The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-07-29
(Copuriqhted lsssA

copyrighted 1851
New YORK, July 2S.-I spent yesterday
afternoon behind a counter selling cos
metics. Ny position was obtained by the
exercise of diplomacy, through the special
favor of the head of the house, and in con.
sideration of its temporary character was
not Salaried.
1t was an incident in a restaurant in
Central park which led me to look NO a
place where might preside over powders
and pastiles.
ION honor, girls. your drive has done
you good You look uncommon nice
both of you. Take off those wells, why
don't youN
They were splendid brunettes. Their
brother was proud of them. The party
were eating ices opposite me- Half rising
with brotherly license, he held out a hand
toward each sisters head, catching the long
silver hairpins, about which were wrapped
the ends of the dainty mask wells drawn
down over the tips of their nose. He pulled
out the pins. The scraps of gauze fell to
the table.
''Charon, the Styx and London fog l'
He dropped into his chair
IL WIS an dNIul illDuiCut L Ho bbitc
faced one another then precipitately rose
and left the room. The brilliant dark beau
ties were scarecrows of brown paint and
rouge Go look at them was TO shudder.
They were bad cases of veil make
up, promenade show pieces, to be viewed
through lace only. Without that softening
disguise the arched eyebrows we're horrors
of black pencil, the large full eyes were
daubed about their inner corners with um-
Der. and the glowing olive skin touched
with the healthy flush of exercise was a
smear of bought and paid for color, laid on
with an impreSsionst's brush.
Wells are almost as general among the
women of New York as of Constantinople
In an hour on Broadway / estimated that of
women dressed for promenade three out of
every four wore mask wells. 1t is no long
time since veil in a restaurant excited
remark. Now it is unusual for lady to
remove one. Wells on shopping expeditions
used to be unknown. Now they are pulled
out from under the eyes trlfie in examin-
ing goods before buying. Every theater-
goer can easily remember the time when a
veil in a box or orchestra chair was focus
for all the glasses in the house, Now good
proportion of dressy women regard a veil
as much a matter of course for gaslight
toilet as for midday. Does the universally
of the vell habit mean rouge! IL is mat
ter of common remark that a woman who
does not make up her face nowadays is Il
rare specimen. 1t was this point in which
in my capacity of saleswoman / tried to de-
termlne
The establishment which was fortunate
enough to secure my services was a rich
ly fitted place on prominent shopping
street. 1t was devoted mainly to the sale of
Imported human hair" together with va
rious beaches and hair washes. Complex
ion powders and liquid applications were
~ hal 1sy ,,1
there were several rooms in the rear where
the identifying process might be exempli-
fed "while you watt" without spectators.
One side of the store was devoted to glove
counters and toilet bnc-a-brac, possibly to
afford an excuse to the lady Obliged to ac-
count TO husband or brother for entering
There were several attendants beside my
self, and trade was brisk enough to keep us
all occupied.
1t is a novel sensation to find yourself for
the first time behind the counter instead of
in front of it, and | felt myself seized with
a sort of panic lest | might not be able to
remember the whereabouts of the different
waters and kalsomines, and should contin-
ually hand out pink white where the artifi
cial beauty had called for cream white.
My first half dozen customers measurably
treasured me. | learned that women in
search of makeup resources rarely shop, in
the technical sense of the word. The first
customer who halted in front of me did 30
with her finger on the spot in the glass show
case directly over the bottle which was to
restore her faded bloom. She knew precise
ly what she wanted, where it was kept and
what she ought to pay. She asked me no
questions, She was more busneSs-like than
ever | saw a woman in store before. The
salesgirls next Inc to whom | referred the
point said that all buyers at the house were
30. They were so far sensitive about their
purchases that the young girl on her first
errand and the hardened stagger who had
clogged her skin with bismuth for twenty
years entered the door with their decisions
made. This she said made it difficult to
start the sale of any new article and posi-
bly, accounted for the enormous amount Of
advertising done by the proprietor Of any
new youth balm.
Almost without exception my customers
wore wells. So far my theory ON that point
was confirmed. When my eyes had gained
little practice | decided that most OF them
were made up for the day, aud by noting
their purchases could guess very accurate
ly what they had on. Powder without
rouge was the cOmmouest resort, flesh
white powder, which at its best betrayed
itself by the peculiar, rich, mealy look it
gave to the skin, and at its worst, streaked
with persplratlon. gave one putty, heshy
woman in particular, the look of miller
who had done a heavy days work and for
gotten to wash Women who powdered no
where else seemed unable 10 refrain from
dabbing little around the ears and on the
end of the nose. Rouge was almost inva-
rlably badly put on, too nigh up or too low
down, the wearers forgetting that the prop
er spot for the appearance of color on the
cheek Is regulated IN nature strictly accord
ing to age, the red rising toward the cheek
bones as the years roll on. The kalsomined
women were the worst one wiry creature,
with bleached hair like dead grass, and
glossy red and white complexion like cheap
china making me feel as If | had strained
womankind through a bad sieve and was
picking up knowledge too dear at the cost
of disgust.
Give or six years ago that woman was
a great BELLE" said my neghbor as the door
closed on the shocking example Of resurfac-
ing.
'She came her for the first time the morn
ing after the great-ball. She looked
tired and | didn't wonder My
brother, who was out late the night before.
told me that he heard gentleman call her
by name As he handed hsr into a carriage
after little supper at the close Of an even
ing at the tneater. 1t was midnight and
she was just gong no 20 to dress for the
ball. You can guess the pace she was keeping
She bought nothing but little violet pow
der TO wniten the great dark circles under
her eyes Next season she was n regular
customer for rose leaf waters Of one kind
and another 20 rub little bloom on her
.lsa A that IL aud M