Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-12-20
TOO MUCH OF A ssHyECsr.
From the San Frsncisco Arvonaut.


thoroughly posted upon at least one snh,ec,
ever since, Many things had hammered since 7
went last Ny friend Theodosia had been bitten
by the painting craze. [ found her smeared tn
the eyebrows like pallet and engaged in Mac
'h@ very rahish-iooking pair Of Kate Greena-
way infants upon queer-shaped plaque Theo-
dosIa has cordial way of making YOU think that
she really Is glad to see you. / was beamne I'M
oer the warmth OF her manner. when she sud-
denly chilled me by crying, why, Betsy, how
stout you have grown! Isn't it shocking? 1
think it's in the climate" she went on in an ex-
pianatory sort of way. They do saw the Cali
fornia climate gives men softeninp of the brain
and gives the women a horrible Obesity"
Are all the men crazy and all the women
TAI, Aunt Theo:" asked her niece from the east
Hitting her amazed eyes from red cactus in
ereWels upon olive green felt.
Taking biyd's-eye view of them they aren
responded Aunt TheO, gravely. by the way.
did you ever try Aliens Ant-fat? / used to
See great deal about that in the papers,
Now. Aunt Theo,' called out the niece from
the east. you know that stout lady who was
here last week said that she took it until it gave
her brain fever
VERY true. my dear" said Thco; II quite
forget bat then she measured 81 inches about
The waist. AMI may be said 10 be predsposed to
RAT And you know YOU cannot fight nature
with an effort to turn the conversation
Inquired in the heartiest and brecziest way for
Mr. Thco
'Ah, poor man. sighed Theodosia. .he
haSn IL lost pound Some one recommended
eulf-weed hut men are so impatient He stopped
fakin" it in three or four days because it
wouldn't take OF ten pounds week.
began To think of adeux. but the converse
ton passed through many fatty tOrtuties before
Theodosia gave me eood-by at the door. with
the regretful assurance that she had grown as
INN as a siad last summer, but the baby as
fat a butter.
II was with an uncomfortable sense of massive
Ness. AMI u feeling that MY fancy handkerchief.
was very trivial looking accessory, that / was
nSilered into Na!erias morning room Valeria
had a maerame lace board on her lap and did
Eot list, ~ give me greeting; but she is a CHEEKY
little body, aad her words We're so hearty that l
fell into a hearty glow of pleasure.
1T seems ages since have seen voun she
eiied and You have been growing thin. haven't
you: How Hices'
mcekly murmured that did not know
'1h, YES, she said. you must have lost four
or five pounds. Your face looks smaller: but
then ann an authority on fat. You mean old
thing. she continued. bounding from her seat
and ietting the macrame fly. don't you intend
to notice that | a thin woman:''
eazed in establishment. The once plump
Vaieris had shrunk to positive slenderness
How did You do it," gasped.
DO it: Well, in the first place. / literally
starved myself | got the Bartng book and
pGred over it until knew it by heart and then
hanished everything that was eatable from nv
diet drank gallons of FrietlrcIishali and
Hunyadi JaDoS- l walked leagues and swan
miles took hot-air baths and steam baths till
was limp ribbon In fact. did everything
heard of till heard the ecstatic sound of the
rattle OF my own bonrS."
(yaleria has emphatic form of specify
"And are you wel:" asked.
''Well. no." she said Il am not we'll 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"
II struck me that this was desirable time to
turn the channel of the conversation. and
asked Vaeria if she had been to see Little
10"
''Ah. yes. Poor little fellow, How charm
fngly Jenny Lee plays it. But. oh. how stout
she has grown. Rather a well fed looking JO if
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 it will later. when she
eomes out in her own clothes, IN The Colonel
Still. actresses have such skill at hiding their
size. tuckin9 it away somewhere out of sight
that she may not look so badly"
Il am Inclined TO think she will look very
well. l hazarded. ''She was always pretty
woman and a most tasteful dresser"
IVY dear Betsy. spoke Vaieria with clinch-
in@ emphasis. You simply cannot dress fat A
fat woman is fright. | know for have been
oae- However. Jennie Lee has not arrived at
that stage"
HOW utu you iihe the tifdlntlIlZdtiOnE
oh We'll enough. OF course all dralnatiza-
tons of Dickens are stupid There is neither
beginning nor ending tn them. If people did
not know the book they would not have the
haZicSt 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 sketchcs-to give an actor chance"
"By the way" interrupted Valeria. IL oh
served that in the pay-bills they alluded to the
al oil of Il a1- np1lln -
Now, always thought Janauschek too stout"
''Valeria," | shrieked. let me 90. You are
f,t-inad- Some stray bits of adpose tissue must
have fingered in the cells of your brain and
turned Your mind | go faint shadow. Be
happy IN your CHASTITY thinncss. and farewell
1t WAS in deep depression of spirits that /
turned my footsteps to GeOrgana's door. |
knew J should have an unpleasant call. for
Georgiana is one of those of whom people say in
eXcusing way "Oh. we'll she has a good
heart" When people tell me that of any woman
IN that way, know she has the temper of the
foul fenG himself
Georgiana has magnificent amplitude of
person. and is much devoted to high feeding
ana fancy work. In the accommodating years
she has gathered together sequence of chins
the last aud largest of which was repOsing COM
fortably on the inner folds of her neektie, she
wrought in books that latest Device 1.-The crazy
Afghan. and assisted her young sister in think
ing up party dresses for the winter.
Il think you are little too scrawny for that
style. sis. she was saying as / came in.
Great heaven" thought 10 myself. ''have
stumbled on the fatal subject once again" and
forthwith bolted into conversation far afield.
But the young sister would none of it.
II did so hope all summer that my arms and
neck would bee tit TO look at this winter. / like
my party dresses with short sleeves and low
deck. but really cannot go about all winter
thrusting their bony formations upon the public
eye"
Talking OF bones" snapped Georgiana
''haye you seen Valeria lately: They tell me she
eas grown so thin that she poses for Sarah Bern
hardt. describes the sharpest angles, and wears
ruils half a yard deep at the neck
i acknowledged TO having seen Valeria not
ong before. and TO having observed that she
-ea ly had grown thinner.
How did she do it, spoke Georgiana, eager
Iy and quickly.
Whereupon | gave the list of the baths. and
the waters. and the walks and the swims and
the diet.
''Ah. that's all very well. sneered my hostess
but she hasn't told you ali. She has some
secret remedy"
Remedy said: eyes. that is lust the
word. Obesity is an obstinate and insidous
disease"
h,l