The Inner Sisterhood

Inner Sisterhood, by Douglass
Sherley et al.

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Title: The Inner Sisterhood A Social Study in High Colors
Author: Douglass Sherley et al.
Release Date: February 26, 2005 [EBook #15179]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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INNER SISTERHOOD ***

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The Inner Sisterhood.

The Inner Sisterhood
T.I.S.
--A SOCIAL STUDY IN HIGH COLORS--
by
DOUGLASS SHERLEY
WHO WROTE
The Valley of Unrest: A Book without a Woman
1884 IMPRIMARY LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY JOHN P. MORTON
AND COMPANY
* * * * *
Copyrighted according to Law, 1884, By Douglass Sherley.
* * * * *
The Inner Sisterhood.
Dedicated to
One of the Sisterhood.
* * * * *

I
II
III
IV

V
VI
VII
* * * * *

Just After the Ball:
Miss Kate Meadows.
ROBERT FAIRFIELD, LOVER:
Miss Belle Mason.
THE BUZZ-SAW GIRL:
Miss Alice Wing.
FLIRTING FOR REVENUE ONLY:
Miss Rose Clendennin.
Mother and Daughter:
Miss Sophia Gilder.
A CASE OF COMPOUND FRACTURE.
Miss Mary Lee Manley.
Platitudes and Pleasures:
Miss Lena Searlwood.
* * * * *

I
A Bit of Sweet Simplicity In Blue.
* * * * *

Just After The Ball.
The storm-door closes with a bang! My escort, a stupid fellow, has said
"Good-night!" He drives down the street in his old rattletrap of a coupe.
I am so glad he is gone! And yet I am always afraid of
burglars--or--something dreadful, whenever I go into the house alone
so late at night. I bolt the inside door. I mount the hall-chair, left
waiting by papa, and, trembling with a nameless fear, turn out the gas
and leave myself in darkness. I make two vain dashes for the stair; a
third, and I have found it. I grope for the heavy rail and go rapidly up,
two steps at a time, and finally, out of breath, badly frightened, reach
my room. What a relief! I turn on the light--two, three, yes, four
burners, and wish for more. I stir up the fire into a blaze; look over my
left shoulder, but see nothing; listen, but hear nothing. I wheel my
dressing-table near by; seat myself before the pretty oval mirror. I tear
off those ugly blossoms, sent by that stupid man for me to wear; I look
long and earnestly at the tired face I see reflected in the pretty oval
mirror, with its beveled edges and dainty drapery of pink silk and pure
white mull. It is not a pretty face; even my friends do not think me
beautiful. Yet I sometimes fancy--alas! perhaps it is only a fancy--that I
have on my face a suggestion of beauty, even if beauty itself be absent.
My eyes are full and dark, with long lashes; my mouth is somewhat
large, not a good shape either, and some people--who do not like
me--say that they can easily detect a hard, cold expression which does
not please them. But my profile is good in spite of my ill-featured
mouth, and there is--generally acknowledged--a certain high-born,
well-bred look about the poise of my shapely head which gains for me
more than a mere passing notice. My manners are pronounced
"charming," and by many--those who like me--charmingly faultless. So,
after all, in spite of this lack of a positive style of beauty, I am what

might be termed a "social success." But it is a social success which I
have slowly gained, with much labor, and its duration is somewhat
uncertain. I am just beginning to be sure of myself, although this is my
fourth winter out. True, I have almost always had an escort to every
thing given, but I have never been able to fully assert myself. Now,
wherever I go, I boldly, and without fear, seek out some comfortable
place in some one room, at reception, party, or ball, and rest assured
that all of my now-many friends and half dozen or more lovers will
seek me out, and having found me, will linger about me the entire
evening; and if I like, I need not even move from that one pleasant
place during the entertainment, but have my supper brought to me and
the two or three other girls who make up our set, for you know it is so
disagreeable to crowd into the supper-room; it is a vulgar eagerness,
that carries with