got that hat. She never wore It
again She preferred harmonious
dowdlnegB to incongruous style.
when Katherine reached an age of
mental and physical independence she
began to earn money for herself She
worked in factories and stores. and by
and b. she saved up enough money To
bny 4 new dress. At last. she thought,
she would be able to clothe herself
becomingly.
She bought the material herself.
selecting 1t with her usual taste. Tn
fortunately she had no time 10 attend
to the making. and when the froek
came home from the dressmaker's the
soft blue cloth hung like a shapeless
rag and the trimming was horrid
botch.
Katherine cried bitterly She tried
to straighten the seams and smooth
out the Fuckers, but the dreaa vas
nUI#IEbHi4 Tuibtus anu HuH HUI MI :
It. Later Katherine earned money To
buy other dresses, but none of them
turned out we'll.
In spite of her unpreposseEHing ap-
Dearanee, Katherine became engaged
to marry. She devoted much time and
thought to the selection OF her we'd
ding clothes. and In order 10 insure
good results she bespoke the services
of dressmaker who charged three
prices for every stitch she took.
The day before the wedding Kath-
crimes fance ran away With another
woman Her friends and relatives
were Mortified. and many Of them call
ed To aympathize with the afflicted
girl. Katherine denied herself to
most callers, but finally she consented
to see her cousin Elizabeth. Elizabeth
found her sitting on low chair be-
side her trousseau. which lay spread
out on a couch like an elaborate
shroud Katherine was crying and
Elizabeth cried too.
oh, Katherine she said I am
awfully sorry'
Katherine dried her eyes.
Thank you, Elizabeth, she said.
I am sorry too. | loved Walter dear-
". Sui, In one sense. am not sor-
~ It happened. My clothes don't fit.
The basque is too short-waiated and
too tight across the chest. and the
skirt wrinkles across the hips.
should be ashamed TO walk down the
Isle IN such an ugly dress. ! don't
think | could have stood It.
Only once after that did Katherine
try to dress we'll. When she got to be
50. or perhaps 65, she WAS seized with
a longing for a handsome gown. and
bought twenty yards of beautiful black
silk. Katherine actually prayed over
that dress. She put up her petition
right out loud in church. In the mid
die Of the service. Several Worahipers
kneeIIng near by overheard her and
told what she said.
Dear Lord Katherine prayed. do
let my black silk turn out well, be-
seeeh YOU
But 1t didn't. II WAS really the
worst she ever had. 1t was made with
a noIonaise, and all the defects possible
to that style of garment were crowded
into Katherines. The sleeves we're too
short, the black seam always pulled at
right angles to Katherines spine, and
the skirt was shirred into funny little
punches that made Katherine look just
about twice as thick as she really was
and half as tall
The people who had heard Rather
ines prayer had no sympathy With her
in that case. They claimed that she
had been lmpious and that the failure
of the black silk had been , punish
menI melted out to her for boIhering