the matter over carefully and well, and it is the only
chance I see for you. It would have been a happy
conceit on the part of Caruthers if he had started
with his neck and broken that first; but since he has
seen fit to choose a different policy and string himself
out as long as possible, I do not think we ought to
upbraid him for it if he has enjoyed it. We
must do the best we can under the circumstances, and
try not to feel exasperated at him.
A grand affair of a ball—the Pioneers’—came
off at the Occidental some time ago. The following
notes of the costumes worn by the belles of the occasion
may not be uninteresting to the general reader, and
Jerkins may get an idea therefrom:
Mrs. W. M. was attired in an elegant ‘pate de
foie gras,’ made expressly for her, and was
greatly admired. Miss S. had her hair done up.
She was the center of attraction for the envy of
all the ladies. Mrs. G. W. was tastefully dressed
in a ‘tout ensemble,’ and was greeted with
deafening applause wherever she went. Mrs. C.
N. was superbly arrayed in white kid gloves.
Her modest and engaging manner accorded well with
the unpretending simplicity of her costume and caused
her to be regarded with absorbing interest by every
one.
The charming Miss M. M. B. appeared in a thrilling
waterfall, whose exceeding grace and volume compelled
the homage of pioneers and emigrants alike.
How beautiful she was!
The queenly Mrs. L. R. was attractively attired in
her new and beautiful false teeth, and the ‘bon
jour’ effect they naturally produced was heightened
by her enchanting and well-sustained smile.
Miss R. P., with that repugnance to ostentation in
dress which is so peculiar to her, was attired in
a simple white lace collar, fastened with a neat pearl-button
solitaire. The fine contrast between the sparkling
vivacity of her natural optic, and the steadfast attentiveness
of her placid glass eye, was the subject of general
and enthusiastic remark.
Miss C. L. B. had her fine nose elegantly enameled,
and the easy grace with which she blew it from time
to time marked her as a cultivated and accomplished
woman of the world; its exquisitely modulated tone
excited the admiration of all who had the happiness
to hear it.
All things change except barbers, the ways of barbers,
and the surroundings of barbers. These never
change. What one experiences in a barber’s
shop the first time he enters one is what he always
experiences in barbers’ shops afterward till
the end of his days. I got shaved this morning
as usual. A man approached the door from Jones
Street as I approached it from Main—a thing
that always happens. I hurried up, but it was
of no use; he entered the door one little step ahead
of me, and I followed in on his heels and saw him
