The Purple Stockings

[from ad in the Detroit Free Press, 17 Oct 1911] A continuous laugh from start to finish. Better than any show in town.

By Edward Salisbury Field, author of "A Six Cylinder Courtship."

Complications think and fast arise from Mr. Belt's [sic] kindly desire to comply with his sister's request to purchase a pair of purple stockings. Hearts are endangered and lives very nearly wrecked, but in the end everything turns out to the reader's satisfaction.

The Purple Stockings The year's best light story. Handsomely produced with illustrations in color.

As far as I can tell, there were five of these decorative, gift-edition-type novellas by Salisbury Field published between 1906 and 1911, by at least three different houses . They're very pretty books, with backgrounds and/or borders and Harrison Fisher's/Clarence Underwood's /William Grefe's wonderful heir-to-Gibson illustrations. I've seen them come up with prize inscriptions and a presentation copy of The Purple Stockings on Biblio a while back, "Dear Governor - Here's a frivolous book written by your serious-minded & affectionate son Ned. Dec. 2nd - 1911.", suggests this title's release was timed for the Christmas holidays.

Of the three I've read so far, Stockings is the slightest. It's cute, though. Ostensibly about the trials of a serious-minded lawyer -- "a well-intentioned though blundering young man" (75) -- who, reluctantly and with no great competence, sets out to fulfill his sister's silk-stocking commission, the real hero of the story is his young stenographer, a working-class girl with principles, pluck and a healthy dose of practical feminism. She's appealing -- and relatable!

Bonus, it introduced me to the riddle "Why is a mouse when it spins?"
which I intend to add to my annoyance arsenal.