The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1918-05-11

| for her mother. And so far every
thing she had seen had been absurdiy
overturned with narrow skirts,
short sleeves and low necks.
And the saIesYoman had been equal
ly surprised and indignant when she
had ventured to say that such gowns
would be most unsuitable for a plain,
modest, elderly woman. This is what
they are wearing" was the inevitable
answer.
1t is difficult to find anything ir
New York, except what they are
wearing" as it is to find sunflowers
at the north pole. Never was a city
or a people SO in the thralls of the
--latest style" however hideous or un-
suitable that style may be. Ard the
stout gray-haired woman of sixty is
expected to wear exactly the same mod
els as her slim brown-haired daugh-
ter. No longer are there any fashions
for elderly women, for they conform
eagerly to the most youthful models
And the result is often astonishing,
and sometimes pathetic.
Helen went from store to store, in
vain search for plain white gown for
her mother. At last in desperation,
she asked the floor-walker:
"Haver't you a single white dress in
your shop suitable for an old lady OF
sixty?"
And the floorwalker only stared at
her in mild wonder and referred her
to a saleswoman, who with an indif-
ferent certainly ma'am," began
to show the usual models with peek
a-boo waist and hobble skirts.
By this time Helen was tired. thor
oughly tired and somewhat irritated.
For there Is nothing more wearing to
ones nerves and temper than shopping.
She was almost inclined to return her
mothers check and to write that she
could get neither the dress nor the
hat
And then she re-read her mothers
letter and felt ashamed of her impulse.
She could not disappoint her. So she
dragged YEARLY on through more
stores, and at last one saleswoman said
hopefully:
Il think have just what you want.
1t was a splendid order. but the Gus
toner did not like it,
Then she brought out plain white
null dress with a full, graceful skirt,
trimmed only with some narrow hem
stitched bands of fine Swiss insertion.
Ii was just what Helen wanted, but.
to her dismay, she found the price was
$50. Thirty-five dollars-and her
mother had sent only $50 for both thel
hat and the dress.
''Oh. haven't you anything less ex-
pensive than thate don't care to-
pay s35 for Just a wash dress"
''0h yes. we have plenty OF white
dresses from fifteen dollars up. but
they're all much more fancy. There
you see pointing towards nearby
case, that lot is twenty-five dollars
And some of them are very good val
ues."
Paying for Plainness.
Helen looked through the case and
they were all covered with lace and
tucks and embroidery.
Again she wenG back to the chair on
which lay the tflirty-five dollar dress
She knew that site must pay for plain
ness. 1t Is only the things that are
manufactured by. the thousands that
You can get cheap in New York The
exceptional thing If you find it at all
you must pay fof And this year plain
ness was eertaialy exceptional and
therefore, high priced
Helen was thinking rapidly. She had
| known she coul9 not get the dress and
hat for the money her mother .hat
sent, and had already determined tf
add something herself. But she had
not expected to. have to add so much
for the hat waS still TO be bought.
But she took, the dress She mus
manage it somehow Then she besai