Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1885-06-20
oyERwoRKED ADJEcrrvEs.
All Kinds Eyes and Hair, Of Face, Form and
Figure.


All Kinds Eyes and Hair, of Face. Form an,
Figure.
From the "Monthly Gossip" in tho July
number of Lippincotrs, we take the follow
ing on the interesting subject of ''The Abuse
of Adjectives'
In a late novel by Rhoda Broughton, called
Second Thoughts--s bright. vivacious, al
most witty little book, marred only by its in
eradicable defects of style, the heroine, GIL
lian Latimer,is described over and over again
with as much emphasis ON every feature as 4
creations and. had nothing but hei
outward appearance to suggest the real
woman she aspires to be. On her eyes alone
more adjectives are brought to bear than
Mould have snfficed Scott for all the orbs in
Waverley. They are "grcy eyes" "great
grey eyes" angry grey eyes," steel-grey
eyes" and "disPleased grey eyes ;"also
grave eyes" "sparkling eyes" "clear
eyes" "blazing eyes" "proud eyes,"
%a great eyes, arehing eyes, large
young. eyes" "argry eyes, " steel
colored eyes," sad leave taking
eyes" 'fashing eyes," and "proud,. dewy
eyes" Upon one occasion she cliffs the fair
stars of her grey eyes" into her lovers face +,
on another, she scorches him badly with
s'grey eyes like furious fires" The hero
himself, most quiet commonplace doctor,
Is not above little eye-work on his own ac-
count He has alternately 'serious eyes,
''cross eyes," "quiet, shrewd eyes," ''coldly
just, bright eyes, ""steady eyes, ""calm eyes,"
''tiery eyes" "town-tired eyes," which is
quite a novelty in the list-and "eyes of
burning choler," to say nothing of eyes that
"burn like fire." while he "grows pale as
ashes" which must have given him the
effect of confiagration, especially as he
stands once ''all betlamed with sunset"
AS TO HER HEAD.
Next TO the supreme question of eyes we
hear most about Gillian's "blonde head"
and her "flaxen head" her "tlax head" her
"bowed flax head" her "tossed head" her
"wilful head" her "fair head" and her
"well-poised head" while to match these
maidenly attributes she has "fair Sphinx
face" "tragic pale face" n ''serious
Face" "huniliated white face" a clam
ing face" 'hotly flushed face" a
'sweetly apologetic face" and 'flower-tex-
tured face" Moreover, being very remark
able girl. she IL endowed with ''severG
young figure" and gracious figure"
whatever that may mean, while her "lily
fair and " delicate cold' hands have I" sat
my backs" and are 'small and capable" as
well. She is never merely pretty like other
women, but she has "ripe June beauty"
and robust yet delicate beauty" If She
losses her temper, which happens rather of
ten in the course of the story, she manifests
the same by the red scorn of her look" or
by her beautiful vexed eyes," which re-
agine an angry grey arrow,-or by " fam
ing out into crimson anger" or "with
wreatbed neck and flaming cheek" or "with
enkindled eye and vermeil cheek" both of
which expressions we would recommend to
lovers OF simplicity.
WORSE AND MORE OF IT.
If she n sad, however, she "ltts the
drowned stars of her inpatient suffering
eyes" or lowers them with moist look -;
or she strays in confused red misery" or
in passionate scarlet hurry" which is as
extraordinary in its way as an angry grey
arrow. When her father dies, she stands
long and craped," with " black elbow"
resting on the chimney place; while her vari-
Gus methods of blushing take up half the
volume. Never, indeed, was there heroine
who blushed so much about so little. Some
times it is merely matter of 'haming
cheeks,' or of the "young roses of her
cheeks" or of the 'mortied carmne of her
cheeks" or of her shot bloom" or of her
"beautitul hot red roses" Sometimes it is
the "deep color of mingled shame and joy;"
while on more especial occasions we are as
sured that her face is "made all of poppies,"
that it ''changes from poppy color to milk and
back from milk to poppy color" that it "keeps
shifting from frightened white to mortified
red, and back again." and, better than all,
that "cheek and chin aud pearl-far throat
grow all one rose-red 1ame," with which
triumph of compound adiectives We will
close our quotations, only remarking that
Gillian's blushing chin rivals the achieve
ment of Ursula in John Haitian, who we are
gravely told, colored over her throat, neck
and arms
All honor to the lady Olivia, who has
taught us how to make a rational inventory
of woman's charms "Item, two lips indif-
ierent red item, two gray eyes with lips to
them item, one neck, one chin, and so forth"
To these let us add, item, one blush indiffer
ent rosy, and then have done with the sub
ject forever.