Keowee Courier

VOL. IX. NO. 51.

BASQUES OR NO BASQUES.—Carrington's
Commissionaire, in noticing the ru-
mor that basques are going out of fashion,
fervently exclaims : "Angels and milliners
of grace, forbid ! We protest. in the
name of all mankind, against any proscrip-
tion of that most graceful, sensible, saucy,
piquant, snug, trim, dapper, neat, natty,
bewitching of all feminine habiliments?…
Masculines all, from chivalrous sixteen to
gallant sixty, to the rescue! No revolution
in the basque provinces—the province of
protecting, adorning, and preserving the
symmetry of fairy shapes—of forming one
of the mystic alliterative trio that respec-
tively attend on face, foot, figure—to wit,
bonnet, buskin, and basque; the three
points of attack towards which every prop-
erly drilled besieging bachelor successively
directs his batteries. Bowing to the bon-
net is his "first parallel," the commence-
ment of his approach ; bending to the bus-
kin (at the feet, to wit) is the next grand
movement of the siege, and then forward
the storming party the well-armed coat
sleeve—surround the basque by a vigorous
coup de main, and the fortress is carried—
away captive. We say nothing of the sa-
lute which is due to the victor in such cases.
Vive la basque! Boys, take a solemn
oath on Wheeler & Wilson's sewing ma-
chine, never to hug a waist that hasn't a
basque on, and the fashion is fixed forever.
Put off basques, indeed! We'd like to see
the girls put 'em off."