The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-05-23
% ALLY
ST IORI STORY
After the Dance
az. LAyRA Reid etoNTGoAIEK1I

5tNk expression Oh vast oieap
$lTA pointment as she dressed the
morning after the dance at Rosaile
Hall. She had been going Win
h Tom Miller for three years and the
girls were beginning TO ask her
when she was going to wear an GU
Sgasement ring.
ST. seems queer she unused as
she eyed distastefully the Wornout
gray bingham house-apron, that
4 he doesn't propose. he never goes
With any other girl. that IS, steauy,
but he never speaks of setting
dewn anv more and all the cot
tages in Acacia row are gong 80
fast. / thought once here the
soft. red mouth dropped until the
nappy curves were almost gone,
"tflateI would have one OF thoss
dear little houses with the sun
shiny south kitchens and
Hurry, Minnie, there is an east
n wind and grandma feels badly and
rest of the speech was lost
as an outside door slammed
noisiIy shut.
Minnie hurriedly buttoned the
ugly gray garment about her and
ran downstairs. Grandma was apt
to be difficult when, an east wind
h4e# and her brother sam was
home with a bad cold.
say greeted Sam GROSSLY"
syon take your ease letting ma get
up and get breakfast. Where dld
: YOU dig up that dress?"
5.tMinnie went to the dance last
night, excused Mrs! Friedly
q plaeidly, .'she got up the minute
called her. if an my children were
as helpful as Min I'd have no
cause for complaint"
~ Sam flushed and drifted out to
the woodshed to return presently
with an armtul of short k1ndl1ng
y cut the way his mother preferred;
@&.Guess the east wind bothered me,
too" he grifned and sat down to
the fluffy EriddIe- cakes that Mrs.
Friedly had just baked.
Minnie ate her breakfast
thoughtfully. Sans criticism OIL
her frock had put into words what
she had been thinking about. For
two years past she had stinted on
q everyday clothes SO that she would
be able to afford elaborate party
gowns. She worked afternoons in
the dry goods store and bought all
her own clothing. She could have
needed to help at home.
After the children had been sent
4 to school and grandma, now some
what appeased by a good break
fast, had settled down in the south
II bay window, where she had Sooo
view of the street, Minnie began
the baking, no small task for such
a large family. IN other." said
the girl as her mother sat down to
the sewing machine, ~ am going
to get some everyday clothes. Sam
was right; I've been going around
j in horrid things
N The whirr of the machine paus-
ed for a moment. Eyes saiG the
other, "you have. I felt sorry
when Tom caught you the other
morning in that ragged apron.
Your slippers are torn and you
look really shiftless-
oh Minn1e's cheeks grew
pink. rive been spending too
much on party frocks and satin
1 Money is too hard to earn to fool
away on such things. Even buyin g
materials at wholesale at the store
counts up too much. I'm going to
buy some pretty dimities and ere
tonnes this afternoon and some
patterns, and we are going to have
d some dainty house dresses. The
& dances will have to go for time.
& Il she paused suddenly and the
older woman, looking at the brill
Il liant cheeks and wet eyes, made
no comment. She guessed that
her girl had had diSappointme nt
at the party and she thought it
wiser to let it blow over without
her interference unless Minnie
asked definitely for advice.
Don't you think it is better to
look fairly nice right along than to
sayeseverything Tor grand dis
play for an evening"" asked Min
ME as she cut out cookies.
Decidedly" her mothers gray
head nodded decisfvely. "to my
gmind it lessons ones self-respect
to go about in ragged aprons even
If no one else sees them. But I
don't want you to get anything for
me because my housedresses are
all whole. and:
Faded and of ugly gray
coIors," cut in Minnie, wondering
1 why she had not thought of all
these things sooner. Now that
she really surveyed her parent she
saw how patched and faded was
her neat 1frock.
Tom did not cali up after the
dance as he sometimes did 1t
was the following Saturday morn
ing when he stopped on his way to
work at the Friedly home and
Xssked for Sam.
Sam has gone said Rita, but
Minnie is in the Kitchen"
Never mind began Tom as
the seyen-year-old girl flung open
the kitchen door. He had a. lively
rem EN- brance of Minnie's untidy
appearances on the last occasion
when he hao surprised her SO
desire to catch her again.
The morning sun flooded the big
clean kitchen and the whirr of the
sewing machine made a pleasant
4 homeEy sound. The cat on the
braided mat glanced up seepily as
" Il