Page:The grandmother; a story of country life in Bohemia.pdf/160

154 peasant with one at least fifty years old; here a stalwart youth with an embroidered jacket, there the father with a cloak touching his heels; ladies, simply but elegantly dressed, standing beside those covered with jewels and tawdry finery.

There stood women of the town in caps of lace or of silver and gold embroidery; the farmers' wives in stiffly starched cambric caps or in white head shawls; girls with red kerchiefs or bare heads, their hair held back by beautiful fillets.

As every one knew by the sign that Mr. Stanicky's house was a hotel, so the dress of the people was an index to their minds and often to their occupations? The capitalist could readily be recognized from the tradesman or from the public officers; the farmer, from the day laborer; and from the dress one could see who still adhered to the "good old ways," or, as Grandmother said, followed the world and its new fangled notions.

Grandmother tried to be as near as possible to the children, so that if anything happened, she would be on hand. All, however, went off well, only Adelka jumped and put her hands to her ears whenever a shot was fired.

After the celebration, they went to the hotel where the carriage was waiting. Christina came with them from the church and Grandmother asked her to ride with them, since Mr. and Mrs. Proshek were to stay to dinner. "I should like to ride with you, but I want to go with the girls," replied Christina, as she cast a glance upon a group of young men who were standing in the churchyard, waiting to accompany the girls home.