Omaha daily bee., 1888-01-02
The WOMEN OF The PERIOD.
The Labor and Patience Necessary
For Her Proper Makeup.
AN OLD CUSTOM uNoeseRveD.
New Years Calls a Thing OF the Past
Some New Fads-A Novel Sauce
A Pretty Contcst-Clara
Bellies Letter.


stretched, MS il bestowing a benediction
on the empty air. The secret is out. A
notion prevails that this attitude will
keep the hands youthful in appearance
by preventing wrinkles. Therefore,
the fashionable hand is worn much OF
the time extended, palms down. 1t is
TO be feared that benevolence is not on
the increase. The position does not
admit OF the hands holding much. But
Just think of that ever present sOlic-
itude that lives in the female soul, en-
abling women to go around hour after
hour with their hands in a straight-out,
open condition. AT night preposter-
Gus invention must be worn. Maria
came to spend the day with me. She
got through it, padding about with her
happers stiff as pokers, actually be-
grudging the necessity Of wrinkling
her fingers in order to grasp her knife
and fork; but in the evening it came on
to rain, and she was forced to
stop. Then, indeed, she was mis-
the day should be undone by sleeping
at our house. Finally, she sent for her
hand extenders. What do YOU think
they were? Mittens made of wash
leather, the inner side fortified with
three strips of steel that kept the hands
fiat. level and outstretched: and these
articles were tied at the wrist with pink
ribbons.
Maria began to 60 to bed at 10:3O, and
really reached the sheets at u sharp.
Her hair was taken down. brushed. and
done up to wave at the sides and curl at
the top. Her face went through Il Won
derful course OF treatment. For twenty
minutes it was carefully rubbed upward
by the tips of the fingers under the eyes.
Then the mouth was held open in the
shape of an explanatory @, while the
cheeks at the sides were rubbed from
the ears towards the nose. n trcmen-
dous effort was made wi ith the treacher
Gus spc Just under the chin, that will
get drawn lines with the coming on of
years. For twenty good minutes Maria
smothered her gullet. Then she brushed
her teeth carefully. She wet a lock Of
cotton with rose water, and put in her
. mouth at the base of her hind window
teeth, between the cheek and the teeth.
This is .so-called wonder for preventing
any wither on the part of the cheeks.
All this time decOction had been stew
ing in a small silver plated vessel over
the gas. This cooking utcnsil had come
over in Maria bag Of toilet tricks. A
hot and resnous smelling poultice was
- the result. Maria daubed her face
thickly with it, and applied ilannel-
finen mask. Great Scott! She looked
like the yelled prophet in that mask
and her night dress. Outside her whole
paraphernalia she laced an odd sawed
off sort of corset. 1t was just very
wide belt, flaring at top and bottom, but
it lashed up her victuuls and vitals like
a relentless vice. Then came the hard
Into their grcase-smeared interiors she
plunged her hands and got me to tie
them around her wrist.
"What if you want to scratch your ear
in the night" said !.
"Dont suggest it," she replied. "I
bore Il mark for n week when | must
have dug that centre steel into my eye. :"
Then she went to bed. l took a look
at her an hour after. Those wash
on her breast. Her flannel
swathed face was upturned in the dim
light. She was for all the world like
the efiigy in stone that lies in West
minister Abbey over the sarcophagus Of
Anne Bolleyn. The hammers OF the
relic hunter have carried away much of
Anne's nose and several of the fingers.
The mask and mittens had the same
general effect. 1t was reassuring to see
her turn up at the breakfast table after
her martyrdom n general flavor of mild
Noeoy iiSh POioohs puo ySV a.
living friend. Some night Maria will
surely swallow her cotton quid, and then
goodbye, dear! She will never survive
that accident. But Just notice the dow
ayers and their daddles. AS George
Thatcher says in his song:
''She carried her hands just so,
And the villain still pursued her."
While the reader is pcrusing this
letter the swell dandies of New York
will not be making New Years calls, as
might be supposed, but are leaving that
old KnlckerbOcker custom to the very
common fellows. That manner of
spending the holiday has gone clear out
OF fashion. Neither on Sunday, nor on
the ensuing legal New Years, will a
single Fifth avenue residence be open
to callers. A few will have little
baskets attached to the bell handles,
for the reception OF cards, but even
that recognition of once-honored
usage will not generally be made. The
trouble with New Years calls is that
anybody and everybody can make them.
SO much asa hanson cab is not essential,
and il the maker of calls is too poor to
ride in street cars he may plod around
afoot. The intention of the top 10000
is to do things that are impossible to
the rabble. Therefore they have
abolished New Years calls,
anu lHSteuu spehu tne uuy oul
OF town, rs n rule. Murray
Hill will be depopulated, and its people
will be scattered among the country
seats of the families, parties arc made
up for these excursions, the departure
to be made on Saturday and the return
on Tuesday. Tobogganing, if weather
and snow permit, and dancing anyhow,
will be pursued where no intrusions by
the common people shall molcst or make
afraid.
The most regarded bride in the wide
world, l think, has this week been the
new wife of Berry Wall, the king Of the
dudes. The pair have been to theaters
nightly, they dine aud sup at Del
monico's, and they keep pretty gem
orally in public view. Mrs. Wall is not
beautiful, but she has delicate, re-
fined face, good, tall figure, and u very
distinguished air. The strange fact
about her is that her toilets show none
of the accuracy and care which are seen
in the apparel of her celebrated hus-
band. Her gowns have a stylish cut
and are evidently made by some clever
maker; she wears them with some OF
the picturesqueness of an actress; but