The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1895-05-25
WELL-GROOMED,

table, mending her way through pile
of stockings mountain high; plump
little woman, of 40, none too trig in
figure, decidedly ruf1ed as to hair,
but with merry twinkle in her blue
eyes and motherliness expressed in
every line Of her comfortable person.
'Well," said he looking up, feel
ing with sinking at the heart that
some new complicat ton had come up
in the financial situation, and that she
was about to be treated to views of
blmetallism, adding to the feminine
mind. But no. Her lord and master
had been led into very different train
of thought.
Its nearly fifteen years that we
have been married, Mary" he mused,
remembering as he spoke that in all
that time he had hardly ever before
EcrutiniZed her with such q critical
gaze.
Tell it not in GATH" she laughed,
"1'm growing old, but let us keep it a
secret in the family as long as we
can"
''1es, you have changed-we have
both changed. What vain little chat
terbox you used to be-
'VoX ct praeterea nihil," expressed
me in those days. Now "socks ct
praeterea nihil," would be more like
it, cried Mrs Fenton, gayly, with
flourish of her darning-needle at the
work basket. And as for vanity!
Bless my heart! should like to know
when have had time to be vain!'
Il am afraid you are getting a lit
tie careless, my DEAR" her husband OBJ
served, congratulating himself on hay
ing so easily led up to the discussion
he wanted. "SOmetimes it has struck
me that you We're almost untidy, and
that's a sad mistake for a woman.
If she has the air Of being well-groom-
ed she possesses a great charm"
Mr.. Fenton wore prodigious Whisk-
ers, Dundreary like, and they hid a
blush which rose to his face at the
consciousness that he was quoting the
newspaper article verbatim ct litera-
tim. But his wife had no such pro-
lection and the rich color visibly dyed
her very brow. To be called untidy
is cruel stab from ones better half,
but she restrained the Indignation oD
her lips and tried to ask quite calm
ly:
"Whom should you call a particular
ly we'll groomed woman, now? Of
course, l suppose there 800 Of them
sfn the7Four Hundreds but among our
neighbors? 1t 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 a feminine
intellect were quite beyond him, and
this was another of them. At what
was Mary driving? 1t was impossible
to suspect her of jealousy, for from
that taint her sweet nature was abso-
1utely free. So, rather in the dark,
he replied helplessly:
"Um-ah. Well, Mrs. Van ,Dusen,
now. She always seems to me what
you would term well-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
expensive corset maker, but it is use
less to mention that to man. She
has no children, three servants, and
nothing to think Of, but fixing herself
up. | am not complaining James,
dear. You remember you brought up
the subject yourself, and when you
compare me with Robert Van Dusen's
wife you should consider the differ
ence in our circumstances. 1 have
many, many cares and my days are
full to tho brim.''
The rough head bent over the hole
which was being filed with a care
full lattice work of black yarn, and the
needle went in and out steadily If
the mender's eyer were dim nobody
noticed it.
''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 a Junius would not have
moved Mary Fenton at that moment.
It took all her wits to keep down the
bitterness in her heart. Without wait
ing for encouragement her husband
read on:
'' The woman who has an air of be-
ing well-groomed has a very great
charm for all men, Gle skipped this
sentence. Why expose the writer to
charge of plagiarismD Really ladies,
you should at least try the expert
ment, and may we'll devote little
time each day to the cultivation of
exquisite personal -Qetsl1l at the eX-
pense of some Of your frivolous amuse-
ments. First, do not rise too early
Breakfast in bed on a cup Of coffee,
a roll, perhaps little fruit, and plan
your toilets for the day.
Up went Mary's eyebrows, and a
sarcastic smile played about her
mouth. Three children to send to
school at 8 o'clock, and breakfast to
get before that! Glancing up, Mr. Fen
ton caught the smile.
''Naturally," he interrupted himself,
''every woman can not follow this plan
exactly, but the general outline is
good. You'll see."
So he Travelled down the columns If di
rections, for the bath with bran bags,
almond meal and orris root, the pedi-
curing, the manicuring, the elaboratte
brushing of hair and teeth, the gym
nastics for the development Of the fig
n1e, the careful examination of each
article of clothing to see if a single
stitch be wanting, the hundreds of lit
tie details which it takes SO few min
Rltes to write down, so many to carry
out. AS he went on, Mary's natural
sense Of fun came to her rescue, and,