Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-04-06

husband thought so beautiful VIXEN she
was only his sweetheart, who does her
work with view to protecting the taper
fingers he admired when he was court
ing her, who saves her eyes by letting
small dresses and drawers go with fewer
friils and tucks, that she may be able to
read the last political leader to her hus-
band. or look up a point in history for her
got to have clean body to five in, who
goes upon the theory that men do not
gather figs of thistles, or fine thoughts
from a brawler's brain, who comprehends
that lie from her lips produces two on
those OF her child, who believes implicitly
that whatsoever man sowS that snail
he also reap"-I say it stands to reason
that such a woman will walk right beside
her husband and children wherever they'go
and she won't have to plead for recogni-
ton either.
The world is always delighted to honor
such woman. She seldom has much 1aitn
in clubs for either men or women, and
she Is always too much of a lover OF DAINTY
dress to look with approving eyes upon re
form" garments which, to her artistic eyes,
would tend to deform the figure she mas
been careful to keep supple and youthful IN
its lines. She may have gray hair and be
obliged to wear glasses, but on the cheeks
that Time has touched SO gently there Is
still flush of health, and about her smii-
ing mouth care has drawn mo- lines nor
Ill temper left its indelible tracks: Do you
things?" No, indeed! She is right In It
all. and makes more fun than anybody.
If she chides you, she does 1t with cneery
grace that after all comforts you, and you
know that you may rely upon ner adVice
and counsel, because she is IN the worio
and right up to date on every subject.
Her. Best Age.
But take a woman like Miss Minnie! Oh.
what mistaken idea of ones duty and ac-
countability such people must have, and
how dearly they pay for their hard-learned
lessons. At a literary club the other day
I heard a mother read an essay on Fash
ion; Its Uses and Abuses" She under
stood her subject and invested 1t with
fresh interest for ALL 1T is womans
duty to array herself as becomingly as pos
sible and to study how to make herself
more pleasing to the people whom she
meets" said this wise woman. "a woman
behind the age in anything fs woman
who has lost the key to her opportunities,
and very soon she will lose the opportunt-
ties Also"
Now. isn't that true? Can you not re-
call just such instances? Here is Miss
Minnie, just at the age when most women
should be at their best. past the petty
tealousies of youth and the trivial tri-
umphs of early Womanhood; settled In con-
victions and judgment; assured of position
and friends and power. What more could
graces of body and mind and character
make her natural leader? Yet here Is
one, who was given her talent along with
the others, yet who voluntarily hid 1t
away. and when she wanted to put 1t to
some use found it SO covered with tarnish
that she could only rub it bright in spots;
and she could only negotiate it at dis
count. Soon she found. because of that
rusty talent, which made but a poor ap-
pearance among its up-to-date sisters, she
was being left out of things"
1t was all her own fault, every bit Of 1t!
Those boys and girls would have grown up
Tito even better men and women than they
did II she had tempered her care of them
with a little common sense. and made her
self their companion as well as critic. 1t
would have kept her young and fresh and
made them stronger But she failed to
make that of her opportunities, and
like the man who spent all his life in let
ting down empty buckets into empty wells.
she must go on growing old in drawing
nothing up. 1t is sad but self-infiicted.
She dug the grave for her own youth and
shrouded herself in sulenness and reserve.
She deliberately drove all her charms to
suicide, and now she mustn't whine because
they cannot be resurrected.
wor der how many other women are
dipping empty buckets into empty wells?
3 ~ SONORA SARA.