a small problem overcome

[launderedlace]

Another 'heritage' observation; but as it's not been reported anywhere before, I guess it's fine by SFF rules. Anyway ...

... the scene: a small rural railway station, with just myself and a well-dressed woman in her fifties waiting for the train

There was no sneeze or audible sniff, so I can only speculate that the woman felt her nostrils to be a little moister than she wished. Delving into a side pocket of her jacket, she produced a tiny triangle of perfectly-laundered lace handkerchief. She gave it a slight shake: nothing; the handkerchief remained in its tiny triangular form. Again, only speculation on my part, but perhaps the lace on the handkerchief was stuck to itself on account of being lightly starched. Undaunted, the woman selected one corner and gently pulled her handkerchief fully open, so that it resembled the arrangement shown in this photo [this handkerchief is from my collection, not the one the woman used. It's fairly similar, though: tiny centre of 'solid' material; a fairly deep border of lace]

Raising the centre of the handkerchief, the woman then used it to give her nose a couple of light-touch, one-handed pinches; she didn't blow, but the lace trembled slightly, all the same. I was too far away to see if there were any resulting small snotty marks on the fabric, but I guess it's likely that there were. Finishing, the woman returned the fully opened handkerchief to her pocket: she seemed to place it there reasonably carefully, so crumpling would have been minimal. Whenever she used her pretty little handkerchief next, it would have again appeared almost pristine to any other lucky onlooker

[Hankysneeze]

Amazing description, thanks for sharing.

[launderedlace]

Good to have downloaded another recollection from my brain and shared it - thanks for reading and commenting!