St. Paul daily globe., 1891-07-19


though, if she fancIes herself unob-
served, a person can form a fairly ac
curate estimate Of what she thinks OF
herself. At least such is the verdict of
a woman who took observations
in a ladies parlOr' in an up
town store day or so ago. While she
waited she saw women tall and short,
pretty and hOmely, young and old.
stride. waddle or frisk up to the glass to
straighten hats and put in unruly hair
pins. They never dreamed she was
watching them, for she was apparently
absorbed in finding out the exact
amount she had spent in her shopping.
The first person to attract her atten-
ton was pretty girl in gray. who wore
a black hat lined with red tulle, the
urim of which was twisted up and also
twisted down. She fiuttered up TO the
glass. gave furtive look around, turned
her head sideways with a quick, bird
like movement, pulled her veil down
over her chin in dainty way. put up a
neatly gloved hand to faSten stray lock
in the back, darted another quick look
in the glass and fiuttered away again,
so glad she wasn't as homely as that
severe young woman just entering.
That young woman marched straight
to the glass with the air of one who
does her duty at all hazards. She cast
a hasty and deprecating glance at her
self. Every hair in the curled bang and
tightly braided knot at the back lay
where it should. Only the saucy little
sailor hat had i'll some way become
cooked on one side, and needed a Sc
we're poke to bring it back to realizing
sense of its duty. The poke given, she
adjusted her gold-bOwed Spectacles and
walked away.
Now in comes buXom widow, whose
heavy mourning brings out thequestion-
able color of her yellow hair and rouge.
She has many small bundles, and sinks
into a chair and fans herself. From
where she sits she can look into the
mirror. No one is in the room but the
insignificant woman in black, who is
examining the ribbon she has bought to
see if it is good match; so the fair
one leans forward and studies the effect
of three wells in succession on her
blonde hair Having satisfied herself
that the one with the big dots is the
most becoming, she walks slowly 10 the
glass and puts it on. This is work of
importance.
First, she makes tiny plat in the
middle of the veil, SO it will lie loosely,
and pins it to her bonnet. Then she
pOhCS up q Sull hNiO
and curl there, very lightly, so as not
to spoil her makeup, and pins it in the
back. She looks at herself, thinking,
II am so stylish, and don't look my
age" Off she goes. to be followed by
stout German woman carrying crying
baby, with a small boy close be-
hind, dragging after him a full
shopping bag, and chewing gum
as fast as his jaws will move,
willie" minds the bundles and the
mother tries to sOothe the tired baby. In
the walk to and fro baby sees another
baby in the glass, stops crying suddenly
in sheer amaZement, and stretching out
his hands, jumps and crows. Willie
holds baby up while the mother
straightens her bonnet and smooths her
hair, all the time laughing and talking
to baby, who sees her reflection in the
glass.
Two young girls with box of candy
come next. One combs out her curly
bang with a pocket comb, puts on her
hat again in hasty way and tells her
companion to ''Stop prinklng." Thus
admonished the other pulls her hat
little further forward and takes long,
satisfied look at herself as she whispers
in confidence that Tom told her last
night that she had the bluest eyes in
the world.
And the plain woman thinks so, too,
as she looks to see if her bonnet is
straight before she follows the laugh
ing girls.