San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-12-31
PATHS RED HAIR.
The Diva Explains Why She Became
a Blonde

or any of those apologize comprom
| ises with the truth, but honestly anC
| frankly red. Here and there one may
detect tints of iridescent brown, bu
the whole effect of the mass of hair IL
red. Where it is touched by the
high lights the color is somewhat
modified, but taking 1t en- block 1t can
only be described as roseate and glis-
tening Ikea red gold or cochin eal-tin-
ted bon bon. Just beneath her
bang-and she wears a distinct
bang-are two startling black eye
brows overarching two very dark and
eloquent eyes, lack-lashed and lam
bent, like those OF the old Patti who
delighted Western America many
years ago. On the upper lip is a
shadow like the dusk of evening
skies. If you could imagine the Patti
that you used to know partially done
in red chalk by an artist who repent
ed him of his innovations when he
had but partially finished his picture,
you can get the effect which the diva
produced this afternoon as she dis
cussed hair dye and high art with
your correspondent.
Yes. look at it," she said jumping
at once into the subject with a faint
suspicion of a pout dimly showing
how conscious she was of the cat
echising which she was undergoing.
II never before thoroughly under
stood the knowledge of human nature
which made Alciblades cut off his
dogs tail. the newspapers have had
column about my red hair for every
line they have had about the
cayatina in Semiramide or the duet
in Lucia"
"But, madam. your conversion from
the brunette type to the blonde"
"And why not?" she interrupted.
"Here is is the whole story. The
French will not have brunette;
blonde is the only type they will suf-
fer, and to meet their perjudices 1
bleached my hair when 1 sang the
Juliet i'm Grounod's Romeo and Juliet.
Once done, to be perfectly frank with
you, was so charmed with the re-
suit that / could not suffer myself to
become q brunette again. My hair,
and have lot of it, was never so
becomming in my life. 1 know that
bleaching will do it no harm, it only,
requires constant care, and that my
maid gives"
"But was Juliet a blonde?"
"Of course she was not. How could
she have been and she a Veronese?
1t is only the Partisan fad. They in
sist on blonde Juliet, just as the
stage insists on blonde Marguerite,
although Goethe's Marguerite was,
in all human probability, brunette.
Now, l will not wear wig. With
hair like this, why should II"
There was quick movement of the
diva's hands, and an instant later a
red cascade came tumbling down her
back, making her look like school
girl and, undoing in moment the
edifice her maid had so carefully con-
structed during the toilsome toilet
hour. !,
"And it is not dye.n she said, rum
ming one of her long strands over her
jeweled fingers. ITS bleach. You
can't dye black hair red, but you can
bleach it.n
"Howc"
"Ah, that is secret of the toilet
But will tell you, if any ofyour pref
ty brunettes desire truly and bona fide
to reform and become blondes / will
send them the recipe, but Iwon'tpub-
lish it,"
"You know, madam, there is a GER
tain admirable but very vigorous
character usually associated with red
hair in the public mind. Have you
found that your character has altered
with your hair?"
you mad better ask Nlcolini." she
said looking at her husband, who
smiled negative.
"YOu see, the madame continued,
~ was built that way. The mistake
was in making NE brunette in the
first place. 1 am only now finding
out my destiny and following it up
to IT'S logical red-haired conclusion"
"Why did you choose red instead of
Yellow"
"What question! Imagine yellow
hair about my face" and she framed
herself in her rogy aureOle, making
a picture worthy trip to the Richie
lieu to see. II could not have COM
mitted graver error" she went on.
"All my tints would have been
swearing at each other, as the artists
say"
isn't that the case now, with the
eyebrows blackN'
"If you were woman, sir, you
would not ask the question. There
is nothing sets off the eye like well
marked eyebrow, and a black line
like this can be seen twice as far as a
lighter arch. No. In making up for
the stage you must remember that
there is the same difference between
dressing for the parlor as there is be-
tween an oil painting and an aqua
relle. One is to be seen from short
distance, the other from longer one.
An artist must present such toilet