The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-12-13

| ofJ huct my uodEs salu 4uoOJ qulIo
forgot; but then she measured 36 inches about
the waist, and may be said to be predisposed to
fat. And you know you cannot fight nature"
| With an effort to turn the conversation, in
| quired in the heartiest and breeziest way, for
Mr.. Theo.
"Ah, poor mani" sighed Theodosia, '.he
hasn't lost pound. Some one recommended
| gulf-weed, but men are 80 impatient. He
stopped taking it in three or four days, because
it wouldn't take off ten pounds a week"
began to think of adieux, but the converse
tion passed through many fatty tortuities be-
fore Theodosia gave me goodbye at TIE door,
with the regretful assurance that she had
grown as thin as shad last summer, but the
baby was as fat as butter.
1t was with an uncomfortable sense of mas
siveness, and feeling that my fancy handker-
chief was very trivial looking accessory that
was ushered into Valeria's morning room.
Valeria had a macrame lace board on her lap,
and did not rise to give me greeting; but she Is
a CHEEKY little body, and her words were so
hearty that fell into an instant glow Of pleas
ure.
"It seems ages since have seen you," she
cried; land you have been growing thin
haven't you? How nicel'
meekly murmured that did not know.
"Oh, yes" she said, 'you must have lost
four or five pounds. Your face looks smaller;
but then I am an authority on fat. You mean
old thing" she continued. bounding from her
seat, and letting the macrame fly, 'don't you
intend to notice that am thin woman?"
leria Rad jls saefst9nisb sbmept, The once plumpVa-
"How did you do it?' gasped.
'Do it? Well, in the first place, I literally
starved myself. / got the Banting book, and
pored over it till knew it BY heart and then
bsnished everything that was eatable from my
diet drank gallons OF Friedrichshall and
Hunyadi Janos. walked leagues and swan
miles. 1 took hot air baths and steam baths
till was limp as ribbon. In fact, I did every
thing heard of till heard the ecstatic sound
of the rattle Of my own bones"
(Valeria has an emphatic form Of speech.)
"And are you well?" / asked.
"WelI, no." she said, ''I am not well, but
am thin. Twenty times day go to the glass
and gaze at myself in rapture. No one knows
the bliss Of shrinking till they have been called
that big fat woman.
1t struck me that this was desirable time to
turn the channel of the conversation, and /
asked Valeria If she had been to see Little
Jo."
''Ab, yes. Poor little felIowl How charm
ingly Jennie Lee plays it. But, oh how stout
she has grownl Rather well-fed looking 10,
II she did not make her face up so well, isn't
she? However, don't suppose her size shows
so much in JOS rags as 1t will later when she
comes out in her own clothes in The Colonel
Still, actresses have such skill at hiding their
size, tuckiDg it away somewhere out OF sight,
that she may not look SO badly"
"I am inclined to think she will look very
we'll, hazarded. "She was always pretty
woman, and most tasteful dresser"
My dear Betsy" spoke Valeria with clinch-
ing emphasis, you simply cannot dress fat. A
fat woman is fright. know, for have been
one. However, Jennie Lee has not yet arrived
at that stage"
"How did you like the dramatization?"
"Oh, well enough. OF course all dramatiza-
beginning nor ending to them. If people did
net know the book, they would not have the
haziest idea Of what is going on"
"But," said, what reasonable person is
going to see Dickens play without knowing
the book? They are all necessarily fragments
mere sketches-to give the actor chance
--n
'By the way" interrupted valeria, 'I Oh
served that in the play bills they alluded to the
preserved elegance of Lady Dedlock's figure.
Now, always thought Janauschek too stout
~
'svalerial" shrieked. "let me go. You are
fat-mad. Some stray bit of adipose tissue must
have fingered in the cells OF your brain and
turned your mind. I 60, faint shadow. Be
sYR'S weIllS = ''Ni s ' N
II was in deep depression of spirits that 1
turned my footsteps to Georgiana's door. l
knew i SuOulu nave AL uQpiedodub CALL AOA
Georgiana is one of those of whom people say
in an excusing way, oh, well she has good
heart" When people tell me that OF any wo-
man in that way, / know she has the temper
of the foul fend himself.
