Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1891-01-31
n.4cortainlv NV darling" Ireplied.

4A1a
by telling YOU that l am not Elvina
Pepper, but Helen Elliott, whom you
once thought too homely to even look
at
az was thunderstruck.
alt can not be possible!" cried.
"'She replied: 'Itis as true as Gospel.
Listen to my explanation. The change
in nv appearance, l know, is wonder
full, but l will make the cause OF 1t
clear. Loving you much, as you must
have suspected, but realizing that was
too homely to make any impression on
your heart, l became almost a victim to
the darkest despair. l spent many
hours alone weeping bitter tears l
thought and thought, hut could see no
raw of hope. Suddenly a bright idea
came to me and I acted upon it. l saw
in a daily paper all advertisement OF a
patent medicine firm located in Phila-
delphia. Reading it, | found that the
firm claimed to be the possessors OF GER
tain valuable medicines and compounds
which, among other things, would re-
move freckles and beautify the COM
p~lexion, cause hair to grow l~uxuriantly
on bald heads, Eel cause coarse. home
" hair to become 6ne in texture and to
assume any desired beautiful hue, add
brilliancy to the eyes, transform by a
gradual process a crooked nose into q
straight one, remove the catarrh and
make a harsh voice sweet-toned. l saw
at once that the treatment promised to
improve me in every needed respect.
Indeed, it was claimed that by thor
oughly using the wonderful compounds
as administered by a celebrated doctor
at the establishment it was possible for
the most homely person in the world to
become remarkably handsome. lhailed
the discovery as a blessing from
Heaven, went TO Philadelphia. put my
self under the treatment for three
months; and you see the result?'
"'At first l could not believe her, but
after her father had come to the room
and said that she was his daughter, and
after | had studied her appearance until
| had become convinced that she must
be Helen reconstructed, so to speak, l
acknowledged that there were such
things as modern miracles beyond tho
shadow of a doubt.
"'Well, to make my story short, | will
say that l married Helen, and when her
father died, two years later, we came
into the possession of a handsome fort
une. But l could not be idle, and rec
ognizing that / owed a duty to my fell
low-men, l went to Philadelphia and
persuaded the members of the patent
medicine firm to allow me to become a
travelling agent for the sale of their
medicines, my profits to consist OF q
handsome commission on all that l
should sell. Since then I have been
travelling throughout the length and
breadth of this great country; and the
wonders that have been effected by the
medicines that | have sold have been SO
many that it would take me a week,
talking steadily, to tell them. And
now, gentlemen, l have a surprise in
store for YOU
"At this moment a lady came through
the crowd and, mounting the wagon,
stood by the side of the vender.
"'Gentlemen," said the patent-medi-
cine man, this is my wife, Mrs. Helen
Rodman, formerly Miss Helen Elliott.
She is the living proof that I have told
you the truth
ga shout of admiration arose from the
spectators; for a more graceful and
beautiful woman than Mrs. Rodman
was can seldom be seen in any part OF
the globe. Her hair vas as dark as the
ravens wing and fell in rich folds upon
her shoulders, her complexion was re-
markably fine and her eyes shone like
stars.
care you that mans wife@ asked an
incredulous spectator.
81 am she answered in tones az
sweet as those of a irst-class harmon.
iphon. He has told you only the truth,
| am a living witness to the fact thai
miracles can still be performed
"Mr. Rodman now seized the oppor
tunity to tell the audience that those
who had homely wives could make
their partners as handsome as was hit
wife by inducing their better halves t.
take Filters grand hair ~restorer, DR.
Hutchinson's freckle eliminator ant
complexion purifier, etc. This remark
able story had worked the crowd up t.
a high pitch of excitement, and in les
than a half-hour the vender sold thre'
hundred bottles of his different medi
cines at a dollar each"
Drummer Dawson paused and lighted
another cigar. The old farmers sitting
near the stove looked at each other ant
winked.
"Well," said one, "it is no use talkin'
Dawson, you take the cake as tn
champion liar"
THANK you," said Dawson, smiling
as if he had received a high compliment
did you ever go to that town again?
asked another listener.
"Yes; and madden men you never saw
when | recalled the visit of the patcn
IutulClllt uldh. Vic CltiEth ouiu VIA"
instead Of making his wife's hair grow
the hair restorer made her bald for life
another claimed that the eye beautiie
had put out his wife's eyes, and SO on
Indeed, it was mournful to hear tn
havoc that had been made by the fe'
lows horrid nostrums and to see 1t ex
emplified in the poor women who wer
creeping about the streets"
81 swow, as you explain it now," sal
the blacksmith, 81 guess you did tell tn
truth. The fellow evidently told hi
yarn to entrap the crowd"
81 thought" answered the drummer
"that after you had reflected a little
you would see that l had told the truth
and acknowledge your suspicious cor
corning my veracity were unjust"
Dawson smiled co~mplacently an
maintained q serene c~ountenance as h
encountered the quizzical glances Of hi
companions. 1t was apparent that mos
Of them were not convinced that he wa
sincere; several, however, seemed I
think that there was considerable trut
in wi. t he said. A. Bolles, In II
Homestead.
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