The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1886-06-30
Vol. 4o---No. 2o.

was full and rounded, her hair as fresn as
when she was twenty, and her movements
full of grace and dignity. She was by no
means young: but hers was a style of beauty
which Time finds it hard 10 DESTROY, and we
all expected that she would have married
again This expectation was the more reason
able because she maintained her more youth
full habits. But five WARS went bv. ten.
fifteen. and still Sibyl Goldmore did not
change her name. And now there appeared
upon her most unmistakable signs of age: and.
curiously enough, as her beauty more and
more deeayed, she seemed more and more re-
solved 10 let all the world know what a
beauty she thought herself She grew affected.
sat in postures, dressed for twenty-five-we
even fancy that she rouged a little
Meanwhile, her old reserve and her silent
ways remained the same. She talked little.
and took no pains with her conversation. She
treated most people with naughty reserve
Strong and sensible as she was. Sibvl was
never able to see that She was growing an OLD
woman and that the affectation of physical
beauty had long ago been ridiculous. grieve
to- write it of Sibyl, for whom have ever felt
respect, and even regard, but the verdict of
kettlewell was that she-once a queen in
our society-had become-dreadful word
boret
Caroline, at the same time, had changed
with years in quite another way You re-
member how well she used TO dress ALL these
girls dressed Wen. But Caroline, as she be
came intellectual, began to neglect her per-
son, and rather affected slovenliness. She
would wear a morning dress in the evening
or go to concert in a shawl ike parish
blanket, which she would pin across her
breast with some odd brooch that she might
have picked up in Hanway street In fact,
Car became fearfully blue, and would even
talk about Hebrew during dinner attacking
tender young curates who had never seen a
Hebrew grammar. frightening the poor
young men out of their senses and running a
good dinner. In addition to this, she became
woman's rights lady, and made speeches
advocating female suffrage. Upon these
occasions Egerton used to go to the back of
the hall with an umbrella and applaud. Also,
if it was a strange town, he would nudge his
next neighbor when the speakers came ON the
platform:
Can you tell me" he would ask, in a low
whisper, (which of these ladies' is Mrs Eyer
ton Doolittle!"
Curiously enough, the stranger was never
able TO point her out
Il should like TO have seen her. Egerton
would say "People assert she is a tremen-
dously clever woman. Indeed, / know she is
In fact, you may spread it with confidence;
she is tremendously clever woman,7
And in this way, my dear, Egerton would
say to her when they got home, in this way
l intend to get your name up. Its the kind
of thing that is done with actresses, and-and
popular preachers, and statesmen too, un-
derstand. Some one goes about-perhaps the
mans twin brother-pretending he does not
know him by sight; asks, Is that the great
Mr.. So-and-soF Probably the other says,
4 never heard of the great Mr.. So-and-ss.'
How very remarkablen the twin brother
exclaims. Everybody is talking about hfm.t
| 50 wish to see what he is like. Exactly
my way with you, dear; | shall get your
name up, depend upon it.
Il am afraid we shall never get our votes"
Caroline remarked, resting her chin on her
hand, and speaking in a mood of doleful con-
fdence 1t had been wet evening, and the
meeting had been small, moist, and not san
guine. "We are working against hope"
Il should not be dishearteped, Car, if | We're
you,' Egerton replied TRY little of this
pheasant, dear. MOI Wen, ] will / was
going to say l should not be disheartened
about the cause. As you said tonight, dear
new truths always have to work their way
Look at my theory about red mullet. | have
been at it for twenty years, and yet even TO
this day that delicious fish is laid on your
plate IN most houses IN kettleNel Just as II II
was a package. But that truth win work its
way, too; and when l am no more n-Egerton
said this with a tremor in his voice, and he
laid down his knife and fork to deal with GER
tain symptoms of moisture in his left eye
when / am no more, red mullet will be
cooked in my way all over educated Europe"
For poor Egerton remained constant to his
great theory about red mullet and firmly
persuaded that a reform in that direction
would help on the regeneration of mankind,
and in this gentle conviction our amiable
milksop viii hive and die.
We bid farewell to Sibyl, to Caroline, to
Egerton Let the men learn what lesson
from Egerton they can or will | write for
the women. And | wish them to observe
that Caroline, well Sibyl, sank into a
social iniietion, lost all power of attraction
as years went on; and in both cases | be
heve the loss arose from simple mismanage-
ment. This story (as every rejecting reader
saw long ago has many morals as a
hedgehog has prickles But here is one par
ticular moral spear which | would infix in
the minds of my feminine students:
Either Sibyl or Caroline, according to the
gifts of person and of mind, would have out
shone Sophia from first to last had they
known the secret of charming as she knew it.