St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-01-05
SOCIETY GIRLS SECRET.
Naturally Homely, How She Made
Herself Handsome.

Naturally I1OHItiys hoW ohC Mduc
Herself Handsome.
A friend asked me the other day why
it was that some women whom you
would never call good-lookiDg exerted
a stronger fascination over men than
many of their sex VINO were beautiful
physically, and had apparently as much
intelligence.
1t was a time-worn question. and L
answered Immediately: why, the
plain woman who is attractive depends
chiefly on her wit and magnetism. She
knows that she is not beautiful, and she
taxes all her other powers of fascination
to the utmost; while the beautiful
woman generally makes her great mis-
take by depending too much upon her
physical charms. She has more conceit
and less tact. and in the end the palmer
woman WINS"
My friend agreed with me, and then
added: But / have seen some plain
girls Of seventeen who at twenty-five
have been called, to say the least, good
looking, putting their tact. wit and IN
telligence out of the question. Now,
how do they do it?"
II can't say,n / answered, "but
know some one who will tell me-" for |
thought directly of woman who just
fitted that description. A woman who
at eighteen-the age at which a girl
should be pretty, with health and youth,
if eyer-was quite fright, and yet, at
twenty-five was almost as attractive in
face and form as she was in manners.
In her youth she and l had been
friends, and although now we seldom
met, for she had married ard was alb
i1lC inft md NrynU nod
in my literary and newspaper work, yet
| thought that perhaps, for the sake of
long ago, she would let me know the
secret of it all, for she was generous
enough to be willing to share her tri-
umph with others of her sex.
l went that afternoon, and fOrru =
nately found her at home. Isent up my
card and was taken directly to the door
of her boudoir, which, when the maid
opened it, disclosed a very dainty pict-
ure. Everything was green, of a dull
sage and light moss, tine only.other color
which | noticed being the brick red
house gown of Mrs. C., as she lay
back among the cushions of her couch.
A ray of sunlight sent a CLEAN of gold
through her dull red hair and showed
the transparency of her complexion.
She was so attractive that lost no
time in telling her of it, and then an
nOunced the object of my visit. She
smiled little, thoughtfully, and then
said:
"Well, I've no objection. Pm sure, if
| can help some other people as unfoTt-
innate las l was; but you must never tell
who am, for my own husband doesn't
know what an ugly duckling | used to
be, and he might find fault with my in
nocent little ways and means: and
suppose if should let myself alone for
a week l should lose just so much
ground.
"That is the great secret of woman's
good looks-constant care and attention.
But I'll begin at the beginning.
"The first time that | ever realize d
what an ugly girl | had developed was
one day Just before [ was eighteen,
when ! overheard two men talking and
one of them said of me: She's bright
little girl; it's pity she's so homely.'
II never shall recover from that re-
mark, and always hated the man. al
though it was the best thug for me that
could have happened[and, by the way,
that same man has since been quite en-
thusiastic over my good looks.
''AS soon as | had recovered from my
first grief | decided to turn my bright
ness to some account by studying my
self all over in pier glass, and discov-
ering wherein | could improve myself.
After half an hour [ arrived at these
conclusions, first, that my hair, red
dish chestnut, was a good point, long
and thick and an unusual color. Next
that my figure was fair, but my cOrsets
and style of dress were wrong for it.
''Then my skin was white and pure if
l could only get rid of those terrible
freckles. My teeth were white, but the
shape was bad. My feet and hands
were small and slend er, my best points.
My eyebrows were lacking aud my
lashes were too white. My eyes were
small and gray, but had bright express
sion.
Now, my good points 1 would i'm
prove and my bad points | would rem
pliSh anything, and in time l would be-
come-well, l have exceeded my wild
est hopes.
ITO continue: / asked permission to
spend the winter with an aunt in New
York instead of finishing my education
in Boston, and begged so hard that i
was allowed to go. OF course let my
aunt into the secret, but she, dear old
lady, died last year, and so no one
knows.
81 took the freckles first. and after
consulting several chemists | tried a
lotion which took the skin off and with
it the freckles.
MY skin was like babes after that,
although have to use the lotion always
once or twice week, and in summer
am very careful about the sun and wind.
do hate to be confined to wells and
lotions, but isn't it worth it?" and she
held up her lovely cheek for close in
spectiOn.
Now battle my face in hot almond
meal water every night and in cold
water every morning, and that prevents
pimples, blackheads and ALL those horrid
skin troubles. If | get cindery or dusty
on the cars, | rub French cream all
over my face and neck, wiping it off III
ten minutes, and you ought to see the
dirt that comes with it.
1.-The freckleS gone, began to doctor
my eyebrows by brushing them the
wrong way every night and morning
with a soft toothbrush wet in alcohol,
and then the right way with bit of
eyebrow pencil. In time | had such a
real growth that ] only needed the pen
ell occasionally for effect. My eyelaShes
| chopped off short. bold experiment,
and l shivered ID my shoes before they
grew, for fear they wouldn't; bnt they
did, and darker, and quite an eighth of
an inch longer than they were.
My hair l wash every week in soda
and ammonia, ending with warm water
with dash of violet, and that is why it
is so dry and fluffy, with the yellow cast
in the sun. You see! know every bit
of me so WE'LL" she said, laughing half
apologetically.
MY teeth would never be quite even,
so never laugh widely or loudly. A
sympathetic smile is quite enough for
most purposes.
"And now we reached my figure. l
knew that it was good, and knew quite
as we'll that something was wrong in
my manner of dress, so l went to first
class modiste, who discovered the
trouble directly. 1t was my corsets.
Like most women of medium height, l