Clara Bruir stood on top of a little hill with a hand on her hip surveying her park, Bruir Park. Looking to her right she saw middle class family walking together-or running. She quietly chuckled to her self, and walked down the hill her green dress made her emerald eyes stand out. 

"Hello Clara!" Mr. Palmer, an elderly man with a white mustache winked. He was much like a father to her, "Do you have a fiance yet?"  

Clara laughed, "Oh dear me, no! You know I'm happy-Oh wait a second." she spotted a child playing on the edge of the water fountain. Holding her dress up a bit she ran over to the child, "William!"

"Oh hi Miss Bruir! Oh!!!" With a very loud splash little William fell in the water fountain. Clara shielded her face from the sudden water comming her way. She reached to the little boys flailing hand and helped him out; he was soaked. 

"Goodness, William. Are you alright?" Clara keeled down to look William in the eye.

"Yes, I'm sorry I won't do it again." He put his head down shamefully. 

Clara smiled a bit and patted his shoulder, "Chin up William, we all make mistakes." 

William smiled big, "Oh thank you Miss Bruir! Goodbye!" And he walked off towards his home leaving wet shoe prints on the sidewalk. 

Mr. Palmer walked besides her, "You'd make a good mother someday, Clara." 

"Well thank you... but I'm content." Clara placed a hand on her hip again. 

"We'll see." Mr. Palmer crossed his arms, "We'll see, I must be going now, I'll see you sometime around Clara." He tipped his hat and walked off. 

Clara stared in the direction Mr. Palmer had walked off to for a moment, then she walked off the opposite direction towards her dress, and hat shop. She pushed a few lose stands of her black hair behind her ear as she opened the door, "Mable!" Her best friend, Mable, also single and her same age, 25. 

"Hello Clara! I need to buy a dress and 2 hats-no 3." Mabel chirped. Mabel was wearing an expensive blue dress with a matching hat, her auburn hair and amber eyes contrasted perfectly with her clothing. 

"You bought a dress and 4 hats yesterday." Clara took off her hat with the green ribbon on it, "But I can help you find what your looking for chuckaboo!"  

Mabel snickered in a very unladylike way, "Okay, I'll take a pink satin dress with lots of lace and ribbons." 

"Alright, I should have on here in the back." Clara went to the back of her store. There on a hanger was a pink satin dress lace; frills and all. Straight from the factory. Ah America... can't stop progress can we? As she brung the dress to Mabel she squealed happily. 

"Ooh! Good, I'll take a pink hat that goes with that dress and a purple one." 

Clara giggled as she ran to one side of her shop to fetch a perfect pink hat, then to the other side to fetch a velvet royal purple hat, after giving them to her ecstatic friend she went behind the counter to meet her cash register. 

"Alright... all that in total will be... one hundred and fifty dollars." Clara looked up at Mabel who was digging through her evening purse. 

"Aha, one fifty." And she gave Clara one hundred dollar bill and one fifty. "There! All set." 

"Ah ah ah. Not yet Mabel. I have a question for you to answer first." Clara grinned a bit, "Why are you storing up on dresses at hats? You have a lot already."

"Well because the Governor is going to have a ball. Nobody has been invited yet!" 

Clara raised an eyebrow, "Interesting. How do you know?" 

"The town gossips told me." She replied in a matter-of-factly manner.

"Hmm... I have an idea how to find out, and how to find out if no one was invited yet." Clara smirked.

Mable put a her right hand on the counter, "I always love when you have that crafty gleam in your eyes Clara." 

Clara grabbed her jacket that matched her light green dress, "I'm not one to listen to gossips, but I'm interested." Clara put the 'Out for Lunch' sign in the door.

Mable put on a sad face, "But Clara, I know the Clarke sisters gossip, but there're so sweet!"

Clara chuckled as she and her friend walked out the door, "Yes they are, but hasn't it dawned on you Mable that they'll spill your deepest secrets faster than the newspaper could?"

Mable rolled her eyes, "Oh humbug." 

Clara and Mable walked to the Ice Cream shop outside on shop there were a few tables and chairs, the table nearest to the door is where the Clarke sisters always sat. 

"Ohhhh Clara! Its been a while, and Oh Mable hello!" The sister with a tan dress and hat chirped.

Clara nodded, "Hello Helen." 

Helen's other sister-Nellie-laughed gleefully, "Oh you wont believe what news we have!" she was wearing an orange dress and hat.

Clara and Mable sat down in the other two empty chairs at the Clarke sisters table. 

"I'm sure Mable has already told you, she's our little apprentice in sharing news to the neighborhood." Helen said sweetly. 

With raised eyebrows Clara looked at Mable who was fiddling her thumbs nervously, then she looked back at the sisters, "She has told me, what source did you hear about a ball from?"  

