Short stories, American; United States -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction
The linen being doubled, and Dinah being all in one piece, it followed
that she had great strength of limb, and never, even during the stress
and strain of her hardest years, did she lose either leg or arm. Yet,
whenever the spoiled Marie lost her temper, the bisque, wax, and
china beauties surely lost legs or arms or eyes, Mrs. Tyler lost her
head, and poor Mr. Tyler parted with his hopes of heaven, while Dinah
remained whole and still in one piece. When her figure was complete,
she was about three hands high and without any sign of blood or race
about her. One side of the head having been selected for the back,
because it had puckered a little in the sewing, it was carefully but
lavishly inked, a plain solid coat of ink behind, while about the brow
and temples the ink formed those precise scollops, gracefully termed
by the French “water-waves.” Then followed the eyebrows, still of ink,
and of fearful and wonderful drawing, and below them--eyes?--oh, yes!
eyes of course; what else could there be beneath eyebrows but eyes?
But they certainly were peculiar eyes; there was no wearying monotony
about them, but rather a pleasing variety. One was, I remember, quite
nice and round, and looked to the front in an honest, kindly way, while
the other was square enough to have corners, and it looked downward
and inward, right into that spot where, if she had had any features,
her nose would have been. As to the mouth--I suppose I have to mention
it--there was so much of it, but I wish I could be silent; you see,
the linen was roughly woven, and here and there a coarse, heavy thread
appeared, and when the penful of red ink was applied it touched a
coarse thread, which soaked up the ink like a sponge and led straight
across her entire countenance. Of course the red ink could not be
removed, and the situation and the mouth had to be accepted, though it
seemed the more remarkable because of the infinitesimal mouths always
given to the dolls of commerce.
As to her taste in dress, only words of praise can be given to Dinah.
Never, never did I see her decked out in silk, satin, or velvet, and
only once, in the middle of an oldest inhabitant’s coldest winter, did
I see her in merino.
She usually wore print or gingham, while her undergarments, numerous
and beautifully made, were of a material so coarse and strong as to
cause surprise to strangers, but to those who had the misfortune
to know the little vixen, Marie, these coarse skirts, pantalettes
and chemises, stoutly stitched with about thirty-six cotton, were
luminous with meaning, suggesting as they did the dread possibility of
_tantrums_ on the part of said vixen, Marie.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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