g flowing sleeves----"

"And hoopskirts," said the colonel.

"And their hair down over their ears."

"Or in ringlets."

"Yes, it is all in grandmother's bound volume of _The Ladies' Book_,"
said Graciella. "I was reading it only last week."

"My mother took it," returned the colonel.

"Then you must have read 'Letters from a Pastry Cook,' by N.P. Willis
when they came out?"

"No," said the colonel with a sigh, "I missed that. I--I wasn't able
to read then."

Graciella indulged in a brief mental calculation.

"Why, of course not," she laughed, "you weren't even born when they
came out! But they're fine; I'll lend you our copy. You must ask all
the girls to dress as their mothers and grandmothers used to dress.
Make the requirement elastic, because some of them may not have just
the things for one particular period. I'm all right. We have a cedar
chest in the attic, full of old things. Won't I look funny in a hoop
skirt?"

"You'll look charming in anything," said the colonel.

It was a pleasure to pay Graciella compliments, she so frankly enjoyed
them; and the colonel loved to make others happy. In his New York firm
Mr. French was always ready to consider a request for an advance of
salary; Kirby had often been obliged to play the wicked partner in
order to keep expenses down to a normal level. At parties debutantes
had always expected Mr. French to say something pleasant to them, and
had rarely been disappointed.

The subject of the party was resumed next day at Mrs. Treadwell's,
where the colonel went in the afternoon to call.

"An old-time party," declared the colonel, "should have old-time
amusements. We must have a fiddler, a black fiddler, to play
quadrilles and the Virginia Reel."

"I don't know where you'll find one," said Miss Laura.

"I'll ask Peter," replied the colonel. "He ought to know."

Peter was in the yard with Phil.

"Lawd, Mars Henry!" said Peter, "fiddlers is mighty sca'ce dese days,
but I reckon ole 'Poleon Campbell kin make you shake yo' feet yit, ef
Ole Man Rheumatiz ain' ketched holt er 'im too tight."

"And I will play a minuet on your new piano," said Miss Laura, "and
teach the girls beforehand how to dance it. There should be cards for
those who do not dance."

So the party was arranged. Miss Laura, Graciella and the colonel made
out the list of guests. The invitations were duly sent out for an
old-time party, with old-time costumes--any period between 1830 and
1860 pe