The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1919-09-26
CHAPTER !.

tune" in 1873, when other people were
losing fortunes, and the magnificence
of" the Ambersons began then. Their
splendor lasted all the years that saw
their Midland town spread and darken
into a city, but reached its topmost
during the period when every prosper
Gus family with children kept New
foundland dog.
In that town in those days all the
women who wore silk or velvet knew
an the other women who wore silk or
velvet, and when there was new
purchase Of sealskin sick people were
got to windows to see it go by. Every
body knew everybody else's family
horse and carriage, could identify such
a silhouette half mile down the
street, and thereby was sure who was
going to market or to reception or
coming home from Office or store to
noon dinner or evening supper.
During the earlier years of this Pc
Rod elegance of personal appearance
was believed to rest more upon the
texture of garments than upon their
shaping. A silk dress needed no re-
modelling when it was a year or so old;
it remained distinguished by merely
remaining silk. Old men and COVER
nors wore broadcloth; full dress" was
broadcloth with "doeskin" trousers;
and there were seen men of all ages
to whom hat meant only that rigid,
tall silk thing known to impudence as
a "stovepfpe." In town and country
these men would wear no other hat,
and, without self-consciousness, they
went rowing in such hats.
Trousers with crease were consid-
cred plebeian; the crease proved that
the garment had lain upon shelf, and
hence was "ready' made:" these be-
traying trousers were called 'hand-
me-downs," in allusion to the shelf. In
the early eighties, while bangs and
bustles were having their way with
women, that variation of dandy known
as the "dude" was invented: he wore
trousers as tight as stockings, dagger
pointed shoes. spoon "derby," a
single-breasted coat called a Chester
feld," with short flaring skirts, a tor
turing cylindrical collar, Numbered to
a polish and three inches high, while
his other neckgear might be a heavy,
pulled cravat or tiny bow fit for a
dolls braids. With evening dress he
wore a tan overcoat so short that his
black coattails hung visible, five inches
below the oyercoat; but after season
or two he heightened his overcoat till
it touched his heels, and he passed out
of his tight trousers into trousers like
great bags. Then presently he was
seen no more, though the word that
had been coined for him remained in
the vocabularies Of the impertinent.
Surely no more is needed to prove
that so short time ago we were liv-
ing in another age!
At the beginning of the Ambersons'
great period most of the houses OF the
Midland town were Of pleasant ar
chitecture. They lacked style, but also
pretentiousness, and whatever does
not pretend at all has style enough.
They stood in commodlous yards, well
shaded by leftover forest trees, elm
and walnut and beech, with here and
there line Of tall sycamores where
the land had been made by filling
bayous from the creek. The house of
a prominent resident" facing Mill
tary square or National avenue or Ten
nessee street, was built of brick upon
a stone foundation, or of wood upon a
brick foundation. Usually it had q
s'front porch" and a shack porch :"
often "side porch" too. There was
a "front hail." there was "side hall"
and sometimes "back hail." From
the "front hall" opened three rooms,
the "parlor," the sitting, room" and
the "library;" and the library could
show warrant to its title-for some
reason these people bought books.
Commonly the family sat more in the
library than in the Sitting ROOM"
while callers. when they came for
mally, were kept to the ''parlor," a
place of formidable polish and discom-
fort. The upholstery Of the library