Fashion -- 19th century -- Periodicals; United States -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Periodicals; Women's periodicals, American
corner, equally as well as a straight line. It is only twelve inches
square, and is driven by the hand or foot. By the action of a screen
in the machine, the stitch can be either lengthened or shortened, as
may be desired. The machine feeds itself with both cloth and thread,
and it is only necessary for the operator to guide the material to the
needle to sew. It will with ease sew a yard per minute, stronger, more
uniform, and consequently better than it is possible to be done by
hand.
LETTERS LEFT AT THE PASTRY-COOK'S:
BEING THE CLANDESTINE CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN KITTY CLOVER AT SCHOOL,
AND HER "DEAR, DEAR FRIEND" IN TOWN.
EDITED BY HORACE MATHEW.
THE SECOND LETTER LEFT.
(_Dated February 11th._)
SHOWING HOW KITTY FARED (OR SCARCELY FARED AT ALL) THE FIRST DAY AT
SCHOOL, AND THE DREADFUL DISASTER THAT BEFELL HER.
Oh! my dear Nelly, I'm in such a mess, and can't think how I am to get
out of it. I would run away, only I don't know where to run to: and,
besides, all the doors are fast; and more than that, I feel ma would
only bring me back again if I were to get away. Only think of that
shabby Mrs. ---- (you know whom I mean) opening all the letters; and I
never knew this until my letter was in her bag. Mrs. Sharpe (who has
promised to give this to some one who will drop it in the post on the
sly for me) says every word we write home, and every word we receive
from home, is pried into, and very often kept back if it does not
exactly please the Lady Principal! A pretty lady! I wonder she isn't
ashamed of herself! A nice example to set us young girls--actually
teaching as to go a peeping into other persons' secrets! Meggy (that's
Miss Sharpe's name) says she intends speaking to her papa about it. He
is a Scotch lawyer; and she has often heard him say that there's a fine
of 100_l._ for any one who breaks a seal upon trust papers! What fun it
would be if we could make the Lady Principal pay 100_l._! I'm sure it
would only serve her right.
The beauty of it is, Nelly, she says she only looks at the signatures
of the letters that come here, to see if they are from proper persons.
This is very likely! How, then, _does she know all that is going on in
the girls' homes, if she never reads their letters_? I've no patience
with her! I'm sure that I shall never be able to look the mean creature
in the face again.
Now, Nelly, I must tell you all about the young ladies; for I may not
have another opportunity, dearest, of smuggling out a letter.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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