The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1886-02-11
A HANDSOME WOMAN.
Her Quaint Courtship by the Lord
Bishop of Manchester.

Miss Jollihert was a handsome woman.
There were people who said she was cold.
BOOKING, and people who said she was
pasSee, and people who said she had a de-
cided will of her own; but no one who
denied that she was handsome. And they
generally added, with nod and lowering
of the voice: "And rich ~ in a way which
seemed to say that, if Miss Jollibert's looks
were undeniable, yet still more undeniable
were her riches.
People were quite right-Miss JOllibert
was cold-looking. She was woman with
an athletic upright figure, a haughtily-cut
brunette face, rather high Roman nose,
and a rather high color. And Miss Jollibert
had a decided will of her own; her ewes
wee of the dark, lazy, mysterious type,
which are as good as sign-poSt pointing to
At As for being passee-of course, strictly
speaking. she was passee; Miss JOllibert
fyas thirty three: and most women are
-1assee at twenty -seven, let alone thirty
three. Mince matters as one likes that is
the long and the short of it,
On the other hand, many women of Miss
-Jolliherts type are positively handsomer
at sixty than at thirty-three. People say
of them then: What a grand old woman !
From the extreme dignity of Miss Jollibert's
mien, it seemed as il she had always in her
mind, as she sailed. with her head high. past
the simpering schoolgirls of Manchester:
A'POor, poor things at thirty-three, people
say of me that l am handsome: and at sixty
they will call me grand old woman. What
will they say of your
There is no doubt whatever that Miss
-Joilibert was simply admiring the distant
landscape; but it seemed to the school
girls chat she was repeating this, and they
resented it by saying she was cold-looking
sud passee. Even they, however, never
failed to add that Miss Jollibert was a
handsome woman.
Manchester was busy, populOus manu-
featuring town, and Miss Jol1ibert'S father
an extremely wealthy paint manufacture
er-had died Mayor of it. So that it was of
course incumbent on Miss JOllibert to in
habit house in one of the most fashion
able suburbs; and that the house. like her
self should be handsome and dignified
She kept a great many women-Servants
and two indoor men-servants, and a large
carriage with large and very vivid crest:
as was only betitting the daughter of so
large paint manufacturer.
IL was really quite d pretty sight to see
handsome Miss Jollibert, in her handsome
blue silk dress, and seated in her
handsome blue barouche, and with
her handsome blue-livered servants and
handsome blue-gray horses, drive forth
under the shadow of her azure parasol upon
a smiling summers day. She generally
looked straight before her. between the
horses heads; she didn't turn aside to recog-
nize everybody. She had a little way of
drawing herself up and signing Hum"
like n genuine bee, which was enough to
make the most impertinent heart quail
Nevertheless when Miss Jollibert liked she
could smile out of her deep brown eyes to
this side and to that too, not a little
Sweetly. 1t was a marvel to all the world
why she persisted in remaining Miss Jolli-
bert When the weather was rainy. the
open baronche was substituted by dark
red carriage, with scarlet wheels. When it
showed again, she spun away over the
sparkling surface. her sleigh. a heterogen-
Gus but artistic confusion of sealSkin, sable
tail and eImine, herself a study in peacock
blue.
When it showed. 1t was showing very
hard one winters night that Miss JOllibert
sat alone before her drawing room fire. 1t
was y magnificent fire, and the drawing
room was simply blaze of magnificence,
and Miss Jollbert was indeed magnificent
in diamonds and a roSe-colored velvet dress
SO bright that il made her perhaps too
brilliant complexion look quite pale in
comparison; as probably she knew. Every
thing, from the superb Eastern knick-
RnackS in the brackets, to the dollhouse
flowers on the tables, spoke of wealth.
You looked at all parts of the room, and
Won said; What expenditures Then YOU
looked at Miss JOllibert herself. and re-
peated: What expenditure more emphat-
1cally than before. And if YOU were a
added to yourself: Chow would a poor
man feel in this rOoml'
Miss Jollibert, at all events, appeared to
feel very comfortable. Her diamonds
flashed in the freight, as she Law back in a
luxurious armchair and toyed with the
folds of her rOse-colOred velvet. The peo-
pie of Manchester said it was ridiculous
Miss JoIlibert should dress herself up in a
rose-colored velvet and diamonds when she
was alone, for the simple pleasure of seeing
the freight fash on them. Miss Jollibert,
however. cared little what any one said,
and at all events she was looking superbly
handsome.
A clock on the mantel-piece struck the
hour of eight; and a minute after, eight
tolled forth from a neighboring steeple
and was borne to Miss Jollibert'S window
with gust of drifting snow She shivered
at the sound of the snow, leaned forward
and poEed the fire; then turned and settled
the various pieces of the little tea service
on the low table beside her. She went over
them all. A cream-pot, a slop-bowl, a su-
gar-basin and two tea-cups. She examined
the two tea-cups particularly; little price
less trinkets they were. She put them
down and examined her own beautiful
hands-they scere beautiful hands. Then
she rom9Ted the little toastrack on the ia