ious papers, the New York _Tribune_, and those weekly
story-papers whose thrilling "romances of real life," like "Parted at
the Altar" and "The Lost Heir of Earlecliffe," were so popular with
those young ladies of slender waists and sloping shoulders who became
our grandmothers. I think none of the numbers dated farther back than
the early forties of the last century, and they were not very inviting,
for they were dusty and discolored and the mice had gnawed holes in the
career of Lord Reginald and the sorrows of Lady Maude.

But there were better things than these--jugs, jars, and bottles of
marvelous patterns, and a stone churn, and some pewter and luster
teapots, damaged somewhat, it is true, but good for mantel decoration
over our fireplaces, and there were some queer old bandboxes, ornamented
with flowers and landscapes, and finally two small wooden chests and a
fascinating box of odds and ends, metal things, for the most part.

We looked into the bandboxes. Some of them were empty, but in others
were odds and ends of finery and quaint examples of millinery, the
turban and poke and calash of vanished generations, some of them clearly
copied after the model worn by Lady Maude at the very moment when at the
church door she turned haughtily from Lord Crewston forever. We drew the
chests to the light and took out garments of several sorts and of a
variety of fashions. There were dresses of calico and delaine of the
Civil War days, a curious cape which we thought had been called a
"circular," a pretty silk apron with a bib, once precious to some young
girl. Some of the waists were very slim, closely following the outlines
of Lady Maude. Others were different--oh, very much so. I think these
were of an earlier period, for among other things there were a number of
garments made of stout, hand-woven linen, embroidered with initials
which had not belonged to the house for nearly a century. I hope they
were not a part of a bridal outfit, for no bride, no really popular
bride, ought to be as ample as must have been the owner of those
ch--garments, I mean. One of them, opened out, would be quite wide
enough for a sheet, Elizabeth said, though somewhat lacking in length.
She thought they would do for single beds, turned the other way. There
were sturdy women in those days.

In the bottom of the chest there was a pair of red and very pointed
dancing-slippers. I don't think they belonged to the same person.
Neither did they bel