The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-11-28

inside. The Cheyennes, distinguished by blue
blankets, came cautiously out and yapped at the
Pawnees. The pipe was smoked, and prop
erty Ratchet was impressivesy burlGu 10 some
dirt that had been brought by tip-cart. Then
the braves shucked their blankets, and had
dance, attired mainly in paint and earrings.
Their style of dancing varied Some went about
like Jerseymen hunting in the grass for lost cop
pers and others whooped it up with all the
abandon of Fourth warders at hoodlum picnic
All yelped continuously. It was very funny,
and it proved that the untutored Indian cant,
any moro than the dude, waltz as gracefully as
the girl of high civilization.
1t is true that Mrs. James Brown Potter has
gone out of the country, and the reader may
think she ought to be omitted from society col
umns but she is so full of exploits that there is
no use trying to get along without her. She
has now given society another shock by append
her name to an advertisement of a complexion
balm that is warranted to make plain people
pretty and pretty people ravishingly beautiful.
The proprietor claims to have obtained the re :
ceipt indirectly from the Queen of Sheba, Cleo
patra, or some other prize beauty OF ancient
times. She sells a thmbleful Of onguent
for dollar and half. and folks are surmising
why Mrs. Potter is willing to publish herself as
user of the stuff. 1t is declared that she has
no proprietary interest in the business but soci-
ETY. is dreadfully surprised and Cosby.
Broadway on her hands and head, If somebody
were to tell her that the feat would clear her
complexion, or change the color of her hair. LII
there is anybody who disbeeves this, let him do
pie there are in New York making comfortable
livings by pretending to transform their credu.
lous female customers into things of beauty.
Let him make the rounds of these places, and
have enough paint put on his face to set a whole
tribe of Apaches up in business for dozen
years; or his head drenched ard rubbed, and
drenched again, until it needs TO be left in a
fumigating apparatus for the next SIX
months; or his breast pummeled, under
the pretense of making an emaciated form
plump and beautiful" or rubbed and swathed,
until he feels ready to be slowed away in the
pyramids. or catacombs or wherever it is they
put embalmed people-but l am not going TO
tell anything more of what happened to me dur
ing my investigation, which was inspired solely
by curiosity as to the professional beautihers.
l have some respect for my sex, and do not
propose to reveal all the unspeakable horrors
they undergo in their efforts to improve on ma
ture But, as / said before, if anybody
doubts my statement let him do as did, and by
the time be has gone through half endured he
will shout, Come OFF, and be ready to give up
the matter, if he hasn't already given up the
ghost. l don't pretend to know how many of
these operators there are in New York. went
to dozen or so, and didn't find nearly all OF
them.
Bless me, how they do talk, and what won
ders they can accomplish. Every time came
out from place, or bought box of grease, !
wondered how it was possible that there should
be so many unhandsome women on the streets
when it is 80 easy to be beautiful. 1t you
take them at half their words, there isn't one of
EN- who couldn't change an Egyptian mummy
into regular Langtry houri with one box of
ointment; andi an ordinary woman will only per-
severe through two bottles of any of their balms
-Lordl how her beauty is bound to blaze corus
cate and eclipse the sun, moon and stars! Pos
sibly it might. / can't deny it from actual
knowledge, for, as never reached the bottom of
one bottle, it is still possible to look at me
through unsmoked glass.
Generally they give the women credit for pos
sessing little shrewdness, and so put mp their
preparations for various purposes IN different
bottles with appropriate labels. But found one
complexion rejuvenator which would do any
thing required of it. Its marvellous powers were
equaed only by the phenomenal cheek of the
person who sold it. 1Cupids Tears" think
they called it; and if you put it on your skin you
would become fair and rosy as an infant" And
the stuff wouldn't wash off, either, because as
soon as you put it on it would crawl down
under the skin, and hide in the flesh some
where, beyond the reach of soap and water. 1t
would remove wrinkles and freckles: if you were
bald it would make your hair grow, and it would
turn your hair any color you wished, from black
to golden. 1t would cure corns, moles and
warts, remove superfuous hair. and, in fact. you
had only to spread it over any part of your anat-
omy that you desired changed, and presto
'twould be done. Actually, they carrying on
heavy trade, regular andoffice business. and
| saw more women carrying away bottles OF the
stuff than ever found in one such place before
iDmy life I dare say it is nothing but distilled
water perfumed.
sterner sex which nsinuates that every woman
thinks she is beautiful On the contrary, there
is no woman, however beautiful, who does not
have moments of confidence with her mirror
when she fears she is absolutely ugly. Then
she rises from the ashes of despair goes out to
consult the beautifer. and comes home with
balms pastes face masks and such, and the
delicious consciousness that she doesn't look so
badly after ALL and that she is going to look a
great deal better. Men have never given women
much credit for courage. but do you know a man
brave enough to go TO bed looking like the ghost
of a circus clown2 Idon't. Not one. And that
is exactly what woman resembles with toilet
mask on. / wouldn't wear one unless alone in a
house with the doors bolted, the windows nailed
down. and the mirrors all taken out and buried.
Nine fashionable women out of every ten are
undergoing martyrdom half the time in the hope
of making themselves look little better the
other half / know one who has slept every
night for the last six months with her hands
tied to the head hoard of her bed just as far up
as her arms would reach. What fora Bless
you, she imagines it makes her hands less
flushed. Every other woman you meet on the
streets of New York limps on account of tight
Shoes paSb Or pfSSSuL AuQ uSTo Is Secret my
dress-maker told me one day. When the woman
and she is numberless-who is very particular
about the fit of her sleeves tries on her dress
she takes off her undervest, and makes the ex
pert fit the sleeves to her bare arm just as tight
as it can be done, and then, you see. when she
puts it on it looks as if her arm bad been melted
and poured in. The effect is stunning. but how
do you suppose it feelsq l had a dress of that
kind on once just Ave minutes, and the sensa-
ton is something that would have enabled
naot m n EiInfQrno "
Oh! we are o sex of martyrs, and / sometimes
fear that we don't make ourselves look so very
pretty, after all CLARA BELLE.