Year: 1879

skeptical tone. And in these days it's no
special mark Of superiority to theorize about


"Well, but really have something to pro-
pose, said Hattie. 1--WE thought about our
talk last week in sober earnest and begin TO
believe we could do something to make life
pleasanter and less hurried. That is, mean
Of course, hurried and tried over unnecessary
cares, so that we can have brain and muscle
and nerve ready for the demands of really
important things


George Herbert used to be enough in
fashion for people TO quote what he said
about sweeping a room, and believe it, too"
put in Miss Trueft.


Mrs. Cayendish spoke decisively, "What-
ever Of manual labor we need to do, Pru-
dence, to earn our bread from the earth, or
minister to other people, let no one dare look
down on But when it comes to working
over hot stove all day to bake and frost and
stew all sorts of rich, indigestble things for
supper, or spending a week to trim dress
skirt, | can't believe that even George Her
bert would have seen any holiday there"


There was a pause, and then Prudence
said little more tolerantly, "Well, Hattie,
what were your plans 2"


They're not very clearly defined yet,
said Hattie. "but you're welcome TO the sub
stance of them. You'll all agree with me that
Littlcton is comparatively small place 2"
Everybody smiled assent. "And without any
false modosty l suppose we dare assert that
We form the best society here? Well then
we need not fear Mrs. Grundy, since we rep
resent that lady in our own persons, and so
why shouldn't we institute a few changes in
our part of the community for ourselves? ?"


Capital" said Mrs. Maynard, who was
fond Of new theories and eager TO experiment
with them. one week trying to bring down
her flesh according to Banting and the next
building up muscle with oatmeal Lets
hear all you've thought and pass judgment
on it."


First Ms to dress" went on Hattie 1--WE
will give up superfuities, every extravagant
mode Of trimming and useless article, remem-
bering to lose no bit of taste neatness or care
in its arrangement"


"Ah," sighed Kate that sounds well. and
is all very desirable for you Mndonna-looking
women who could wear nuns dress and
find it becoming but what is to become of
my gaunt figure when it is draped in those
same plain folds?"


"Oh, | don't mean that were to be extreme
or outre," answered Hattie. "or to sew up
two breadths of cloth, cut hole in it for the
head and tie string round the waist My
idea is to dress plainly with decent regard
for the fashions of the day, but dispensing
with huge punches of loopings, fine pleating
and what not


And l think there's something else you
want to consider" said Mrs. Cayendish.
Under garments are becoming marvels of
workmanship, or worku0mdnship rather and
taking into account the fact that their most
desirable quality is freshness and cleanness,
couldn't they be less elaborate, and still be
pretty and dainty Z"


"Yes'm, said Hattie eagerly. Just what
| wanted you to say. And there's another
item. Even in our comfortable town, where
as the county paper says, there are no poor,
| know of a good many women who impera-
lively need all the sewing they can get Now
if we give up superhuities an important diff
ference is made in the amount of work to be
done, and they ought not to be the ones to
suffer from it. And as we all hire them more
or less, of course they would feel it in a small
way, as hand laborers feel the introduction
of machinery. Now for every extra left of
which they would make for u.s. let us calcu-
late its equivalent as to the time spent in
plain sewing, give them that, and as Miss
Truefit said last week, pay them just as much
for it,


To her surprise everybody seemed delight
ed with the notion and ready to adopt it,


Hattie" said Mrs. Cavendish, Il do so
admire your common sense that if / weren't
an old lady and this a strictly proper assem-
bly, should no doubt call for three cheers
for you"


1--WE something in mind, too" said Mrs
Gardner, a hearty, country looking woman.
And I'll begin at once to cover the former
speakers bushes. Don't you think we might
make a great difference in the amount of
needless work, and Indigestion too, if We
lived more sensibly as to food!"


II can agree more heartily there, put in
Miss Trueft. 1T does seem so nonsenscal
to go to extremes in that direction as well as
in any other. Last winter when everybody
had a party we begun with tarts, two
kinds of preserve, and three kinds of cake,
and as nobody was willing to be outdone we
all made similar display. They were de-
lightful little parties-I enjoyed them, but
should have been quite comfortable in every
respect, if had not had such variety of
dishes from which to choose my supper"


well what shall we do 2" said Mrs. May
nard. Have a regulation bill of fare 2"


''Of course not" answered Mrs Caven-
dish. Let every woman decide on her own
table, as we're all quite capable of doing, on
ly let it be understood that if we go out to tea
or dinner, we don't expect our hostess TO turn
her household arrangements upside down for
our benefit. Besides the point of not being
ashamed to offer visitors our everyday fare,
let us not be ashamed to have our food plain
and healthful. You'd all object to seeing
your children eat rish fruit cake and all sorts
of heavy dainties and I've always found that
children never quite see the difference be-
tween the laws regulating their stomachs and
those of their elders. So why not set the ex-
ample we wish them to follow? And if we
have company let us take it for granted they
come to see us, not to enjoy our table, and
give them more Of the best that is in our
selves and less of our skill as pastry cooks"


"But don't you think it is sometimes rather
hard on company TO be literally made at
home p asked Kate. 1T seems to me the
best we have ought to be set before them"


'The best. surely" said Mrs Cavendish
"And if one is truly hospitable there will be
a certain holiday air about the house when a
visitor is there, not to be found on ordinary
days But the real spirit of hospitality is the
giving yourself to the guest and his pleasure.
do not mean that one should by any means
neglect his bodily comfort, but if you are
careful about too many things he may have
more of your pie but less of you"


"And all the people cried amen!" 1t is
astonishing to find how sensible people real
ly are if you once get them started in that
road, and how ready TO do their part in life.
Perhaps the novelty of theorizing Influenced
these women as much as the value of the
ideas themselves, but at any rate they were
all in earnest, and really did bring about re-
suits which are not to be despised. OF course
there was no immediate change-the lion
didn't drop asleep in any path as soon
as they had decided to travel that way. But
they were walked up to a glimmering con-
sciousness of what the true good in life is,
and set about doing away with as many non
essentials as possible in order to make room
for things of value. There was, for one
thing an important difference in their leis-
ure-Hattie Peterson said she felt almost con-
sometimes, when she found
herself of an afternoon placidly reading a
novel But then she cOnsoled herself by
thinking that before, when there was breath
ing space she had occupied it in making
patchwork quilts and braided rugs, which
Harry always declared were monstrosities,
and now she felt justified in buying better
and prettier articles to answer the same pur-
poses with the money she had once put into
extras" Soon a botauy class was organ
lied, and the most skeptical person in the
world would not have despised the muscular