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Roe, Frances Marie Antoinette Mack

"Army Letters from an Officer's Wife, 1871-1888"

Faye said for me not to give him a thought,
that he could manage his own costume. How I did envy his confidence in
man and things, particularly things, for just then I felt far from
equal to managing my own dress.
I had been told of some of the costumes that were to be worn by
friends, and they were beautiful, and the more I heard of these
things, the more determined I became that I would not appear in a
domino! So Monday morning I started out for an idea, and this I found
almost immediately in a little shop window. It was only a common
pasteboard mask, but nevertheless it was a work of art. The face was
fat and silly, and droll beyond description, and to look at the thing
and not laugh was impossible. It had a heavy bang of fiery red hair. I
bought it without delay, and was wondering where I could find
something to go with it in that little town, when I met a friend--a
friend indeed--who offered me some widths of silk that had been dyed a
most hideous shade of green.
I gladly accepted the offer, particularly as this friend is in deep
mourning and would not be at the ball to recognize me. Well, I made
this really awful silk into a very full skirt that just covered my
ankles, and near the bottom I put a broad band of orange-colored
cambric--the stiff and shiny kind. Then I made a Mother Hubbard apron
of white paper-cambric, also very stiff and shiny, putting a big full
ruche of the cambric around neck, yoke, and bottom of sleeves.


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