The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1916-05-06
The RASPBERRY
BY OLIVE KENNSET.

LlQueSuOnab!y haI been thoroughly
finished"
Maud had always been content to
wear hats that came from Mrs Grin
dies, but since she had brought home
two hats from Madam Roses in New
York she hadn't any use for Crindle
style.
Isn't that the most impossible hat
you ever saw" she said one day when
she was passing Mrs. Cr.udle's with
that big, good-hearted brother OF hers.
who was now in the graduating class
at TruXdale, captain OF the football
team and one OF the most popular men
in college
1T looks just like a raspberry sun
dae and it is quite as inspid and alb
surd. That was one OF the signs OF
Maud Tuttle's finishing process.
1t is rather a punk hat. | should
say" agreed Blair. secretly little
pleased with his sisters evidence OF
taste
Blair was more attentive to Maud
little TRADE than she had expected.
You ought to know. | suppose"
agreed Blair Now, I'll tell you why
am interested. You know our senior
play. OF course, no one is supposed
to know what it is about, but | have
got TO get your help. For some rea.
son, | am in charge OF the costumes.
have got to see that the fellows get
the right sort of thing to wear for
their parts. Now. one of the charac-
tiers is a young gawk OF a country
girl. and her part calls for just the
kind OF thing that you seem to think
that raspberry hat stands for.
| was thinking maybe Id get you 10
trim up something for me, but ] guess
you couldn't do any better than that
hat"
"Oh. Blair, it would be the hit of the
show"
Maud agreed to buy the hat for her
brother.
Caste lines were but loosely drawn
in TruXdale. The minister's daughter
had felt no hesitancy in marrying the
son of the grocer on the corner. the
young doctor felt it an honor to know
the daughter of old Dobbs, who drove
the station wagon.
So Clarice higgins came in for her
share of the college fun-little bright
eyed. slender Clarice. who had been
known to every sweet-tOOthed boy in
college as the dispenser of his favorite
brand of soda water or sundae.
But Clarice had cherished ambition.
There was not enough scope for her
Imagination in the task OF soda dlspen-
ser. So when an apprentice was need.
ed at Crindle's millinery shop she left
the fountain on a days notice. Blair
futile could but feel a satisfaction in
knowing that hereafter those bright
eyes OF hers would shine only for
naughty Mrs. Crindle and her other as.
sistants or the occasional woman shop.
pers who came in to try on the new
millinery.
Il am so perfectly happy tonight"
Clarice told Blair when he called at
her boarding house TO take her to the
movies, that single source of evening
diversion in Truxdale. The most won.
derful thing has happened My hat
my very own hat-that | worked on
so hard has been sold. | didn't see
the young lady that bought it, but the
girl who waited on her said she looked
like a fashion plate, with a hat that
must have come from New York. Isn't
tbot u,ondarP,Io"
Blair had more than once before
tried to get his courage up to tell the
high-spirited little girl that she was
part of his own plans for happiness
and that In the career he was about to
start after his graduation from col
lege he needed her encouragement
more than anything.
/ But, Clarice, don't want you to be
Independent. | don't want you to so
on this way"
Clarice was too full of the enthu.
siasm of achievement to be stilled.
Il do wish you had seen it before
| it was sold, that hat Of mine. The
silk was just the color of the rasp-
berry strip we used at the fountain"
Suddenly Blair realized that this
masterpiece of Clarices was none
other than the property hat he had at
present slowed away in his own room.
What Maud had said to him about ii
came back with vividness. What IL
/ Clarice knew? What if she ever found
out that this hat on which she had
spent so much thought and care, and
on which she had banked such hopes
of future success, was bought only
because it was a caricature? Blair
tried to think Of a scheme whereby
her feelings might be saved.
DO you know, Clarice, my own sis
ter, the one who has been away to
boarding school, bought that hat. She
noticed it the first thing. | must get
you two girls to meet each other
some time. | know you will be great
friends. | believe Maud is going away
visiting this summer sometimes, and
she wanted that raspberry hat to go
with one of her new dresses. You
ought to have heard what she said
about it, | guess ii is most too pretty
to wear around here in TruXdale. But
Clarice, you don't want to go on with
that millinery business idea of yours.
| You know what am driving at Two
or three of the seniors are going to be
| married right after college closes.