Birmingham age-herald., 1895-03-10
RouelNe AS A DUTY.
Such It Was Regarded by the Principal
 i1 This Tale.

weather that always comes when the long rains are over. One morning, six women, whose ages ranged from twenty to forty-fve, were sitting around an open fire. Five of them had their em- broidery in their hands, the sixth was reading aloud. She was woman per haps thirty years old, with pretty, soft hair, eyes of no especial color and pink cheeks; in fact, a woman entirely fas- cinating in manner and appearance. Suddenly she stopped reading and put the book down.
 "You will not like this story" she ex- claimed. Its about plain woman who made herself beautiful. She did a great many wonderful things to her face, and in her method was included little judicious rouging."
 The speaker was looking in the face of the other women as she spoke, and the expected look of disapproval ap- peared in every face. Then she said: You don't think she was justified in rouging, or that it Is ever excusable in any woman?"
 .'Neverl" exclaimed demure little girl, whose pretty cheek was tinged
 
 as rule, at twenty-five, never to re- turn. Il don't think nice women ought to do anything of that sort"
 Ut always seems to me unclecnly," said another maiden.
 ''It is repulsive," added a matron of forty-five, embroidering very fast and speaking very decidedly, "and cannot see how there can be two sides to the question"
 "I do not agree with you," answered the young woman who began the dis cussion. "I am going to tell you a secret now-I do it mvselfi"
 'Horror!" cried three or four voices at once.
 II have always had an idea that your color was not natural" said the matron of forty-five, disapprovingly.
 "Now, that does not annoy me in the least, I am quite willing to have it known. 1 am not at all ashamed of it. You see," continued the young woman who rouged, ''it was all a mistake, my being created with nice enough hair, good but colorless eyes and skin that l must say is faultless in texture, and then to have it all spoiled by fatal sallowness. It was not artistic. think if nature makes a mistake we should make an effort to remedy that mistake.
 You, my dear" she said, sweetly, to the young girl who had called the proc. ess of rouging ''uncleanly," "it is your misfortune to have hair that does not curl. In your case, natures mistake is very prettily remedied, must admit, a,,f s,, ho boi of the rather discounted maiden.
 "Now, l." went on the champion of color, do not have to use curling tongs. My hair behaves itself. But tho blood that belongs in my cheek does not behave itself, and so l make an effort to do without it."
 ''Does your husband know that you rouge?" asked the demure maiden.
 "Why, my dear child, have never tried to conceal the fact from anyone. I found out very early in my life that 1t was less disagreeable to know that people were saying: What pity Janet rougesr than to look in the glass and think: How really well should look if l had little color As to my hus- band, soon after we were married he
 
 went on, with a contented little laugh, "when I came down to breakfast, he looked up from his newspaper and said: Janet, you will oblige me by going up stairs and washing that stuff off your face.' Certainly said, and washed off my beautifer and reappeared before my good husband. Again he looked up from his paper Go and put it on again. he said, grossly. Certainly I said, and we have never mentioned the subject since."
 The young girls in the room were be- ginning to take deep interest in the story and even the matron of fortyfive looked furtively at the dainty checks of the lady who rouged.
 ''I fancy l do it well, too," continued the heroine of the moment. "There is everything in that. It is vulgar if it is done in any other way. l assure you it is very exciting to know that people men especially-are looking very closely and trying to make up their minds whether the color is natural or not. Just because vulgar women plaster their faces with rouge that is no reason why the whole thing should be called an abomination. The use of strong perfumes is disgusting, but we should not on that account be obliged to re- frain from putting orris and sweet scented sachets in our clothes-presses.
 "There is great deal in what you say,n said the fair, demure maiden, musingly.
 "There is everything in what say," said the other enthusiastically "There is as much difference in the way look now and my appearance without mon ami rouge as there is between the au- tumn leaves as they look now, full of color and life, and the way they will looh in two weeks, shriveled and dried m Moreouer l am nleaSed with my