Evening star., 1920-02-01

WIN Va VIC aICES All women can
outline the cut OF dress with ges-
lures. The Rambler cannot read this
sign language which tells of bodices,
basques, skirts, polonaise and red
ingotes, yokes and sleeves, but he
douid see that pale green tarlatan
party frock. Right here let him
write that he has always pronounced
this word "tarlton." and he thought
it was spelled "tarletan" until he
looked it up in dictionary just a
moment before setting down the first
line of this story.
That party dress was very full in
the skirt, and looked almost as full
as those skirts which at another pc
riod were worn over hoops. 1t was
a long dress--so long that two little
feet just peeped out beneath the bot
tom fiounce. There was succession
of fiounces extending nearly 10 the
waist, The Rambler cannot see the
bodice as clearly as he can the skirt.
but it was of the same material
pale green tarlatan. The neck was
not so high as that fashion which
=
benefit of very thin women. 1t was
not so low as bodces worn at the
court of the Stuarts or at the palace
OF Versailles. 1t was not SO low as
wessee them in evening gowns today
or tEis evening. 1t was not cut away
at the back, and was just low enough
in front to show n white neck and
throat. ] think there was a narrow
band of black velvet around the
throat to emphasize its whitencss.
AS the Rambler sees the pale green
tarlatan bodice the sleeves reached
to the elbow. each sleeve terminal
ing In a ruffle. A narrow black vel
vet band was tied in bowknot
around each wrist.
The young girl in this pale green
tarlatan party dress was quite small.
She was, as we used to say in those
days, petite" That was when
Americans knew more French than
they do now, notwithstanding that
so many of the present generation
gain complete mastery Of the
French tongue in from three to five
easy lessons" The Rambler remem-
bers that our ancestors used that
word petite" to signify woman
who was not only small. but plump.
The little girl in green tarlatan was
very gay In her air and very light
on her feet. She adored dancing. She
would dance the Virginia reel. the
h1 IL nd
the swift. bobbing waltzes of her
time till the dawn cast sheen of
silver over the eastern sky. She had
eyes that were very bright and merry
and she could laugh at tribes that
would make many of our serious.
highbrow women of today yawn.
She would laugh gleefully-or "glee-
Iy" seems to be q better word-at q
little jest which might call from
new woman OF today something like
this: "Oh: can that joke; it's stale
stunw She was a very bright, and
happy little girl-the girl In the
green tariatan frock-and to her all
the world was new and fair.
The Rambler forgets how she wore
her dark hair. 1t may have been
parted in the middle and smoothed
down over her ears, but he thinks 1t
was worn in fussy little knot at the
back of the head and that from this
knot fell a cluster Of curls. Anyhow.
there was a rose in her hair. 1t was
an old fashioned hundred-leaf. GRIN
kled pink rose that climbed the porch
and bloomed on a lattice near her
window.
Where this party was the Rambler
does not know. but he thinks 1t was
In King George county. Va. That is
the county between STAFFORD and
westmoreiand, few miles below
Washington, and 1t faces on the Po-
tornac and on the Rappahannock. In
what year this party was held Is not
the HANDLERS business to set down,
but YOU should gather from what has
been written that IT happened some
time ago.
when this lady told the Rambler
that her FIRST party dress vas OF pale
green tariatRn she could see that
pretty frock as clearly as though the
couteriere had turned II out and fitted
IL to her yesterday. woman's hrst
PARTY dress Is always fresh and vivid
in her memory. Her hair may turn
oray ht.t the color of the first party