The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1895-03-21
A WELL GROOMED WOMAN
How Mrs. Fenton Taught Her Hus-
band p Lesson. 49,.

"H'm!''
Mr.. Fenton put down his evening Pc
per and regarded his wife with asigh
She sat on the other side of the table
mending her way through pile o.
stockings mountain high; plump, lit
tie woman of forty, none too trig II
figure, decidedly rufned as to hair, but
with merry twinkle in her blue eyes
and motherliness expressed in every
line of her comfortable person.
"Well?' said she, looking up, feeling
with sinking at the heart that some
new complication had come up in the
financial situation, and that she was
about to be treated to views of bime'
tallism, adding to the feminine mind.
But no. Her lord and master had
been led into q very different train OF
thought =
Its nearly fifteen years that we
have been married, Mary" he unused,
remembering as he spoke that in all
that time he had hardly ever before
| scrutinized her with such critical
gaze.
Tell it not jim Gath!" she laughed.
'rm growing old, but let us keep it a
secret in the family as long as we can. u
Eyes, you have changed-we have
both changed. What vain little
chatterbox you used to bel"
SO Vozetpra ct erea saiaT expressed me In
those days. Now 'Socks ct oraeterea 'aittp
would be more like it," cried Mrs. Fen
ton gayly, with flourish of her darn
ing needle at the work basket. "And
as for vanity! Bless my heart! I
should like to know when have had
time to be vain!''
II am afraid you are getting little
careless, my DEAR" her husband OBJ
served, congratulating himself on hav-
ing so easily led up to the discussion
he wanted. sometimes it has struck
me that you were almost untidy, and
that's q sad mistake for q woman. II
she has the air Of being we'll groomed,
she possesses very great charm"
Mr.. Fenton wore prodigious whiskers,
Dundreary-like, and they hid a blush
which rose to his face at the conscious
ness that he was quoting the newspa-
per article verbatins ct Ateratin. But his
wife had no such protection, and the
rich color visibly dyed her very brow.
To be called untidy is a cruel stab
from ones better half, but she re-
strained the indignation on her lips
and tried to ask quite calmly:
Whom should you call a particularly
well groomed woman, now? OF course,
| / suppose there are three hundred and
ninety-nine of them in the four hun
dred, but among our neighbors? It
would help me to find a model, you
know"
There had been moments in their
welded career when Mr.. Fenton had
felt that the workings of feminine in
tellect were quite beyond him, and this
was another of them. At what was
Mary driving? It was impossible to
suspect her of jealousy, for from that
faint her sweet nature was absolutely
free. So, rather in the dark, he re-
t piled helplessly:
"Um-ah. Well, Mrs. Van Dusen,
now. She always seems to me what
you would term we'll groomed-a fine
figure of a woman and dresses mighty
we'll"
MRS. Van Dusen spends $1,000 a
year for dress where I spend, perhaps,
$3.50. She buys her figure from an ex-
pensive corsetmaker, but it is useless
to mention that to q man. She has no
children, three servants, and nothing
to think of but fixing herself up. am
not complaining, James, dear. You re-
member you brought up the subject
yourself, but when you compare me
with Robert Van Dusen's wife you
/ should consider the difference in our
circumstances I have many, many
cares and my days are full to the brim. "
The rough head bent over the hole
which was being filed with careful
lattice-work of black yarn, and the
needle went in and out steadily. If
the mender's eyes were dim nobody no
ticed it. ~ ~, r,.-.r..",-
''But it takes very little time to keep
ones self in neatness and order. Just
hear this, now, my dear. A very good
article; very sensible, too"
The eloquence of Cicero, the rounded
periods of Junius would not; have
moved Mary Fenton at that moment.
L ~ tOOA dill uOI WINS w hSCP uOWA VAO
bitterness in her heart. Without wait
ing for encouragement, her husband
read on:
"'The woman who has an air OF being well
| groomed has very great charm for ell men,
| HE skipped this sentence. Why expose the
writer to charge Of plagiarismH Really,
ladies, you should at least try the experiment.
/ and may well devote little time each day to
the cultivation OF exquisite personal detail 81
| the expense Of some Of your frivolous amuse-
mentS First, do not rise TOO early. Break
fast In bed on cup Of coffee, q roll, perhaps Q
little fruit, and plan your toilets for the day.
| Up went Mary's. eyebrows and @sar'
castle smile played about her mouth.
Three children to send to school at
nine o'clock, and breakfast to get be-