The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1895-03-22
"A WE'LL GROOMED WOMAN
How Mrs. Fenton Taught Her Hus-
band a Lesson.

per and regarded his wife with sigh
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 il
figure, decidedly ruffled as to hair, bu
with merry twinkle in her blue eyes
and motherliness expressed in every
line of her comfortable person.
''Wellp'' 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 bimet-
allism, adding to the feminine mind
But no. Her lord and master had
been led into very different train of
thought.
''It's 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 in CATH" she laughed.
.'I'm growing old, but let us keep it
secret in the family as long as we can"
''Yes, you have changed-we have
both changed. What vain little
chatterbox you used to bel"
- Horetpra ct erea nthtP expressed me in
those days. Now Socks ct praeterea Mill
would be more like il" cried Mrs Fen
ton gayly, with flourish of her darn
ing needle at the work basket "And
as for vanity! Bless my heart!
should like to know when l 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 a sad mistake for a woman. If |
she has the air of being well groomed,
she possesses very great charm"
Mr.. Fenton wore prodigious whiskers,
and they hid blush
which rose to his face at the conscious
ness that he was quoting the newspa-
per article rerbatim ct Rterdttn. But his
wife had no such protection, and the
rich color visibly dyed her very brow.
To be called untidy is cruel stab
lrom ones better half, but she re-
strained the Indignation on her lips
and tried to ask quite calmly:
Whom should you call particularly
we'll groomed woman, now? OF course,
suppose there are three hundred and
of them in the four hun
ired, but among our neighbors? 1t
would help me to find model, you
now"
There had been moments in their
welded career when Mr.. Fenton had
cit that the workings of feminine in
elect were quite beyond him, and this
vas another of them. At what was
iary driving? 1t was impossible to
Inspect her of jealousy, for from that
amt her sweet nature was absolutely
rec. So, rather in the dark, he re-
lied helplessly:
"Um-ah. Well, Mrs. Van Dusen,
ow. She always seems to me what
on would term well groomed-a fine |
cure of a woman and dresses mighty (
vell.- l
Mrs. Van Dusen spends $1,000
ear for dress where 1 spend, perhaps,
$50. She buys her figure from an ex-
ensive corsetmaker, but it is useless q
, mention that to a man. She has no
hildren, three servants, and nothing
, think of but fixing herself up. am 7
OF complaining, James, dear. You re- c
Iember you brought mp the subject '
ourself, but when you compare me {
18th Robert Van Dusen's wife you
1ould consider the difference In our {
/ have many, many q
ares and my days are full to the brim." I
The rough head bent over the hole b
'hich was being filed with a careful c
lttice-work of black yarn, and the o
eedle went In apd cut steadily. I'll 4
be members eyes were dim nobody no.
ICED it. L.