Year: 1869

In every town there is one young maiden who
is the universal favorte, who belongs to all sets
and is made an exception to all family tendS,
who is the confident of all girls and the adOp-
ted sister of all young men up TO the time when
they respectively offer themselves to her, and
again after they are rejected This post was
filed in OldpOrt, in those days, by my cousin
Kate.


Born into the world with many other gifts,
this last and least de6nable gift of popularity
was added to complete them all. Nobody crti-
cised her, nobody was jealous of her, her very
rivals lent her their music and their lovers and
her own discarded woOerS always sought her
to be bridesmaid when they married some
body else.


She was one of those persons who seem to
have come into the world weldressed. There
was an atmosphere of elegance around her,
every attitude implied presence chamber or a
ball room. The girls complained that in pri-
vate theatricals no combination OF DISCUSSES
could reduce Kate to the ranks, nor give her
the makeup" of a waiting maid. Yet as
her father was New York merchant of the
precarious or spasmodic description, she had
| been used from childhood to the widest huctu-
atiOns of wardrobe "a year of Paris dresses
then another year spent in making over ancient
fnery, that never looked like either inery or
antiquity when it came from her magic hands.
Without particle Of vanity or fear, secure In
health and good and invariable prettl-
ness, she cared little whether the appointed
means of grace were ancient silk or modern
muslin. In her periods of poverty, she made
no secret of the necessary devices; the other


girls of course, guessed them, but her lovers


never did, because she always told them in ad-


vance. There was one particular tarlatan dress
of hers which was q sort of local Institution. 1t


was known to al her companions, like the
Nhat ho


had first worn it at her christening; the report


originated with herself The young men knew


that she was going to the party il she could
turn that pink tarlatan once more but they
had only the vaguest impression what a tarla-
tan was, and cared little on which side it was
worn, SO long as Kate was inside.


During these epochs OF privation her life In


respect to dress was perpetual Christmas tree


of second hand gifts. Wealthy aunts supplied


half up to FIVE, and she used them all. She


was reported to have worn one straw bat
through FIVE changes of fashion. 1t was aver
red that when square crowns were III vogue
she fattened it over a tin pan; and when round
crowns returned, she bent it on the bedpost.
There was such charm In her way OF ADAPT


ing these treasures that the other girls liked tc
test her with new problems in the way OF mil
, linery and dress-making millionaire friends
J implored her to trim their hats, and lent hei
r their own things i'll order to learn how to veal
r them This applied especially to certain ricE
3 cousins, shy and studious girls, who adored her
and to whom society only ceased to be alarming
when the brilliant Kate took them under he
Q wing, and graciously accepted few of thei
i newest feathers Well might they acquiesce
e for she stood by them superbly, and her mos
. favored partners found no way to her hand 81
( sure as to dance systematically through tina
d staid sisterhood. Dear, sunshiny, graciOu
e generous Kate who has ever done justice u
< The charm given to this grave old world by tn


presence of one free hearted and joyous girl?