The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1882-11-29
THE BRoKEN-DowN BEAUTY,
Who Clings Passionately to the Mem
ories of the Past.
London World.

VINO Cl1ngS PaSSIOnateiy to the Mem
cries of the Past.
London World
| The broken-doWn beauty is as melan
choly an example of having known bet
ter days as the decayed gentlewoman.
She is even more affecting to look at.
The decayed gentlewoman is touching
when one observes her efforts to pre-
serve some personal dignity and com.
mand certain respect on the strength
of once having possessed money and po-
sition. She clings passionately to the
memory of the past and fancies that the
halo of wealth and gentility still sur
rounds her, even to the common eyes.
But the little delusions and fond recol-
lections which gladden. her existence sit
cheerfully and with grace upon her
compared to those which make the
broken-down beauty so sad a spectacle
In going about the world one sees this
out at-elbows queen at various stages of
her decay. She is a great theater-goer,
though she seldom understands the play
and is generally bored by it. Though
romance is word she cannot spell, and
love sentiment of very simple charac-
ter to her mind, she haunts the theaters
and may be observed constantly in these
places of amusement. She is no longer
a drawing-room favorite; her invita-.
tions are few. Consequently she re-
CARDS box at the opera or stall at
the theater as nightly necessity of her
life; she must have something to dress
for, somewhere to go, where she will
find much gas and many young men.
When she is beginning her downward
course of decay, and has still some yes
tiges of youth about her, she always has
some staid dame with her, who neither
has, nor ever had, any pretentions to
appearance. This lady is part of the
toilet, as it were, of the overbloWn
beauty. Her presence gives an air of
youth and innocence to her companion,
and her uncompromising face and dress
add TO the effect of the beauty's elab-
crate makeup. If a gentleman is with
them, he must show himself, certainly
but the lady who plays the part of du-
emma in tbs little comedy is put well in
the front of the box, while the beauty
herself peeps shyly round the curtain.
Screened like this, she may yet look
very well, and some Of the gay young
creatures In the stalls, gorgeous in spot
less shirt-fronts and ncipient mustaches,
are pretty certain to be taken in by her,
and ogle her through their opera-gIasses.
This admiration is food and wine to her;
it makes her sleep that night The
friendly shadow of the box cur ain gives |
her elaborately made-up complexion
chance of looking like nature, and the
on her head seemed to mes
tie most naturally into the artificial
coil and eurls upon which it is pinned. |
Her neck is young enough still, and
needs no creme when she wears the
very low-cut dress, which is her idea of
the correct thing to wear at the theater
Her day is not quite over yet, she says
10 herself, when she finds a couple of
very young men ont Of the stalls wait
ng about on the theater steps to see
ler get into her carriage. She drives
home happy woman.
At this stage, though she is unmis-
.akable, she is not absolutely terrible
out as the years pass on she becomes
more and more alarming. Strange to
ay, as her youth more completely van
shes from every memory but her own,
he illusions which support her grow
stronger. She begins to fancy herself
quite giddY girl again she gets her
elf up in a much more youthful style,
md then fings discretion to the winds.
She is seen out now without her duen
ia, most often we meet her leaning on
he arm of some very young man in
Iced. Heaven knows how these young
nen are pressed into the service; some
lines they are known to have assured
heir friends that she is their mother or
even when these respected
elatives have long been laid in the /
rave, or are quietly living In the
country. Probably the ancient beauty
'ays her boy-lover's debts, and ties him
o her heels in this way at all events,
is certain that young man she will
AVE, and does have. She makes him |
axe her to her beloved theatre; she goes
here IN very, very loW-necked dress; on
Ter head she wears a golden wig, in i'm /
tation of the hair Of girl of sixteen
n the top of that is pinned a red, red !
ose, which looks as old and crushed as
IS wearer. But she is happy; her il {
usions never desert her. She smirks !
nth pleasure when people turn to fix
mazed looks upon her 1t is certain /
7 kind of that fate which takes from as &
uickly all that we value most in life, t
0 grant these happy hallucinations to !
upplant what is gone But the worst !
eature about the shriveled siren IS that I
be so steadily makes it patent to all {
aen that she has known better days. q
he decayed gentlewoman and the t
uined millionaire can not bore US with c
heir sorrows when We 60 to see the {
lay; whereas the woman who once
as q beaety not only does not conceal q
er facethat melancholy relic of the /
invariably wears low dress, q
j order that We may see for ourselves I
hat her wealth Il cg,4ap iFdned