There was one thing everyone knew is Boston, What ever the Clarke sisters gossiped about, everyone heard, even the mayor. Clara knew that the Clarke sisters wouldn't make up any news from a person who works with the government. In this case the Governor of Maryland worked with the government so he would send somebody from under him to tell the counties of Maryland of the upcoming ball. 

As soon as Clara asked what source the sisters heard it from Mabel  looked at Clara as if to say 'Your a smart one.'

Nellie looked and Helen, then Helen cleared her throat proudly, "Nellie and Me happened to be walking in the town hall, when we overheard the Governor's little messenger man tell the Mayor about the ball! Invites should be sent out in 5 days."

Nellie shook her head, "No dear Helen, 1 day. It was 4 days ago when we heard the messenger he said in 5 days."

Clara grinned, "I see." 

"Oh would you two like an ice cream?" Helen asked

Mable looked up "Sure!"

"No thank you." Clara shook her head.

Mable frowned.

"Now don't your dander up! Clara laughed.

Clara walked back to the store with Mable, who was quite ticked off. 

"Mable, I didn't know that your joining the town gossips." Clara giggled. 

"Only for a bit!" Mable jumped, "I feel a little uninformed sometimes." 

Clara burst out laughing,"Oh go fry an egg." 

The next day Clara went to her shop early in the morning like always, she was currently serving a customer that seemed mad as a wet hen. 

The customer was a woman in her late 40's she wore a tan dress with a big black feathery hat; her husband stood outside, he wore a black suit and slacks. 

"Ms. Bruir... I never bought a dress here before. I hear you have good business?" The woman asked. 

Clara half smiled half grinned, "Yes Missus, what would you like?" 

The woman huffed, "What do you think would suit me?" 

Clara laughed a bit and looked at the woman for a bit, "Hmm.. okay I think I know what would be a good dress for you." She walked to the beautiful brown dress on a display it had puffed sleeves and great designs on it. It was right size too. She took it off the display and gave it to the woman.

"Hmm... this is satisfactory." The woman nodded

Just at that moment Clara detected some movement in the corner of her eye, she saw Mable running at full speed towards her shop with an excited look in her eyes, Mable was wearing a light blue dress and a matching hat. She was holding on to her hat as she cruised towards the shop. Several people shot her disapproving looks but Mable didn't care. Mable ran inside panting, "Clara!"

The woman's husband saw Mable and started chuckling. The woman angrily paid for her dress and stormed out of Clara's shop, "Such behavior!"

Her husband was laughing as he tipped his hat to Clara and Mable, "Ho ho! Good day ladies!"

Mable was giggling as she ran over to the counter where Clara was, "You won't believe it!!"

Clara laughed, "Lo and behold, you scared my customer away! Now, what won't I believe?" 

Mable took out two fancy pure white letters she gave one to Clara, it had her name on it, "Open it!"

"Is this what--" Clara opened the letter, 

Governor's Ball

Governor Forbes request the pleasure of Clara Bruir at Lloyd hall on Friday evening at 6:00 pm, dancing to commence at 8:00 pm. 

"In a pigs eye!" Clara exclaimed after reading the invite, "How did you get my invite?"

"It was on steps to the door of your house, I got sidetracked from my morning walk  when I saw a fancy letter on your door step." Mable was smiling widely.

Then something dawn on Clara, "Oh dear..." 

Mable raised her eyebrows with a sad look in her eyes, "What Clara?"

"An unmarried woman must be accompanied by 1 or 2 married ladies if an unmarried woman has no man to take her. Unmarried woman can not be left alone in a ball."

"I guess your in a rut then?" 

Clara was quite for a moment, then all of a sudden a brilliant idea came to her, "I think we can pull this off..."

Mable chortled happily, "Whats your plan?" 

"Well, so I don't have to be watched like a child, and so people won't go around scoffing at me after they hear I'm still not married. We'll get a man to be my "date"..." Clara began slowly, then she looked at Mable who was mesmerized with her idea so far.

"Ooh!" Mable amplified.

Clara continued, "Of course the first man we find a to be good candidate for this won't the be perfect guy. With that me and you Mable will have try outs, your good at wording certain things so you can find men candidates one at a time. So then we'll find out if he is the perfect man by his personality, if he can keep a secret, is a good man, and a will look genuine. I don't want to look suspicious you know." 

"Havens to Betsy! Thats a clever idea! Of course I'll help you find a man." 

Clara grinned, "Thanks, we have 4 days to find the perfect man."  

"We'll get him." 

"Oh, but Mable don't get the wrong idea, I don't dislike men at all, Love is painful, and I'm just not the marrying kind."

Mable shook her head, "Now hold your horses. I want to get married someday, and anyway Clara you need to hitch your wagon to a star." 

Clara made a quick sigh, "But you'll be willing to help me right? My idea is perfect."

"Of course I'll help!" Mable chirped.