The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-05-15
BEAUTY'SSECRET
By ALAN MUIR.
Author Of Vanity Hardrare. Golden
Girls" Etc.
CONTINUED J
CHAPTER Y.


ing his intention of returning TO England for
a few months The reason of this return the
letter went on to furnish The son said he
feared his father would think him very
foolish: but love was bringing him home, and
here was the worst of the matter-love under
very peculiar circumstances. He had fallen
in love with-a picture! He had seen the
portrait Of a girl whose face had impressed
him as never the living face of any woman
had, and having ascertained that the original
OF the picture really lived, and was English,
and not duchess or a princess, which well
she might Ne. but a girl Of his own rank in
life young Brent was determined TO find her
out and try to secure her for himself. The
letter wound up in very ingenious language,
admitting the apparent absJIrdity of the
whole proceetiing; but protesting that the pas
sion was true and deep, and that nothing
could end it except realization or absolute
and ascertained hopelessness.
Rector Brent was a good natiIed man and
a kind father; So he shook his head and
smiled over his sons folly, being a sage him
self But he wrote a kind reply, saying
that his son would lie always welcome home
under any conceivable circumstances, and
Atfft Ut Tire
seemed rather wild, Vet he well knew that IN
the latter scenes of the affair his son would
I've ruled by his own good senso and his
fathers counsel
And now" the rector said, as be sealed
, this praiseworthy epistle, a think before Per
cival comes home had better have my at
| fairs settled This be said, and as he spoke
he looked at his own Likeness in the chimney
glass. Something struck him. Dear me,
he exclaimed, Il must get some new teeth,
For fifty years Of good living had told upon
| this portion of his mechanism; and now re-
| hecting that he was about To marry, he
reasoned thus: AT such times we refurnisl
our houses. Think OF a man refurnishing his
house, and not refmnishing his mouth. If
| am 10 have new dining table, ! ought tc
have a new set of teeth to use at it. Besides
| He gr-inned in the glass. YES" he said
shaking his head, mot at all progressing
He grimed again, and this time by the power
of fancy set new white teeth in the vacant
| spaces Not doubt of it be muIInured
| the greatest improvement"
| So that morning. instead of making pro
| posal of marriage to the lively widow, ht
went 10 an adjacent town. where notable
| dentist practiced and here he had his Jaw.
| overhauled and plan of the projected i'm
provements drawn out The dentist was
/ man Of chat, and when be ascertained whenc,
| the parson came be had all sorts Of question,
| TO ask about various people in the neighbor
hood, and curious stories 10 tell and gossip I.
exchange; so that our little rector, perched II
the operating chair laughed and chirrvpet
and looked the image of enjoyment Short
sighted man,
BY the way said the dentist, pausing
moment with one of his tools in his hand
| has not Mrs. Temple settled in Kettlewel
during the past year."
| Rector Brent knew that faint blush sho
out OF his cheek As he answered Yes
"A remarkable woman the dentist con
tinued, forgetting his task, while with a med
itative face he seemed to contemplate bygon,
DAYS "A very remarkable woman"
A very, rsrp remarkable woman tn,
rector replied, determined 10 add an advert
in this very peculiar ease,
Wonderful energy" said the dentist.
Nest wonderful" the rector rejoined, still
on the augmentation principle.
And such face and figurel" the operator
said again.
All, such face and figure" repeated tn,
/ rector, unable to refrain from rubbing hi
hands together.
| For her years, the dentist remarked, il
an explanatory voice.
20. come. come cried the rector, in tone
Of renonStrance. Il don't see that. She il
youthful, certainly, and sprightly; but still
women are not old at forty five"
AT ,rhat FIVE" asked the dentist, not hav
ing caught the first word
-Forty-fve," repeated the rector, boldly
and emphatically.
-Seventy-fve more likely the blunt den
| fist said, now intent ON bis tool, which wa
uut Of repair.
| 20, se, seel" cried Rector Brent; @yOt
are talking of her mother. We don't know
the mother. The mother does not live witt
| them now
| "Unless Mrs. Barbara Temple is heIsel
and her mother at the same time | am no
falkiBg Of her mother the dentist an
swered. That lady is seventy years of age
| Il she is seven
Saying this with great unconcern, he ad
! vunced to take some further measurement o
the clcrgyman> mouth, and Observing hi
face ot horror, be said, reasllringly:
Don't H. uneasy; am not going to taxi
anything out
The rector. gsSping waved him away. ;.
| coByulsive were bis movements that for +;
| moment tire dentist feared that he might hav,
left one of his minor implements in th'
patients mouth, which implement, havin,
been inadvertently swallowed, was, from
it, unaccommOiating material aud unusua
-. 4 n,
other Of the canals which traverse the humaI
continent
DO yoa mean 10 saT." said the astoundec
clergyman at last, that Mrs. Barbara Ten.
pie the lady who has three fine daughter
is DpTe than forty-fveT
Before one of those young ladies VIZ
horn the dentist replied, little thinking how
dreadful were his words, Il made a front
tooth for Mrs Ternple-nOt Mrs. Tempt.
then She was a remarkably handsome
woman, something over forty-just tint Of
gray in her hair. Twas not surprised when
heard, few months after, that young Cap
tain Temple was going 10 marry her. But
trds u little surprised when ! heard subse
! quently that his wife was going to present
him with child; and when l heard that thi
child was followed by second, and that by
third, l was, confess, surprised not {
little"
"But Mrs. Temple was only about two and
twenty when she married the second time,
the rector said, still unable to credit what b,
| heard
"My dear sir the dentist said, laughing
az have known Mrs Barbara Temple as
woman for five-and-forty years at the least
Let me see"-he went through some half-audi
bile calculation-'I remember her jiiting
man in 1875"
Then the rector cried, leaping from tn.
chair and shifting hand against hand till tn
room rang, Il shall never believe anything il
this world again except the three creeds ant
the Ten Commandments. Nothing is 10 b,
trIIyted-not eyes nor ears nor the human rea
son orty-fve-seventy-fiv Tilted a maj
in seventeen hundred and ninety-fivel Why
then, she must remember the French Revolu
ton! o dear, o dear, how very hot it has be
GOMEZ"
The reader who is observant and a SUDDEN
# his kind must have remarked that natur,
now and then fashions a weakly sort Of brain
which a single glass of small beer will bemud
die. In similar way does that by no mean.
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