Georgiana has magnificent amplitude of
nRakspas and Is much dezateds to high ..fAs4tAe-
last and largest of which was reposing comtor-
tably on the inner folds of her necktie, as she
wrought in books that latest device, "the crazy
Afghan" and assisted her young sister IN
thinking up party dresses for the winter.
''I think you are a little too scrawny for that
style, sis," she was saying as came in
t'Great heaven" thought to myself, have
stumbled on the fatal subject once again.
and forthwith I bolted into conversation far
afield. But the young sister would none OF 1t.
sI did so hope all Summer that my arms
and neck would be fit to look at this Winter:
like my party dresses with short sleeves and
low neck, but I really cannot go about all Win
ter thrusting their bony formations upon the
public eye."
Talking Of bones" snapped Georgiana,
"have you seen valeria lately? They tell me
that sfe has grown SO thin that she poses Tor
Sara Bernhardt describes the sharpest angles,
and wears ruffs half yard deep at her neck.
acknowledged to having seen Valeria not
long before, and to having observed that she
really had grown thinner.
"How did she do it?" spoke Georgiana, ca
gerly and quickly. .,...l,
Whereupon gave the list OF the baths, ana
tuo WhtCicr auA VIC WoAnot e-AA~ NAS ~ --~' "
@Ah. that's all very WE'LL" sneered my host
ess, ''but she hasn't told you all. She has
some secret remedy"
Remedy" I said; Eyes, that's Just the
word Obesity Is an obstinate and insiduous
disease" had read that sentence somewhere
and thought it a rather well turned one, but
never had hoped for 80 good an occasion to use
"Disease. boship snarel Georgiana, sit is
sign of good living and good temper. would
not lose pound, not single pound. Iney
tell me she looks like wrinkled old hag any
how, since she got thin"
Once more reverted to the eyer useful thea. thea,
ire for a change of subject: Are you gong
to see Mrs. Oates in The Mascotte'?''
ooh, Of course; although 1 don't suppose
she will be able to get in through the wings,
poor little thing, from what the newspape,
men say about the amplitude OF her curves;
| Such impudence! l suppose my IriendS taiA =
about the amplitude of my curves. That Is
| the only trouble of being fat-people VIII
| make Jokes about you. But wouldn't lose
| pound-not a single pound. BY the way
| have YOU seen Marion? Well, she is fright
If i were as thin as she is, I would want to die
| every time looked in the glass"
"What did she do?" asked, at last begin
| ming to use the current phrase.
"Well, she went to the German SPA, and
| that is, as soon as you leave there you begin 10
/ fatten up again" Georgiana said TINS Win
curious air, as If she had just solved prob
| lem.
| sWhy, L thought" began.
| "But don't dare tosay it," cried she.
! don't want to lose a single pound. But on:
| Betsey," she moaned, melting into part Oh
| the truth, II do wish Harry would get q little
| stouter. There's no use talking, lat woman 2
with thin husband is funny sight. ana
when see his bones all sticking oat,. 1t makes
me hate him."
"What do:you do?" 1 asked yet once again.
''Oh, do everything" she said. II make
him drink whisky and cream at n,gnt, ana
beer when he's Thirsty; and give MN ma,'
for a tonic, and load his bowl OF musn WIN
thick cream in the morning, and pile money
afterward upon his hot cakes; but notnlng
does any good What would you do?"
/ gave 1t up.
That night as folded away my fancy hand
kerchief for future occasion, Jack asked Gu
riously: -.
what on earth do you women talk aoou'
when you go a-calling?"
/ asked nonchalsntly: "Ob, don't know
of course Herbert Spencer on education Is .
favorite topic. Then sometimes we have III
tie fiy at the cradle of the Aryan race, OF oll
into bit of transcendentalism. Women art
SO awfully cultured nowadays, Jack, that yor
know they would not interest you"
And he believed me.