A few observant people are preing the return of the mid Looking Buck on the Hectic Days Preceding It Now the Caledonicn Dal over, amt one has hid whole weokeeml i whick to. reeupe te, one can Tie' buck, speak, and Feview caltny" the hectic dae previous to the (Great 'And what hectic days there were. Bach year it is the same, 'The days seem to slip by so easily until, sud-donly, St, Andrew's Night is well in sight' and there comes the terrible realization that the all important new dress has not been thought out!
'A hasty purchasing of fashion books follows this dawn of light each year, and an eager scanning. of the pages unt clad in the latest styles 'Then comes the weighty question of material, Ah, yes, some had been seen in a' window tu tow sibly exper hurried visit is paid to the shop, only to find that it has already shut for the tifin hour. Why have several places in this town that ribly uncomfortable habit of closing at 12 noon? teous damsel who almost out shines the first-chosen sleek young. woman with her cape flying from her shoulders (a cape which would need a yard more costly material to convert it into actual being.)
The "common stuff" comes into active play again and a day or 30 later the tailor is able to try on what is really rather a strange looking garment. It is difficult to! imagine it else, but finally the fitting is taken, and with many more threats ringing in his ears the tailor' is allowed to escape bearing with, him the precious parcel to material.
He comes again to try it on. The result looks terrible. He flutters round, recognizing, perhaps, his poor incompetence, beseeching to be! allowed to put a tuck in here, let seam out there, raise the hem al Tittle in one place, and lengthen little in another. More than half an hour is spent before the Finally, however, this difficulty is overtime, and after an anxious reckoning of accounts, the material fs bought and carried hom in great triumph, "Accessories" are also] acquired and one leaves the even more an end-of-the-mirror in anxious consultation with the rest of the family, who, take a really get ive interest, sereeping round with pins and. measures, oF standing the other side of the room amd regarding the tailor's hands work with narrowed eyes. jordan girl. They say with faction that anvongst the younest Society set lip-stick and plexion make-ups are used less now, that dress ix more modest, that ers ave quieter, and that swear words do not nutt the speech of these new girls agthey did that of their predecessors This is all to the good, and that a saner and more normal type of charming femininity is amonget we may all acknowledge thankfully, But it ix to he hoped that the frirla of to-day will not imitate too closely those of the Sixties, or shall have cause -to regret. thee resuscitation. And so will they, It is quite certain that the modern mother will mot want a too faithful copy' of the mid-Vielorian daughter to drag round in her wake, She wan too often such a tiresome dead weight, with her shyness and lack fof conversation; her "Yes Maoeia." and "No, Mamma." type of speech, liber tears and her moods What weary work it was for the mothers of that date to chaperon their girls everywhere they went; to angle for partners for them at parties, and then to see that they haved ax young Indies should, not dareing with aman more than tone, not sitting out on the stairs we long, not, oh not, daring ty pecuniary position than is usual, Such thoughts, however, are brushed aside on auch rear occa sions. The tailor is ordered to attend, and is threatened with awful Penalticn If he makes so much us] One mistake, But he remains calm fand unaffected in the face of this, although he finally agrees to. try his hand with "common stut" first comes again in a day. or and brings with him the devastate Ing news that there is not enough material to make the dress, Can he have another yard of stuff?
But, no, that is impossible. Al-lady' it is the end' of the month fod the: fnanelal position will sim-
But finally by means of tucks and joins, held insecurely by. pins, 4 fairly correct idea of how to fs: semble the different parts of ing dress is. brought home lor, who hurries in'an enlightened frame of It is Friday and still the "model" has not arrived. Couriers in the shape of Loy and coolie are sent flying one after another with anxius messages to the tailors abode. The tailor promises faithfully that the dress shall appear by 7 o'clock, Miraculously it does! Ansiously It is scanned while the rest of the robing for the evening takes place.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.