The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1941-02-20
What Can You Expect
From A Spring Hat?
By MARGARET LEE RUNBECK
On Christian Science MonitOr)


Spring hats are in bloom again.
The ads say yes and the snow says no.
But there will come a day when even
the most conservative of US will de-
eide that Spring Hat is indicated.
Hats in these days are not, strictly
speaking, wearing apparel. They are
whims and caprices; they are jokes on
oneself; they are wishful thinking
made manifest. You wear them, this
year, tipped well forward on your
credulity. They disguise you from
yourself. For awhile, anyway.
And no feminine wearer is too
young to fall into this charming con-
spiracy between an absurd hat and an
indulgent mirror.
Take, for instance, our little Miss
Boo. She's had bonnets and berets
and beanies. But this was to be her
first hat. We talked about it for days.
She thought she'd like to have fea-
Their. And how about a veil? After
all, my hat had veil!
Well E. if not veil, then it could
have a streamer hanging down the
back?
We got up early to go shopping for
it. We were bold and exuberant hurry
ing along the street, but the moment
we got within the plush-rugged 81
lence of the Little Girls Millinery
Section, occurrences settled upon US.
Our voice was golden honey dropping
from silver spoon. The salesperson
had lot to say very personal
things about our hair and our new
gloves. But we were so oppressed by
good behavior that we could only
murmur modestly.
We tried on the hats, and we were
almost afraid to look in the mirror;
you just couldn't believe what you
saw there. Too wonderful, really
so . so stylish. And there was a
flower, as big as ten decimal points
huddled together. And there was a
broad blue streamer decorously de-
scending to the waistline.
#*%
We carried it home in little round
box, about the size of a birthday cake.
We walked carefully so we wouldn't
jostle it. But on the train we simply
couldn't help peeping inside, and there
it was, mapping blissfully among the
tissue paper, and the little flower was
even more beautiful than we had re-
membered
1t was hat to he with us, in men,
DRY, when we are grandmothers and
great-grandmothers, and other little
girls are to have hats bought for
them.
Naturally, it was to live on the top
shelf of her own clothes closet, but
today, since she had to take a nap, it
perched on the bedpost.
In case l should wake up and won
der where it was" she explained apol-
ogetically. But to tell the truth, there
wasn't much going to sleep, and all
the time the slow half-hour was inch
ing its way across the afternoon. we
could hear sleepy dialogue between
a little girl and her first hat. At least
| there seemed to be two of them talk
ing, for there was one voice which we
know very well, and then there was
another frilly little ruffle of reply.
(She tells me it's not called Talking
to Yourself; it's called Answering
YOURSELF
But at last it was time to get UP,
and in the meantime, practically
my-Uncle" had arrived, having been
invited to come early and see the hat.
She couldn't wait to change back
into clothes and shoes. And besides,
anything added to the hat would be
mere over-dressing. So she leaped out
of bed and put on the hat with her
pink flannel pajamas (the ones that
have gloves for the feet). And sure
enough the hat was all it had been
when last she tried it on. 1t sat upon
the curls so proudly; it's streamer
cascaded down the back so properly;
the cluster of decimal points was all
ready for nodding at acquaintance.
1t was, indeed, hat which anyone
would admire. And downstairs was
Practically my Uncle, the worlds
most expert admirer.
But half way down the stairs she
stopped and hung back. Maybe she
ought to carry it down in its darling
little box, and let him hold it in his
hand? eve know about that; we've
been overcome with shyness ourselves,
at times.)
"And besides," she said earnestly,
Suppose he doesn't recognize me ?"
If scientists can do the same thing
with people they have done with rab-