Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-06
THE EVENING STORY.
The Wedding Gown.
Copyright, 1918, by W. Werner)

In her shabby, rented room Nancy
Ferry sat sewing on Whlte SATIN
dress
1t was a golden May morning. Sun
light streamed in across the worn
ma ting the poor furniture. There
was group of jonauils in a cheap
vase on the sewing table. hooking the
sunshine with their glory. Behind the
room and over it were the sounds of
womans noisy early morning warfare
with disorder. Doors slammed, dishes
ratified, heavy steps pounded back and
forth Mrs. Couse was busy with her
housework Occasionally she urged
herself on with song.
.Oh. you beautiful lady; I raise my
eyes"
AS the strong, not unmelodious voice
brought in the words Nancy sighed.
She was making the satin dress for
very beautiful lady, and she never took
stitch upon it without mental pic
ture of the way that lady would look
in the dress when it was done. 1t
must be wonderful to be SO beautiful,
to have. rich, dark hair and a skin as
| pink as the dawn. But, OH far, far
more wonderful must il be to have
/
whose heart few to ones heart as the
waltz song had it. Nancy's beautiful
| lady had such a lover. and. as if God
were not content with that one most
perfect gift, He had showered her with
| others-riches many friends. beauty
and the prospect of happy future. Inc
dress Nancy. was making was wed
ding dress, and the wedding was very
near at hand.
! Sometimes Nancy dreamed dreams
about herself, which We're like tran
silent reflections Of something bright
and good that had been long ago In
| her own life. For, Nancy Ferry, little
pale, workworn, sober Nancy Ferry.
with her red hair fading at her blue
temples. and her threadbare black
had once been touched by the divine
| fire of young romance. One had come
| into her life and gone; had come with
| awakening Joy and hope and promise:
| these things behind him. 1t had all
| amounted to SO little. a hand clasp or
two, a few conscious smiles and
glances. kiss. VOW to return. Then
PLY then hopefully. then despairing-
| ly. until at last she knew that she
was never to see him again. Had he
| forgotten or had he not loved her
enough. or had there been some other
woman She did not know. She only
knew that he had taken her heart and
the best of her life away with him
and had not brought them back.
/ A long time had passed. Nancy
came to be alone. She was very poor.
and she had to work if she would
! eat. There was one thing she could
do-she could sew. She hired Mrs.
| Couses front room to work in and a
smaller room behind it to sleep in.
and announced herself ready to make
dresses. But in the old. Indifferent.
questionable town womenfolk wore
| their clothes long time. and most OF
these they made themselves. Nancy
did not have many dresses TO make.
| But the dresses she did make We're
exquisite There was such merit in
Brock stopped Mrs. L. }. Granspury.
who was wearing a fouiard fresh from
Nancy's hands. and asked graciously
| who her seamstreSs was.
| Nancy Ferry. Nancy Ferry re-
peated Miss Ten Brock. laughing.
| like the sound of that odd little name.
| And l very much like the looks or
your Nancy Ferry won't make a dress
| for me-
/ So she rode down all the way from her
| big summer house on the hill. which
1 she had come TO early that summer,
and asked Nancy to make a dress for
| her
a simple little silk frock rather
like Mrs. Gransbury's. ! don't as a
rule copy othe. peoples clothes, but
that dress pleaser me nightly"
| Nancy had no sewing to do and this
order was God-send. When the sill.
came she learned that there were
varying qualities of fouiard. just as
| there were varying types of women.
Nancy was happy working upon the