The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1886-08-26
BEAUTY'S SECRET
BY ALAN MUIR
Author of "Vsnity Hardware" Golden
Girls" Etc.
CHAPTER V.

RHE IINES OF QUIZ ChA1hAClhAho ADNFANSH-
Five years had passed away since Sophia
and Percival were parted, and time had left
its marks upon other personages of our story
beside its heroine Without any question,
Sibyl had greatly increased in personal at
tractiveness. Her dark superb style was de-
Veloped and heightened as she drew nearer to
the meridian of life No doubt the early
bloom of youth was gone; but her form had
become more finely rounded, and her carriage
had become more stately. She was beauti-
full woman Of the world; no man ever looked
at her once only. But her manner had be-
come more reticent than ever. She relied on
her beauty for place among her sex, and
was at no pains to cultivate conversation,
letters or any branch of the art OF pleasing,
except the setting forth of personal charms
Had her manner and her talk been what she
might easily have made them, she would have
ahone out as a beauty indeed, in the prime
of her yyomanhood. For Sibyl had no lack
of sense nor of education either; but proudly
reposing ON her incontestible loveliness, she
rather withdrew than put forward her other
attractions. Still she could display herself
when she pleased; one occasion well remem-
ber, when she met in company a vivacious
Italian, who was extremely struck with her
appearance and paid her a profusion of gay
compliments AT last his English failing, he
tried 20 enhance his polite speeches by some
poetical quotation in his own language, adding
that lie was afraid she would hardly under
stand what he had said. On the instant Slbyl
answered him back with return quotation,
as understood, from the same author. Not
knowing Italian, could not appreciate her
readiness; but that the retort was lively and
happy was sufficiently proved by the foreign
er's delight His eyes sparllled with pleasure
"You know more than do" he exclaimed,
clapping his hands. "You are a wonder-a
wonder, my dear ladyW
But Sibyl reapsed into silence, and treated
her success with a sincerity Of indifference
which showed how lightly she regarded any
mental achievement
Car had meanwhile changed in way the
very opposite She had grown thinner; and
hei frame, which was large one, was more
prominent Car had gone in for intellectual
ideas, and was improving her mind diligently,
and was fast obtaining in our little town the
reputation of being what is now called
woman's rights woman. She had become
rather too fond of talking in mixed companies
on high subjects, and so fell into the very
error her lively little mother had foreseen ten
years before,
Gas to Car" Mrs. Barbara said one day,
"she is turning schoolmistress, She talks lee
lures. l wonder she does not get few les
sons in action" the little satirist said; lit
would become her drawing room and dinner
table finely Any actor or popular preacher
could tell how to arrange her elbows when
she is discoursing l can't; for my education,
Gears, was neglected-in that particular de-
partment. We only danced and sang and
firted when l was girl. Why, remember
once meeting a man who talked of Peru, and,
assure you, dears, thought it was some
where in Germany But what matterl The
world was ours, and we had only to live and |
enjoy and make others enjoy And we did |
il, girls; we did It'll o, that l was young |
again.
Caroline Doolittle, however, was not very l
popular in Kettlewell; and this was undoubt-
Odly owing, not to her sound mental cultiva-
tion-which was as genuine as it was laud-
able-but to the mischievous habit she had of
bringing her attainments into prominence.
suppose she did it to manifest her superiority
over the rest Of the women; but, unfortu-
nately, the result was that, while she vexed /
the women, which she did not mind she re-
PEELED the men, which she did mind very |
much
One man, however, paid her the tribute of 4
q homage which was as unceasing as the voice /
of waterfall. Morning, noon and night |
Egerton sounded the praises Of his wife. He |
had grown stout and healthy looking, and he |
was as great a simpleton as ever. Indeed, |
his giggle had got new notes of imbecility in |
it, and was now perfect wonder Of vacuity |
in unartculated sound. He had slight drop
in his lower lip, too and fixed smile, which |
might have made his very dog understand
hot ,,,anto1 y-aa lyY,agg ie in r1anIyipd
Egerton adored his wife. They had three
children now, and from infancy he pointed
these children to their mamma as the sole
model of excellence and strength. Egerton
was very fond Of nursing his children, and
would walk UP and down with them by ths
nom', telling them at brief intervals to look
at their mamma
tremendously gifted woman" he would
sometimes say to his friends Then, dropping
his voice like Guy Fawkes in the conspirators'
room; Sometimes I see her reading or two
hours at a stretch. have timed ar by my
chronomet6r. What would have Scome Of
me II had not married that woman [ don't
bike 20 say 1 think" Egerton would add,
solemnly 81 Hidh, with my disposition and
my way of looking at things you know,
should have gone Go the bad
Egerton had also given himself up greatly
TO the study OF cooking, and had little room
fitted up with a stove, and hung round with
pots and pans l think this must have been
about the time when the great Soyer was
teaching us English people how to work Won
ders with soup and fish and fowl In this
room Egerton would concoct rare dishes,
generally coming out with very red face,
and now and then upsetting a boiling sauce
pan down his thighs; on which occasions he
would rush from the room shrieking, and de-
clare that it was really too bad and he would
give the whole thing up. Egerton had an
idea Of working reform in the present way
Of cooking red mullet
"a delicious fish, " he would say; "but under
the present system it is sent up in paper;
treated in fact as if it were a package. 1t
Is intolerable that delicious fish should be
treated as if it were package"
Time, which was writing its record on our
younger people, had not forgot to pencil
deeper lines on Archibald Goldmore. Visible
signs Of advancing years were upon him, and
the elephantine frmness Of his tread was
going. He stopped his hair was not so gray
as once it had been. Goldmore, the wise, the
sensible, the millionaire, was dyeing his hair
TO keep up the appearance of youth beside his
lovely wife. All, lovely young women, what
fools you make OF us whitening, elderly menl
And even the little mother, so long undying
in her energy, began to show symptoms of
decline. The light step was falling into a
slower movement; the quick motions Of the
frame we're seldom seen; she was growing
little deaf, and every one observed it, though,
with characteristic vivacity, she tried to hide
the failing. She began to like quiet-bodily
quiet-and would sit in her chair hour after
hour but her mind was as active and her
tongue as pungent as ever; and often Sophia
sol,k ,ln kl,n